Deuteronomy Cross References - ISV

¹ The Setting of the CovenantThese are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of Israel east of the Jordan River, in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. ² It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir. ³ On the first day of the eleventh month, in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. ⁴ This took place after he defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei.
⁵ Moses Reviews God’s InstructionsEast of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab, Moses began to expound this Law: ⁶ “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb. He said, ‘You have been at this mountain long enough. ⁷ Break camp, get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev, the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. ⁸ Look! I’ve given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.’”
⁹ Moses Reviews the Selected Officials“I also told you at that time that I won’t be able to sustain you on my own. ¹⁰ The LORD your God greatly multiplied your numbers, and today you are like the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you. ¹² How can I bear the burden of you and your bickering all by myself? ¹³ Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders. ¹⁴ You answered by saying that this plan is a good thing. ¹⁵ So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you—commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ¹⁶ I charged your judges at that time, ‘When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners. ¹⁷ When you hold a hearing, don’t be partial in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.’ ¹⁸ I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things.”
¹⁹ Moses Reviews the Sending of the Scouts
“Then we set out from Horeb and walked through that vast and dreadful desert, where you observed the road to the Amorite hill country. Just as the LORD our God ordained for us, we finally arrived at Kadesh-barnea. ²⁰ I told you at that time, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is about to give us. ²¹ Look! The LORD your God has given the land that lies before you. Go and possess it, just as the LORD God of your ancestors commanded you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.’
²² “Then all of you approached me and said: ‘Let’s send out men in advance of us so they can survey the land and bring back a report to us on how we’ll go up to their cities.’ ²³ Because this suggestion seemed good to me, I chose twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. ²⁴ Then these men set out, went up to the hill county, reached the Eshcol Valley, and surveyed it. ²⁵ They hand-picked some of the fruit of the land, brought it down to us, and gave a report that said, ‘The land which the LORD is about to give us is good.’”
²⁶ Israel Rebels“However, your ancestors didn’t go up. Instead, they rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. ²⁷ You murmured in your tents, ‘The LORD hates us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt in order to deliver us to the Amorites so he could destroy us. ²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers discouraged us when they said that the people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are tall and fortified to the sky, and we also saw the Anakim there.’
²⁹ “Then I told you, ‘Don’t be terrified or afraid of them. ³⁰ The LORD your God is the One who will be going ahead of you. He’ll fight for you just as he did in Egypt before your eyes. ³¹ In the desert you saw that the LORD carried you like a man carries his son, on every road you traveled until you reached this place.’ ³² But despite this, you didn’t trust in the LORD your God, ³³ who walked ahead of you along the way to scout a place for you to pitch camp—by fire at night and cloud by day—to lead you on the way you should go.”
³⁴ Entrance is Denied“When the LORD heard your complaints, he became angry and declared, ³⁵ ‘I swear that not one man of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors, ³⁶ except Jephunneh’s son Caleb. He will see it and I will give to him and to his descendants the land on which he has walked because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’
³⁷ “The LORD was also furious with me because of you. He said: ‘You will not enter the land. ³⁸ However, Nun’s son Joshua, your assistant, will go there. Encourage him, for he will cause Israel to take possession of it. ³⁹ Your little ones—whom you said would be taken captive—and your children who do not yet know right from wrong will enter the land. I will give it to them and they themselves will possess it. ⁴⁰ But as for you, prepare to set out for the desert on the way to the Reed Sea.’
⁴¹ “You responded to me and said, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We will now go up and fight according to what the LORD our God commanded.’ So each man put on his weapon for battle and recklessly started out for the hill country.”
⁴² The Amorites Defeat Israel“Then the LORD told me: ‘Tell them not to go up and fight because I will not be in their midst, or else you will be defeated before your enemies.’
⁴³ “I spoke to you but you didn’t listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD and went up to the hill country. ⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out to engage you in battle. They pursued you like bees do and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. ⁴⁵ You returned and cried out in the LORD’s presence, but the LORD didn’t hear your voice or listen to you. ⁴⁶ You remained in Kadesh for many days. It was a long time, indeed.”

²¹ Later he settled in the desert area of Paran, and his mother chose a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

¹² so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness,

³⁵ Later, the people left Kibroth-hattaavah for Hazeroth and camped there.

¹⁶ After that, the people traveled from Hazeroth and encamped in the Wilderness of Paran.

³ So that’s just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the LORD’s instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders.

²⁶ came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

⁵ If we’ve found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River.”

¹⁹ since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward.”

³² “We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD’s presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River.”

¹⁷ They traveled from Kibroth-hattaavah, then rested in Hazeroth.
¹⁸ They traveled from Hazeroth, then rested in Rithmah.

¹⁵ These two and a half tribes received their inheritance this side of the Jordan River, east of Jericho, facing the rising sun.”

¹⁴ Appoint three towns this side of the Jordan River and three towns in the land of Canaan to serve as the towns of refuge,

² He said: “The LORD came from Sinai. Rising from Seir upon us, he shone forth from Mount Paran, accompanied by a myriad of his holy ones, with flaming fire from his right hand for them.

¹ Trickery by the GibeonitesEventually all the kings who reigned in the hill country across the Jordan River and in the low-lying coastlands of the Mediterranean Sea facing Lebanon heard about this. So the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites

¹⁰ along with all of what he did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan River—that is, to King Sihon of Heshbon and to King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

⁴ Now the LORD has given peace to your relatives, just as he told them. Therefore, proceed to your tents—to the land that is yours to possess—that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan River.

⁷ Now Moses had made an allotment in Bashan to one half-tribe of Manasseh, but Joshua made an allotment west of the Jordan River to the other half-tribe of their relatives. So when Joshua sent them on their way back to their tents, he also blessed them by saying

¹ The Death of SamuelSamuel died and all Israel assembled to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.
David, Nabal, and AbigailDavid got up and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

³ God comes from Teman— the Holy One from Mount Paran. Interlude His glory spreads throughout the heavens, and praises about him fill the earth.

¹ God Calls MosesMeanwhile, Moses continued tending the sheep that belonged to his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the sheep to the western desert and came to Horeb, God’s mountain, where

¹⁴ First Fruit Offerings“Whenever you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the LORD, bring fresh barley roasted in fire, young kernels crushed into bits. Bring the grain offering with your first fruits

²³ Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.

¹⁷ Permit us now to pass through your land. We won’t pass through your fields or vineyards, and we won’t drink water from your wells. We’ll keep to the King’s Highway without turning either right or left until we have passed through your territory.’”
¹⁸ But Edom replied, “You are not to pass through my land. If you do, I’ll come out and start a war with you.”
¹⁹ Then the Israelis replied, “Permit us to travel on the highway. If we and our cattle drink your water, we’ll pay the price you ask. Only please let us walk through, and nothing more.”
²⁰ But still he replied, “No. You’re not to pass through.” Then Edom went out to meet Moses with a vast army and a lot of military might. ²¹ That’s how Edom refused Israel passage through their territory. So Israel turned away from there.

⁸ That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out to engage you in battle. They pursued you like bees do and crushed you from Seir to Hormah.

⁴ and command this people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live around Seir. They will be afraid of you so be very careful.

⁸ So we bypassed our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We turned through the Arabah desert from Elath, and from Ezion-geber we traveled the desert road to Moab.”

²³ When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea and told you, ‘Go possess the land that I gave you,’ instead you disobeyed what the LORD your God said. You didn’t trust him or listen to his voice.

⁶ Caleb’s Request
After this, the descendants of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal. Jephunneh the Kenizzite’s son Caleb told him, “You know the promise that the LORD gave Moses the man of God concerning the two of us in Kadesh-barnea.

¹ The Meribah Springs
The entire community of the Israelis entered the Zin wilderness during the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

³⁸ Then Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor in obedience to the LORD’s command and died there, in the fortieth year after the Israelis had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.

¹ Moses Presents the Privileges of the Covenant“Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I’m teaching you to observe so you may live and go in to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is about to give you. ² Do not add or subtract a thing to what I’m commanding you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God.

²¹ Israel Conquers the AmoritesLater, Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who conveyed this request: ²² “Permit us to pass through your land. We won’t trespass in your fields or vineyards. We won’t drink water from any well, and we’ll only travel along the King’s Highway until we’ve passed through your territory.”
²³ Instead of letting Israel pass through his territory, Sihon mustered his entire army and marched out to meet them in the wilderness. He arrived at Jahaz and attacked Israel. ²⁴ But Israel defeated him in battle and took possession of all his lands from Arnon to Jabbok, including the Ammonites, even though the border of the Ammonites was strong. ²⁵ So Israel captured all of those cities, occupied all the Amorite cities in Heshbon, and all its towns. ²⁶ Heshbon was the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who fought against the previous king of Moab and captured all his land from his capital city to Arnon. ²⁷ Therefore the ones who speak in proverbs say: Come to Heshbon and let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be established! ²⁸ A fire has gone out from Heshbon, and a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places who lived in Arnon. ²⁹ Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, you people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters have gone into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites. ³⁰ We’ve fired at them. Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. We’ve destroyed them as far as Nophah even as far as Medeba.
³¹ So Israel lived in Amorite territory.
³² Israel Conquers BashanThen Moses sent out explorers to scout Jazer. They captured its towns and drove out the Amorites who were there. ³³ Then they turned toward Bashan. However, Og, the king of Bashan, mustered his army and went out to attack them at Edrei. ³⁴ The LORD told Moses, “You are not to fear him, because I’m going to deliver him, his entire army, and his land into your control. Do to him just what you’ve done to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who used to live in Heshbon.” ³⁵ So they attacked him, his sons, and his entire army, until there wasn’t even a single survivor left. Then they took possession of his land.

²⁶ Israel Defeats Sihon, King of Heshbon“I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to King Sihon of Heshbon with this message of peace:

² Sihon king of the Amorites lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is located on the edge of the Arnon River from the middle of the valley, including half of Gilead as far as Wadi Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites, ³ and toward the Arabah as far as the Sea of Galilee to the east, as far as the Arabah Sea (that is, the Dead Sea) to the east as one travels in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, and to the south as far as the foothills of Pisgah. ⁴ The territory of Og king of Bashan was conquered. He was one of the last of the Rephaim, and lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei, ⁵ ruling over Mount Hermon, Salecah, and all of Bashan as far as the border of the descendants of Geshur, the descendants of Maacath, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
⁶ Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelis defeated them. Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave it to the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as their inheritance.

¹⁰ all the cities pertaining to King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonite territory, ¹¹ Gilead and the region belonging to the descendants of Geshur and Maacath, including all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah. ¹² Also included was the entire kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the sole survivor left of the Rephaim.) Although Moses had defeated these people and driven them out,

²² You gave them kingdoms and nations, apportioning them as frontier boundaries. They took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and every kingdom of Canaan—

¹⁹ including Sihon king of the Amorites, for his gracious love is everlasting— ²⁰ and Og king of Bashan, for his gracious love is everlasting—

⁸ And what great nation has all the decrees and righteous ordinances like all this teaching that I’m giving you today?

¹⁸ When he occupies his royal throne, he must make a copy of this Law for himself from a scroll used by the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to remain with him the rest of his life so he may learn to fear the LORD his God and observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to fulfill them.

⁹ Moses Entrusts the Law to the Levitical PriestsThen Moses wrote down this Law and gave it to the Levitical priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and to all of Israel’s leaders.

⁴⁶ he told them, “Take to heart my entire testimony against you today. Command your children to observe carefully every word of this Law,

⁶ I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” Moses did this in front of the elders of Israel.

¹ The Israelis Reach Mount SinaiOn the third New Moon after the Israelis went out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came to the desert of Sinai. ² They had set out from Rephidim and arrived at the desert of Sinai where they camped in the desert. Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

¹¹ Order of Travel in the WildernessOn the twentieth day of the second month in the second year, the cloud was lifted up from the Tent of Meeting, ¹² so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness, ¹³ doing what the LORD had said through Moses.

² When the LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb,

¹⁶ Your descendants will return here in the fourth generation, since the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet run its course.”
¹⁷ When the sun had fully set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a fiery torch passed between the animal pieces. ¹⁸ That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River— ¹⁹ including the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

³¹ “I’ll set your borders from the Reed Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, bringing the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you are to drive them out ahead of you.

³ The Southern Border of Israel“‘To your south is the Wilderness of Zin, bordering Edom. Your southern border is to extend east toward the far end of the Dead Sea, ⁴ then it is to turn southward to the ascent of Akrabbim, cross Zin, and then run south of Kadesh-barnea and proceed from there to Hazar-addar and across to Azmon. ⁵ Then the border is to turn from Azmon toward the wadi of Egypt and from there to the Mediterranean Sea.’”
⁶ The Western Border of Israel“‘The western border is to be the Mediterranean Sea. This is to be the western border.’”
⁷ The Northern Border of Israel“‘Your northern border is to extend from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor. ⁸ From Mount Hor, you are to mark out the entrance to Hammath, with the border running through Zedad, ⁹ then through Ziphron, and then to Hazar-enan. This is to be the northern border.’”
¹⁰ The Eastern Border of Israel“‘You are to mark the border on the east from Hazar-enan to Shepham. ¹¹ The border is then to extend from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, then to the Sea of Chinnereth on the east. ¹² The border is to continue along the Jordan River all the way to the Dead Sea. This is to be your land, as measured by its boundaries.’”

¹¹ Instead, the land that you are crossing over to inherit is a land of hills and valleys that drinks water supplied by rain from heaven,

²⁴ Every place upon which the soles of your feet tread will be yours as boundaries—from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, from the Euphrates) to the Mediterranean Sea.

⁴ Your territorial border will extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon Mountains, to the river—that great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—as far as the Mediterranean Sea where the sun sets.

⁴⁰ So Joshua conquered the entire land, the hill country, the Negev, the Shephelah, and the wilderness highlands, along with all of their kings. He left none of them remaining, but completely destroyed every living person, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded.

¹⁶ Summary of Joshua’s VictorySo Joshua conquered all of these territories: the hill country, all of the Negev, the entire land of Goshen with its foothills, the plains of Jordan, and the mountains of Israel with its foothills ¹⁷ from Mount Halak and the ascent toward Seir, including as far as Baal-gad in the Lebanon Valley that lies at the foot of Mount Hermon. Joshua captured all of their kings, struck them down, and put them to death.

¹⁵ If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

³ David also attacked King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son from Zobah, when he was attempting to restore his hegemony over the Euphrates River.

⁹ He also lived eastward as far as the entrance to the wilderness this side of the Euphrates River, because their cattle had increased in the territory of Gilead.

³ David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, which is near Hamath, while he was going about establishing his hegemony as far as the Euphrates River.

⁹ Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites in front of them, though their height seemed like a cedar, though their strength seemed like an oak, but whose fruit I destroyed from above and the roots from beneath.

⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

¹⁴ After Lot had separated from Abram, the LORD told Abram, “Look off to the north, south, east, and west from where you’re living, ¹⁵ because I’m going to give you and your descendants all of the land that you see—forever!

¹⁶ Your descendants will return here in the fourth generation, since the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet run its course.”

¹⁸ That very day the LORD made this covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

⁷ I’m establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants’ God after you. ⁸ I’ll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession. I will be their God.”

¹⁶ and said, “I have taken an oath to swear by myself,” declares the LORD, “that since you have carried this out and have not withheld your only unique son, ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸ Furthermore, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my command.”

³ Remain in this land, and I’ll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham. ⁴ I’ll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I’ll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another.

¹³ And there was the LORD, standing above it and telling Jacob, “I am the LORD God of your grandfather Abraham. I’m Isaac’s God, too. I’m giving you and your descendants the ground on which you’re sleeping. ¹⁴ Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

¹⁸ You will certainly wear yourself out, both you and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it by yourself.

¹¹ so he asked the LORD, “Why did you bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes? After all, you’re putting the burden of this entire people on me! ¹² Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers? ¹³ Where am I going to get meat to give this people? After all, they’re crying in front of me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me!

¹⁷ Then I’ll come down and speak with you. I’ll take some of the spirit that rests on you and apportion it among them, so that they may help you bear the burden of the people. That way, you won’t bear it by yourself.”

⁵ Then the LORD took him outside. “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if you can!” he said. “Your descendants will be that numerous.”

¹⁷ I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies.

¹⁴ Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

³⁷ The Exodus BeginsAbout 600,000 Israeli men traveled from Rameses to Succoth on foot, not counting children.

¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself as you told them, ‘I’ll increase the number of your descendants like the stars of the heavens, I’ll give your descendants all of this land about which I have spoken, and they are to possess it forever.’”

⁴⁶ The total of all those who were numbered was 603,550.

²² Your ancestors went down to Egypt with 70 people, but the LORD your God has now made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.”

⁶² Because you will not have obeyed the LORD your God, very few of you will be left—instead of you being as numerous as the stars in the heavens.

²³ David did not complete a census of those younger than 20 years of age, since the LORD had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.

²³ “You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven and brought them to the land about which you told their ancestors to enter and possess.

⁴ I’ll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I’ll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another.

²⁵ by your father’s God who helps you, by the Almighty who will keep on blessing you with blessings from heaven above, with blessings from the deepest ocean, with blessing from the breasts and the womb.

²⁷ They are to pour out my name to the Israelis while I continue to bless them.”

¹² But God told Balaam, “Don’t go with them. Don’t curse the people, because they’re blessed.”

³ But Joab replied, “May the LORD your God increase the population of the people a hundredfold while your majesty the king is still alive to see it happen! But why does your majesty the king want to do this?”

³ But Joab replied, “May the LORD increase the population of his people a hundredfold! Your majesty, all of them are your majesty’s servants, aren’t they? So why should your majesty demand this? Why should he bring guilt to Israel?”

¹⁴ May the LORD add to your numbers— to you and to your descendants.

¹³ Jethro Advises Moses to Appoint JudgesThe next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning until evening?”
¹⁵ Moses told his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute, it comes to me and I decide between a person and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and his instructions.”

¹¹ so he asked the LORD, “Why did you bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes? After all, you’re putting the burden of this entire people on me! ¹² Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers? ¹³ Where am I going to get meat to give this people? After all, they’re crying in front of me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me! ¹⁵ If this is how you treat me, please kill me right now, if I’ve found favor in your eyes, because I don’t want to keep staring at all of this misery!”

⁹ Moses Reviews the Selected Officials“I also told you at that time that I won’t be able to sustain you on my own.

⁷ Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I’m still young. I don’t have any leadership skills. ⁸ Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁹ God’s Describes His AnointedYou spoke to your faithful ones through a vision: “I will set a helper over a warrior. I will raise up a chosen one from the people.

¹⁶ To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

⁵ By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God,

²¹ You are to look for capable men among the people, men who fear God, men of integrity who hate dishonest gain. You are to set these men over them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

¹⁶ The Appointment of 70 EldersThen the LORD told Moses, “Gather together for me 70 men who are elders of Israel, men whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them. Then bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I’ll come down and speak with you. I’ll take some of the spirit that rests on you and apportion it among them, so that they may help you bear the burden of the people. That way, you won’t bear it by yourself.”

²¹ who was one of the men associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, ²² beginning when he was baptized by John until the day he was taken up from us. Therefore, someone like this must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”
²³ So they nominated two men—Joseph called Barsabbas, who also was called Justus, and Matthias.

² So the Twelve called the whole group of disciples together and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect messages from God in order to wait on tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we’ll put them in charge of this work. ⁴ Then we’ll devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
⁵ This suggestion pleased the whole group. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch. ⁶ They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶ They judged the people at all times; the difficult matters they brought to Moses, but every minor matter they judged.

¹⁴ Commands Concerning War CaptivesBut Moses became livid with anger at the officers of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds who had returned from servicing in the battle.

¹⁸ Pursue Justice“Appoint judges and civil servants according to your tribes in all your cities that the LORD your God is about to give you, so they may judge the people impartially.

¹² He will appoint his officers over thousands and officers over fifties—some will plow his fields, reap his harvest, and craft his war implements and equipment for his chariots.

¹⁸ Take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of the unit, check on the well-being of your brothers, and bring something back from them.

⁷ Saul told his officials who were standing around him, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse’s son also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Will he make all of you officers over thousands and officers over hundreds?

¹¹ And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers,

²¹ “You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

² You are not to follow the majority in doing wrong, and you are not to testify in a lawsuit so as to follow the majority and pervert justice. ³ You are not to show partiality to a poor man in his lawsuit.

⁷ Stay far away from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent or the righteous, because I won’t acquit the guilty. ⁸ You are not to take a bribe because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous. ⁹ You are not to oppress the resident alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁵ “You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness.”

²² You are to have for yourselves consistent procedures in deciding a case. As it is for the resident alien, so it is for the native born. I am the LORD your God.”

¹⁹ and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes,

¹⁸ He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing.”
¹⁹ Love Others“You are to love the foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁸ Pursue Justice“Appoint judges and civil servants according to your tribes in all your cities that the LORD your God is about to give you, so they may judge the people impartially. ¹⁹ You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous.

¹⁴ Don’t take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he’s your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city.

¹¹ Penalties for DisobedienceMoses gave the people these commands that day:

¹⁴ Moses and Joshua Present Themselves to the LORDThen the LORD told Moses: “Look! Because your time to die is approaching, call Joshua, present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, and then I will commission him.” Moses and Joshua complied and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.

³ The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has talked to me. “When one is governing men justly, he fears God while governing.

⁶ “Pay careful attention to your duties, because you are judging not only for the sake of human beings but also for the LORD—and he is present with you as you make your rulings. ⁷ So let the fear of the LORD rest upon you, be on your guard, and act carefully, because with the LORD our God there is neither injustice, nor partiality, nor bribery.”
⁸ In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat also appointed certain descendants of Levi, priests, and family leaders of Israel to render verdicts for the LORD and to decide difficult cases. Their offices were in Jerusalem. ⁹ He issued this reminder to them: “You are to carry out your duties in the fear of the LORD, serving him faithfully with your whole heart. ¹⁰ No matter what case comes before you from your fellow citizens who live in their own cities, whether it’s a dispute between blood relatives or a dispute regarding the Law and the commands, statutes, or verdicts, you are to warn the parties so that they do not become guilty in the LORD’s presence and so that anger does not come upon you and your fellow citizens.

¹ To the Director: A special Davidic psalm to the tune of “Do Not Destroy”.
A Prayer for Justice How is it that by remaining silent you can speak righteously? How can you judge people fairly?

²⁴ Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!”

¹¹ You know very well that we treated each of you the way a father treats his children.

²¹ With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.

¹⁷ Advice for the WealthyTell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

²² They are to judge the people at all times. Let them bring every major matter to you, but let them judge every minor matter. It will lighten your burden, and they’ll bear it with you.

²⁶ They judged the people at all times; the difficult matters they brought to Moses, but every minor matter they judged.

⁶ “You are not to pervert justice for the poor among you in their lawsuits. ⁷ Stay far away from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent or the righteous, because I won’t acquit the guilty.

¹⁷ For the LORD your God is the God of all gods, the LORD of all lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism or take bribes.

¹⁹ You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous.

⁸ Deciding Difficult Cases“If a case is too difficult for you to decide with respect to bloodshed, civil claims, assault and battery, or other matters of dispute within your courts, bring it to the place that the LORD your God will choose. ⁹ Present the case to the Levitical priest or the judge at that time. When you have inquired and they have announced the verdict, ¹⁰ carry out the verdict that was declared to you at the place that the LORD will choose. Carefully observe all of their instructions to you

¹⁷ “Don’t deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment as collateral for a loan.

³ Here I am. Testify against me in the LORD’s presence and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? Who have I cheated? Who have I oppressed? Who bribed me to look the other way? I’ll restore it to you.”
⁴ They said, “You haven’t cheated us or oppressed us, and you haven’t taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁷ The LORD told Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or his height, for I’ve rejected him. Truly, God does not see what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

¹⁴ After all, even though we all die, and we’re all like water being spilled on the ground that cannot be recovered, nevertheless God doesn’t take away life, but carries out his plans so as not to cast away permanently from him those who are presently estranged.

⁸ So she wrote some memos in Ahab’s name, set his personal seal to them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹ In the memos, she wrote the following directives: “Proclaim a public fast and seat Naboth in the front row. ¹⁰ Seat two wicked men in front of him, and make them testify against him. Tell them to claim ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
¹¹ So the leading men of the city, along with the elders and nobles who lived there, did precisely what Jezebel had directed them to do. They followed the instructions that she had set forth in the memos: ¹² They proclaimed a public fast and seated Naboth in the front row. ¹³ Two wicked men came in, sat down in front of them, and testified against Naboth in public, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
¹⁴ Afterwards, they sent a message to Jezebel that said, “Naboth has been stoned. He’s dead.”

⁶ “Pay careful attention to your duties, because you are judging not only for the sake of human beings but also for the LORD—and he is present with you as you make your rulings.

⁶ “After all, you’ve taken collateral from your relatives for no reason; you stripped the naked of their clothing. ⁷ You’ve neglected to give water to the weary, and you’ve withheld food from the hungry. ⁸ The land belongs to the powerful, and the privileged thrive in it. ⁹ You sent away widows empty-handed, and broke the outstretched arms of orphans.

