God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Do Not Destroy. A (B)Miktam[a] of David.

58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[b]
    Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
    your hands (C)deal out violence on earth.

The wicked are (D)estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
(E)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
so that it (F)does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.

O God, (G)break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
Let them (H)vanish like water that runs away;
    when he (I)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
Let them be like the snail (J)that dissolves into slime,
    like (K)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of (L)thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he (M)sweep them away![c]

10 (N)The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
    he will (O)bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is (P)a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who (Q)judges on earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 58:1 Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)
  3. Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

Allotment of the Remaining Land

18 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at (A)Shiloh and set up (B)the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.

There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. So Joshua said to the people of Israel, (C)“How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. They shall divide it into seven portions. (D)Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, (E)and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north. And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. (F)And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. (G)The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage. (H)And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”

So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” So the men went and passed up and down in the land and wrote in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua (I)cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. And there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, (J)to each his portion.

The Inheritance for Benjamin

11 The lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. 12 (K)On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan. (L)Then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward, and it ends at the wilderness of (M)Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of (N)Luz (that is, Bethel), then the boundary goes down to (O)Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower (P)Beth-horon. 14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the (Q)western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal ((R)that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side. 15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes from there to Ephron,[a] (S)to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks (T)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of (U)Rephaim. And it then goes down the (V)Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to (W)En-rogel. 17 Then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-shemesh, and from there goes to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it goes down to (X)the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben, 18 and passing on to the north of (Y)the shoulder of Beth-arabah[b] it goes down to (Z)the Arabah. 19 Then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of (AA)Beth-hoglah. And the boundary ends at the northern bay of (AB)the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.

21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were (AC)Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, (AD)Jebus[c] (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah[d] and Kiriath-jearim[e]—fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 18:15 See 15:9; Hebrew westward
  2. Joshua 18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew to the shoulder over against the Arabah
  3. Joshua 18:28 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew the Jebusite
  4. Joshua 18:28 Hebrew Gibeath
  5. Joshua 18:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Kiriath

Paul in Rome

17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, (A)though I had done nothing against our people or (B)the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they (C)wished to set me at liberty, (D)because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled (E)to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against (F)my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is (G)because of (H)the hope of Israel that I am wearing (I)this (J)chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of (K)the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this (L)sect we know that everywhere (M)it is spoken against.”

23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening (N)he expounded to them, testifying to (O)the kingdom of God and (P)trying to convince them about Jesus (Q)both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And (R)some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: (S)“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

26 (T)“‘Go to this people, and say,
(U)“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 (V)For this people's heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and (W)turn, and I would heal them.’

28 Therefore let it be known to you that (X)this (Y)salvation of God (Z)has been sent to the Gentiles; (AA)they will listen.”[a]

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,[b] and (AB)welcomed all who came to him, 31 (AC)proclaiming (AD)the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ (AE)with all boldness and (AF)without hindrance.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves
  2. Acts 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling

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