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The Lord Speaks to Joshua
13 When Joshua was very old,[a] the Lord told him, “You are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered. 2 This is the land that remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all the Geshurites, 3 from the Shihor River[b] east of[c] Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron (it is regarded as Canaanite territory),[d] including the area belonging to the five Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as Avvite land[e] 4 to the south;[f] all the Canaanite territory,[g] from Arah[h] in the region of Sidon[i] to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory; 5 the territory of Byblos[j] and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.[k] 6 I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim,[l] all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you.[m] 7 Now, divide up this land[n] among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
Tribal Lands East of the Jordan
8 The other half of Manasseh,[o] Reuben, and Gad received their allotted tribal lands on east side of the Jordan,[p] just as Moses, the Lord’s servant, had assigned them. 9 Their territory started[q] from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon, and ended at the Ammonite border. 11 Their territory also included[r] Gilead, Geshurite and Maacathite territory, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah— 12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was one of the few remaining Rephaites.)[s] Moses defeated them and took their lands.[t] 13 But the Israelites did not conquer[u] the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day. 14 However, Moses[v] did not assign land as an inheritance[w] to the Levites; their inheritance[x] is the sacrificial offerings[y] made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed[z] them.
15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Reuben[aa] by its clans. 16 Their territory started at Aroer[ab] (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba, 17 Heshbon and all its surrounding cities on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21 It encompassed[ac] all the cities of the plain and the whole realm of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and the Midianite leaders Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba (they were subjects of Sihon and lived in his territory).[ad] 22 The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader,[ae] along with the others.[af] 23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan. The land allotted to the tribe of Reuben by its clans included these cities and their towns.[ag]
24 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Gad[ah] by its clans. 25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the Ammonite territory[ai] as far as Aroer near[aj] Rabbah. 26 Their territory ran[ak] from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 It included the valley of Beth Haram,[al] Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, and the rest of the realm of King Sihon of Heshbon, the area east of the Jordan to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth.[am] 28 The land allotted to the tribe of Gad by its clans included these cities and their towns.[an]
29 Moses assigned land to the half-tribe of Manasseh[ao] by its clans. 30 Their territory started at[ap] Mahanaim and encompassed all Bashan, the whole realm of King Og of Bashan, including all sixty cities in Havvoth Jair[aq] in Bashan. 31 Half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities in the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were assigned to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, to half the descendants of Makir by their clans.
32 These are the land assignments made by Moses[ar] in the rift valley plains of Moab[as] east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho.[at] 33 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance[au] to the Levites; their inheritance[av] is the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed[aw] them.
Judah’s Tribal Lands
14 The following is a record of the territory assigned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders.[ax] 2 The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses.[ay] 3 Now Moses had assigned land[az] to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land[ba] to the Levites.[bb] 4 The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions.[bc] 5 The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.[bd]
6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.[be] 7 I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.[bf] 8 My countrymen[bg] who accompanied[bh] me frightened the people,[bi] but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.[bj] 9 That day Moses made this solemn promise:[bk] ‘Surely the land on which you walked[bl] will belong to you and your descendants permanently,[bm] for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’ 10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, while Israel traveled through the wilderness. See here, I am today eighty-five years old! 11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.[bn] 12 Now, assign me this hill country that the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard then that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities.[bo] But assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer[bp] them, as the Lord promised.” 13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.[bq] 14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day[br] because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.[bs]) Then the land was free of war.
Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then[a] Jesus[b] told them a parable to show them they should always[c] pray and not lose heart.[d] 2 He said,[e] “In a certain city[f] there was a judge[g] who neither feared God nor respected people.[h] 3 There was also a widow[i] in that city[j] who kept coming[k] to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For[l] a while he refused, but later on[m] he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,[n] 5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out[o] by her unending pleas.’”[p] 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says![q] 7 Won’t[r] God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out[s] to him day and night?[t] Will he delay[u] long to help them? 8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily.[v] Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith[w] on earth?”
The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
9 Jesus[x] also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down[y] on everyone else. 10 “Two men went up[z] to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee[aa] and the other a tax collector.[ab] 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this:[ac] ‘God, I thank[ad] you that I am not like other people:[ae] extortionists,[af] unrighteous people,[ag] adulterers—or even like this tax collector.[ah] 12 I fast twice[ai] a week; I give a tenth[aj] of everything I get.’ 13 The tax collector, however, stood[ak] far off and would not even look up[al] to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful[am] to me, sinner that I am!’[an] 14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified[ao] rather than the Pharisee.[ap] For everyone who exalts[aq] himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus and Little Children
15 Now people[ar] were even bringing their babies[as] to him for him to touch.[at] But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them.[au] 16 But Jesus called for the children,[av] saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God[aw] belongs to such as these.[ax] 17 I tell you the truth,[ay] whoever does not receive[az] the kingdom of God like a child[ba] will never[bb] enter it.”
Psalm 85[a]
For the music director, written by the Korahites, a psalm.
85 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob.[b]
2 You pardoned[c] the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave[d] all their sin. (Selah)
3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger.[e]
4 Restore us, O God our deliverer.
Do not be displeased with us.[f]
5 Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations?[g]
6 Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you.
7 O Lord, show us your loyal love.
Bestow on us your deliverance.
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.[h]
For he will make[i] peace with his people, his faithful followers.[j]
Yet they must not[k] return to their foolish ways.
9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;[l]
then his splendor will again appear in our land.[m]
10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet;[n]
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.[o]
11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.[p]
12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,[q]
and our land will yield[r] its crops.
13 Deliverance goes[s] before him,
and prepares[t] a pathway for him.[u]
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