Through the Bible – Day 73

Bible text(s)

Joshua 1

Joshua becomes the leader of Israel

₁Moses, the LORD's servant, was dead. So the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had been the assistant of Moses. The LORD said:

₂My servant Moses is dead. Now you must lead Israel across the River Jordan into the land I'm giving to all of you. ₃Wherever you go, I'll give you that land, as I promised Moses. ₄It will reach from the Southern Desert to the Lebanon Mountains in the north, and to the north-east as far as the great River Euphrates. It will include the land of the Hittites, and the land from here at the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea on the west. ₅Joshua, I will always be with you and help you as I helped Moses, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.

_6-8Long ago I promised the ancestors of Israel that I would give this land to their descendants. So be strong and brave! Be careful to do everything my servant Moses taught you. Never stop reading The Book of the Law he gave you. Day and night you must think about what it says. If you obey it completely, you and Israel will be able to take this land.

₉I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.

Israel crosses the River Jordan and conquers Jericho

The eastern tribes promise to help

₁₀Joshua ordered the tribal leaders ₁₁to go through the camp and tell everyone:

In a few days we will cross the River Jordan to take the land that the LORD our God is giving us. So prepare as much food as you'll need for the march into the land.

₁₂Joshua told the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh:

_13-14The LORD's servant Moses said that the LORD our God has given you land here on the east side of the River Jordan, where you could live in peace. Your wives and children and your animals can stay here in the land Moses gave you. But all of you who can serve in our army must pick up your weapons and lead the men of the other tribes across the River Jordan. They are your relatives, so you must help them ₁₅conquer the land that the LORD is giving them. The LORD will give peace to them as he has given peace to you, and then you can come back and settle here in the land that Moses promised you.

₁₆The men answered:

We'll cross the River Jordan and help our relatives. We'll fight anywhere you send us. _17-18If the LORD our God will help you as he helped Moses, and if you are strong and brave, we will obey you as we obeyed Moses. We'll even put to death anyone who rebels against you or refuses to obey you.

Joshua 2

Rahab helps the Israelite spies

₁Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”

The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

₂But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” _3-7So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.

Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants that she had put there to dry.

The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”

She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate. I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, perhaps you can catch them.”

The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed towards the River Jordan to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.

₈Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:

₉I know that the LORD has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. ₁₀We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the River Jordan. ₁₁We know that the LORD your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.

₁₂Please promise me in the LORD's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show ₁₃that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.

₁₄“Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the LORD gives us this land. We pray that the LORD will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”

₁₅Rahab's house was built into the town wall, and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. ₁₆Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”

_17-20The spies said:

You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.

₂₁“I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.

₂₂The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, ₂₃the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. ₂₄“We're sure the LORD has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”

Joshua 3

Israel crosses the River Jordan

₁Early the next morning, Joshua and the Israelites packed up and left Acacia. They went to the River Jordan and camped there that night. ₂Two days later their leaders went through the camp, _3-4shouting, “When you see some of the priests carrying the sacred chest, you'll know it is time to cross to the other side. You've never been there before, and you won't know the way, unless you follow the chest. But don't get too close! Stay about a kilometre back.”

₅Joshua told the people, “Make yourselves acceptable to worship the LORD, because he is going to do some amazing things for us.”

₆Then Joshua turned to the priests and said, “Take the chest and cross the River Jordan ahead of us.” So the priests picked up the chest by its carrying poles and went on ahead.

₇The LORD told Joshua, “Beginning today I will show the people that you are their leader, and they will know that I am helping you as I helped Moses. ₈Now, tell the priests who are carrying the chest to go a little way into the river and stand there.”

₉Joshua spoke to the people:

Come here and listen to what the LORD our God said he will do! ₁₀The Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites control the land on the other side of the river. But the living God will be with you and will force them out of the land when you attack. And now, God is going to prove that he's powerful enough to force them out. _11-13Just watch the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD, the ruler of the whole earth. As soon as the priests carrying the chest step into the Jordan, the water will stop flowing and pile up as if someone had built a dam across the river.

The LORD has also said that each of the twelve tribes should choose one man to represent it.

₁₄The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front, ₁₅until they came to the River Jordan. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water, _16-17the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed towards the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry river bed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.

Joshua 1:1-3:17CEVOpen in Bible reader

Mark 13

The temple will be destroyed

₁As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these beautiful stones and wonderful buildings!”

₂Jesus replied, “Do you see these huge buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”

Warning about trouble

₃Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. ₄They asked, “When will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

₅Jesus answered:

Watch out and don't let anyone fool you! ₆Many will come and claim to be me. They will use my name and fool many people.

₇When you hear about wars and threats of wars, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. ₈Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. There will be earthquakes in many places, and people will starve to death. But this is just the beginning of troubles.

₉Be on your guard! You will be taken to courts and beaten with whips in their meeting places. And because of me, you will have to stand before rulers and kings to tell about your faith. ₁₀But before the end comes, the good news must be preached to all nations.

₁₁When you are arrested, don't worry about what you will say. You will be given the right words when the time comes. But you will not really be the ones speaking. Your words will come from the Holy Spirit.

₁₂Brothers and sisters will betray each other and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed. ₁₃Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved.

Jesus continued:

₁₄Some day you will see that “Horrible Thing” where it should not be. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. ₁₅If you are on the roof of your house, don't go inside to get anything. ₁₆If you are out in the field, don't go back for your coat. ₁₇It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. ₁₈Pray that it won't happen in winter. ₁₉This will be the worst time of suffering since God created the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. ₂₀If the Lord doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of his chosen and special ones, he will make the time shorter.

₂₁If someone should say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” don't believe it. ₂₂False messiahs and false prophets will come and perform miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. ₂₃But be on your guard! That's why I am telling you these things now.

Jesus continued:

₂₄In those days, straight after that time of suffering,

“The sun will become dark,

and the moon

will no longer shine.

₂₅The stars will fall,

and the powers in the sky

will be shaken.”

₂₆Then the Son of Man will be seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ₂₇He will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the earth.

Jesus continued:

₂₈Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near. ₂₉So when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time has almost come. ₃₀You can be sure that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. ₃₁The sky and the earth will not last for ever, but my words will.

Jesus continued:

₃₂No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. ₃₃So watch out and be ready! You don't know when the time will come. ₃₄It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. ₃₅So be alert! You don't know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. ₃₆But if he comes suddenly, don't let him find you asleep. ₃₇I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!

Mark 13:1-37CEVOpen in Bible reader