¹¹ Job Remembers His Acts of Kindness“When people heard me speak, they blessed me; when people saw me, they approved me, ¹² because I delivered the poor who were crying for help, along with orphans who had no one to help them. ¹³ Those who were about to die blessed me, and I made widows sing for joy. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness like clothing; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. ¹⁵ I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the needy; I diligently inquired into the case of those I didn’t know. ¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop the prey.”

¹³ No Abuse of Servants“If I’ve refused to help my male and female servants when they complain against me, ¹⁴ what will I do when God stands up to act? When he asks the questions, how will I answer him? ¹⁵ The one who made me in the womb made them, too, didn’t he? Didn’t the same one prepare each of us in the womb?”
¹⁶ No Injustice on the Poor“If I refused to grant the desire of the poor or exhausted the eyes of the widow,

³⁴ Have I feared large crowds? Has my family’s contempt ever terrified me so that I remained silent and wouldn’t go outside?”

³ “Defend the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the afflicted and the poor. ⁴ Rescue the poor and the needy, delivering them from the power of the wicked.

²² Don’t rob the poor person because he is poor, and don’t crush the helpless in court, ²³ for the LORD will plead their case and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.

²³ Sayings of the WiseHere are some more proverbs from wise people: It isn’t good to show partiality in judgment.

²⁵ Fearing any human being is a trap, but confiding in the LORD keeps anyone safe.

¹⁷ The LORD’s Assurance to Jeremiah“As for you, get ready! Stand up and tell them everything that I’ve commanded you. Don’t be frightened as you face them, or I’ll frighten you right in front of them.

²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They don’t argue the case of the orphan to secure justice. They don’t defend the rights of the poor. ²⁹ ‘Should I not punish them for this?’ asks the LORD. ‘Should I not avenge myself on a nation like this?’

¹¹ ‘Therefore, since you trample the poor continuously, taxing his grain, building houses of stone in which you won’t live and planting fine vineyards from which you won’t drink— ¹² and because I know that your transgressions are many, and your sins are numerous as you oppose the righteous, taking bribes as a ransom, and turning away the poor in court—

¹ God’s Warning to His People “Woe to those who are crafting iniquity, planning evil well into the night! When morning’s light comes, they carry out their plans because they have the power to do so. ² They covet fields and seize them; they covet houses, and grab them, too. They harass the valiant man, along with his household, an individual and his estate. ³ “Therefore this is what the LORD says, ‘I’m crafting evil against this family, from which you can’t escape. You won’t strut around arrogantly, because the times are evil.’

¹ “He will say, ‘Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel! You should know justice, should you not?— ² you who despise good and love evil, who tear off the skin of my people, along with the flesh from their bones. ³ You eat the flesh of my people, flaying their skin from them. You break their bones, chopping them in pieces like meat for a pot, like meat destined for a soup kettle.’ ⁴ “Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not listen to them. In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they were so wicked in what they were doing.”

³ And speaking of evil, they practice it eagerly—with both hands! Both leader and judge demand a bribe, the famous confess their perverted desires, and they scheme together. ⁴ The best of them is like a thorn, and their most upright like a hedge of thorns. The day announced by your watchmen— and by your own calculations—approaches. Now it’s your time to be confused!

¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance.

¹⁴ They came and told him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn’t we?”

²¹ so they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you’re right in what you say and teach, and that you don’t favor any individual, but teach the way of God truthfully.

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “Now I understand that God shows no partiality. ³⁵ Indeed, whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.

¹¹ because God does not show partiality.

⁹ Masters, treat your slaves the same way. Do not threaten them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

²⁵ For the person who does what is wrong will be paid back for what he has done without favoritism.

⁴ Rather, because we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, we speak as we do, not trying to please people but God, who tests our motives.

¹ Do Not Show PartialityMy brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be tainted by favoritism. ² Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. ³ If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Please take this seat,” but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,” ⁴ then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?
⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not?

⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the Law as violators.

¹⁷ If you call “Father” the one who judges everyone impartially according to what they have done, you must live in reverent fear as long as you are strangers in a strange land.

⁵ See! I taught you the statutes and the ordinances, just as the LORD God commanded. Therefore, observe them when you enter the land you are about to possess.

⁴⁰ May you observe his statutes and keep his commands that I’m giving you today, so that life may go well for you and for your descendants after you. That way, you’ll live a long life in the land that the LORD your God is about to give you permanently.”

²⁸ Be sure to observe all these words that I’m commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”

³² Now as to everything I’m commanding you, you must be careful to observe it. Don’t add to or subtract from it.”

²⁰ teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.”

²⁰ I never shrank from telling you anything that would help you nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.

²⁷ because I never shrank from telling you the whole plan of God.

² It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir.

¹⁵ who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and who led you through the vast and dangerous desert, that parched land without water, with its poisonous snakes and scorpions. He brought water out of solid rock for you,

¹⁰ The LORD’s Work on Behalf of IsraelThe LORD found him in a desert land, in a barren, eerie wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye.

⁶ “They didn’t ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through the land of desert and pits, through the land of dryness and deep darkness, a land that people don’t pass through, and where no one lives?’

⁷ Break camp, get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev, the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. ⁸ Look! I’ve given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.’”

³⁰ Caleb silenced the people on Moses’ behalf and responded, “Let’s go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it.”

⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey. ⁹ However, don’t rebel against the LORD or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we’ll gobble them right up. Their defenses will collapse, because the LORD is with us. You are not to be afraid of them.”

¹ Rules of War“When you go to war against your enemies and observe more horses, chariots, and soldiers than you have, don’t be afraid of them, for the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt is with you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll be leading this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors.

⁹ I’ve commanded you, haven’t I? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be fearful or discouraged, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

¹ Davidic
Confidence in the LORD The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom will I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom will I be afraid? ² When those who practice evil, my enemies, and my oppressors come near me to devour my flesh, they stumble and fall. ³ If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear. If a war is launched against me, I will even trust in that situation.

¹ To the Director: A song by the Sons of Korah, to the tune of “The Maidens”.
God is the Refuge of His People God is our refuge and strength, a great help in times of distress.

⁷ The LORD of the heavenly armies is with us; our refuge is the God of Jacob. Interlude

¹¹ The LORD of the heavenly armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Interlude

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you; don’t be anxious, because I am your God. I keep on strengthening you; I’m truly helping you. I’m surely upholding you with my victorious right hand.”

¹ The Future Redemption of Israel But now this is what the LORD says, the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: “Do not be afraid, because I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called you by name; you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. when you walk through fire you won’t be scorched, and the flame won’t set you ablaze.

³² Stop being afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

⁶ Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

¹ The Twelve Explorers
Later, the LORD told Moses, ² “Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I’m about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor’s tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader among them.”
³ So that’s just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the LORD’s instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders. ⁴ These were their names: From Reuben’s tribe, Zaccur’s son Shammua; ⁵ From Simeon’s tribe, Hori’s son Shaphat; ⁶ From Judah’s tribe, Jephunneh’s son Caleb; ⁷ from Issachar’s tribe, Joseph’s son Igal; ⁸ From Ephraim’s tribe, Nun’s son Hoshea; ⁹ From Benjamin’s tribe, Raphu’s son Palti; ¹⁰ from Zebulun’s tribe, Sodi’s son Gaddiel; ¹¹ from Joseph’s tribe of Manasseh, Susi’s son Gaddi; ¹² From Dan’s tribe, Gemalli’s son Ammiel; ¹³ from Asher’s tribe, Michael’s son Sethur; ¹⁴ from Naphtali’s tribe, Vophsi’s son Nahbi; ¹⁵ and from Gad’s tribe, Machi’s son Geuel. ¹⁶ These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.
Moses Issues Orders to the ExplorersMoses renamed Nun’s son Hoshea to Joshua. ¹⁷ Then he sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, “Go up from here through the Negev, then ascend to the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they’re few or numerous. ¹⁹ Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they’re fortified. ²⁰ Examine the farmland, whether it’s fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land.”
As it was, that time of year was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest.

³ So that’s just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the LORD’s instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders. ⁴ These were their names: From Reuben’s tribe, Zaccur’s son Shammua; ⁵ From Simeon’s tribe, Hori’s son Shaphat; ⁶ From Judah’s tribe, Jephunneh’s son Caleb; ⁷ from Issachar’s tribe, Joseph’s son Igal; ⁸ From Ephraim’s tribe, Nun’s son Hoshea; ⁹ From Benjamin’s tribe, Raphu’s son Palti; ¹⁰ from Zebulun’s tribe, Sodi’s son Gaddiel; ¹¹ from Joseph’s tribe of Manasseh, Susi’s son Gaddi; ¹² From Dan’s tribe, Gemalli’s son Ammiel; ¹³ from Asher’s tribe, Michael’s son Sethur; ¹⁴ from Naphtali’s tribe, Vophsi’s son Nahbi; ¹⁵ and from Gad’s tribe, Machi’s son Geuel. ¹⁶ These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.
Moses Issues Orders to the ExplorersMoses renamed Nun’s son Hoshea to Joshua. ¹⁷ Then he sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, “Go up from here through the Negev, then ascend to the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they’re few or numerous. ¹⁹ Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they’re fortified. ²⁰ Examine the farmland, whether it’s fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land.”
As it was, that time of year was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. ²¹ So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. ²² They went through the Negev and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built). ²³ Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men, along with some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.
²⁵ The Explorers ReturnAt the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land, ²⁶ came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ “We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit, ²⁸ except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak. ²⁹ Amalek lives throughout the Negev, while the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and on the bank of the Jordan.”
³⁰ Caleb silenced the people on Moses’ behalf and responded, “Let’s go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it.”
³¹ “We can’t attack those people,” the men who were with him said, “because they’re too strong compared to us.”
³² So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: “The land that we’ve explored is one that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants. ³³ We also saw the Nephilim, the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we’re like grasshoppers, and that’s their opinion of us!”

²¹ So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. ²² They went through the Negev and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built). ²³ Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men, along with some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.
²⁵ The Explorers ReturnAt the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land, ²⁶ came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ “We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit,

¹ Rahab Receives Two ScoutsAfter this, Nun’s son Joshua sent two men from the Acacia groves as undercover scouts. He told them, “Go and look over the land. Pay special attention to Jericho.” So they went out, came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and lodged there.
² Then the king of Jericho was told, “Look! Israeli men arrived tonight to scout out the land.”

¹ The People RebelAt this, the entire assembly complained, started to shout, and cried through the rest of that night. ² All the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron. Then the entire assembly responded, “We wish that we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness. ³ What’s the point in the LORD bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”
⁴ Then they told each other, “Let’s assign a leader and go back to Egypt.”

²⁴ They rejected the desirable land, and they didn’t trust his promise. ²⁵ They murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to the voice of the LORD.

¹⁰ Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; so he changed and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

³ The Israelis told them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt when we sat by the cooking pots, when we ate bread until we were filled—because you brought us to this desert to kill this entire congregation with hunger.”

⁸ Moses also said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning to satisfy you, the LORD will hear your complaints directed against him. Who are we? Your complaints aren’t against us, but rather against the LORD.”

³ What’s the point in the LORD bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

⁵ the people complained against the LORD and Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” they asked. “There’s no food and water, and we’re tired of this worthless bread.”

²⁸ Otherwise, the people of the land from which you brought us will say, “The LORD wasn’t able to bring them out of the land that he had promised them. So he brought them out to kill them in the desert because he hated them.”

²⁵ They murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to the voice of the LORD.

²⁴ “Then the one who had received one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you haven’t planted and gathering where you haven’t scattered any seed.

²¹ because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn’t deposit and harvest what you didn’t plant.’

¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified, the nobles of Moab trembled uncontrollably, and all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

¹ When the LORD Fulfills His Promise“Listen, Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and dispossess greater and mightier nations than you, who live in large cities that are fortified to the sky. ² The Anakim are strong and tall, and you know them. You’ve heard it said, ‘Who can stand up against the Anakim?’

⁸ “Let the officials also speak to the army, ‘Is there a man here who is afraid and faint-hearted? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may demoralize his fellow soldier.’

⁹ “I’m really convinced that the LORD has given you the land,” she said, “because we’re overwhelmed with fear of you. All the other inhabitants of the land are demoralized at your presence,

¹¹ When we heard these reports, we all became terrified and discouraged because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.

²⁴ They reported to Joshua, “The LORD really has given the entire land into our control. The inhabitants of the land have melted away right in front of us!”

²² None of the Anakim remained in the land belonging to the Israelis—they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

⁸ As it happened, my fellow Israelis who went up with me terrified the people, but I fully followed the LORD my God.

¹⁴ From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai—the Anakim.

¹⁰ They attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba) and fought Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

²⁰ Hebron Awarded to Caleb
They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there.

¹⁶ and Ishbi-benob, who had been fathered by giants, said he intended to kill David. (His bronze spearhead weighed 300 shekels, and he carried state-of-the-art weaponry.) ¹⁷ But Zeruiah’s son Abishai came to David’s aid, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. After this, David’s army told him, “You’re not going out anymore with us to battle, so Israel’s beacon won’t be extinguished!” ¹⁸ Sometime later after this incident, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who had been fathered by giants. ¹⁹ In yet another battle at Gob, Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite’s son Elhanan killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear resembled that of a weaver’s beam. ²⁰ Later on, there was another battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in number—who had also been fathered by giants. ²¹ When he defied Israel, David’s brother Shimeah’s son Jonathan killed him. ²² These four giants, who had been fathered by a giant in Gath, were killed at the hands of David and his servants.

⁷ Because of this, every hand will go limp, and every man’s courage will melt.

⁷ When they’ll ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that just arrived. Every heart will melt with fear, every hand will grow limp, every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will glisten with sweat.’ Look! It has come and it will be fulfilled,” declares the Lord GOD.

¹ God Appoints Aaron to Assist MosesThe LORD told Moses, “Listen! I’ve positioned you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. ² You are to speak everything that I’ve commanded you, and then your brother Aaron will speak to Pharaoh, telling him to let the Israelis go out of his land. ³ I’ll harden Pharaoh’s heart and I’ll add more and more of my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When Pharaoh won’t listen to you, I’ll let loose my power upon Egypt. I’ll bring out my tribal divisions—my people the Israelis—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand over Egypt to bring the Israelis out from among them.” ⁶ Moses and Aaron did what the LORD commanded them. ⁷ Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.
⁸ Moses’ Staff Becomes a SnakeThen the LORD told Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.”
¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did what the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and sorcerers, and they—along with the Egyptian magicians—did the same thing with their secret arts. ¹² So each one threw down his staff and it became a serpent, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said would happen.
¹⁴ Water is Turned into BloodThen the LORD told Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard. He has refused to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he’s going down to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile River and meet him. Be sure to take with you the staff that was turned into a snake. ¹⁶ Then say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go so they may serve me in the desert, but until now you haven’t obeyed.”’
¹⁷ “‘This is what the LORD says: “This is how you’ll know that I am the LORD: Right now I’m going to strike the water of the Nile River with the staff that’s in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. ¹⁸ The fish in the Nile River will die and the river will stink. The Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile River.”’”
¹⁹ The LORD also told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their Nile River, over their ponds, and over their reservoirs, and they’ll become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in their wood and stone containers.’”
²⁰ Moses and Aaron did just what the LORD had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the water in the Nile River in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and all the water in the Nile River turned to blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile River died and the river stank. The Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile River, and blood was throughout the land of Egypt. ²² But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. ²³ Then Pharaoh turned away, went to his palace, and paid no attention to any of this. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug around the Nile River for water to drink because they could not drink from the water in the Nile River.
²⁵ The Plague of FrogsSeven days after the LORD had struck the Nile River,

¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you while you keep still.”

²⁵ He made the wheels of their chariots wobble so that they drove them with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from Israel because the LORD is fighting for them and against us.”

¹ The Song of MosesThen Moses and the Israelis sang this song to the LORD: “I’ll sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea. ² The LORD is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God and I’ll praise him, the God of my father and I’ll exalt him. ³ The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is his name! ⁴ “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea; his best officers sank in the Reed Sea. ⁵ The deep covered them, they went down into the depths like a rock. ⁶ Your right hand, LORD, was majestic in strength, your right hand, LORD, shattered the enemy. ⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you broke down your enemies. You sent forth your anger, it consumed them like stubble. ⁸ By the breath of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like a hill, the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹ “The enemy said, ‘I’ll pursue them, I’ll overtake them, I’ll divide the spoil. I’ll satisfy my anger on them, I’ll draw my sword, and my hand will bring them to ruin.’ ¹⁰ “You blew with your breath, and the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty water. ¹¹ “Who is like you among the gods, LORD? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, and working wonders? ¹² You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. ¹³ “You have led with your gracious love this people whom you redeemed. You have guided them with your strength to your holy dwelling. ¹⁴ “The people heard and they quaked, anguish has seized the inhabitants of Philistia. ¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified, the nobles of Moab trembled uncontrollably, and all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away. ¹⁶ Dread and fear have fallen on them, because of the strength of your arm. They have become silent as a stone, until your people pass by, LORD, until this people you acquired pass by. ¹⁷ “You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance. You have made a place where you will reside, LORD. Your own hands have established a sanctuary, LORD. ¹⁸ The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
¹⁹ When the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD caused the waters of the sea to come back over them, but the Israelis walked through the middle of the sea on dry land.
²⁰ The Song of MiriamThen Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and went out with all the women behind her with tambourines and dancing. ²¹ Miriam sang to them, “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted! The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.”
²² God Provides Water for the PeopleThen Moses led Israel from the Reed Sea and they went to the desert of Shur. They traveled into the desert for three days and did not find water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter. (That is why it’s called Marah.) ²⁴ Then the people complained against Moses: “What are we to drink?” ²⁵ Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree, which he threw into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the LORD presented to them a statute and an ordinance, and there he tested them. ²⁶ He said, “If you will carefully obey the LORD your God, do what he sees to be right, listen to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then I won’t inflict on you all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians, because I am the LORD your healer.” ²⁷ Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and 70 palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

²² You are not to fear them, because the LORD your God will fight for you.’”

¹ Rules of War“When you go to war against your enemies and observe more horses, chariots, and soldiers than you have, don’t be afraid of them, for the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt is with you. ² As you draw near for battle, let the priest approach and speak to the army. ³ He will say to them, ‘Listen, Israel! You’re about to go into battle today against your enemies. Don’t be faint-hearted. Don’t be afraid, don’t panic, and don’t be terrified to face them. ⁴ For the LORD your God will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory.’

⁴² Joshua conquered all of these kings and their territories in one campaign, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

⁴⁵ Then David told the Philistine, “You come at me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I’ll strike you down and remove your head from you. And this very day I’ll give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel,

¹¹ Asa cried out to the LORD his God, telling him, “LORD, there is no one except for you to help between the powerful and the weak. So help us, LORD God, because we’re depending on you and have come against this vast group in your name. LORD, you are our God. Let no mere mortal man defeat you!”
¹² So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians right in front of Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians ran away.

⁸ He only has the strength of his own flesh, but the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were encouraged from what King Hezekiah of Judah told them.

²⁰ so wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, come over to us, and our God will fight for us!”

¹¹ They have forgotten what he has done, his awesome deeds that they witnessed. ¹² He performed marvelous things in the presence of their ancestors in the land of Egypt— in the fields of Zoan. ¹³ He divided the sea so that they were able to cross; he caused the water to stand in a single location.

⁴³ when he set his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the plain of Zoan. ⁴⁴ He turned their rivers into blood and made their streams undrinkable. ⁴⁵ He sent swarms of insects to bite them and frogs to destroy them. ⁴⁶ He gave their crops to caterpillars and what they worked for to locusts. ⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost. ⁴⁸ He delivered their beasts to hail and their livestock to lightning bolts. ⁴⁹ He inflicted his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, sending destroying angels among them. ⁵⁰ He blazed a path for his anger; he did not stop short from killing them, but handed them over to pestilence. ⁵¹ He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their manhood in the tents of Ham.

²⁷ They performed his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham. ²⁸ He sent darkness, and it became dark. Did they not rebel against his words? ²⁹ He turned their water into blood, so that the fish died. ³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs even to the chambers of their kings. ³¹ He spoke, and a swarm of insects invaded their land. ³² He sent hail instead of rain, and lightning throughout their land. ³³ It destroyed their vines and their figs, breaking trees throughout their country. ³⁴ Then he commanded the locust to come— grasshoppers without number. ³⁵ They consumed every green plant in their land, and devoured the fruit of their soil. ³⁶ He struck down every firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their progeny.

⁹ “Band together, you peoples, but be shattered! Listen, all you distant countries! Strap on your armor, but be shattered. ¹⁰ Take counsel together, but it will all be for nothing; go ahead and talk, but it will all be for nothing, for God is with us.”

³¹ Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s LoveWhat, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³⁷ In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us.

¹ Manna and Quail ProvidedLater, they left Elim, and the whole congregation of the Israelis came to the desert of Sin, which lay between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. ² The whole congregation of the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. ³ The Israelis told them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt when we sat by the cooking pots, when we ate bread until we were filled—because you brought us to this desert to kill this entire congregation with hunger.”
⁴ The LORD told Moses, “Listen very carefully! I’ll cause food to rain down for you from heaven, and the people are to go out and gather each day’s portion on that day. In this way I’ll test them to demonstrate whether or not they’ll live according to my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be double what they gather on other days.”
⁶ So Moses and Aaron addressed the entire congregation of the Israelis: “This evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints against him. After all, who are we that you complain against us?” ⁸ Moses also said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning to satisfy you, the LORD will hear your complaints directed against him. Who are we? Your complaints aren’t against us, but rather against the LORD.”
⁹ Then Moses instructed Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelis, ‘Come near into the LORD’s presence, because he has heard your complaints.’”
¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to all the congregation of the Israelis, they turned toward the desert, and there the glory of the LORD was seen in the cloud. ¹¹ The LORD told Moses, ¹² “I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelis. Tell them, ‘At twilight you are to eat meat and in the morning you are to be filled with bread, so you may know that I am the LORD your God.’”
¹³ Later that evening quail came up and covered the camp, and then in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the layer of dew evaporated, on the surface of the desert a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost, appeared on the ground. ¹⁵ When the Israelis saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?”, because they did not know what it was.
Moses told them, “It’s the food that the LORD has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘You are to gather from it what each person is to eat, about one omer per person according to the number of your people, and one person is to gather for everyone in his tent.’”
¹⁷ The Israelis did this, some gathering much, some little.

⁴ ‘You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

¹¹ so he asked the LORD, “Why did you bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes? After all, you’re putting the burden of this entire people on me! ¹² Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers?

¹⁴ I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me!

¹⁰ The LORD’s Work on Behalf of IsraelThe LORD found him in a desert land, in a barren, eerie wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye. ¹¹ Like an eagle stirs its nest, hovering near its young, spreading out his wings to take him and carry him on his pinions, ¹² the LORD alone guided him. There was no foreign god with him.

¹² You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud, and by a pillar of fire at night to provide light for them on the path they took. ¹³ “You also came down to Mount Sinai, spoke with them from heaven, and gave them impartial regulations, true laws, statutes, and good commands. ¹⁴ You revealed to them your holy Sabbath, and you mandated precepts, statutes, and laws through Moses your servant. ¹⁵ You gave them food from heaven for their hunger and water from the rock for their thirst. You directed them to enter and possess the land that you had promised to give them. ¹⁶ “But they—our ancestors—became arrogant and stubborn, refusing to listen to your commands. ¹⁷ They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them. ¹⁸ Moreover, after they had cast a golden calf for themselves, they said, “This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!” and committed terrible blasphemies. ¹⁹ You, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not leave them in daylight, in order to provide light for them on the path they took. Nor did the pillar of fire abandon them at night, in order to provide light for them and lead them on the path they took. ²⁰ “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them, not withholding manna from them, and providing water to quench their thirst. ²¹ You sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years. They lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. ²² You gave them kingdoms and nations, apportioning them as frontier boundaries. They took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan. ²³ “You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven and brought them to the land about which you told their ancestors to enter and possess.

¹⁴ He led them with a cloud during the day, and during the night with light from the fire. ¹⁵ He caused the rocks to split in the wilderness, and gave them water as from an abundant sea. ¹⁶ He brought streams from rock, causing water to flow like a river. ¹⁷ But time and again, they sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. ¹⁸ To test God was in their minds, when they demanded food to satisfy their cravings. ¹⁹ They spoke against God by asking, “Is God able to prepare a feast in the desert? ²⁰ It’s true that Moses struck the rock so that water flowed forth and torrents of water gushed out, but is he also able to give bread or to supply meat for his people?” ²¹ Therefore, when the LORD heard this, he was angry, and fire broke out against Jacob. Moreover, his anger flared against Israel, ²² because they didn’t believe in God and didn’t trust in his deliverance. ²³ Yet he commanded the skies above and the doors of the heavens to open, ²⁴ so that manna rained down on them for food and he sent them the grain of heaven. ²⁵ Mortal men ate the food of angels; he sent provision to them in abundance. ²⁶ He stirred up the east wind in the heavens and drove the south wind by his might. ²⁷ He caused meat to rain on them like dust and winged birds as the sand of the sea. ²⁸ He caused these to fall in the middle of the camp and all around their tents.

³⁹ He spread out a cloud for a cover, and fire for light at night. ⁴⁰ Israel asked, and quail came; food from heaven satisfied them. ⁴¹ He opened a rock, and water gushed out flowing like a river in the desert.

¹¹ Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.”

³ “Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all you remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld from before your birth, and who have been carried from the womb. ⁴ Even until your old age, I am the one, and I’ll carry you even until your gray hairs come. It is I who have created, and I who will carry, and it is I who will bear and save.

⁹ In all their distress he wasn’t distressed, but the angel of his presence saved them; in his acts of love and in his acts of pity he redeemed them; he carried them and lifted them up all the days of old.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, supporting them by their arms, but they never knew that I was healing them. ⁴ I guided them with human kindness, with loving reins. I acted toward them like one who removes a yoke from their neck; I bent down and fed them.

¹⁸ After he had put up with them for 40 years in the wilderness,

²⁰ Jehoshaphat’s Instructions the Next MorningThe army got up early the next morning and headed out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat stood up and addressed them. “Listen to me, you inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Have faith in the LORD your God and you’ll be established! Have faith in his prophets and you’ll succeed!”

²² because they didn’t believe in God and didn’t trust in his deliverance.

²⁴ They rejected the desirable land, and they didn’t trust his promise.

⁹ Furthermore, Ephraim’s head is Samaria, and Remaliah’s son is its king. If all of you don’t keep on believing,
you’ll never remain loyal.’”

¹² See to it, my brothers, that no evil, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the living God.

¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would never enter his rest? It was to those who disobeyed him, was it not? ¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of their unbelief.

⁵ Now I want to remind you, even though you are fully aware of these things, that the Lord who once saved his people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe.

²¹ The LORD went in front of them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel both day and night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who was going in front of the camp of Israel, moved behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud remained there even in the darkness, illuminating the night, so that the one side did not come near the other all night.

²⁴ In the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp through the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into confusion.

³⁴ The Glory of the LORD Fills the Completed TentThe cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tent. ³⁵ Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tent. ³⁶ Whenever the cloud was lifted up from the tent, the Israelis would set out on their journey, ³⁷ but if the cloud was not lifted up, they would not set out until it was lifted up, ³⁸ since the cloud of the LORD was over the tent by day, and the fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel in all their journeys.

¹⁵ The Fire Cloud over the TentOn the same morning that the tent was set up, a cloud covered the tent, that is, the Tent of Testimony, and in the evening fire appeared over the tent until morning. ¹⁶ It was so continuously—there was a cloud covering by day, and a fire cloud appeared at night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud above the tent ascended, the Israelis would travel and encamp in the place where the cloud settled. ¹⁸ According to whatever the LORD said, the Israelis would travel. According to whatever the LORD said, they would camp as long as the cloud remained over the Tent of Meeting.
¹⁹ When the cloud over the tent remained for a longer time, the Israelis did what the LORD had instructed and didn’t travel. ²⁰ There were times when the cloud remained over the tent for a number of days. They camped in accordance with the LORD’s instructions and they traveled in accordance with LORD’S instructions. ²¹ There were times when the cloud remained from evening until morning, but when the cloud ascended in the morning, they would journey. Whether by day or by night, they would travel whenever the cloud ascended. ²² Whether for two days, a month, or for longer periods, whenever the cloud would remain above the tent, the Israelis would remain in camp, not traveling. But whenever it ascended, then they would travel.

¹¹ Order of Travel in the WildernessOn the twentieth day of the second month in the second year, the cloud was lifted up from the Tent of Meeting, ¹² so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness,

³³ So they traveled from the mountain of the LORD, a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD traveling in front of them—a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest.

¹⁴ they’ll also proclaim to the inhabitants of this land that they’ve heard you’re among this people, LORD, whom they’ve seen face to face, since your cloud stands guard over them. You’ve guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night.

¹² You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud, and by a pillar of fire at night to provide light for them on the path they took.

²⁰ You have led your people like a flock by the hands of Moses and Aaron.

¹⁴ He led them with a cloud during the day, and during the night with light from the fire.

³⁹ He spread out a cloud for a cover, and fire for light at night.

⁵ Then the LORD will create over the entire site of Mount Zion—including over those who assemble there—a cloud by day ⁶ and also to serve as a refuge and shelter from storms and rain.”

⁶ That day I promised to bring them out of the land of Egypt to the land that I had explored for them—a land flowing with milk and honey. It’s the most beautiful of all lands.

⁵ I myself will be an encircling rampart of fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be the glory in her midst.’

²² none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—even though they’ve tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice— ²³ will ever see the land that I promised to their ancestors. Those who spurned me won’t see it. ²⁴ Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I’m going to bring him into the land that he explored, and his descendants are to inherit it. ²⁵ Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite live in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and then travel to the wilderness in the direction of the Reed Sea.”
²⁶ Then the LORD told Moses and Aaron, ²⁷ “How long will this wicked assembly keep complaining about me? I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelis that they’ve been murmuring against me. ²⁸ So tell them that as long as I live—consider this to be an oracle from the LORD—as certainly as you’ve spoken right into my ears, that’s how I’m going to treat you. ²⁹ Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—every single one of you who has been counted among you, according to your number from 20 years and above, who complained against me. ³⁰ You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua.

⁸ That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. ⁹ When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them. ¹⁰ That’s why the LORD’s anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that ¹¹ ‘Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly, ¹² except Jephunneh’s son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun’s son Joshua. They’ve wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’
¹³ “The LORD’s anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the LORD, had died.

¹⁴ Now from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi Zered was 38 years. All of that generation, the soldiers in the camp, were destroyed just as the LORD swore they would be. ¹⁵ Indeed, the hand of the LORD was against them to root them out from the camp until they were utterly destroyed.”

¹¹ So in my anger I declared an oath: “They are not to enter my place of rest.”

¹⁵ “Moreover, I solemnly swore to them in the wilderness that I wouldn’t bring them to the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands—

⁸ do not harden your hearts as they did when they provoked me during the time of testing in the wilderness. ⁹ There your ancestors tested me, even though they had seen my actions ¹⁰ for 40 years. That is why I was indignant with that generation and said, ‘They are always going astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.’ ¹¹ So in my anger I swore a solemn oath that they would never enter my rest.”

⁶ From Judah’s tribe, Jephunneh’s son Caleb;

²⁴ Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I’m going to bring him into the land that he explored, and his descendants are to inherit it.

⁶⁵ because the LORD had said about them, “They’ll certainly die in the wilderness. No man will survive from them except Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua.”

¹² except Jephunneh’s son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun’s son Joshua. They’ve wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’

¹⁹ These are the names of the men: Appoint Jephunneh’s son Caleb from the tribe of Judah,

⁶ Caleb’s Request
After this, the descendants of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal. Jephunneh the Kenizzite’s son Caleb told him, “You know the promise that the LORD gave Moses the man of God concerning the two of us in Kadesh-barnea. ⁷ I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land. I brought back an honest report to him. ⁸ As it happened, my fellow Israelis who went up with me terrified the people, but I fully followed the LORD my God. ⁹ Moses made a promise to me on that day when he said, ‘The land that you covered on foot will certainly be your inheritance. It will belong to your descendants forever, because you have fully followed the LORD my God.’
¹⁰ “Look how the LORD has let me survive, as you can see, these 45 years since the time when the LORD said this through Moses, while Israel was wandering through the wilderness. And look! I’m here today—my eighty-fifth birthday! ¹¹ I’m still as strong today as I was the day Moses commissioned me. I’m as strong today as I was then, and I can go out to battle and come back successful. ¹² Now then, give me that hill country about which the LORD spoke back on that day, because you yourself heard back then that the Anakim were there, with great reinforced cities. Perhaps the LORD will be with me and I will expel them, just as the LORD said.”
¹³ So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Jephunneh’s son Caleb for his inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Jephunneh the Kenizzite’s son Caleb, and it remains so today, because he fully followed the LORD God of Israel.

¹² Caleb announced, “I’ll give my daughter Achsah in marriage to whomever leads the attack against Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” ¹³ Othniel, Caleb’s nephew through his younger brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb awarded him his daughter Achsah in marriage.
¹⁴ Later on, after she had arrived, she urged Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want for yourself?”
¹⁵ “I want this blessing from you,” she replied. “Since you’ve given me land in the Negev, give me water springs, too.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

¹² The LORD Disciplines MosesBut the LORD rebuked Moses and Aaron, telling Moses: “Because you both didn’t believe me, because you didn’t consecrate me as holy in the presence of the Israelis, you won’t be the ones to bring this congregation into the land that I’m about to give them.”

¹³ After you’ve seen it, you’ll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them, ¹⁴ because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

²³ Moses Pleads with God“I pleaded with the LORD at that time, ²⁴ ‘LORD God, you’ve begun to show your greatness and your strong power to your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can equal your works and mighty deeds? ²⁵ Let me cross over that I may see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—the good hill country—as well as Lebanon.’
²⁶ “However, the LORD was furious with me because of you. He did not listen to me. Instead, the LORD said, ‘You are not to speak to me about this matter again!

