From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Moses’ servant JoShua (the son of NaWeh) and said, ² ‘My servant Moses is dead, so now I want you and all these people to get up and cross the Jordan [River] into the land that I’m giving them. ³ For I’m giving you every place that you step as yours, just as I told Moses, ⁴ from the desert and the borders of Lebanon, to the great River Euphrates, and to the Sea… your borders will run to the sunset.

⁵ ‘No man will stand against you during all the days of your life; and as I was with Moses, that’s how I’ll be with you… I won’t fail you or leave you. ⁶ So be strong and act like a man, for you must divide the land that I swore to give to your ancestors, among these people. ⁷ Be strong, behave like a man, pay attention, and obey, just as My servant Moses told you… and don’t deviate to the right or to the left, so you may prove wise in everything you do.

⁸ ‘And don’t allow the Law that is written on the scroll to leave your mouth… you must think about it day and night, so you’ll know how to do everything that’s written in it. Then you’ll be blessed, you’ll succeed, and you’ll be wise. ⁹ Look; I’m commanding you to be strong and courageous! Don’t be a coward or fearful, for Jehovah your God will be with you no matter where you may go.’

¹⁰ Then JoShua gave this commandment to the people’s scribes: ¹¹ ‘Go throughout the camp and tell the people to prepare their provisions; for in three days we will cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land that Jehovah the God of your ancestors is giving you.’

¹² Then to [the tribes of] Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh, JoShua said: ¹³ ‘Remember what Moses, the servant of Jehovah, told you. He said, Jehovah your God has allowed you to rest by giving you this land. ¹⁴ So now; settle your wives, children, and cattle here in the land that He has given you, then all who are strong and willing to fight must arm themselves to cross [the Jordan] before their brothers. ¹⁵ [You must do this] until Jehovah your God has allowed your brothers to rest as He has [allowed] you [to rest], when they have inherited the land that Jehovah your God is giving them. Then you may each return to the inheritance that Moses gave you east of the Jordan.

¹⁶ And they answered JoShua and said, ‘We will do everything that you’ve commanded and we’ll go wherever you may send us. ¹⁷ And just as we listened to Moses, we will listen to you… but may Jehovah our God be with you as He was with Moses. ¹⁸ And whoever chooses to disobey you, or doesn’t listen to and obey whatever you tell him to do, must die. However, you must be strong and courageous!’

Chapter 2

¹ Then JoShua (the son of NaWeh) sent two young men from SatTin as spies in the land, saying, ‘Go there and look at the land… and [specifically] at Jericho.’

So the two young men went and entered Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named RaHab. ² However, [someone] reported this to the king of Jericho, saying, ‘Men of the sons of Israel have come here as spies!’

³ Then the king of Jericho sent for RaHab and said, ‘Bring out the men who entered your house this evening, for they have come to spy in our land.’

⁴ But the woman had hidden the two men, and she told [the king’s] messengers, ‘The men came here, ⁵ but before the [city] gate was closed this evening, they left, and I don’t know where they went; so you’d better chase after them to see if you can catch them’ ⁶ (however, she had taken them up on the [roof] and hidden them under some hay that she spread [over them] there).

⁷ So the [king’s] men left and traveled toward the fords in the Jordan, and the [city] gate was closed again.

⁸ Then, after the men who were chasing them had left, and before the spies had fallen asleep, she went up to them on the roof of her house ⁹ and said, ‘I know that Jehovah has given you this land, for we’re all afraid [of you]. ¹⁰ We’ve heard how your God Jehovah dried up the Red Sea before you when you left the land of Egypt, and of the things He did to the two Amorite kings across the Jordan… to Seon and Og whom you destroyed. ¹¹ And when we heard this, our hearts were stunned and we were barely able to breathe because of you, for Jehovah your God is truly the God of the heavens above and the earth below. ¹² So now; Swear to me by Jehovah God, that since I’ve been merciful with you, you’ll be merciful to the house of my father, ¹³ and that you’ll allow the house of my father – my mother, my brothers, everyone in my home, everything that we own, and me – to be saved from death.’

¹⁴ And the men replied, ‘[We will offer] our lives for yours, even to death.’

And she said, ‘When Jehovah gives this city to you, you must be merciful and true to me!’ ¹⁵ Then she lowered them down through her window ¹⁶ and told them to head toward the hill country and to hide there for three days before returning, for fear that they would run into the men who were chasing them.

¹⁷ And the [spies] said, ‘We promise to do what you asked. ¹⁸ Look; we’re going to [destroy] the city, so you must give us a sign. Tie this scarlet cord in the window that you let us down from, then bring everyone – your father, mother, brothers, and your father’s entire family – into your house. ¹⁹ And if anyone leaves the door of your house, they will be guilty and no part of our promise. But we will be responsible for all those who are found inside your house. ²⁰ However, if anyone harms us or betrays us, the promise is broken.’

²¹ And she said, ‘May it be as you said.’

Then she sent them away ²² and they headed toward the hill country, where they remained for three days. And although the people who were chasing them searched all the roads, they couldn’t find them.

²³ Thereafter, the two young men left the mountains and returned to JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said, ‘Jehovah has put the entire land under our power, because everyone who lives there is shaking because of us.’

Chapter 3

¹ Well, JoShua got up early the next morning and left SatTin. And when they reached the Jordan, they stayed there [until it was time to] cross. ² And [for the next] three days, the scribes went through the entire camp ³ telling the people that; when they saw the Levite Priests bearing Jehovah God’s Chest of the Sacred Agreement, they should follow along, ⁴ but at a distance of as much as three thousand feet… they weren’t to get near it. So they were to understand that things weren’t the same as they had been before.

⁵ Then JoShua told the people: ‘Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow Jehovah will perform a miracle among you.’

⁶ And JoShua said to the Priests: ‘Now, pick up Jehovah’s Chest of the Sacred Agreement and lead the people!’

So the Priests picked it up and walked ahead of the people.

⁷ Then Jehovah said to JoShua: ‘Today I’m going to start [raising your prestige] before all the children of Israel, so they will know that I’m with you just as I was with Moses. ⁸ So now, tell the Priests who are carrying the Chest of the Sacred Agreement that as soon as they get to the edge of the water, it will part; and they are to stand there in the middle of the Jordan.’

⁹ Then JoShua told the children of Israel: ‘Come here and listen to the words of our God Jehovah. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will destroy the CanaAnites, Hittites, Pherezites, Evites, Amorites, Gergesites, and the Jebusites ahead of you. ¹¹ Watch the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of the Lord of the whole earth, as it crosses into the Jordan. ¹² Then choose twelve men, one from each of the tribes, ¹³ and they will [be witnesses] that when the feet of the Priests who are carrying the Chest of the Sacred Agreement stop in the waters of the Jordan, the water will [flow away], and that which is pouring down from above will stop.’

¹⁴ So the people packed up their tents to cross over the Jordan, and the Priests carried the Chest of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement ahead of them. ¹⁵ And when the feet of the Priests who were carrying the Chest entered the Jordan, the water parted (although it was the time of the harvest, and the river was at flood stage). ¹⁶ And the waters that flowed down from above stopped in a solid wall all the way to the region of Kiriath JaIrim, while the water that flowed down to the Salt Sea dried up, and there the people stood opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ Then the Priests who were carrying the Chest stood there on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, as all the children of Israel passed through on dry land… as they all crossed the Jordan.

Chapter 4

¹ Well, after everyone had crossed the Jordan, Jehovah spoke to JoShua and said, ² ‘Now select one man from each tribe ³ and tell them to go to the middle of the Jordan and choose twelve appropriate rocks, then carry them back to the place where you will camp for the night.’

⁴ So JoShua selected twelve important men from among the children of Israel, one from each tribe, ⁵ and told them: ‘Now walk in front of me and in the presence of Jehovah to the middle of the Jordan. Then each of you pick up a rock from there and carry it on your shoulders, one [rock] for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, ⁶ for these will serve as a sign to future [generations]. So when your sons ask you, What do these rocks mean to us? ⁷ you can explain to them; The Jordan River dried up in front of the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of the Lord of the whole earth as it passed through, and these rocks will serve as reminders of that to the children of Israel through the ages.’

⁸ And that’s what the children of Israel did… just as Jehovah commanded JoShua, they picked up twelve rocks from the midst of the Jordan (after the children of Israel had finished the crossing) and carried them into their camp and laid them there. ⁹ Then JoShua placed twelve rocks [on the bottom] of the Jordan itself, at the place where the feet of the Priests who carried the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah stood, and they are still there to this day.

¹⁰ Well, the Priests who were carrying the Chest of the Sacred Agreement kept standing there in the Jordan until JoShua had finished all that Jehovah had commanded him to do, and until everyone had crossed. ¹¹ Then, after all the people had had crossed; they carried Jehovah’s Chest of the Sacred Agreement and the rocks [to the other side].

¹² Also, the sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh led the way for the children of Israel, as Moses had commanded them… ¹³ forty thousand armed men crossed before Jehovah to war with the city of Jericho.

¹⁴ So on that day, Jehovah raised JoShua’s prestige [in the eyes of] all the people of Israel, and they started fearing him as they did Moses.

¹⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to JoShua and said: ¹⁶ ‘Now tell the Priests who are carrying the Chest of the Sacred Agreement to come up out of the Jordan!’

¹⁷ So JoShua told the Priests to come up out of the Jordan; ¹⁸ and as soon as the Priests who were carrying the Chest stepped out of the Jordan and set their feet on land, the water quickly returned to its place and overflowed its banks as before.

¹⁹ It was on the tenth day of the first month that the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, and they camped at GilGal, east of Jericho. ²⁰ It was there at GilGal that JoShua set up those twelve rocks that they took from the Jordan. ²¹ And he said, ‘When your sons ask you what these rocks are, ²² tell them that Israel walked on them as they crossed the Jordan on dry land, ²³ back when our God Jehovah dried up the Jordan’s waters before them until they had all crossed, the same as He did at the Red Sea when He dried up its water until we had all crossed. ²⁴ [They are here] so that all the nations of the earth might know that Jehovah is powerful and mighty, and so that you will worship Jehovah our God in everything you do.’

Chapter 5

¹ And when the kings of the Amorites (on the [west] side of the Jordan) and the kings of Phoenicia heard that Jehovah God had dried up the Jordan River in front of the children of Israel as they crossed it, their hearts dropped, they were terrified, and they were beside themselves because of the children of Israel.

² It was about this time that Jehovah said to JoShua, ‘Make some knives of sharp stones, then sit down and circumcise the children of Israel again.’

³ So JoShua made some sharp knives of stone and circumcised the children of Israel at the place [which came to] be known as ‘the Hill of Foreskins.’ ⁴ And by doing this, JoShua cleansed all the children of Israel who were born along the way, and all those who came out of Egypt that were uncircumcised… ⁵ he circumcised all those who had wandered in the desert of MabDaris for forty-two years. ⁶ [This didn’t include] most of the fighting men that left the land of Egypt who were uncircumcised, for they had disobeyed the commandments of God, so He decided that they wouldn’t see the land that He swore to give to their ancestors… a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ So in their place, He raised their sons, who JoShua circumcised, because those who had been born along the way hadn’t been circumcised. ⁸ And after they were circumcised, they stayed there in the camp and rested until they were healed.

