Then I told Joshua, “You saw how the Lord our God helped us destroy King Sihon and King Og. So don't be afraid! Wherever you go, the Lord will fight on your side and help you destroy your enemies.”

Joshua will lead Israel across the Jordan to take the land, so help him be strong and brave and tell him what he must do.”

Safe Towns

(Numbers 35.9-28; Joshua 20.1-9)

Moses said to Israel:

Soon you will go into the land and attack the nations. The Lord your God will destroy them and give you their lands, towns, and homes. Then after you are settled,

Final Speeches and the Death of Moses

Joshua Is Appointed the Leader of Israel

Moses again spoke to the whole nation of Israel:

But he has promised that he and Joshua will lead you across the Jordan to attack the nations that live on the other side. The Lord will destroy those nations just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings. Just remember—whenever you capture a place, kill everyone who lives there.

Then Moses called Joshua up in front of the crowd and said: Joshua, be brave and strong as you lead these people into their land. The Lord made a promise long ago to Israel's ancestors that this land would someday belong to Israel. That time has now come, and you must divide up the land among the people.

Israel Will Reject the Lord

The Lord told Moses, “You will soon die, so bring Joshua to the sacred tent, and I will appoint him the leader of Israel.” Moses and Joshua went to the sacred tent,

Moses and Joshua, I am going to give you the words to a new song. Write them down and teach the song to the Israelites. If they learn it, they will know what I want them to do, and so they will have no excuse for not obeying me.

The Lord told Joshua, “Be brave and strong! I will help you lead the people of Israel into the land that I have promised them.”

Moses spoke the words of the song so that all the Israelites could hear, and Joshua helped him. When Moses had finished,

Joshua Becomes the Leader of Israel

Before Moses died, he had placed his hands on Joshua, and the Lord had given Joshua wisdom. The Israelites paid attention to what Joshua said and obeyed the commands that the Lord had given Moses.

Joshua Becomes the Leader of Israel

Moses, the Lord's servant, was dead. So the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had been the assistant of Moses. The Lord said:

Joshua, I will always be with you and help you as I helped Moses, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.

The Eastern Tribes Promise To Help

Joshua ordered the tribal leaders

Joshua told the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh:

Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies

Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.” The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened.

Israel Crosses the Jordan River

Early the next morning, Joshua and the Israelites packed up and left Acacia. They went to the Jordan River and camped there that night.

Joshua told the people, “Make yourselves acceptable to worship the Lord, because he is going to do some amazing things for us.”

Then Joshua turned to the priests and said, “Take the chest and cross the Jordan River ahead of us.” So the priests picked up the chest by its carrying poles and went on ahead.

The Lord told Joshua, “Beginning today I will show the people that you are their leader, and they will know that I am helping you as I helped Moses.

Joshua spoke to the people: Come here and listen to what the Lord our God said he will do!

The People Set Up a Monument

After Israel had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua:

Joshua chose twelve men; then he called them together

The men followed the instructions that the Lord had given Joshua. They picked up twelve rocks, one for each tribe, and carried them to the camp, where they put them down.