Numbers 13 Cross References - ISV

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. 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!”

²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

⁴ One man from each tribe is to accompany you, each man being the leader of his ancestral house.

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.

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

¹⁸ You are to appoint a leader from each tribe to divide the land for inheritance.

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.

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.’”

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.”
³ So the king of Jericho sent for Rahab and ordered her, “Bring out the men who came to visit you and lodged in your house, because they’ve come to scout out the entire land.”
⁴ Now the woman had taken the two men and hid them. So she replied, “The men really did come to me, but I didn’t know from where they came. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gates, the men left. I don’t know where the men went. Go after them quickly, and you might overtake them.”
⁶ But she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them among stalks of flax that she had laid out in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them along the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as the search party had left, they shut the city gate after them.
⁸ Rahab Seeks ProtectionBefore the scouts had lain down, she went up to them on the roof 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, ¹⁰ because we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Reed Sea right in front of you as you were coming out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan River—to Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed. 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. ¹² Now therefore, since I’ve treated you so kindly, please swear in the name of the LORD that you’ll also be kind to my father’s household by giving me this sure sign: ¹³ Spare my father, my mother, and my brothers and sisters, along with everyone who belongs with them so we won’t be killed.”
¹⁴ A Promise of ProtectionSo the men told her, “Our life for yours—even to death—if you don’t betray this mission of ours. Then when the LORD gives us this land, we’ll treat you graciously and faithfully.”
¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope through the window, since her house was built into the town wall where she lived. ¹⁶ She told them, “Go out to the hill country, so the search party won’t find you, and hide for three days. After that, you may go on your own way.”
¹⁷ The men replied, “We’ll be free from our commitment to you to which you’ve obligated us ¹⁸ when we invade the land, if you don’t tie this rope made with red cords in the window through which you let us down, and if you don’t gather your father, your mother, your brothers, and all of the rest of your father’s household into your house. ¹⁹ Everyone who leaves through the doors of your house into the street will be responsible for his own death, but we’ll be responsible for anyone who remains with you in the house if even so much as a hand is laid on him. ²⁰ But if you report this incident, we’ll be free from the oath to which you’ve made us swear.”
²¹ “Since you put it that way,” she replied, “I agree.” After she sent them on their way and they had left, she tied the red cord in the window.
²² The Scouts Report to JoshuaThe scouts left for the hill country and remained there for three days until the search party returned. The search party searched the entire road, but was unable to find them. ²³ Later, the two men returned from the hill country, crossed over the Jordan River, approached Nun’s son Joshua, and told him everything that had happened to them. 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!”

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

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.

²³ Because this suggestion seemed good to me, I chose twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

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.

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

⁶ Nun’s son Joshua and Jephunneh’s son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes

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.

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.

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.”

¹⁵ Moses responded to the LORD, ¹⁶ “May the LORD God of the spirits of all living creatures appoint a man over the community ¹⁷ who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the LORD’S community won’t be like a flock without a shepherd.”
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.

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

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.”
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. ¹⁰ Then he gave these orders: “At the end of seven years, the year designated for release, during the Festival of Tents, ¹¹ when all of Israel comes to appear in the presence of the LORD your God at the place that he’ll choose, read this Law aloud to them. ¹² Gather the people—the men, women, children, and the foreigners that live in your cities—so they may hear and fear the LORD your God, and so they may be careful to obey the words contained in this Law. ¹³ Their children who don’t know will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan River to possess.”
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. ¹⁵ So the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud that stood above the entrance.
¹⁶ Then the LORD told Moses, “Look! You are about to join your ancestors. Afterwards, this people will rebel and commit prostitution with the foreign gods of the land that they are about to enter to possess. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I made with them. ¹⁷ When that happens, my anger will burn against them, because they will have abandoned me. I’ll hide my face from them, they will be consumed, and many evils and distresses will find them. When this happens, they will say, ‘These troubles have happened to us because God isn’t among us.’

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. ¹⁵ Hebron used to be known as Kiriath-arba, after the greatest man among the Anakim. After all of this, the land enjoyed rest from war.

¹³ Caleb’s Conquests
Now Joshua gave an allotment among the descendants of Judah to Jephunneh’s son Caleb, just as God told Joshua, Kiriath-arba, which was named after the ancestor of Anak (that is, Hebron). ¹⁴ From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai—the Anakim. ¹⁵ Then he went up from there to attack the inhabitants of Debir. (Debir was formerly known as Kiriath-sepher.)
¹⁶ Then Caleb announced, “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” ¹⁷ Othniel, the son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, captured it, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. ¹⁸ Sometime later, she came to Othniel and persuaded him to ask her father for a field.
As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”
¹⁹ She replied, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also some springs of water.” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.

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.

¹⁵ The descendants of Jephunneh’s son Caleb were Iru, Elah, and Naam.
Elah’s son was Kenaz.

¹⁰ And the entire congregation of people was praying outside at the time when the incense was burned.
¹¹ An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him. ¹³ But the angel told him, “Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy, and many people will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ because he will be great in the Lord’s presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

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.

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

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he told Moses, “The sound of war is coming from the camp.”

²⁸ In response, Nun’s son Joshua, Moses’ attendant and one of his choice men, exclaimed, “My master Moses! Stop them!”

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.

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,

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.”

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.

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.”

⁴⁴ Moses’ Final CounselSo Moses and Nun’s son Joshua came and recited all the words of this song while the people were assembled.