⁹ Then Jehovah said to JoShua (the son of NaWeh), ‘On this day I have removed the shame of Egypt from you.’ So He named that place GilGal (the Wheel).

¹⁰ It was on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in a field to the west of Jericho on the [west] side of the Jordan, that the children of Israel then celebrated the Passover. ¹¹ There they ate yeast-free new grain from the land, ¹² and after they had eaten the grain, the manna stopped coming. So the children of Israel no longer had manna, and they ate the fruitage of the land of the Phoenicians all that year.

¹³ And when JoShua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. So he went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us, or are you on the side of our enemies?’

¹⁴ And he replied, ‘I have come as the general of the army of Jehovah!’

¹⁵ Then JoShua fell with his face to the ground and said, ‘Lord, what would you command your servant to do?’

¹⁶ And the captain of Jehovah’s army said to JoShua: ‘Take off your shoes, because the place where you are standing is holy!’

Chapter 6

¹ Now, Jericho was all closed up and ready for a siege, so nobody could enter or leave. ² And the Lord said to JoShua: ‘{Look!} I’m giving Jericho to you, along with its king and all its mighty men. ³ So, station your army around the city, ⁴ and whenever they hear the trumpets blowing, all the people must shout. ⁵ For it is this shouting that will bring down the walls of the city; then everyone must rush straight into the city.’

⁶ So JoShua (the son of NaWeh) went to the Priests and said, ⁷ ‘Give sacred trumpets to seven Priests, and have them blow [the trumpets] loudly as they walk before Jehovah… and they must be followed by the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah.

⁸ ‘Then tell the people to walk in a circle around the city with the men all armed and ready for war before Jehovah. ⁹ The army is to walk ahead of the Priests, who must keep blowing the trumpets, and they are to be followed by the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah.’

¹⁰ And JoShua told the people, ‘Don’t shout or say a word until [God] Himself tells you it’s time… and then you must shout. ¹¹ For the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of God must first make the circle and then be immediately returned to the camp and left there.’

¹² Then the next day, JoShua got up in the morning and the Priests picked up the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah. ¹³ And the seven Priests who had the seven trumpets walked before Jehovah, followed by the men of war, the rest of the group, and then the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah, as the Priests blew the trumpets. ¹⁴ The group circled the city closely six times, then they returned to the camp, and they did this for six days.

¹⁵ Then on the seventh day, they all arose early and circled the city seven times that day. ¹⁶ And on the seventh round, the Priests blew their trumpets, and JoShua told the children of Israel: ‘Now shout, for Jehovah has given you the city! ¹⁷ You must dedicate it and everything that is in it to Jehovah of Armies, except for the prostitute RaHab and the things in her house. ¹⁸ Stay free from the cursed things there, for fear that you might be tempted to take some and bring a curse upon the camp of the children of Israel, which would cause us [all] to be destroyed! ¹⁹ For all the gold, silver, brass, and iron is holy to Jehovah, so it must be carried to the treasury of Jehovah!’

²⁰ So the Priests blew their trumpets, and when the people heard it, they all started shouting together as loudly as they could. Then all the walls around the city fell, and the people rushed into the city. ²¹ And JoShua dedicated it and everything in it (the men and women, both young and old, as well as the cattle and burros) to destruction by the edge of the sword.

²² Then JoShua said to the two young men who had served as spies, ‘Now go to the house of the woman, and bring her and all that she has out of it.’

²³ So the two young men went to her house and brought out the prostitute RaHab, along with her father, mother, brothers, all her relatives, and everything she had, and set her up outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ Then the city was burned, along with everything in it, except for the gold, silver, brass, and iron, which they carried into the treasury of Jehovah.

²⁵ But JoShua allowed RaHab the prostitute and all the house of her father to live. And she still lives in Israel today, because she hid the spies that JoShua sent to Jericho.

²⁶ And that day, JoShua made everyone swear before Jehovah that any man who rebuilds that city will be cursed… the one who lays its foundation will lose his firstborn, and the one who rebuilds it gates will lose his youngest son. And that’s what Hozan of BethEl did; he laid the foundation [with the body of] AbiRom his firstborn, and set up its gates [with the body of] his youngest surviving son.

²⁷ Well, Jehovah was with JoShua, so His Name became [known] throughout the land.

Chapter 7

¹ However, the children of Israel committed a serious sin by taking some of the things that were cursed. It was Achar (the son of Charmi, the son of Zambri and grandson of Zara) of the tribe of Judah who took the cursed things, which made Jehovah very angry with the children of Israel.

² Thereafter, JoShua sent men as spies to Gai (which is close to BethEl). ³ And when they returned, they told him, ‘We won’t need the whole army; all we will have to send is two or three thousand men to take the city, because not many of our enemy is there.’

⁴ So they sent about three thousand men, but they had to retreat from the men of Gai, ⁵ because the [people there] killed thirty-six men as they chased them from their [city] gate… they were destroyed as they were running down the steep hill. This upset the [Israelites] and caused their hearts to become like water.

⁶ Well, at this, JoShua started ripping his clothes; then he and the elders of Israel threw dust on their heads and fell with their faces to the ground before Jehovah [and lay there] until evening. ⁷ And JoShua prayed, ‘Lord; Why have You caused Your servant to bring these people across the Jordan, just to allow the Amorites to destroy us? We would have been better off staying on the other side of the Jordan and settling there. ⁸ So what should I say, now that Israel has [been forced to] to flee from before our enemy? ⁹ Why, when the CanaAnites and all the other inhabitants of the land hear about this, then they will surround us and destroy us from the land… and what will You do for Your great Name?’

¹⁰ And the Lord said to JoShua: ‘Why have you fallen to your face? Get up! ¹¹ The people have sinned and broken the Sacred Agreement that I made with them by stealing things that are cursed and hiding them among their possessions. ¹² And as the result, the children of Israel won’t be able to stand before their enemies… they’ll have to run from them, for they’ve become cursed. And I won’t be with you anymore, unless you remove the cursed things from among you!

¹³ ‘So now, get up and make the people holy. Tell them to make themselves holy, and then say, Jehovah the God of Israel says that you have cursed things among you, and you won’t be able to stand before your enemies until you’ve removed these cursed things. ¹⁴ So, all the tribes must gather tomorrow morning, then Jehovah will indicate to us, which tribe, which family line, which household, and which man [is guilty]. ¹⁵ And whoever He points to will be burned with fire for breaking the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah and making all Israel [appear] wicked.’

¹⁶ So JoShua got up early [the next morning] and assembled the people by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was indicated. ¹⁷ Then all their families [were set aside], and the family of the Zaraites was indicated. ¹⁸ Then all their men were set aside, and Achar (the son of Zambri and grandson of Zara) was indicated.

¹⁹ So JoShua said to Achar, ‘Give glory to Jehovah the God of Israel today and confess. Tell me what you’ve done… and don’t [try to] hide it from me!’

²⁰ Then Achar answered JoShua and said, ‘Yes, I’ve sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel, and this is what I did: ²¹ I noticed an embroidered shawl, two hundred silver coins, and a piece of gold among the loot that I wanted, so I took them and hid them in my tent [under the shawl].’

²² So JoShua sent messengers who ran to his tent in the camp, and they found those things hidden under the shawl. ²³ Then they brought them to JoShua and the elders of Israel and laid them before Jehovah.

²⁴ Then JoShua took Achar (the son of Zara), his sons, daughters, calves, burros, sheep, tent, all his belongings, and all the people who lived with him, and brought them to the valley of Achar at Emec. ²⁵ And JoShua said to Achar, ‘You’ve destroyed us, so today Jehovah is going to destroy you!’

Then all Israel stoned him with rocks. ²⁶ And it was after they covered him with a huge pile of rocks that Jehovah’s rage ended. This is why that place is called The Valley of Achar (the Troublemaker) to this day.

Chapter 8

¹ Then Jehovah said to JoShua, ‘Don’t be afraid or tremble, but now you must take all the men of war and return to Gai. For look; I’ve given the king of Gai and his land into your hands! ² You must do to Gai as you did to Jericho and its king; however, [this time] you may take their cattle. So, go and set up an ambush behind the city.’

³ Then JoShua got the men of war ready to go to Gai. He chose thirty-thousand mighty men and sent them there at night, ⁴ and he gave them these orders: ‘Wait in ambush behind the city. Don’t go too far from the city, and everyone must be ready. ⁵ Then I will take [a group] up to the city; and when the people of Gai come out to meet us, we will turn and run from them, ⁶ and they will chase after us and leave the city, for they will think that we are running from them as we did before. ⁷ Then those who are lying in ambush must get up and enter the city. ⁸ You must do exactly as I’ve commanded you!’

⁹ So JoShua sent them, and they waited in ambush to the west of Gai, between BethEl and Gai.

¹⁰ Well, early the next morning, JoShua got up and counted the people. Then he and the elders went up to face the people of Gai ¹¹ with all the remaining men of war coming from the east side of the city, ¹² as those who were hiding in ambush were to the west of the city. ¹³ –– ¹⁴ And when the king of Gai saw them, he and all his people rushed out to meet them head on, not realizing that an ambush had formed behind the city. ¹⁵ Then JoShua and Israel turned and retreated from them, ¹⁶ and they chased the children of Israel for some distance, ¹⁷ which left no one in Gai… they had left the city open as everyone was out chasing after Israel.

¹⁸ Then Jehovah said to JoShua, ‘Now, raise the spear that’s in your hand toward the city, for I’ve given it into your hands. And those who are hiding must quickly get up and enter [the city].’

¹⁹ So JoShua raised his spear toward the city. And when they saw him raise his spear, those who were hiding in ambush got up quickly, entered the city and captured it, then set it on fire.

²⁰ And when the inhabitants of Gai turned around to look behind them, they saw the smoke from the city rising high into the sky, and they [realized] that they had nowhere to run. ²¹ So, when JoShua and all Israel saw that the city had been taken and its smoke was rising into the sky, they turned and started cutting down the men of Gai. ²² Then the rest of the men came from the city to attack them from their rear, and they cut down everyone until there was no one left… not a survivor or an escapee. ²³ Then they captured the king of Gai and brought him to JoShua.

²⁴ Well, after the children of Israel had finished killing everyone in Gai in the fields and on the descent from its mountain where they had chased them, JoShua returned to Gai and cut it down with swords. ²⁵ So, twelve thousand inhabitants of Gai fell and were destroyed that day (both men and women). ²⁶ –– ²⁷ Then (other than the things that were in the city) the children of Israel took all the rest as loot for themselves, following the command that Jehovah gave JoShua.

²⁸ And thereafter, JoShua completely burned the city and turned it into an uninhabitable pile of rubble, which is what it has remained through the ages down to this day. ²⁹ Then he hung the king of Gai [from a tree] and left [his body] there until the evening. But after the sun went down, JoShua gave the instructions to take his body down, and they threw it into a pit and piled a heap of rocks over it, [which can still be seen] to this day.

³⁰ Then JoShua built an altar to Jehovah (the God of Israel) on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just as Moses (Jehovah’s servant) had commanded the children of Israel, and as it is written in the Law of Moses. It was an altar made of stones that hadn’t been cut or touched by iron. And there he sacrificed whole burnt offerings and a peace offering to Jehovah. ³² Then JoShua wrote a copy of the Law of Moses on those stones before the children of Israel.

³³ Thereafter, all Israel (including their elders, judges, and scribes) filed past the Chest on either side. Then the Levite Priests carried the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah, as the aliens and the natives were divided into two groups. One half was stationed near Mount GiriZim, and the other half near Mount Ebal, just as Moses (Jehovah’s servant) had commanded, to receive the first blessing of the people. ³⁴ Then afterwards, JoShua read all the words of the Law – all the blessings and curses that were written in the Law of Moses. ³⁵ There wasn’t a word which Moses told JoShua that wasn’t read within the hearing of the entire assembly of the children of Israel… the men, women, children, and the aliens who had joined themselves to Israel.

Chapter 9

¹ And when the kings of the Amorites on the [west] side of the Jordan (all those in the mountain country, in the plains, by the [Mediterranean] Sea, and near the borders of Lebanon), and the Hittites, CanaAnites, Pherezites, Evites, Amorites, Gergesites, and the Jebusites heard of it, ² they all got together to war against JoShua and Israel.

³ However, when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Jehovah did to Jericho and Gai, ⁴ they craftily decided [on a plan to save themselves]. They put old sacks over their shoulders, carried old torn and patched bottles of wine, ⁵ tore off the upper parts of their old shoes and sandals and put them on their feet, dressed in old clothes, and took along bread that was dry, moldy, and rotting. ⁶ Then they went to JoShua at the camp of Israel at GilGal, and said, ‘We’ve come from a faraway land, [and we want you to] make a treaty with us.’

⁷ But [JoShua] asked the Gibeonites, ‘How can I sign a treaty with you if you live near us?’

⁸ And they told JoShua, ‘We’re your servants.’

Then JoShua asked, ‘So, who are you and where have you come from?

⁹ And they replied, ‘Your servants have come from a far away country in the Name of Jehovah your God. For we have heard of His Name and of all that He did in Egypt, ¹⁰ as well as of what He did to the kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, and of what He did to Seon, the king of the Amorites, and to Og, the king of Bashan, who lived in AstarOth and in EdraIn. ¹¹ And when our elders and the people who live in our land heard of this, they spoke to us and said, Take along enough provisions for the trip and travel to meet with them and tell them that we’re their servants; and then make a treaty with them. ¹² Why, look at our bread! On the day that we started our journey to come here, they were hot. But now they’re dry and moldy. ¹³ And look at these wine skins! When we filled them they were new, but now they’re torn… and our clothes and shoes are worn out because of the long journey!’

¹⁴ So the leaders [of Israel] shared their provisions with them, and then they failed to ask Jehovah’s direction. ¹⁵ As the result, JoShua concluded a peace treaty with them and agreed to allow them to live… which the leaders of the gathering also swore to.

¹⁶ Well, it was three days after they made the treaty [with the Gibeonites] that [the Israelites] found out they were [actually] close neighbors and that they lived among them. ¹⁷ So, the children of Israel traveled to the cities of Gibeon, KePhira, Berot, and the cities of JaRim, ¹⁸ but they didn’t fight against them, because all the leaders had sworn an oath before Jehovah the God of Israel. And this caused the whole gathering to start grumbling against their leaders. ¹⁹ However, the leaders spoke to the gathering and said, ‘We have sworn [an oath] to them by Jehovah the God of Israel, so now we can’t touch them! ²⁰ But we’ll do this: We will let them live and we’ll protect them, so [God] won’t be angry with us for [breaking] the oath that we swore to them. ²¹ Then they must serve as woodcutters and water bearers to the entire gathering, as our leaders told them.’

²² And thereafter, JoShua called the [Gibeonites] together and asked them, ‘Why did you deceive me? Why did you say that you live far away from us, when you are actually the fellow countrymen of the rest of the people who live here? ²³ Now you are cursed, and you will always serve as slaves, woodcutters, and water drawers for me and for my God!’

²⁴ And they replied to JoShua, ‘We were told that Jehovah your God ordered his servant Moses to [take] this land and to destroy us, and all who live here. And it was because we feared for our lives that we did this thing! ²⁵ And now look; We’re in your power! You may do to us whatever pleases you and seems good to you.’

²⁶ And that’s what they did. JoShua saved them from the hands of the children of Israel, for they were not allowed to kill them. ²⁷ Then JoShua made them woodcutters and water bearers to the whole gathering and for the Altar of God; so the inhabitants of Gibeon will serve as our woodcutters and water bearers for the Altar of God, even in that [future] place that will be chosen by Jehovah.

Chapter 10

¹ And when Lord Bezek (the king of Jerusalem) heard that JoShua had taken Gai and had destroyed it as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had gone over to JoShua and Israel, ² this frightened him, for he knew that Gibeon was a large city. In fact, it was one of [the land’s] primary cities, and [it was known] for its mighty men. ³ So Lord Bezek sent [messages] to Elam (the king of Hebron), Phidon (the king of JeriMuth), JephTha (the king of LachIsh), and Dabin (the king of OdolLam), saying, ⁴ ‘Come and help us! Let’s conquer Gibeon, because the Gibeonites have gone over to JoShua and the children of Israel.’

⁵ So the five kings of the Jebusites came to [the aid of] the king of Jerusalem, which included the kings of Hebron, JeriMuth, LachIsh, and OdolLam, then they and all their people camped around Gibeon and besieged it. ⁶ So the Gibeonites sent [a message] to JoShua at his camp at GilGal, which said: ‘Hurry and send your servants to help us! Save us from the Amorite kings of the hill country, for they have all united against us!’

⁷ And at that, JoShua collected the best of his army [and marched them] from GilGal. ⁸ And Jehovah said to JoShua, ‘Don’t be afraid, for I’m giving them into your hands. There won’t be any of them left to stand before you!’

⁹ And because JoShua had marched all night from GilGal, he caught them by surprise. ¹⁰ Then Jehovah struck them with terror before the children of Israel… he destroyed them with a great slaughter there at Gibeon, and chased them all the way to the road to Oronin, and to Azeca and Makeda. ¹¹ And as they were fleeing the children of Israel at the descent from Oronin, Jehovah threw hailstones from the sky at them all the way to Azeca, and more died from the hailstones than were killed in battle by the children of Israel.

¹² Then JoShua spoke to Jehovah that day, as He was giving the Amorites into the [hands] of Israel. While they were destroying [their enemies] at Gibeon, JoShua said, ‘May the sun stand still over Gibeon and may the moon [stand still] over the valley of AiLon!’

¹³ Then the sun and the moon stood still as God brought vengeance on their enemies… the sun stood still in the midst of the sky and it didn’t move for a whole day! ¹⁴ There hasn’t been a day like it before or since, for God listened to a man and He fought on the side of Israel. ¹⁵ ––

¹⁶ Well, the five kings ran away and hid themselves in a cave at MakEda. ¹⁷ Then JoShua was told, ‘The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at MakEda.’ ¹⁸ So JoShua said: ‘Roll stones to cover the mouth of the cave, and then appoint men to guard them. ¹⁹ But don’t just stop there; keep chasing your enemies and attacking them from the rear. Don’t allow them to enter their cities, for Jehovah our God has given them into our hands!’

²⁰ And although JoShua and Israel wiped most of them out, those who escaped took refuge in the fortified cities.

²¹ Thereafter, all the people returned safely to JoShua at MakEda, and none of the children of Israel grumbled against him after that.

²² Then JoShua said: ‘Now open the cave and bring out those five kings!’

²³ So they brought the five kings out of the cave – the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of JeriMuth, the king of LachIsh, and the king of OdolLam. ²⁴ And when they brought them to JoShua, he called together all Israel and said to the chiefs of the army that went with him: ‘Come here and put your feet on their necks.’

So they came and put their feet on the necks [of the kings], ²⁵ and JoShua said, ‘Now, don’t be afraid or act cowardly… be courageous and strong! For this is what Jehovah will do to all the enemies who you will fight against.’

²⁶ Then JoShua killed them and hung their bodies on five trees, where they stayed until the evening.

²⁷ It was about sunset when JoShua commanded them to be taken down from the trees, and their [bodies] were thrown into the cave where they had run for refuge. Then stones were rolled over the cave, and they are still there today.

²⁸ On that day, they also took MakEda and killed its inhabitants with swords… they destroyed every living thing that was there. None were left or had escaped, and then they did same thing to the king of MakEda as they had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Well, after MakEda, JoShua and all Israel left and besieged Lebna, ³⁰ and Jehovah gave it into their hands. They captured it and its king, and they killed the inhabitants with swords… they killed everything that breathed there, and no one survived or escaped. Then they also did to its king as they had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Thereafter, JoShua and Israel left Lebna and went on to LachIsh, where they camped around the city and besieged it. ³² And Jehovah handed LachIsh over to Israel, capturing it on the second day, and then they put all the inhabitants to death with swords and destroyed [the city], as they had done to Lebna.

³³ Well, Elam (the king of Gazer) had gone to help LachIsh, so JoShua cut him and his people down with swords until there were none left, and none had escaped.

³⁴ And from LachIsh, JoShua and all Israel went to OdolLam, besieged it, and took it. ³⁵ Jehovah gave it into the hands of Israel on that same day, and they killed the inhabitants and every breathing thing there with swords, as they had done at LachIsh.

³⁶ Thereafter, JoShua and all Israel went on to Hebron and camped around it. ³⁷ Then they cut down it and all the living creatures that were in it with swords… no one was left alive. Then they destroyed the [city] and everything in it, as they had done to OdolLam.

³⁸ After that, JoShua and Israel returned to Dabir and camped around it. ³⁹ Then they took it, its king, and its villages, and cut them down with swords… they destroyed everything that breathed there. No one was left alive there, and as they had done to Hebron and her king, that’s what they did to Dabir and its king.

⁴⁰ Then JoShua attacked all the hill country, the Negev, the plain country, AsedOth, and all their kings… they didn’t spare any of them. They destroyed everything that had the breath of life, just as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded, ⁴¹ from Cades Barne to the Gaza, and all of Goshen as far as Gibeon. ⁴² JoShua struck down all their kings once and for all and [captured] their land, because Jehovah the God of Israel was fighting on their side.

Chapter 11

¹ And when Jabis (the king of Asor) heard about this, he sent for Jobab (the king of Maron), the kings of SymoOn and Aziph, ² the kings around Sidon, those in the hill country, those in the Araba across from KenerOth, those in the plains, those in Phenaed-Dor, ³ the CanaAnites along the eastern border, the Amorites along the borders, the Hittites, the Pherezites, the mountain Jebusites, the Evites, and all those living near Mount Hermon in the land of MasSyma. ⁴ And when all those kings and their armies came together, they were like the sands on the seashore in numbers, with multitudes of horses and chariots. ⁵ All the kings were there in person, and they camped at the waters of Maron to prepare for war with Israel.

⁶ Then Jehovah said to JoShua, ‘Don’t be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this same time I will make them retreat before Israel. Then you must hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.’

⁷ So JoShua and all the men of war made a surprise attack on them at the waters of Maron, and they also attacked them in the hill country, ⁸ and Jehovah gave them into Israel’s hands. They struck them down and chased them all the way to Sidon, MasEron, and eastward to the plains of MasSoch… they kept destroying until there no one was left. ⁹ Then JoShua did as Jehovah commanded; he hamstrung the horses and burned their chariots in a fire.

¹⁰ Next, JoShua went back and took Asor and her king (back then, Asor was the capital city of those kingdoms), ¹¹ and they killed everything that breathed with swords… they destroyed them all and there was no living thing left there. Then they burned Asor with fire.

¹² Thereafter, JoShua conquered all the cities that belonged to those kings, and killed everyone with swords. He left no survivors, just as Moses (the servant of Jehovah) had commanded. ¹³ However, they didn’t burn all the walled cities, just Asor.

¹⁴ This time, the children of Israel looted the cities and killed all the men with swords, leaving no breathing survivors. ¹⁵ For, this is what Jehovah had commanded His servant Moses to do, and it’s what Moses commanded JoShua to do, so JoShua did everything that Moses commanded.

¹⁶ Next, JoShua took all the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the plain country, all the [country] to the west, the mountains of Israel, the low country near the mountains ¹⁷ from Mount ChelCha to Seir (all the way to BalaGad), and the plains to the borders of Lebanon near Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and destroyed everyone. ¹⁸ This war that JoShua waged with those kings went on for quite some time, ¹⁹ and there was no city that Israel warred against which they failed to conquer. ²⁰ For Jehovah hardened all the hearts [of the people in those cities] when they went to war against Israel, so that they might be destroyed without mercy, just as Jehovah told Moses.

²¹ Then JoShua went and destroyed the Enakim out of the hill country, from Hebron, to Dabir, to AnabOth, and all the races in the land of Israel, including those in the mountains of Judea and their cities… JoShua destroyed them all, ²² for the children of Israel left no one. And among the Enakim, the only survivors were in found in Gaza, Gath, and AselDo.

²³ Thereafter, JoShua took all their land, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and [divided] it among Israel by their tribes as their inheritance. And then the war ended.

Chapter 12

¹ These are the kings in that land who the children of Israel killed and whose land they inherited [on the east side] of the Jordan, which ran from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, and all the land of the Araba in the east:

· ² Seon, the king of the Amorites. He lived in Hesh-EbonEh and ruled [over the area] from Arnon (which is on the side of the valley) and half of Gilead as far as Jaboc, to the borders of the children of AmMon, ³ and the Araba up to the Sea of [Galilee], down to the [Dead] Sea, then along the road to AsimOth, from ThaEman to AsedOth Phasga.

· ⁴ Og, the king of Bashan. He lived in AstarOth near EdraIn, which was [inhabited by] giants. ⁵ He ruled over all the land of Bashan from Mount Hermon and SecChai to the borders of GerGesi, Machi, and half of Gilead, up to the borders of Seon, the king of Hesh-EbonEh. ⁶ They were the ones who Moses (the servant of Jehovah) and the children of Israel struck down, and whose [land] Moses gave as an inheritance to Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh.

⁷ These are the kings of the Amorites who JoShua and the children of Israel killed [on the west side of] the Jordan along the [Mediterranean] Sea, from the plains of Lebanon to Mount ChelCha and along the road to Seir (which JoShua gave to the tribes of Israel as their inheritance), ⁸ to the mountains and plains and in the Araba and AsedOth, and to the desert and Negev… the [land] of the Hittites, Amorites, CanaAnites, Pherezites, Evites, and Jebusites:

· ⁹ The king of Jericho

· The king of Gai (near BethEl)

· ¹⁰ The king of Jerusalem

· The king of Hebron

· ¹¹ The king of JeriMuth

· The king of LachIsh

· ¹² The king of Elam

· The king of Gazer

· ¹³ The king of Dabir

· The king of Gader

· ¹⁴ The king of Hermath

· The king of Ader

· ¹⁵ The king of Lebna

· The king of OdolLam

· ¹⁶ The king of ElAth

· ¹⁷ The king of Taphu

· The king of Opher

· ¹⁸ The king of Ophec and Aroc

· ¹⁹ The king of Asom

· ²⁰ The king of SymoOn

· The king of MambRoth

· The king of Aziph

· ²¹ The king of Cades

· The king of ZachAc

· ²² The king of MaredOth

· The king of Jecom and Carmel

· ²³ The king of OdolLam (under PhenNealdor, the king of Gei of Galilee)

· ²⁴ And the king of Thersa – twenty-nine kings all together.

Chapter 13

¹ By then, JoShua had grown very old, so Jehovah said to him, ‘You’re getting very old and there’s still a lot of land to [divide as] inheritances, ² for all of this is still left:

· The borders of the Philistines, Gesirites, and CanaAnites, ³ from the desert across from Egypt to the borders of AcCaron (the CanaAnites are thought to have had five principalities among the Philistines). They are the inhabitants of Gaza, including Azotus, Ascalon, Geth and AcCaron

· The Evites ⁴ from ThaEman through the land of CanaAn to the Gaza

· The Sidonians from Aphec to the borders of the Amorites

· ⁵ The Philistine land of Galiath from the border of Lebanon east of Gilgal at Mount Hermon and the road to Emath

· ⁶ All those who inhabit the hill country from Lebanon to MaserEth-Memphomaim,
and all the Sidonians.

‘I’m going to destroy them all before Israel, so divide them up as inheritances among Israel, as I told you. ⁷ Divide this land by lottery among the nine tribes and the half tribe of ManasSeh. ⁸ Its boundaries run from the Jordan westward to the [Mediterranean] Sea.’

Now, Moses (the servant of Jehovah) had already given the two tribes of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh their inheritance in the east, across the Jordan, ⁹ from AroEr (at the brook of Arnon) and the city in the middle of the valley, and all of Misor to MaEdAban, ¹⁰ plus all the cities of Seon (the king of the Amorites) who reigned from Hesh-EbonEh to the borders of the children of AmMon, ¹¹ as well as the region of Gilead, the borders of the Gesirites and Machatites, all around Mount Hermon, the land of Bashan to Acha, ¹² and the entire kingdom of Og in the region of Bashan (he reigned in AstarOth and in EdraIn near the giants before Moses struck down him down and destroyed him). ¹³ But the children of Israel didn’t destroy the Gesirites, Machatites, and CanaAnites, so the king of the Gesiri and the Machatites still live among the children of Israel to this day.

¹⁴ However, no inheritance was given to the tribe of Levi, for Jehovah the God of Israel is their inheritance, as He told them.

Here is how Moses divided the land among the children of Israel at ArabOth Moab on the other side of the Jordan near Jericho: 
¹⁵ To the tribe of Ruben and their families he gave all of this: ¹⁶ Their borders run from AroEr across from the Brook of Arnon (which includes the city in the valley of Arnon and all of Misor) ¹⁷ to Hesh-EbonEh. So, there were all the cities in Misor, DaEbon, BaEmonBaal, BethMeElBoth, ¹⁸ Bashan, BakedMoth, MaEphaAd, ¹⁹ Kiriath JaIrim, Sebama, Serada, Sion (on Mount Enab), ²⁰ BaethPhogor, AsedOth, Phasga, BaethThasinOth, ²¹ all the cities of Misor, and all the kingdom of Seon (the king of the Amorites who Moses struck down, along with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Roboc, Sur, Ur, Robe - who was the leader of the looters in Sion), all the inhabitants of Sion, ²² and BalaAm the son of Beor (the prophet that they also killed in the battle). ²³ The [western] border of Ruben starts at the Jordan. So those are the boundaries and inheritance of the children of Ruben, which were divided among their families, as well as their cities and villages.

²⁴ He gave this inheritance to the sons of Gad and their families: ²⁵ Their borders run from Jazer (and they include all the cities of Gilead and half the land of the children of AmMon) to the Araba near Arad. ²⁶ Then from Hesh-EbonEh to ArabOth through MasSepha, Botanim, and MaAn, to the borders of DaEbon, ²⁷ EnAdom, OtharGai, BaenThanabra, SocCotha, and Saphan, and the rest of the kingdom of Sean (the king of Hesh-EbonEh) to the Jordan, then up to the Sea of Galilee on the east side of the Jordan. ²⁸ This is the inheritance of the children of Gad and their cities, which was divided among their families. They had to [stick together when facing] their enemies, because their cities and villages were distributed by families.

²⁹ He gave this inheritance to half the tribe of ManasSeh and their families: ³⁰ Their borders run from MaAn, through the kingdom of Bashan, and the entire kingdom of Og (the king of Bashan), all the villages of JaIr that are in the region of Bashan (some sixty cities), ³¹ half of Gilead, and AstarOth and EdraIn (the royal cities of Og in the land of Bashan). That is what Moses gave to the sons of Machir (the son of ManasSeh) and their families, which comprised the half tribe of ManasSeh. ³² They’re the ones who urged Moses to take all the land east of the Jordan at ArabOth Moab.

Chapter 14

¹ And these were the children of Israel who received their inheritance in the land of CanaAn – those to whom EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and the family heads of the tribes of the children of Israel gave an inheritance:

² The nine-and-a-half tribes received their inheritances in a lottery, just as Jehovah commanded JoShua, ³ but the Levites received no inheritance among them, ⁴ other that their (own) cities and suburbs, where their cattle were kept separate from the rest of the cattle. ⁵ So the children of Israel did just as Jehovah commanded Moses, and they divided up the land.

⁶ Then (one of) the sons of Judah (Caleb, the son of JePhoNe the Kenite) went to JoShua at GilGal and said to him: ‘You know what Jehovah said to Moses (the man of God) about me at Cades Barne. ⁷ For, I was forty years old when Moses (the servant of God) sent me from Cades Barne to spy in this land, and I returned to him and gave him an answer that pleased him. ⁸ However, although my brothers who went with me preferred to listen to the people, I kept following my God Jehovah. ⁹ So Moses swore on that day, saying, The land where you went will become the inheritance of you and your children through the ages, because you made sure that you followed our God Jehovah.

¹⁰ ‘So Jehovah has kept me alive until now, and this is the forty-fifth year since [the time when Jehovah] said that to Moses, and [during which] Israel [lived] in the desert. And today {Look!} I’m eighty-five years old, ¹¹ yet I’m still as strong as when Jehovah sent me; in fact, I’m still strong enough to fight as a soldier! ¹² And now I ask of you for this mountain [to fulfill Jehovah’s promise], which you heard that day. And although the Enakim are here in large fortified cities; if Jehovah is with me, I’ll destroy them just as Jehovah has instructed me.’

¹³ So, JoShua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb (the son of JePhoNe and the grandson of Kenez) as his inheritance. ¹⁴ And since then, Hebron has been the inheritance of Caleb, because he followed the commandments of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The name of that city used to be Argob when it belonged to the Enakim, but after the war it was renamed Hebron.

Chapter 15

¹ The border of the tribe of Judah (which land was divided among their families) runs south from Idumea and the Sin Desert, as far as Cades ² in the south. It runs from part of the Dead Sea into the high country, ³ then it goes toward the base of Mount Acrabin, around Sena, then south to Cades Barne, over to AsOron, up to Sarada, then along the road west of Cades, ⁴ out to Selmona toward the valley of Egypt, and it ends at the Sea. These are their southern borders.

⁵ Their borders on the east run from the Dead Sea and up the Jordan. Their borders in the north run from the Sea over to part of the Jordan. ⁶ They run from BethLehem in the north to BethAraba, along the stone [wall] of BaeOn and the borders of the sons of Ruben. ⁷ The border continues through a fourth part of the Valley of Achor and goes down toward GilGal to the approach to AdamMin (on the south side of the valley), and terminates at the water [that flows from] the Spring of the Sun, and to the Spring of Rogel. ⁸ Then it runs southward to the valley of EnNom behind Jebus (which is now Jerusalem), and ends at the top of the mountain facing the seaward side of the valley of EnNom, with the land of the Raphain in the north.

