Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites^(A)

1 After the death^(B) of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first^(C) to fight against the Canaanites?^(D)”

² The Lord answered, “Judah^(E) shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.^(F)”

³ The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites^(G) went with them.

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites^(H) into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.^{(I) 5} It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek^(J) and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

⁷ Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back^(K) for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem,^(L) and he died there.

⁸ The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem^(M) also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

⁹ After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country,^(N) the Negev^(O) and the western foothills. ¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron^(P) (formerly called Kiriath Arba^(Q)) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.^{(R) 11} From there they advanced against the people living in Debir^(S) (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

¹² And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” ¹³ Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

¹⁴ One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him^[a] to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

¹⁵ She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.^(T)

¹⁶ The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law,^(U) the Kenite,^(V) went up from the City of Palms^[b](W) with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.^(X)

¹⁷ Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites^(Y) their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed^[c] the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.^{[d](Z) 18} Judah also took^[e] Gaza,^(AA) Ashkelon^(AB) and Ekron—each city with its territory.

¹⁹ The Lord was with^(AC) the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country,^(AD) but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.^{(AE) 20} As Moses had promised, Hebron^(AF) was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.^{(AG) 21} The Benjamites, however, did not drive out^(AH) the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem;^(AI) to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

²² Now the tribes of Joseph^(AJ) attacked Bethel,^(AK) and the Lord was with them. ²³ When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),^{(AL) 24} the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.^(AM)” ²⁵ So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared^(AN) the man and his whole family. ²⁶ He then went to the land of the Hittites,^(AO) where he built a city and called it Luz,^(AP) which is its name to this day.

²⁷ But Manasseh did not^(AQ) drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor^(AR) or Ibleam^(AS) or Megiddo^(AT) and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites^(AU) were determined to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.^{(AV) 29} Nor did Ephraim^(AW) drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer,^(AX) but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.^{(AY) 30} Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. ³¹ Nor did Asher^(AZ) drive out those living in Akko or Sidon^(BA) or Ahlab or Akzib^(BB) or Helbah or Aphek^(BC) or Rehob.^{(BD) 32} The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. ³³ Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh^(BE) or Beth Anath^(BF); but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. ³⁴ The Amorites^(BG) confined the Danites^(BH) to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.^{(BI) 35} And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres,^(BJ) Aijalon^(BK) and Shaalbim,^(BL) but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. ³⁶ The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass^(BM) to Sela^(BN) and beyond.^(BO)

A Message About the Philistines

47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines^(A) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:^(B)

² This is what the Lord says:

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,^(A) my conscience confirms^(B) it through the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself^(C) were cursed^(D) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people,^(E) those of my own race,^{(F) 4} the people of Israel.^(G) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;^(H) theirs the divine glory,^(I) the covenants,^(J) the receiving of the law,^(K) the temple worship^(L) and the promises.^{(M) 5} Theirs are the patriarchs,^(N) and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah,^(O) who is God over all,^(P) forever praised!^[a](Q) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

⁶ It is not as though God’s word^(R) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.^{(S) 7} Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[b](T) 8} In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,^(U) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.^{(V) 9} For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”^[c](W)

¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.^{(X) 11} Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad^(Y)—in order that God’s purpose^(Z) in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^{[d](AA) 13} Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[e](AB)

¹⁴ What then shall we say?^(AC) Is God unjust? Not at all!^{(AD) 15} For he says to Moses,

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.^{(AF) 17} For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”^{[g](AG) 18} Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.^(AH)

¹⁹ One of you will say to me:^(AI) “Then why does God still blame us?^(AJ) For who is able to resist his will?”^{(AK) 20} But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?^(AL) “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,^(AM) ‘Why did you make me like this?’”^{[h](AN) 21} Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?^(AO)

²² What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience^(AP) the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?^{(AQ) 23} What if he did this to make the riches of his glory^(AR) known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory^(AS)— ²⁴ even us, whom he also called,^(AT) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?^{(AU) 25} As he says in Hosea:

²⁶ and,

²⁷ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

²⁹ It is just as Isaiah said previously:

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰ What then shall we say?^(BC) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;^{(BD) 31} but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,^(BE) have not attained their goal.^{(BF) 32} Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^{(BG) 33} As it is written: