Old/New Testament
Chazak! Be strong!
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Adonai that Adonai spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide saying: 2 “My servant Moses is dead. So now, arise, you and all these people, cross over this Jordan to the land that I am giving to them—to Bnei-Yisrael. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I am giving to you, as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—to the Great Sea[a] toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No one will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Chazak! Be strong! For you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be very strong, and resolute to observe diligently the Torah which Moses, My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so you may be successful wherever you go. 8 This book of the Torah should not depart from your mouth—you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will be successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Chazak! Be strong! Do not be terrified or dismayed, for Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”
10 Then Joshua commanded the officials of the people saying: 11 “Go through the camp and charge the people saying: ‘Prepare provisions, for within three days you will be crossing over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Adonai your God is giving you to possess it.’”
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh saying: 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of Adonai commanded you saying: ‘Adonai your God has given you rest, and has assigned to you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones and your cattle will remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you will cross over before your brothers armed, all the mighty men of valor, and will help them 15 until Adonai gives your brothers rest, as He has given you, and they also possess the land that Adonai your God is giving them. Then you will return to the land of your inheritance, and possess what Moses the servant of Adonai gave you, beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 Then they answered Joshua saying: “All that you have commanded us, we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may Adonai your God be with you as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, he will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!”
Rahab’s Faith
2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from Shittim saying: “Go, explore the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came to the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.[b]
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Some men from Bnei-Yisrael have just come here tonight to spy out the land.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab saying: “Bring out the men who came to you, who entered your house—for they have come to spy out all the land.”
4 But the woman took the two men and hid them, and said: “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 So when it was time to shut the gate at dark, the men went out, and I don’t know where they went. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax that she had spread out on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the road to the fords of the Jordan. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and she said to the men: “I know that Adonai has given you the land—dread of you has fallen on us and all the inhabitants of the land are melting in fear before you. 10 For we have heard how Adonai dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 When we heard about it, our hearts melted, and no spirit remained any more in anyone because of you. For Adonai your God, He is God, in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 So now, please swear to me by Adonai, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house. Give me a true sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters and all who belong to them, and save our lives from death.”
14 The men said to her: “Our life for yours, if you don’t report this business of ours. Then it will be when Adonai gives us the land that we will deal kindly and loyally with you.”
15 So she lowered them down by a rope through the window—for her house was in the wall; she was living in the wall. 16 Then she said to them: “Go to the hill country, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there for three days, until the pursuers return. Afterward, you may go your way.”
17 Then the men said to her: “We will be released from this oath that you have made us swear, 18 unless when we come into the land, you tie this line of scarlet thread in the window through which you lowered us down, and gather to yourself in the house your father, your mother, your brothers and all your father’s household— 19 whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head and we will be innocent, but whoever is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head if any hand is laid on him. 20 But if you divulge this business of ours, then we will be released from your oath you have made us swear.”
21 So she said: “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window. 22 Then they departed and came to the hill country. They stayed there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had looked for them all along the road, but had not found them. 23 Then the two men returned, came down from the hill country, crossed over and came to Joshua son of Nun.
They reported to him all that had befallen them. 24 “Surely Adonai has given all the land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all the inhabitants of the land have melted in fear before us.”
Crossing the Jordan
3 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning, and he and all Bnei-Yisrael set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan. They lodged there before crossing over. 2 Now it came about after three days that the officials went through the camp 3 and they charged the people saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of Adonai your God and the Levitical kohanim carrying it, then you must set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet keep a distance between you and it of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Don’t come near it, so you may know the way by which you should go, for you haven’t travelled this way before.”
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow Adonai will do wonders in your midst.” 6 Joshua spoke to the kohanim saying: “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7 Now Adonai said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You are to command the kohanim who are carrying the ark of the covenant saying: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you are to stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 So Joshua said to Bnei-Yisrael, “Come here, and listen to the words of Adonai your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you will know that the living God is among you, and that He will certainly drive out from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Sovereign of all the earth is advancing before you into the Jordan. 12 So now, take for yourselves twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 It will come to pass when the soles of the feet of the kohanim who are carrying the ark of Adonai, Sovereign of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the Jordan’s waters will be cut off. The waters coming downstream will stand up in one heap.”
14 So it came to pass. When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the kohanim were carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as those who were carrying the ark came into the Jordan and the feet of the kohanim carrying the ark dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the town next to Zarethan. What was flowing down to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Yet the kohanim carrying the ark of the covenant of Adonai stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan.
The Empty Tomb
16 When Shabbat was over, Miriam of Magdala, Miriam the mother of Jacob, and Salome bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Yeshua’s body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they come to the tomb. 3 They were saying to each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
4 Looking up, they see that the stone (it was really huge) had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were startled. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Yeshua of Natzeret, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to the Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
8 And going outside, they fled from the tomb, gripped by trembling and amazement. They didn’t say anything to anybody, for they were afraid.
He Is Risen[a]
9 After He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Miriam of Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven demons. 10 She went and brought word to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe.
12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking on their way to the country. 13 They went and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. 14 Later He appeared to them, the eleven, as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardheartedness, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had been raised.
Tell the World!
15 He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. 16 He who believes and is immersed shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak new languages; 18 they will handle snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
19 Then the Lord Yeshua, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that follow.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.