⁹ Then the border runs from the top of the mountain to the spring water of NaphTho, and on to Mount Ephron along the [road] that leads to Baal (which is now the city of JaRim). ¹⁰ Then it runs from Baal to the sea across Mount AsSar, which is behind the city of JaRim to the north (Chaslon), and down to the City of the Sun, and from there it heads south. ¹¹ This border terminates behind AcCaron (to the north), then it runs on to SocChoth and southward to Lebna, then over to the Sea. The [Mediterranean] Sea is their [western] border. ¹² These are the borders of the [land that was distributed among] the families of the children of Judah.

¹³ And to Caleb (the son of JePhoNe), JoShua set aside a [special] portion in the midst of the children of Judah, as God had commanded JoShua. He gave him the city of Arboc and the metropolis of Enac, which is now called Hebron. ¹⁴ So, Caleb (the son of JePhoNe) destroyed the three sons of Enac (Susi, Tholami, and Achima) from there, ¹⁵ then he [attacked] Dabir, which used to be called The City of Letters.

¹⁶ Then Caleb swore: ‘To whoever takes, conquers, and destroys the City of Letters, I will give my daughter Ascha as his wife.’

¹⁷ And it was GothoniEl (the son of Chenez, Caleb’s brother) who took [the city], so he gave him Ascha his daughter as his wife. ¹⁸ And as she was leaving [her father], she said to [Chenez], ‘I’m going to ask my father for a field.’ Then she got off her burro and started crying.

And Caleb asked her, ‘What’s wrong?’

¹⁹ Then she said, ‘Give me a blessing, because you’re sending me into the land of Negev. Give me BotThanis.’

So he gave her both upper and lower GonaEthla.

²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah. ²¹ And their cities within the borders of Edom by the desert are BaeSeleEl, Ara, Asor, ²² Icam, Regma, AruEl, ²³ Cades, AsoriOnain, MaEnam, ²⁴ BalmaEnan and its suburbs, ²⁵ the cities of AseRon (which are now called Asor), ²⁶ Sen, Salmaa, Molada, ²⁷ Seri, BaePhalath, ²⁸ CholaseOla, BeerSabee (and their villages and towns), ²⁹ Bala, Bacoc, Asom, ³⁰ ElBoudad, BethEl, Herma, ³¹ Sekelac, Macharim, SethenNac, ³² Labos, Sale, and EroMoth – twenty-nine cities and their villages.

³³ In the plain country [the cities are] AstaOl, Raa, AsSa, ³⁴ Ramen, Tano, IluthOth, MaeAni, ³⁵ JerMuth, OdolLam, Membra, SaoCho, Jazeca, ³⁶ SacArim, Gadera and its villages – fourteen cities and their villages. ³⁷ Also, SenNa, Adasan, MagadalGad, ³⁸ Dalad, Maspha, JachareEl, ³⁹ BasedOth, IdeaDalea, ⁴⁰ Chabra, Maches, MaAchos, ⁴¹ GedDor, BagadiEl, Noman, MacheDan – sixteen cities and their villages. ⁴² Also, Lebna, Ithac, Anoch, ⁴³ Jana, Nasib, ⁴⁴ KeIlam, AkiEzi, Kezib, BethEsar, AiLom – ten cities and their villages. ⁴⁵ Also, AcCaron and her villages and towns, ⁴⁶ AcCaron-Gemna, and all the cities near AsedOth and their villages, ⁴⁷ AsiedOth and her villages and towns, Gaza and its villages and towns, which run to the river of Egypt and along the [Mediterranean] Sea.

⁴⁸ In the hill country [the cities are] Samir, Jether, Socha, ⁴⁹ Renna, The City of Letters (Dabir), ⁵⁰ Anon, Es, Man, AiSam, ⁵¹ Goshen, Chalu, ChanNa, Gelom – eleven cities and their villages. ⁵² Also, AiRem, Remna, Soma, ⁵³ JemaIn, BaethAchu, Phacua, ⁵⁴ Euma, the city Arboc (Hebron), and SoraIth – nine cities and their villages. ⁵⁵ Also, Maor, Carmel, Ozib, Itan, ⁵⁶ JariEl, Aricam, Zacanaim, ⁵⁷ Gabaa, and ThamNatha – nine cities and their villages. ⁵⁸ Also, AiLua, BethSur, GedDon, ⁵⁹ MagarOth, BethAnam, and Thecum – six cities and their villages. ⁶⁰ Also, Theco, Ephratha (BethLehem), Phagor, AiTan, Culon, Tatam, Thobes, Carem, Galem, Thether, and ManoCho – eleven cities and their villages. ⁶¹ Also, Kariath-Baal (JaIrim) and Sotheba – two cities and their villages. ⁶² Also, BadDargeis, TharabaAm, AiNon, AiOchioza, NaphLazon, Sadon, and Ancades – seven cities and their villages.

⁶³ And the Jebusites lived in Jerusalem, because the children of Judah couldn’t destroy them – and they still live there today.

Chapter 16

¹ The borders of the children of Joseph run from the Jordan past Jericho on the east, and from Jericho to the hill country, to the desert, then up to BethEl Luza. ² And from BethEl they proceed on to the borders of AchaTarOthi, ³ then they go across toward the sea along the borders of ApTalim, and up to the borders of Lower BethOron, then on to the sea. ⁴ [And that’s where] the sons of Joseph (EphraIm and ManasSeh) claimed their inheritance.

⁵ The borders of the children of EphraIm that were divided among their families as their inheritance run eastward to AtarOth and Eroc, then on to Upper BethOron and Gazara. ⁶ It runs from the sea to IcasMon north of Therma, then east to Thenasa and Selles, and on to Janoca, ⁷ Macho, and AtarOth (which are their villages), then toward Jericho, ending at the Jordan. ⁸ From there it runs to Tapho, to ChelCana, and back to the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of EphraIm and their families.

⁹ Many of the cities and their villages that were given to the sons of EphraIm were in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of ManasSeh. ¹⁰ And EphraIm failed to destroy the CanaAnites who lived in Gazer, so the CanaAnites lived in EphraIm until Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) went there and took it, and then burned it with fire. Then Pharaoh gave the CanaAnites, Pherezites, and those who live in Gaza to his daughter as her dowry.

Chapter 17

¹ Now, these are the borders of the tribe of the children of ManasSeh (Joseph’s firstborn): Machir was the firstborn of ManasSeh and the father of Gilead, who [took] the land of Gilead and Bashan. ² And the other sons of ManasSeh were also given land, which was divided among their families… the sons of Jezi, the sons of Kelez, the sons of JeziEl, the sons of Shechem, the sons of Symarim, and the sons of Opher (the family heads).

³ And SalpaAd (the son of Opher) had no sons, just daughters, and these are their names: SalpaAd, MaAla, Nua, Egla, Melcha, and Thersa. ⁴ So they went before JoShua, EliEzer the Priest, and the rulers and said, ‘God commanded Moses to give us an inheritance in the midst of our family.’

So at the command of Jehovah, they were given an inheritance among their uncles. ⁵ And their lottery claimed for them [the land] from AnasSa to the plain of Labec in the land of Gilead [west of] the Jordan. ⁶ And because these daughters of the sons of ManasSeh inherited land inside Gilead, the rest of it was assigned to the other sons of ManasSeh. ⁷ Thus the borders of the sons of ManasSeh start at DelAnath (close to the sons of Anath) and proceed to the edge of JaMin and JasSib, to the spring of ThaphThoth. ⁸ It all belongs to ManasSeh, but ThaphEth on its border belongs to the sons of EphraIm. ⁹ Then the borders go down to the valley of CarAna, and southward past the valley of JariEl (where there’s a pine tree that belongs to EphraIm near the city of ManasSeh). Then its borders run northward to the brook and over to the sea. ¹⁰ The land to the south belongs to EphraIm, and ManasSeh runs along its border from the seacoast, then northward along the border of Aseb, and eastward up to [the land of] IsSachar. ¹¹ And in the land of IsSachar, ManasSeh will own Asher, BethSan and their villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, and a third of MaphEta and its villages.

¹² However, the sons of ManasSeh weren’t able to destroy those cities, and the CanaAnites started living there. ¹³ And when the children of Israel were strong enough, they made the CanaAnites their subjects, but they didn’t destroy them.

¹⁴ Then the sons of Joseph went to JoShua [and complained], ‘Why did you just give us just one inheritance and one border? For, God has blessed us and made us a large group of people.’

¹⁵ But JoShua replied, ‘If you have a lot of people and the hills of EphraIm are too small for you, then go up to the forest and clear more land for yourselves.’

¹⁶ And they said, ‘We don’t like the hills of EphraIm, and the CanaAnites are living there in BethSan and its villages, and in the JezreEl Valley, and they have many horsemen and iron [weapons].’

¹⁷ Then JoShua told the sons of Joseph, ‘If you have many people and you are very strong, you may claim more inheritance. ¹⁸ Now, if you need wood, there is [plenty of] wood there. Clear it and the land will be yours. Then destroy the CanaAnites, for even if they have good horsemen, you’re stronger than they are.’

Chapter 18

¹ Well, the entire gathering of the children of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and there they pitched the Tent of Proofs (since that land had been conquered by them), ² and the sons of Israel who hadn’t received their inheritance (seven tribes) stayed there.

³ Then JoShua said to the sons of Israel, ‘How much longer are you going to hold back from inheriting the land that Jehovah our God has given you? ⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe and have them travel throughout the land, and then come and describe it, so it can be properly divided.’

⁵ And thereafter, they came to him and he [arranged for them to] to divide into seven sections.

And he said: ‘Judah’s borders to the south will stand, as will [the land of] the sons of Joseph to the north. ⁶ But, now you must divide the [rest of] land into seven parts, and then bring the descriptions here to me and I will parcel them out in a lottery before Jehovah our God. ⁷ However, the sons of Levi won’t receive a share among you, for the Priesthood of Jehovah is their portion. Also, Gad, Ruben, and the half tribe of ManasSeh have already received their inheritance east of the Jordan, which was given to them by Moses, the servant of Jehovah.’

⁸ Then, as the men got up to leave, JoShua gave these orders to those who were to explore the land: ‘Go and explore the land, then come to me and I will divide it in a lottery here before Jehovah in Shiloh.’

⁹ So they went and explored the land. And after examining it, they divided it into seven parts by cities, and [drew a map] which they brought back to JoShua. ¹⁰ And JoShua threw lots for them before Jehovah there at Shiloh.

¹¹ It was the tribe of BenJamin and their families that came first, and the borders they received were between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. ¹² Their borders to the east go up the Jordan behind Jericho, northward to the mountains in the west and to BethOn of MabDara. ¹³ It runs around the south side of Luz (BethEl), and down to MaAtarob-Orech into the hill country that is south of Lower BethOron. ¹⁴ Then it proceeds to the part that faces the sea south of the mountain in front of BethOron, and ends at Kariath-Baal (Kiriath JaIrim), a city of the children of Judah. This is their boundary on the west.

