Old/New Testament

The Jordan River Memorial

4 As soon as the entire nation had completed its crossing of the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, ² “Gather together twelve men from the people—one man from each tribe— ³ and tell them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests’ feet were standing, bring them along with you, and put them down where you camp tonight.’”

⁴ So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the people of Israel, one man from each tribe. ⁵ Joshua told them, “Cross over again in front of the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan River. Then each of you pick up a stone on his shoulder with which to build a memorial,^[a] one for each of the tribes of Israel. ⁶ Let this serve as^[b] a sign among you, so that when your children ask in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you,’ ⁷ then you’ll say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan River were cut off in front of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan River, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones will become a memorial to the Israelis forever.”

⁸ The Israelis did just as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River—just as the Lord had spoken to Joshua—according to the number of the tribes of the Israelis, and they carried them over to where they would be pitching camp, and they put them down there. ⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River at the location where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant had been standing, and they remain there to this day.

Crossing the Jordan River

¹⁰ The priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River until everything had been done in accordance with what the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people and with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. So the people hurried and crossed over. ¹¹ When all of the people had completed their crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in full view of the people. ¹² Just as Moses had directed, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, dressed in battle regalia, in full view of the other^[c] Israelis. ¹³ About 40,000 soldiers equipped to do battle in the Lord’s presence crossed over to the desert plains of Jericho.

¹⁴ That day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the presence of all Israel so that they revered him just as they had revered Moses throughout his life.

¹⁵ Now the Lord had told Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River.”

¹⁷ So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come up from the Jordan River.”

¹⁸ As soon as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan River, and the soles of the priests’ feet came up to dry ground, the water of the Jordan River returned to normal,^[d] covering its banks as it had done so before.

Why Joshua Set up the Memorial

¹⁹ The people came up from the Jordan River on the tenth day^[e] of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern outskirts of Jericho. ²⁰ Joshua set up the twelve stones that they had removed from the Jordan River at Gilgal. ²¹ Then he told the Israelis, “When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ ²² you are to tell your descendants: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan River on dry ground ²³ because the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan River right in front of you, until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God had done to the Reed^[f] Sea—which he had dried up in front of us until we had crossed it also.’ ²⁴ Do this^[g] so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power^[h] of the Lord is, and so that you may fear the Lord your God every day.”

Israel’s Enemies Become Discouraged

5 All the Amorite kings who lived across the Jordan River to the west and all the Canaanite kings by the Mediterranean^[i] Sea became discouraged as soon as they heard that the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan River for the people of Israel until they had crossed it. They no longer had a will to fight^[j] because of the people of Israel.

A New Generation is Circumcised

² At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make for yourselves some flint knives and circumcise the Israelis who haven’t been circumcised yet.”^[k]

³ So Joshua made some flint knives and circumcised the Israelis at Gibeath-haaraloth.^{[l] 4} Joshua circumcised them because all of the males among the people who came out of Egypt—that is, all the warriors—had died during their journey through the wilderness following their departure from Egypt. ⁵ Although everyone who had left Egypt had been circumcised, nevertheless all the people born during the journey after their departure from Egypt had not been circumcised. ⁶ The Israelis traveled 40 years in the wilderness until the entire nation—that is, the warriors who had departed from Egypt—had perished because they hadn’t listened to the voice of the Lord. The Lord had promised them that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to give us, a land that flows with milk and honey. ⁷ As a result, it was their descendants, whom he raised up to take their place, that Joshua circumcised. They had remained uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised during their journey. ⁸ When the circumcision of the entire nation was complete, they remained in their places within the camp until they were healed.

⁹ Then the Lord told Joshua, “Today I have rolled the disgrace of Egypt away from you.” That’s why that place is called “Gilgal”^[m] to this day.

The Manna Ceases

¹⁰ While the Israelis remained encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover during the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. ¹¹ On the day following Passover—on that exact day—they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. ¹² The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land. Since the Israelis no longer received manna, they ate crops from the land of Canaan that year.

Joshua is Visited by the Lord

¹³ Now it happened that while Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and much to his amazement, he saw a man standing in front of him, holding a drawn sword in his hand! Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you one of us, or are you with our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he answered. “I have come as commander of the Lord’s Army.”

Joshua immediately fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, saying to him, “Lord, what do you have for your servant by way of command?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s Army replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you’re standing is holy.” So Joshua did so.

Instructions for Joshua

6 Meanwhile, Jericho was fortified inside and out because of the Israelis. Nobody could leave or enter.

² The Lord told Joshua, “Look! I have given Jericho over to your control,^[n] along with its kings and valiant soldiers. ³ March around the city, all the soldiers circling the city once. Do this for six days, ⁴ with seven priests carrying in front of the ark seven trumpets made from rams’ horns. On the seventh day march around the city seven times while the priests blow their trumpets. ⁵ When they sound a long blast with the ram’s horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then the entire army is to cry out loud, the city wall will collapse, and then all of the soldiers are to charge straight ahead.”

The Destruction of Jericho

⁶ So Nun’s son Joshua called for the priests. “Pick up the Ark of the Covenant,” he told them, “and have seven priests carry seven trumpets made from rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.”

⁷ He told the army, “Go out and encircle the city. Have the armed men march out in front of the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ And so, just as Joshua had commanded, seven of the priests went forward, carrying the seven trumpets made of rams’ horns in the Lord’s presence, blowing the trumpets while the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord followed them. ⁹ Armed men preceded the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and a rear guard followed the ark, while the trumpets continued to blow.

¹⁰ Joshua issued orders to the army: “You are not to shout or even let your voice be heard. Don’t utter a word until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” ¹¹ So the ark of the Lord was taken once around the city, then they went back to camp and spent the night there.^[o]

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests picked up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests who carried the seven trumpets made from rams’ horns preceded the ark of the Lord, blowing their trumpets constantly. The armed men preceded them, and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets continued to blow. ¹⁴ On the second day they marched around the city once and then went back to camp. They did this for six days. ¹⁵ They rose early at dawn on the seventh day and marched around the city seven times, just as they had before, except that on that day only they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶ As they completed the seventh time, after the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua told the army, “Shout, because the Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city—along with everything in it—is to be turned over to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone who is with her in her house may live, because she hid the scouts we sent. ¹⁸ Now as for you, everything has been turned over for destruction. Don’t covet or take any of these things. Otherwise, you’ll make the camp of Israel itself an object worthy of destruction, and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ But everything made of silver and gold, and vessels made of bronze and iron are set apart to the Lord. They are to go into the treasury of the Lord.”

²⁰ So the army shouted and the trumpets were blown again. As soon as the army heard the sound of the trumpets, they shouted loudly and the wall collapsed. The army charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. ²¹ They turned over everyone in the city for destruction and executed them,^[p] including both men and women, young and old, and oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

²² Joshua told the two men who had scouted the land, “Go into the prostitute’s home and bring her out of it, along with everyone who is with her, just as you promised her.” ²³ So the young men who had been scouts went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and everyone else who was with her. They brought her entire family out and set them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ Then the army set fire to the city and to everything in it, except that they reserved the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron for the treasury of the Lord. ²⁵ But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, along with her family and everyone who was with her. Her family^[q] has lived in Israel ever since, because she hid the scouts whom Joshua sent to observe Jericho.

Joshua Curses the Rebuilding of Jericho

²⁶ Then Joshua made everyone^[r] take the following oath at that time. He said:

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and as a result, Joshua’s^[u] reputation spread throughout the land.

Luke’s Dedication to Theophilus

1 Since many people have attempted to write an orderly account of the events that have transpired among us, ² just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning, ³ I, too, have carefully investigated everything from the beginning and have decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist is Foretold

⁵ During the reign^[a] of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord. ⁷ They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and because both of them were getting old.^[b]

⁸ When Zechariah^[c] was serving with his division of priests in God’s presence, ⁹ he was chosen by lot to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense, according to the custom of the priests. ¹⁰ And the entire congregation of people was praying outside at the time when the incense was burned.

¹¹ An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him. ¹³ But the angel told him, “Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy,^[d] and many people will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ because he will be great in the Lord’s presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring many of Israel’s descendants back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He is the one who will go before the Lord^[e] with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord.”

¹⁸ Then Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?”^[f]

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you. ²⁰ But because you did not believe my announcement, which will be fulfilled at its proper time,^[g] you will become silent and unable to speak until the day this happens.”