The Daily Audio Bible

Israel Has Been Given Canaan because of God’s Mercy

9 Listen, Israel, you’re about to cross the Jordan River. You’ll be forcing out nations that are larger and stronger than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls. ² Their people are tall and strong. They’re descendants of Anak. You know all about them. You’ve also heard it said, “Who can oppose the descendants of Anak?” ³ Realize today that Yahweh your Elohim is the one who is going ahead of you like Esh Oklah. He will wipe them out and will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as Yahweh promised you.

⁴ When Yahweh your Elohim expels these people in front of you, don’t say to yourselves, “Because we’ve been living right, Yahweh brought us here to take possession of this land.” No, it’s because these nations are so wicked that Yahweh is forcing them out of your way. ⁵ It’s not because you’ve been living right or because you’re so honest that you’re entering to take possession of their land. It’s because these people are so wicked that Yahweh your Elohim is forcing them out of your way. It’s also because Yahweh wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ⁶ So understand this: It’s not because you’ve been living right that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with!

⁷ Never forget how you made Yahweh your Elohim angry in the desert. You’ve rebelled against Yahweh from the day you left Egypt until you came here. ⁸ Even at Mount Horeb you made Yahweh so angry that Yahweh wanted to destroy you. ⁹ When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that Yahweh made to you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. ¹⁰ Then Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by Elohim himself. On them were written all the words that Yahweh spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.

¹¹ At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets with his promise on them. ¹² Yahweh told me, “Leave right away. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything. They’ve quickly turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made an idol for themselves.”

¹³ Yahweh also said to me, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with. ¹⁴ Leave me alone! I’ll destroy them and wipe their name off the earth. Then I’ll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are.”

¹⁵ So I turned and went down the mountain while it was still burning with fire. I was carrying the two tablets with the promise on them. ¹⁶ Then I saw that you had sinned against Yahweh your Elohim. You had made a statue of a calf for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way Yahweh commanded you to live. ¹⁷ I took the two tablets, threw them down, and smashed them in front of you.

¹⁸ Once again I threw myself down in front of Yahweh. I went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights because of the sin you committed. You did what Yahweh considered evil and made him furious. ¹⁹ I was terrified of Yahweh’s anger and fury. He was so angry he wanted to destroy you. But once more Yahweh listened to me.

²⁰ Yahweh also became very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him. But at that time I prayed for Aaron, too.

²¹ I took that sinful calf you made and burned it. I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that flowed down the mountain.

²² You also made Yahweh angry at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah.

²³ When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go and take possession of the land I’m giving you.” But you rebelled against the word of Yahweh your Elohim. You didn’t believe him or obey him. ²⁴ You’ve rebelled against Yahweh as long as I’ve known you.

²⁵ I threw myself down in front of Yahweh for 40 days and 40 nights because Yahweh said he would destroy you. ²⁶ I prayed to Yahweh and said, “Adonay Yahweh, don’t destroy your people. They belong to you. You saved them by your great power and used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. ²⁷ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. ²⁸ Otherwise, the country we left will say, “Yahweh wasn’t able to bring them to the land he promised them. He hated them. That’s why he brought them out—to let them die in the desert.” ²⁹ They are your people. They belong to you. You used your great strength and powerful arm to bring them out of Egypt.

10 At that time Yahweh said to me, “Cut two more stone tablets like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain. Also make an ark out of wood. ² I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. Then you will put them in the ark.”

³ I made an ark out of acacia wood. I cut two more stone tablets like the first ones. I carried the two tablets up the mountain. ⁴ Yahweh wrote on these tablets the same words as before, the ten commandments. He had spoken these words to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. Then Yahweh gave them to me. ⁵ I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made. They are still there, where Yahweh commanded me to put them.

⁶ The Israelites moved from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest. ⁷ They moved from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with rivers that don’t dry up. ⁸ At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of Yahweh’s promise, to stand in Yahweh’s presence when they serve him as priests, and to praise his name, as they still do today. ⁹ This is why the tribe of Levi has no land of their own as the other tribes have. Yahweh your Elohim is their only possession, as he promised them.

¹⁰ I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again Yahweh listened to me and Yahweh agreed not to destroy you. ¹¹ Yahweh said to me, “Lead the people on their journey. They will enter and take possession of the land I will give them, as I swore to their ancestors.”

Israel Encouraged to Follow God’s Guidance

¹² Israel, what does Yahweh your Elohim want you to do? Yahweh your Elohim wants you to fear him, follow all his directions, love him, and worship Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹³ Yahweh wants you to obey his commands and laws that I’m giving you today for your own good. ¹⁴ Remember that the sky, the highest heaven, the earth and everything it contains belong to Yahweh your Elohim. ¹⁵ Yahweh set his heart on your ancestors and loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you, their descendants, out of all the people of the world.

¹⁶ So circumcise your uncircumcised hearts, and don’t be impossible to deal with any longer. ¹⁷ There is no one like Yahweh—your one true Elohim and Adonay. He is the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring El. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe. ¹⁸ He makes sure orphans and widows receive justice. He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes. ¹⁹ So you should love foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. ²⁰ Fear Yahweh your Elohim, worship him, be loyal to him, and take your oaths in his name. ²¹ He is your glory. He is your Elohim, who did for you these spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds you saw with your own eyes. ²² When your ancestors went to Egypt, there were 70 of them. Now Yahweh your Elohim has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

A Story about a Farmer^(A)

⁴ When a large crowd had gathered and people had come to Yeshua from every city, he used this story as an illustration: ⁵ “A farmer went to plant his seeds. Some seeds were planted along the road, were trampled, and were devoured by birds. ⁶ Others were planted on rocky soil. When the plants came up, they withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Others were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up with them and choked them. ⁸ Others were planted on good ground. When they came up, they produced a hundred times as much as was planted.”

After he had said this, he called out, “Let the person who has ears listen!”

⁹ His disciples asked him what this story meant. ¹⁰ Yeshua answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given directly to you. But it is given to others in stories. When they look, they don’t see, and when they hear, they don’t understand.

¹¹ “This is what the story illustrates: The seed is God’s word. ¹² Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. They hear the word, but then the devil comes. He takes the word away from them so that they don’t believe and become saved. ¹³ Some people are like seeds on rocky soil. They welcome the word with joy whenever they hear it, but they don’t develop any roots. They believe for a while, but when their faith is tested, they abandon it. ¹⁴ The seeds that were planted among thornbushes are people who hear the word, but as life goes on the worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them. So they don’t produce anything good. ¹⁵ The seeds that were planted on good ground are people who also hear the word. But they keep it in their good and honest hearts and produce what is good despite what life may bring.

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light. ¹⁷ There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.

¹⁸ “So pay attention to how you listen! Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge. However, some people don’t understand these mysteries. Even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

The True Family of Jesus^(B)

¹⁹ His mother and his brothers came to see him. But they couldn’t meet with him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone told Yeshua, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹ He answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do what God’s word says.”