¹⁵ On the south side, it runs from the border of Kiriath-Baal across to Gasin, and to the Spring of NaphTho. ¹⁶ Then it runs in front of the forest of SonNam (which is east of Emec-RaphaIn) in the north, and comes down to the EnNa Valley behind Jebusai, then it runs south to the Spring of Rogel ¹⁷ and over to the Spring of BethSamys. ¹⁸ From there it goes in front of GalilOth by way of AiThamin, then down to the stone of BaeOn (of the sons of Ruben), where it passes behind the north side of BethAraba to the sea in the north. ¹⁹ These borders end at the creek of the Dead Sea and north along the Jordan (which is their southern border), ²⁰ and the Jordan is their boundary on the east. This is the inheritance of the children of BenJamin and their families, and these are their borders.

²¹ The cities of the children of BenJamin and their families are Jericho, BethAgaeo, the AmeCasis, ²² BethAbara, Sara, BesAna, ²³ AiEin, Phara, EphRatha, ²⁴ CarApha, Cephira, Moni, and GabaA (twelve cities and their villages), ²⁵ Gibeon, Rama, BeerOtha, ²⁶ MasSema, Miron, Amoke, ²⁷ Phira, Caphan, Nacan, Selecan, ThareEla, ²⁸ Jebus (Jerusalem), and GabaOth JaIrim (thirteen cities and their villages). This is the inheritance of the sons of BenJamin and their families.

Chapter 19

¹ The second lot fell to the children of Symeon, so their inheritance is in the midst of the land of the children of Judah. ² They were given BeerSabee, SamaA, Caladam, ³ Arsola, Bola, Jason, ⁴ ErThula, Bula, Herma, ⁵ SikElac, BethMachereb, SarSusin, ⁶ BathAroth – thirteen cities and their villages. ⁷ Also, EremMon, Thalcha, Jether, and Asan – four cities and their villages. ⁸ Their cities run from Balec and the road to Bameth southward. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Symeon and their families. ⁹ It is part of the lot of Judah, because Judah’s portion was very large, so the inheritance of the children of Symeon is in the midst of theirs.

¹⁰ The third lot fell to ZebuLon and their families. So the boundaries of their inheritance run from EsedekGola ¹¹ to the sea and Magelda, and reaches to BethAraba in the valley across from JekMan. ¹² Then it goes back to SedDuc and heads east to BethSamys along the border of ChaShilohThaith, and passes on to DabirOth, then goes up to PhangAi. ¹³ From there it goes back eastward to GeBere and the city of CataSem, and on to RemMonaA-MatharaOza. ¹⁴ Then it goes north to AmOth and ends at GaEphaEl, ¹⁵ CataNath, NabaAl, SymoOn, Jericho, and BethMan. ¹⁶ This (and these cities and their villages) is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of ZebuLon and their families.

¹⁷ The fourth lot fell to IsSachar. ¹⁸ So their borders include Jazel, ChasalOth, Sunam, ¹⁹ Agin, Siona, ReErOth, ²⁰ AnaChereth, Dabiron, Kison, Rebes, ²¹ RemMas, Jeon, TomMan, AiMarec, and BerSaphes. ²² They border on GaethBor, Salim, and BethSamys in the west, and then run to the Jordan. ²³ This (and these cities and their villages) is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of IsSachar and their families.

²⁴ The fifth lot fell to Asher and their families. ²⁵ Their borders include ExelEketh, Aleph, BethOk, KeAph, ²⁶ EliMelech, AmiEl, and MaAsa. Their border runs west from Carmel and on to Zion and LabaNath. ²⁷ Then it runs west from BethEgeneth to where it joins ZebuLon (EkGai and PhthaeEl), then northward to SaphthaeBethMe and InaEl, then it goes on to ChobaMasomEl, ²⁸ ElBon, RaHab, EmeMaon, CanThan, and Sidon. ²⁹ From there, it turns back and runs to Rama, to the Spring of MasPhasSat and the border of Tyre, then it returns to JaSiph and ends at the sea (Apoleb, EchoZob, ³⁰ ArchOb, Aphec, and RaAu). ³¹ This (and these cities and their villages) is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher and their families.

³² The sixth lot fell to NaphTali. ³³ And their borders include MoOlam, Mola, BesemiIn, Arme, Naboc, JephThamai (as far as Dodam), and end at the Jordan. ³⁴ Then it runs west at AthAbor and goes on to Jacana. It borders on ZebuLon in the south, Asher in the west, and the Jordan in the east. ³⁵ Theirs include the walled cities of the Tyrians – Tyre, OmaThadakEth, KenerEth, ³⁶ ArmaIth, AreAl, Asor, ³⁷ Cades, AsSari and the well of Asor, ³⁸ Keroe, MegalaArim, BeatThame, and BethSamus. ³⁹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of NaphTali.

⁴⁰ The seventh lot fell to Dan. ⁴¹ Their borders include SarAth, Asa, the cities of SamMaus, ⁴² Salamin, AmMon, SilAtha, ⁴³ Elon, ThamNatha, AcCaron, ⁴⁴ AlCatha, BegEthon, GebeElan, ⁴⁵ Azor, BanaeBacat, and GethRemmon. ⁴⁶ Then west of HierAcon, the border is near Joppa. ⁴⁷ This (and these cities and their villages) is the inheritance of the children of Dan and their families. However, the children of Dan didn’t drive out the Amorites. So they harassed them in their mountains constantly and wouldn’t allow them to come down into the valley. And they forcibly took a portion of their land.

⁴⁸ Then the sons of Dan went and fought against LachIsh and took it. They cut [the people] down with swords and started living there, and they renamed the city LasenDan. However, the Amorites continued to live in Edom and in SalamIn, but the EphraImites held them down and forced them to pay a tribute.

⁴⁹ So the children of Israel proceeded to take possession of the land inside their borders, and they gave an inheritance to JoShua (the son of NaWeh) among them. ⁵⁰ Following the command of God, they gave him the city that he asked for, ThamnaSarach in the hills of EphraIm. So he built the city and lived there.

⁵¹ These are the divisions that EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and the family heads of the tribes of Israel assigned in a lottery before Jehovah at Shiloh, at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. And thereafter, they each went out to take possession of their lands.

Chapter 20

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to JoShua and said, ² ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to assign the refuge cities that I spoke to you about through Moses. ³ They are to be havens for those who have accidentally killed another man… cities to run to, so the person who has killed another won’t be put to death by the blood avenger until he has been given a trial before the gathering.’

⁴ So JoShua set aside Cades in the hills of NaphTali in Galilee, Shechem in the hills of EphraIm, and the city of Arboc (Hebron) in the hills of Judah. ⁵ And across the Jordan, he set aside Bosor in the desert plain of the tribe of Ruben, AremOth in Gilead of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the country of Bashan of the tribe of ManasSeh.

⁶ These were the cities that were selected for the sons of Israel and the aliens who lived among them, where those who unintentionally killed another could run to, so they wouldn’t be put to death by the blood avenger before they stood trial in front of the gathering.

Chapter 21

¹ Then the heads of the families of the sons of Levi came to EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and the heads of families of the tribes of Israel ² at Shiloh in the land of CanaAn, and said, ‘[Remember that Jehovah] gave the commandment through Moses that we should be given cities to live in, along with their surrounding countrysides (for our cattle).’

³ So, following the commands of Jehovah, the children of Israel gave the Levites cities and their surrounding countryside as their inheritance.

⁴ The first lot fell to the children of CaAth, so the sons of Aaron the Priest (the Levites) received thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Symeon, and BenJamin, which were divided among their families in a lottery. ⁵ And then the remaining sons of CaAth were given ten cities from the tribes of EphraIm, Dan, and the half tribe of ManasSeh.

⁶ The sons of Gedson received thirteen cities, which were divided [among their families] by lottery from the tribes of IsSachar, Asher, NaphTali, and the half tribe of ManasSeh in Bashan.

⁷ The sons of MeraRi received twelve cities, which were divided among their families by lottery, from the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and ZebuLon.

⁸ The children of Israel also gave the Levites the land around their cities, as Jehovah had commanded Moses, which were divided in a lottery.

⁹ These are the cities that the tribes of the children of Judah, Symeon, and part of the tribe of the children of BenJamin assigned ¹⁰ to the sons of Aaron (the family of CaAth of the sons of Levi), for whom the first lot fell:

· ¹¹ Kiriath-Arboc and the metropolis of the sons of Enac (Hebron) in the Mountain country of Judah and the surrounding suburbs. ¹² However, JoShua gave the city itself and its villages to the sons of Caleb (the son of JePhoNe) as his [family’s] possession. ¹³ He also assigned Hebron and its suburbs as a refuge city for unintentional murderers.

· Lemna and its suburbs

· ¹⁴ AiLom and its suburbs

· Tema and its suburbs

· ¹⁵ GelLa and its suburbs

· Dabir and its suburbs

· ¹⁶ Asa and its suburbs

· Tany and its suburbs

· BethSamus and its suburbs – nine cities from these two tribes.

¹⁷ And from the tribe of BenJamin, they were given:

· Gibeon and its suburbs

· GathEth and its suburbs

· ¹⁸ AnathOth and its suburbs

· Gamala and its suburbs – four cities.

¹⁹ So all together, the sons of Aaron (the Priests) were given these thirteen cities.

²⁰ And the remaining families of the sons of CaAth (the Priests and Levites) were given ²¹ these cities from the tribe of EphraIm:

· Shechem and its suburbs (which was also a refuge city)

· Gazara and its appendages and suburbs

· KibZaim and its suburbs

· ²² BethOron and its suburbs – four cities.

²³ And from the tribe of Dan [they were given]:

· Helcothaim and its suburbs

· GethEdan and its suburbs

· ²⁴ AiLon and its suburbs

· GethEremMon and its suburbs – four cities.

²⁵ And from the half tribe of ManasSeh [they were given]:

· Tanach and its suburbs

· JeBatha and its suburbs – two cities.

²⁶ So in all, ten cities and their suburbs were assigned to the remaining families of the sons of CaAth.

²⁷ And JoShua gave the sons of Gedson (the Levites) these cities from the other half-tribe of ManasSeh:

· Golan in the country of Bashan and its suburbs, which was also a refuge city

· Bosora and its suburbs – two cities.

²⁸ And from the tribe of IsSachar [they were given]:

· Kison and its suburbs

· DebBa and its suburbs

· ²⁹ RemMath and its suburbs

· The Well of Letters and its suburbs – four cities.

³⁰ And from the tribe of Asher [they were given]:

· BaselLa and its suburbs

· DabBon and its suburbs

· ³¹ Chelcat and its suburbs

· RaHab and its suburbs – four cities.

³² And from the tribe of NaphTali [they were given]:

· Cades in Galilee and its suburbs, which was a refuge city

· NemMath and its suburbs

· ThemMon and its suburbs – three cities.

³³ All together, the families of Gedson received thirteen cities.

³⁴ The remaining families of the sons of MeraRi (the Levites) received these cities from the tribe of ZebuLon:

· MaAn and its suburbs

· Cades and its suburbs

· ³⁵ SelLa and its suburbs – three cities.

³⁶ Then on the other side of the Jordan near Jericho, they received these cities from the tribe of Ruben:

· Bosor in the Miso Desert and its suburbs, which was a refuge city

· Jazer and its suburbs

· DecMon and its suburbs

· Mapha and its suburbs – four cities.

³⁷ Then from the tribe of Gad [they received]:

· RamOth in Gilead and its suburbs, which was a refuge city

· Camin and its suburbs

· Esbon and its suburbs

· Jazer and its suburbs – four cities.

