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Judah Takes the Lead
1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked[a] the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?”[b] 2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead.[c] Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.”[d] 3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon,[e] “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites.[f] Then we[g] will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
4 The men of Judah attacked,[h] and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 They met[i] Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up[j] food scraps[k] under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.”[l] They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. 8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire.
9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev,[m] and the foothills.[n] 10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 From there they attacked the people of Debir.[o] (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 12 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife.” 13 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother,[p] captured it, Caleb[q] gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife.
14 One time Achsah[r] came and charmed her father[s] so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 15 She answered, “Please give me a special present.[t] Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.[u]
16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of date palm trees[v] to Arad in the wilderness of Judah,[w] located in the Negev.[x] They went and lived with the people of Judah.[y]
17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon[z] and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath.[aa] So people now call the city Hormah.[ab] 18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities.[ac]
19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered[ad] the hill country, but they could not[ae] conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.[af] 20 Caleb received[ag] Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. 21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day.[ah]
Partial Success
22 When the men[ai] of Joseph attacked[aj] Bethel, the Lord was with them. 23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), 24 the spies spotted[ak] a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” 25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. 26 He[al] moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day.
27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shean, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo or their surrounding towns.[am] The Canaanites managed[an] to remain in those areas.[ao] 28 Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.
29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol.[ap] The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.
31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, nor did they conquer Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.[aq] 32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.
33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath.[ar] They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites[as] living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.
34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in[at] the coastal plain. 35 The Amorites managed[au] to remain in Har Heres,[av] Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily,[aw] the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. 36 The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent[ax] to Sela and on up.[ay]
Confrontation and Repentance at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord[az] went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors.[ba] I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’[bb] But you have disobeyed me.[bc] Why would you do such a thing?[bd] 3 At that time I also warned you,[be] ‘If you disobey,[bf] I will not drive out the Canaanites[bg] before you. They will ensnare you[bh] and their gods will lure you away.’”[bi]
4 When the angel of the Lord finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.[bj] 5 They named that place Bokim[bk] and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.
The End of an Era
6 When Joshua dismissed[bl] the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory,[bm] intending to take possession of the land. 7 The people worshiped[bn] the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men[bo] who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed[bp] all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.[bq] 8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of 110. 9 The people[br] buried him in his allotted land[bs] in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
29 Then[a] he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees.[b] 30 When they sprout leaves, you see[c] for yourselves and know that summer is now near. 31 So also you, when you see these things happening, know[d] that the kingdom of God[e] is near. 32 I tell you the truth,[f] this generation[g] will not pass away until all these things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.[h]
Be Ready!
34 “But be on your guard[i] so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap.[j] 35 For[k] it will overtake[l] all who live on the face of the whole earth.[m] 36 But stay alert at all times,[n] praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must[o] happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 So[p] every day Jesus[q] was teaching in the temple courts,[r] but at night he went and stayed[s] on the Mount of Olives.[t] 38 And all the people[u] came to him early in the morning to listen to him in the temple courts.[v]
Judas’ Decision to Betray Jesus
22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread,[w] which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2 The[x] chief priests and the experts in the law[y] were trying to find some way[z] to execute[aa] Jesus,[ab] for they were afraid of the people.[ac]
3 Then[ad] Satan[ae] entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.[af] 4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard[ag] how he might[ah] betray Jesus,[ai] handing him over to them.[aj] 5 They[ak] were delighted[al] and arranged to give him money.[am] 6 So[an] Judas[ao] agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus[ap] when no crowd was present.[aq]
The Passover
7 Then the day for the feast[ar] of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.[as] 8 Jesus[at] sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover[au] for us to eat.”[av] 9 They[aw] said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare[ax] it?” 10 He said to them, “Listen,[ay] when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water[az] will meet you.[ba] Follow him into the house that he enters, 11 and tell the owner of the house,[bb] ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large furnished room upstairs. Make preparations there.” 13 So[bc] they went and found things[bd] just as he had told them,[be] and they prepared the Passover.
Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)
Psalm 90[a]
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 O Lord, you have been our protector[b] through all generations.
2 Even before the mountains came into existence,[c]
or you brought the world into being,[d]
you were the eternal God.[e]
3 You make mankind return[f] to the dust,[g]
and say, “Return, O people.”
4 Yes,[h] in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.[i]
5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”[j]
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:
6 In the morning it glistens[k] and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers[l] and dries up.
7 Yes,[m] we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You are aware of our sins;[n]
you even know about our hidden sins.[o]
9 Yes,[p] throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;[q]
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.[r]
10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years,[s]
or eighty, if one is especially strong.[t]
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.[u]
Yes,[v] they pass quickly[w] and we fly away.[x]
11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?[y]
Your raging fury causes people to fear you.[z]
12 So teach us to consider our mortality,[aa]
so that we might live wisely.[ab]
13 Turn back toward us, O Lord.
How long must this suffering last?[ac]
Have pity on your servants.[ad]
14 Satisfy us in the morning[ae] with your loyal love.
Then we will shout for joy and be happy[af] all our days.
15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced[ag] trouble.
16 May your servants see your work.[ah]
May their sons see your majesty.[ai]
17 May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us.[aj]
Make our endeavors successful.
Yes, make them successful.[ak]
Psalm 91[al]
91 As for you, the one who lives[am] in the shelter of the Most High,[an]
and resides in the protective shadow[ao] of the Sovereign One[ap]—
2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust—
3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter[aq]
and from the destructive plague.
4 He will shelter you[ar] with his wings;[as]
you will find safety under his wings.
His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.[at]
5 You need not fear the terrors of the night,[au]
the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in the darkness,
or the disease that ravages at noon.[av]
7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,
and a multitude on your right side,
it[aw] will not reach you.
8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes—
you will see the wicked paid back.[ax]
9 For you have taken refuge in the Lord,
my shelter, the Most High.
10 No harm will overtake[ay] you;
no illness[az] will come near your home.[ba]
11 For he will order his angels[bb]
to protect you in all you do.[bc]
12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so you will not slip and fall on a stone.[bd]
13 You will subdue[be] a lion and a snake;[bf]
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.
14 The Lord says,[bg]
“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him[bh] because he is loyal to me.[bi]
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with long life,[bj]
and will let him see my salvation.”
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