Joshua 11

Israel Defeats the Northern Armies

1When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; the king of Shimron; the king of Acshaph; 2all the kings of the northern hill country; the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Galilee*11:2a Hebrew in the Arabah south of Kinnereth.; the kings in the Galilean foothills*11:2b Hebrew the Shephelah; also in 11:16.; the kings of Naphoth-dor on the west; 3the kings of Canaan, both east and west; the kings of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites in the towns on the slopes of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

4All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore. 5The kings joined forces and established their camp around the water near Merom to fight against Israel.

6Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel as dead men. Then you must cripple their horses and burn their chariots.”

7So Joshua and all his fighting men traveled to the water near Merom and attacked suddenly. 8And the Lord gave them victory over their enemies. The Israelites chased them as far as Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah, until not one enemy warrior was left alive. 9Then Joshua crippled the horses and burned all the chariots, as the Lord had instructed.

10Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had at one time been the capital of all these kingdoms.) 11The Israelites completely destroyed*11:11 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in 11:12, 20, 21. every living thing in the city, leaving no survivors. Not a single person was spared. And then Joshua burned the city.

12Joshua slaughtered all the other kings and their people, completely destroying them, just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. 13But the Israelites did not burn any of the towns built on mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14And the Israelites took all the plunder and livestock of the ravaged towns for themselves. But they killed all the people, leaving no survivors. 15As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the Lord had given to Moses.

16So Joshua conquered the entire region—the hill country, the entire Negev, the whole area around the town of Goshen, the western foothills, the Jordan Valley,*11:16 Hebrew the Shephelah, the Arabah. the mountains of Israel, and the Galilean foothills. 17The Israelite territory now extended all the way from Mount Halak, which leads up to Seir in the south, as far north as Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon in the valley of Lebanon. Joshua killed all the kings of those territories, 18waging war for a long time to accomplish this. 19No one in this region made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites of Gibeon. All the others were defeated. 20For the Lord hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites. So they were completely destroyed without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21During this period Joshua destroyed all the descendants of Anak, who lived in the hill country of Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the entire hill country of Judah and Israel. He killed them all and completely destroyed their towns. 22None of the descendants of Anak were left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.

Joshua 12

Kings Defeated East of the Jordan

1These are the kings east of the Jordan River who had been killed by the Israelites and whose land was taken. Their territory extended from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon and included all the land east of the Jordan Valley.*12:1 Hebrew the Arabah; also in 12:3, 8.

2King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, was defeated. His kingdom included Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, and extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge to the Jabbok River, which serves as a border for the Ammonites. This territory included the southern half of the territory of Gilead. 3Sihon also controlled the Jordan Valley and regions to the east—from as far north as the Sea of Galilee to as far south as the Dead Sea,*12:3 Hebrew from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah, which is the Salt Sea. including the road to Beth-jeshimoth and southward to the slopes of Pisgah.

4King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaites, lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon to Salecah in the north and to all of Bashan in the east, and westward to the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. This territory included the northern half of Gilead, as far as the boundary of King Sihon of Heshbon.

6Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the Israelites had destroyed the people of King Sihon and King Og. And Moses gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Kings Defeated West of the Jordan

7The following is a list of the kings that Joshua and the Israelite armies defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which leads up to Seir. (Joshua gave this land to the tribes of Israel as their possession, 8including the hill country, the western foothills,*12:8 Hebrew the Shephelah. the Jordan Valley, the mountain slopes, the Judean wilderness, and the Negev. The people who lived in this region were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.) These are the kings Israel defeated:

9The king of Jericho

The king of Ai, near Bethel

10The king of Jerusalem

The king of Hebron

11The king of Jarmuth

The king of Lachish

12The king of Eglon

The king of Gezer

13The king of Debir

The king of Geder

14The king of Hormah

The king of Arad

15The king of Libnah

The king of Adullam

16The king of Makkedah

The king of Bethel

17The king of Tappuah

The king of Hepher

18The king of Aphek

The king of Lasharon

19The king of Madon

The king of Hazor

20The king of Shimron-meron

The king of Acshaph

21The king of Taanach

The king of Megiddo

22The king of Kedesh

The king of Jokneam in Carmel

23The king of Dor in the town of Naphoth-dor*12:23a Hebrew Naphath-dor, a variant spelling of Naphoth-dor.

The king of Goyim in Gilgal*12:23b Greek version reads Goyim in Galilee.

24The king of Tirzah.

In all, thirty-one kings were defeated.

Ten Healed of Leprosy

11As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”*17:14 See Lev 14:2-32. And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.*17:19 Or Your faith has saved you.”

The Coming of the Kingdom

20One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”

Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.*17:20 Or by your speculations. 21You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.*17:21 Or is within you, or is in your grasp.”

22Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns,*17:22 Or long for even one day with the Son of Man. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. but you won’t see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. 24For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day*17:24 Some manuscripts do not include on the day. when the Son of Man comes. 25But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly*17:25 Or suffer many things. and be rejected by this generation.

26“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

28“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—29until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 34That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.*17:35 Some manuscripts add verse 36, Two men will be working in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Compare Matt 24:40.”

37“Where will this happen, Lord?”*17:37a Greek “Where, Lord?” the disciples asked.

Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”*17:37b Greek “Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.”

Psalm 84

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.*84: title Hebrew according to the gittith.

1How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

2I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

3Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young

at a place near your altar,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!

4What joy for those who can live in your house,

always singing your praises.

Interlude

5What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,

who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

6When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,*84:6 Or Valley of Poplars; Hebrew reads valley of Baca.

it will become a place of refreshing springs.

The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

7They will continue to grow stronger,

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.*84:7 Hebrew Zion.

8O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.

Listen, O God of Jacob.

Interlude

9O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!

Show favor to the one you have anointed.

10A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

11For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory.

The Lord will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

12O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

what joy for those who trust in you.

5The godly hate lies;

the wicked cause shame and disgrace.

6Godliness guards the path of the blameless,

but the evil are misled by sin.