³⁸ So all together, the families of the sons of MeraRi of the tribe of Levi received twelve cities and their outlying land. ³⁹ And the Levites received forty-eight cities ⁴⁰ and all their surrounding land and suburbs.

Then JoShua stopped dividing the land and setting their borders, and the children of Israel gave JoShua his portion, because this is what Jehovah had commanded them. They gave him the city that he asked for, ThamnaSarach in the hills of EphraIm. Then JoShua built the city and lived there.

Thereafter, JoShua took stone knives and circumcised the children of Israel who were born along the way in the desert, and had [them recuperate] at ThamnaSarach.

⁴¹ So Jehovah gave Israel all the land that He had promised to their ancestors; so they inherited it and lived there. ⁴² He also gave them a time of peace, as He had promised their ancestors; for none of their enemies could stand against them – He gave them all into their hands. ⁴³ And all the good things that Jehovah promised the children of Israel happened.

Chapter 22

¹ Then JoShua called the sons of Ruben, the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh together ² and said to them, ‘You’ve heard all that Moses (the servant of Jehovah) commanded you, and you’ve paid attention to everything I said to you about his instructions. ³ You haven’t deserted your brothers during all this time and you’ve followed the commandments of your God Jehovah. ⁴ So, now that our God Jehovah has given our brothers [a place] where they can rest (as He promised), you can go back to your land and your homes that Moses gave you on the other side the Jordan. ⁵ However, be careful to obey the Commandments and the Law that Moses (the servant of Jehovah) gave you… love Jehovah our God, walk in all His paths, keep His commandments, stick with Him, and serve Him with your whole mind and life.’

⁶ Then JoShua blessed them and dismissed them, and they returned to their homes.

⁷ Moses had given a portion of the land of Bashan to half of the tribe of ManasSeh, and JoShua gave the other half a portion with their brothers on the west side of the Jordan. And when JoShua sent them home, he blessed them ⁸ with much wealth, for he divided the loot they had taken from their enemies and their brothers, which included large amounts of cattle, silver, gold, iron, and clothing.

⁹ So, the sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh left the children of Israel in Shiloh (in the land of CanaAn) and headed toward Gilead and the land they inherited at the command of Jehovah through Moses.

¹⁰ And when they got to Gilead near the Jordan (in the land of CanaAn), they built a huge altar there by the Jordan. ¹¹ But when the [other] children of Israel heard about it, they said, ‘Look! The sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh have built an altar at the border of the land of CanaAn – at Gilead next to the Jordan – directly across from [the rest] of the children of Israel.’ ¹² So then, they all gathered at Shiloh to go and fight against them.

¹³ And thereafter, the children of Israel sent Phineas (the son of EliEzer and grandson of Aaron the Priest) to the sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh into the land of Gilead, ¹⁴ along with ten of the chiefs – one chief of each household of the rest of the tribes of Israel, who are generals over thousands in Israel. ¹⁵ And when they got to the sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh in the land of Gilead, they said, ¹⁶ ‘This is what the whole gathering of Jehovah wants to know: What is this sin that you’ve committed before the God of Israel by building yourselves an altar? Did you do this so you can turn away from Him? ¹⁷ Was the sin at Phogor – from which we have yet to be cleansed – that insignificant to you, despite the fact that it brought a plague among the entire gathering of Jehovah? ¹⁸ And now you’ve revolted against Jehovah, so tomorrow you will know the wrath of all Israel!

¹⁹ ‘Why, if your land is too small for you, cross over [the Jordan] into the land that Jehovah [gave us] and where the Tent of Jehovah stays and receive an inheritance among us. Don’t turn away from God by building an altar apart from the Altar of Jehovah! ²⁰ For look; didn’t Achar (the son of Zara) sin by taking things that were cursed and bring the wrath [of God] on the whole gathering of Israel? And [remember]; he died for his sin!’

²¹ However, the sons of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh replied to the generals of the thousands of Israel: ²² ‘God – our God – is Jehovah. And God Himself knows, and Israel knows, that if we have broken away from Jehovah and turned aside, He won’t save us today. ²³ But we didn’t build ourselves an altar to turn away from Him or to sacrifice whole burnt offerings or peace offerings on it (those things that Jehovah requires). ²⁴ Rather, we have done this as precaution. We did it for fear that in the future, your sons might ask our sons what they have to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel.

²⁵ ‘Now that Jehovah has set a boundary between you and us (the Jordan), we don’t want your sons to alienate our sons and keep them from worshiping Jehovah. ²⁶ So we gave orders to build this altar not for burnt offerings or for meat offerings, ²⁷ but as a witness between you and us and between our children, that we do serve Jehovah, and that we will sacrifice our burnt offerings, meat offerings, and peace offerings to Him. Then your sons won’t be able to say to our sons that we don’t [belong to] Jehovah.

²⁸ ‘Therefore, to prevent them from ever saying such a thing to us or our descendants, [we want them to] see our representation of the altar of Jehovah. It wasn’t built for the sake of burnt offerings or meat offerings, but as a witness between you and us and between our sons. ²⁹ Far be it from us to turn away from Jehovah today or to turn away from Him and build an altar for burnt offerings or peace offerings separate from the Altar of Jehovah that stands before His Tent.’

³⁰ And when Phineas the Priest (and all the chiefs of the gathering of Israel who were with him) heard what the children of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh said, they were pleased. ³¹ Then Phineas the Priest said, ‘Today we know that Jehovah is with us, because you aren’t guilty of a serious sin against Jehovah and you have saved the children of Israel from the hand of Jehovah.’

³² So Phineas (the Priest) and the leaders left the children of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh at Gilead and returned to the land of CanaAn, then they reported what was said to the children of Israel, ³³ and they were pleased. And then they spoke to the children of Israel and praised them [for their zeal], and told them not to go to war against the children of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh, or to destroy their land… and that’s what they did.

³⁴ Thereafter, JoShua named the altar of the children of Ruben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh, and said, ‘It is their testimony that Jehovah is their God.’

Chapter 23

¹ Jehovah had allowed Israel to rest from all their enemies [who lived] around them for a considerable time, until JoShua was old and up in years. ² Then JoShua called all the children of Israel together – their elders, leaders, judges, and their officers – and said to them, ‘I’m old and up in years, ³ and you’ve seen all that Jehovah our God has done to these nations around us and how your God fought for you. ⁴ Now look; I’ve given all these remaining nations to your tribes in a lottery. And although I’ve destroyed some of them, our borders run [from this side] of the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, ⁵ and Jehovah our God will destroy them before us until they’re all gone. For, He will send wild animals against them until He has destroyed them and their kings, then you will inherit their land, just as Jehovah our God has promised.

⁶ ‘However, you must be sure to observe and do all the things that are written in the book of the Law of Moses… don’t stray to the right or to the left! ⁷ And don’t associate with the remaining nations, nor should the names of their gods be mentioned among you… don’t serve them or bow before them! ⁸ Rather, you must stick to Jehovah our God, just as you have been doing until now. ⁹ Then Jehovah will destroy them – even the great and strong nations – from among you, for no one has been able to stand against us so far. ¹⁰ Why, each one among you has been able to chase a thousand, for Jehovah our God fought for you as He had promised. ¹¹ So, be sure to love Jehovah our God.

¹² ‘But if you turn away from Him and start associating with these nations that are still left, then marry among them and get mixed up with them (and them with you), ¹³ realize that Jehovah won’t destroy them. Rather, they will become snares and stumbling blocks – nails in your heels, and darts in your eyes – until they’ve wiped you out of this good land that Jehovah your God has given you.

¹⁴ ‘And now, I’m getting ready to die, as does everyone else on this earth. But know in your hearts and souls that not a single word has failed of all the things that Jehovah our God has [promised] about us. ¹⁵ And after all the good things that Jehovah God will bring upon you are done, remember that He will also do bad things until He wipes you out of this good land that He has given you, ¹⁶ if you break the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah our God and go and serve other gods and bow before them.’

Chapter 24

¹ So JoShua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shiloh and summoned their elders, officers, and judges, then stood them before God. ² And JoShua spoke to all the people and said, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel said: Your ancestors (such as Tara, the father of Abraham and Nahor) once stayed beyond the river and served other gods. ³ But I took Abraham (your ancestor) from the other side of the river and guided him throughout this entire land. Then I made his seed grow… ⁴ I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac [I gave] Jacob and Esau. Then I gave Mount Seir to Esau as his inheritance, as Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, where they became a great and mighty nation.

‘Then the Egyptians started oppressing them, ⁵ so I struck down Egypt with the miracles that I sent among them. ⁶ And afterwards, I brought your fathers out of Egypt. And as they entered the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased them into the Sea with their chariots and horses. ⁷ Then, when they called out to Jehovah, I put a cloud and darkness between [them and] the Egyptians, and brought the Sea down upon [the Egyptians] and covered them.

‘Why, your eyes have seen all that Jehovah did in the land of Egypt, and of how you spent a long time in the desert. ⁸ And now He has brought us into the land of the Amorites who lived across the Jordan, and Jehovah has given them into our hands… you have inherited their land and destroyed them!

⁹ ‘[Do you remember when] Balak, the king of Moab (the son of SepPhor) went to war against Israel, and how he called BalaAm to curse us? ¹⁰ Yet, Jehovah your God wouldn’t destroy you; He blessed us and saved us from their hands, then He handed them over to us.

¹¹ ‘Thereafter, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, where the people of Jericho fought against us – as did the Amorites, CanaAnites, Pherezites, Evites, Jebusites, Hittites, and the Gergesites – and Jehovah gave them all into our hands. ¹² You didn’t chase them with swords or bows; He sent hornets ahead of you and drove them away… the twelve kings of the Amorites!

¹³ ‘Now He has given you a land that you didn’t clear and cities that you didn’t build, where you’ve now settled and where you are eating from vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant. ¹⁴ So, fear Jehovah and serve Him righteously and justly… get rid of all the strange gods that our ancestors served across the river and in Egypt, and serve Jehovah!

¹⁵ ‘However, if you don’t wish to serve Jehovah, then choose who you will serve today… whether it’s the gods of your ancestors that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you’re now living. But as for me and my household, we will serve Jehovah, because He alone is holy!’

¹⁶ And the people answered, ‘We won’t leave Jehovah and serve other gods. ¹⁷ Why, our God Jehovah is God! For, it was He who brought our ancestors and us out of Egypt, and who protected us all along the way that we walked, and from all the nations that we passed. ¹⁸ And it was Jehovah who threw out the Amorites and all the other nations that lived in this land. Yes, we will serve Jehovah, for He is our God!’

¹⁹ Then JoShua said to the people, ‘You won’t really be able to serve Jehovah, because He is holy. And because He’s zealous, He won’t forgive your sins and your errors. ²⁰ So when you leave Jehovah to serve other gods, He will come against you, oppress you, and consume you, because He has done good things for you.’

²¹ Then the people replied, ‘No! We will serve Jehovah!’

²² And JoShua said, ‘Then you are witnesses against yourselves that you’ve chosen to serve Jehovah. ²³ So now, get rid of all the strange gods that you have, and set your hearts right with Jehovah, the God of Israel.’

²⁴ And the people replied, ‘We will serve Jehovah and listen to His voice!’