²¹ “But the LORD was angry with me because of you. So he swore that I’ll never cross the Jordan River to enter the good land that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance.

⁴ Then the LORD told him: “This is the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by an oath when I said, ‘I’ll give it to your descendants.’ I’ll let you see it with your eyes, but you won’t cross over there.”

³² They provoked wrath at the waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered on account of them. ³³ For they rebelled against him, so that he spoke thoughtlessly with his lips.

⁹ Moses told Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out to fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I’ll stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ Whenever Moses raised his hand, the Israelis prevailed, but when his hand remained at his side, then the Amalekites prevailed. ¹² When Moses’ hands became heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, and so his hands were steady until the sun went down. ¹³ Joshua defeated Amalek and his army using swords.
¹⁴ Then the LORD told Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua: ‘I’ll certainly wipe out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.’”

¹³ So Moses got up, along with Joshua his servant, and went up on the mountain of God.

¹¹ The LORD would speak to Moses face to face just as a man speaks with his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, Nun’s son Joshua, his young servant, would not leave the tent.

⁸ From Ephraim’s tribe, Nun’s son Hoshea;

¹⁶ These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.
Moses Issues Orders to the ExplorersMoses renamed Nun’s son Hoshea to Joshua.

³⁰ You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua.

³⁸ However, Nun’s son Joshua and Jephunneh’s son Caleb, who had explored the land, remained alive.

¹⁸ God Appoints Joshua“Select Nun’s son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man,” the LORD answered Moses. “You are to lay your hand on him ¹⁹ and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes, ²⁰ turning over your authority to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to obey him. ²¹ You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim in the presence of the LORD regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in.”
²² So Moses did what the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, ²³ laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the LORD had commanded, using Moses’ authority.

²⁸ Therefore charge Joshua to be doubly strong, because he will lead this people and cause them to inherit the land that you’ll see.’

⁷ Then Moses called on Joshua and told him in the presence of everyone in Israel, “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll bring this people to the land that the LORD your God had promised to give your ancestors. You will be the one who causes them to possess it. ⁸ Indeed, the LORD is the one who will keep on walking in front of you. He’ll be with you and won’t leave you or abandon you, so never be afraid and never be dismayed.”

²³ Then the LORD charged Nun’s son Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll bring the Israelis to the land that I promised to them by an oath. I’ll be with you.”

¹ God’s Instructions to JoshuaAfter Moses, the servant of the LORD, had died, the LORD spoke to Nun’s son Joshua, announcing to him,

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll be leading this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous to ensure that you obey all the instructions that my servant Moses gave you—turn neither to the right nor to the left from it—so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸ This set of instructions is not to cease being a part of your conversations. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to carry out everything that’s written in it, for then you’ll prosper and succeed. ⁹ I’ve commanded you, haven’t I? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be fearful or discouraged, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

²² Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to tell him, “Allow David to serve me, because I’m pleased with him.”

²⁹ Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will work for kings, not unimportant people.

³¹ However, I’ll bring your little ones—the ones whom you claimed would become war victims—into the land so that they’ll know by experience the land that you’ve rejected.

¹⁵ He’ll eat cheese and honey, when he knows enough to reject what’s wrong and choose what’s right. ¹⁶ However, before the youth knows enough to reject what’s wrong and choose what’s right, the land whose two kings you dread will be devastated.”

¹¹ So why shouldn’t I be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 human beings who do not know their right hand from their left, as well as a lot of livestock?

¹¹ Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s plan of election might continue to operate

³ Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for wrath, just like everyone else.

²⁵ Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite live in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and then travel to the wilderness in the direction of the Reed Sea.”

³⁹ Rebellion against God’s PunishmentAfter Moses had told all of this to the Israelis, the people deeply mourned. ⁴⁰ So they got up early the next morning and traveled to the top of the mountain, telling themselves, “Look, we’re here and we’re going to go up to the place that the LORD had spoken about, even though we’ve sinned.”
⁴¹ But Moses asked them, “Why do you continue to sin against what the LORD said? Don’t you know that you can never succeed? ⁴² Don’t go up, since you know that the LORD is no longer with you. You’ll be attacked right in front of your own enemies. ⁴³ The Amalekites and Canaanites are there waiting for you. You’ll die violently, since you’ve turned your back and have stopped following the LORD. The LORD won’t be with you.”
⁴⁴ But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain, even though the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and Moses didn’t leave the camp. ⁴⁵ The Amalekites came down, accompanied by some Canaanites who lived in the mountains. They attacked and defeated them even while the Israelis were retreating to Hormah.

³⁴ If she hadn’t turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!”
At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the LORD, “I’ve sinned! I didn’t know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back.”

³ A man’s foolishness ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

¹⁷ I’ll set my face against you so that you’ll be defeated before your enemies. Those who hate you will have dominion over you and you’ll keep fleeing even when no one is pursuing you.

⁴¹ But Moses asked them, “Why do you continue to sin against what the LORD said? Don’t you know that you can never succeed? ⁴² Don’t go up, since you know that the LORD is no longer with you. You’ll be attacked right in front of your own enemies. ⁴³ The Amalekites and Canaanites are there waiting for you. You’ll die violently, since you’ve turned your back and have stopped following the LORD. The LORD won’t be with you.”

⁸ Lord, what am I to say, now that Israel has run away from its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, will surround us, and eliminate us from the earth! Then what will you do about your great reputation?”
¹⁰ The LORD Rebukes Joshua“Get up!” the LORD replied to Joshua. “Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned. They broke my covenant that I commanded them by taking some of the things that had been turned over to destruction. They have stolen, have been deceitful, and have stored what they stole among their own belongings. ¹² The Israelis have been unable to stand before their enemies. They’re turning their backs and running from their enemies because they themselves have been turned over to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy these things that have been turned over to destruction. ¹³ So get up and sanctify the people. Tell them, ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, because this is what the LORD God of Israel, says: “There are things turned over to destruction among you, Israel. You won’t be able to defeat your enemies until you remove what has been turned over to destruction.

² The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.

¹⁰ The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated; each of them fled to his own tent. It was a very great slaughter, and 30,000 soldiers of Israel died.

¹⁷ A thousand will flee at the threat of one; and run away, pursued by five, until you are left like a flagpole on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”

¹ Sins that Separate from God “See, the LORD’s hand is not too short to save, nor are his ears too dull to hear. ² Instead, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have concealed his face from you so that he won’t listen.

¹² Even if they rear their children, I will, in turn, make them childless— in fact, woe to them when I turn away from them!

⁴⁴ But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain, even though the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and Moses didn’t leave the camp.

⁷ That is why the mind that focuses on human nature is hostile toward God. It refuses to submit to the authority of God’s Law because it is powerless to do so. ⁸ Indeed, those who are under the control of human nature cannot please God.

⁴⁵ The Amalekites came down, accompanied by some Canaanites who lived in the mountains. They attacked and defeated them even while the Israelis were retreating to Hormah.

³ When the LORD heard what Israel had decided to do, he delivered the Canaanites to them, and Israel exterminated them and their cities. They named the place Hormah.

²⁵ From Defeat to Exile“The LORD will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You’ll go out against them in one direction, but you’ll flee from them in seven directions. Consequently, you’ll be in a state of great terror throughout all the kingdoms of the earth.

³⁰ How can one person chase a thousand of them and two put a myriad to flight, unless their Rock delivers them and the LORD gives them up?

¹² They surrounded me like bees; but they will be extinguished like burning thorns. In the name of the LORD I will defeat them.

¹⁸ “At that time, the LORD will call for flies that will come from far away—from the headwaters of Egypt’s rivers—and for bees that are in the land of Assyria.

³⁴ When he struck them, they sought him; they repented, and eagerly sought God.

¹⁷ For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he could not find any opportunity to repent, even though he begged to repent with tears.

³⁴ Just as you explored the land for 40 days, you’ll bear the consequences of your iniquities for 40 years—one year for each day—as you experience my hostility.

²² The Death of AaronThey traveled from Kadesh, and then the entire community of the Israelis arrived at Mount Hor.

¹⁶ Here’s what happened: When Israel came up from Egypt, passed through the desert to the Red Sea, and arrived at Kadesh, ¹⁷ Israel sent a delegation to the king of Edom and asked him, “Please let us pass through your territory.”‘But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen. So they also sent word to the king of Moab, but he wouldn’t consent, either. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.