²⁵ So JoShua made a Sacred Agreement with them that day, and gave them laws and rules before the Tent of the God of Israel, there in Shiloh. ²⁶ And then he wrote those words in the book of the Laws of God.

And JoShua took a large block of stone and erected it under the oak tree before Jehovah. ²⁷ Then he told the people, ‘Look, this stone will serve as a witness among you, for it has heard all the words that you’ve said before Jehovah. And because He has spoken to you today, this stone will serve as a witness against you in the last days when you deal treacherously with my God Jehovah.’

²⁸ Then JoShua dismissed the people and they each returned to their homes.

²⁹ Thereafter, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of a hundred and ten, ³⁰ and they buried him in the land that he had inherited in Thamna Sarach, in the hills of EphraIm north of Mount Gilead. They put his [body] in a tomb, along with the stone knives that he had used to circumcise the children of Israel at GilGal, after Jehovah brought them out of Egypt… and they are still there today.

³¹ Well, Israel served Jehovah for as long as JoShua and the elders of JoShua’s era (who knew all that Jehovah had done for Israel) were still alive. ³² And thereafter, the children of Israel brought the bones of Joseph ([which they had carried from] Egypt) and buried them in Sicima, in the tract of land that Jacob bought from the Amorites in Sicima for a hundred ewes, and which was given to Joseph as his property.

³³ Shortly thereafter, EliEzer (Aaron’s son) the High Priest also died and was buried in GabaA in the hills of EphraIm (which had been given to his son Phineas). And on that day, the children of Israel took the Chest of God and carried it among the people. Then Phineas was appointed as [High] Priest in place of his father EliEzer (after his death and burial at GabaA).

Thereafter, the children of Israel each left and returned to their own cities and homes, and they started worshiping Astarte, AstarOth, and the gods of the nations around them. So, Jehovah handed them over to Eglom, the king of Moab, who ruled over them for the next eighteen years.

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Bible Measurements

The most common unit for measuring length, height, and depth in the Bible is a cubit, which is the length of a man’s forearm. And of course, the lengths of forearms vary depending on the size of the person, so a cubit may be anywhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. However, to give you a better idea of the size and proportions of things in the Bible, we have converted the units of measure to more familiar terms, such as feet and inches. And we have roughly averaged the sizes or lengths.

Also, some units of measure, such as a cor (about 32 bushels), hin, or bath (about 6 gallons), have been roughly estimated, since such terms are obsolete.

We have also dropped the obscure names of coins, since most readers have no idea of their value, and simply inserted the type of coin they are (gold, silver, or copper), and sometimes their size, to provide you some frame of reference.

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Synagogue

We find the word synagogue (gr. synagoges) mentioned several times while the Israelites were in the desert. Just what type of building was this?

Well, it wasn’t a building at all. Actually, synagogue means a gathering, and the entire nation of Israel was usually referred to as a synagogue. It wasn’t until in later years, after they had entered the Promised Land, and possibly after their return from exile in Babylon, that they built buildings for worship (other than the Temple). Then later, they started referring to the buildings as synagogues. And while synagogues are mentioned several times in the Christian Era Scriptures, the only mention of one as a Christian meeting place can be found at James 2:2. In every other instance, it refers to Judaic houses of worship.

This referring to a building as a gathering is similar to what happened in Christendom. For, in older Bibles, Christian gatherings (gr. ekklesias) were called churches. But before long, members started referring to the buildings as churches. For more information see the linked document, Church, Synagogue, or Called Ones.

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Tent

The statement found at Leviticus 26:11 (‘I will pitch My tent among you’) may sound unusual to most people. For, why would God refer to Himself as living in a tent?

The Greek word that we have translated as tent is skene (pronounced skaynay). The word is used throughout the Bible and may also be translated as booth and as tabernacle. But really, none of these words (tent, booth, or tabernacle) is an accurate description of what skene means in the English language. It implies a temporary-type dwelling that can be made of cloths, skins, or sticks and branches. For example, God’s Sacred Tent in the desert was made of cloth and covered with skins, while the tents that the Israelites were to live in during what has become known as ‘the Festival of Booths,’ was made of sticks and branches.

The Greek word oikos (pronounce oy-koss), on the other hand, refers to a permanent dwelling, and it is usually translated as house. For example; When the Israelites were wandering in the desert, the Sacred Tent of Jehovah was to be temporary, but Solomon later built His Temple, which was referred to as a House. Yet, despite that description, God never really lived there. And that may be the reason why God refers to his coming to ‘tent’ with mankind (as at Revelation 21:3). The term likely refers to His temporary presence or representation, not to His coming to the earth to live among men.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In the beginning, God created the sky and the ground.’

This is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. There was no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space… it just wasn’t necessary at the time! However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text.

This is why you’ll find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You’ll also find the Greek words ge and ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, ‘The thing that they don’t want to understand is this: That the ancient earth and sky were out of the water, but (in obedience to God’s instructions) they stood together between the waters.’ (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge and ges, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located ‘between the water.’ So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the sky. Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting ‘the earth; since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth,’ we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not land or ground. However, the words land and ground are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water, ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken in a celestial chariot, most people think he was taken to (as their Bibles put it) ‘heaven,’ where he went to live with God. This isn’t true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into the sky (the proper translation here), where he was then taken to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Dedicated to Destruction

The instruction that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, as found at Leviticus 27:28, 29, has long confused Bible scholars. These verses appear to imply that any human who was dedicated to God should be put to death as some sort of a human sacrifice. For earlier (in verses one through seven), we read of people offering themselves and their families to Him. Was this indicating that they were the ones to be put to death?

No, for the verses are talking about two different sets of circumstances. However, much has been written about these verses, and there still seems to be some confusion.

The specific words found at Leviticus 27:29 read (in Greek), ‘Kai pan ho ean anathete opo ton anthropon ou lytrothesetai alla thanato thanatothesetai,’ or, ‘And all those who/are cursed of the men not ransomed but die the/death.’

So, as you can see, these verses refer to those who have been cursed (anathema), and it implies a vow to dedicate vile persons or nations to death. There is no indication (or record of) people being offered for sacrifice at Jehovah’s Temple. So the verse implies a vow to destroy those whom God deems worthy of destruction.

An example of the outworking of such an oath can be found at Numbers 21:2, 3, where the Israelites swore an oath to God to dedicate a particular group of Canaanites to Him if He would give them the victory over these enemies. The account says, ‘That was when Israel swore a vow to Jehovah, saying, If you will hand them over to us, we will dedicate them and their cities to You.’ So, Jehovah heard the voices of [the people of] Israel and gave the Canaanites into their hands, then they [totally destroyed] them and their cities. And they started calling that place The Cursed.

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Apostasy and Apostates

The Greek word apostasis (in its various conjugated forms) is used several times in the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT), and we find it used at 2 Chronicles 28:19, where we’ve rendered it as ‘turned away,’ because that’s what the term really means. It refers to a turning away from a righteous God-fearing way of life. For, the Greek word (which we pronounce as apostasy in English) literally means ‘turn away from (apo)’ a ‘standing or state (stasis).’ So, it doesn’t refer to a disagreement over the way some doctrine is viewed, as the word is misapplied by some religious groups.

Almost all Bible references to apostasy are speaking of a turning away from the way of Israelite life that is outlined in the Law. However, in the book of Job, the word apostate refers to being unfaithful to God, since Job lived before the Law.

There are just two places where this term (apostasy) is used to indicate someone’s unfaithfulness in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), at Acts 21:21 and at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

At Acts 21:21 we read (concerning the Apostle Paul): ‘But they have heard the rumor that you’ve been teaching Judeans who live among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to follow the traditions.’

Notice that Paul’s teaching wasn’t being called an apostasy; rather, the apostasy was their not following the traditional Jewish way of life.

Actually, the proper word to use when speaking of teaching something that deviates from established doctrine is heresy, which is the word that the Catholic Church used extensively to accuse faithful Christians (and others) of during their ‘Inquisition’ of 1400s and 1500s. Notice that they didn’t accuse anyone of apostasy (turning from a Christian way of life), but of heresy (disagreeing with their established doctrines). So, they understood the difference.

There was at least one instance where Paul himself seemed to accuse and impose sanctions against other Christians for heresy. We find this account at 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, where he wrote: ‘That was the problem with Hymenaeus and Philetus; they got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some.’

So, deviating from teaching the truth of the Bible was a serious matter among First-Century Christians. However, in view of what Jesus said at Matthew 5:22 and what was said about Jesus at Jude 9, calling anyone such a thing such a thing as ‘an apostate’ or a ‘heretic,’ when there might be some question as to who is right, would be an even more serious matter.

The only other places in the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT) where the Greek word for apostasy is found, is where Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as giving their wives a ‘certificate of dismissal’ to divorce them (see Mark 10:4). The words that are translated certificate of dismissal are biblion apostasiu, which literally mean ‘scroll of apostasy (or sending away).’

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Chest of Proofs

We are sorry to use such an unfamiliar term, but Ark of the Covenant may not accurately describe the sacred box that eventually held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the writings of Moses and Joshua, the manna, and the walking stick of Aaron. First, the meaning of the ancient English word ‘ark’ has been lost in history. And the second word, ‘covenant’ (meaning, sacred agreement) isn’t always used as part of the name in the Greek text. In some places it is called the kiboton marturion, which literally means Box [of] Testimony. So, although it may have been built to illustrate the Sacred Agreement (Covenant) between God and the Israelites, it was also built to hold the Proofs of the things that God did for Israel. So, wherever the words kiboton marturion appear in the text, we have called it the Chest of Proofs. But it was also referred to as the Chest of the Sacred Agreement (or, Ark of the Covenant) at Exodus 27:21, for example, so that term must also be correct. However, after the Israelites settled in the Promised Land it was always referred to as the kiboton marturion, or the Chest of Proofs.

Unfortunately (during the time of Samuel and the High-Priest Eli), the Philistines captured the Chest, emptied its contents, and then returned it to Israel empty, because, their having it brought a plague on them (see 1 Samuel 6:12). However, later, during the time of King Solomon, the sacred tablets containing the Ten Commandments were found to be still in the Chest, but nothing else (see 1 Kings 8:9); so we have to assume that they had been found and returned.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Lottery or Lot

To many, the thought of choosing by lot (possibly by rolling dice) or using some other form of lottery sounds immoral and quite like gambling. However, in the Bible, that was the correct way to select the person who would receive a particular position or reward. In fact, the word for inherit (kleronomesousi), means to receive by lot or lottery.

The reason why this method was used by the ancient faithful was to allow God a hand in the decision, rather than trusting in the viewpoints of men. And the indication is that this method of choosing did in fact result in the manifestation of God’s hand. For example, consider how John the Baptist’s father (ZechariJah) was chosen by lot to serve in the Holy Place at the exact time for him to be told by a messenger of God about the upcoming birth of his son and of his son’s responsibility concerning the Messiah (Luke 1:8, 9).

Also, consider the fact that Matthias was chosen by lottery to replace unfaithful Judas as one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

The good sense of letting things be decided by apparent chance can be found in the wise words of Solomon at Proverbs 18:18, where he said, ‘Choosing by lottery ends a dispute, and it defines the boundaries of rulers.’

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Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, ‘Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don’t allow zeal to make you act wicked’ (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, ‘Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,’ because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn’t always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous of things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but for each other. We shouldn’t want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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