⁹ The Epitaph for MosesNow Nun’s son Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had placed his hands on him, so Israelis listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

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, ² “My servant Moses is dead. Now get ready to cross the Jordan River—you and all the people—to the land that I’m giving the Israelis. ³ I’m giving you every place where the sole of your foot falls, just as I promised Moses. 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. ⁵ No one will be victorious against you for the rest of your life. I’ll be with you just like I was with Moses—I’ll neither fail you nor abandon you.
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.”

¹⁶ The People Reaffirm Their Commitment“We’ll do everything that you commanded,” they replied. “We’ll go wherever you send us.

¹ Joshua’s Final ExhortationThen Joshua assembled together all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called for the leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers of Israel. They assembled in formation before God, ² and Joshua told all of the people, “This is what the LORD God of Israel has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah, father of both Abraham and Nahor, where they served other gods. ³ Then I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, and gave him his son Isaac. ⁴ I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir to Esau as his possession, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ⁵ ‘Later I commissioned Moses and Aaron, and I inflicted plagues on Egypt by what I did among them. Afterwards, I brought all of you out. ⁶ ‘Then I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the Sea, and the Egyptians followed your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Reed Sea. ⁷ But when they cried out to the LORD, he placed darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon the Egyptians, and swallowed them up. Your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. ⁸ ‘I brought you into the territory of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan River. They fought you, but I gave them into your control, and you took possession of their land. I destroyed them from your presence. ⁹ ‘Then Zippor’s son, King Balak of Moab, showed up and fought against Israel. He sent word to Balaam, summoning Beor’s son to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I wasn’t willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his control. ¹¹ ‘Next, you crossed the Jordan River and arrived at Jericho. But the citizens of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, so I gave them into your control. ¹² ‘Then I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out two kings of the Amorites before you without your using either sword or bow. ¹³ I gave you a land for which you never worked and cities that you didn’t build, but that you have lived in. You’re eating from vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant.’
¹⁴ “Now you must fear the LORD and serve him in faithfulness and truth. Throw away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Instead, serve the LORD. 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.”
¹⁶ The Response of the PeopleIn response, the people said, “Far be it from us that we should abandon the LORD to serve other gods, ¹⁷ since the LORD our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. ¹⁸ The LORD expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the LORD, since he is our God.”
¹⁹ So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you abandon the LORD and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all the good he has done for you.”
²¹ “No,” the people replied to Joshua. “We will serve the LORD.”
²² Joshua responded, “You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
They replied, “We are witnesses!”
²³ Joshua said, “Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
²⁴ The people replied, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey his voice.”
²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. ²⁶ He wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the LORD, ²⁷ and then told all of the people, “Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the LORD has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned to his territorial inheritance.
²⁹ The Death of Joshua
Some time later, Joshua servant of the LORD died at the age of 110 years, and ³⁰ they buried him in his territorial inheritance at Timnath-serah in the mountainous region of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ³¹ Israel served the LORD for the entire lifetimes of Joshua and of the officials who outlived Joshua, that is, the ones who had personally known everything that the LORD had done for Israel. ³² They also buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelis brought up from Egypt, in the parcel of ground at Shechem that Jacob had purchased from the descendants of Shechem’s father Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver. It became part of the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
³³ The Death of Eleazar the PriestLater, Aaron’s son Eleazar also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which belonged to his son Phinehas, and which had been given to him in the mountainous region of Ephraim.

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.”

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

¹ The Word of the LORD to HoseaA message from the LORD came to Beeri’s son Hosea during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Joash’s son Jeroboam, who was king of Israel.

²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he is the one who will save his people from their sins.”
²² Now all this happened to fulfill what was declared by the Lord through the prophet when he said, ²³ “See, a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,”
which means, “God with us.”

⁴⁵ Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David.

²⁵ As the Scripture says in Hosea, “Those who are not my people I will call my people, and the one who was not loved I will call my loved one.

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken later about another day.

⁹ Then Abram traveled on, continuing into the Negev.

¹ Abram and Lot Part WaysAbram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household—including Lot—to the Negev.

¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, so when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of their people fell into them, while the rest fled to the hill country.

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).

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.”

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.”

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.

³ proceeding south to the ascent of Akrabbim, then continuing to Zin, and from there up along the south of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron, and from there up to Addar and then to Karka,

⁹ Later, the army of Judah left Jerusalem to attack the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Negev, and the Shephelah.

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.

¹⁹ The LORD was with the army of Judah, and they captured the hill country, but did not expel the inhabitants of the valley because they were equipped with iron chariots.

⁸ so I have come down to deliver them from their domination by the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the territory of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

¹⁴ I’ll feed them in excellent pastures, and even the very heights of Israel’s mountains will serve as verdant pastures for them in which they’ll rest and feed—yes, even on the fertile mountains of Israel!

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.

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.”

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.’”

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Don’t fear or tremble before them, because the LORD your God will be the one who keeps on walking with you—he won’t leave you or abandon 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.”

³ So the king of Jericho sent for Rahab and ordered her, “Bring out the men who came to visit you and lodged in your house, because they’ve come to scout out the entire land.”

²² The Scouts Report to JoshuaThe scouts left for the hill country and remained there for three days until the search party returned. The search party searched the entire road, but was unable to find them. ²³ Later, the two men returned from the hill country, crossed over the Jordan River, approached Nun’s son Joshua, and told him everything that had happened to them.

¹¹ So now, my son, may the LORD be with you, so that you are successful in constructing the Temple of the LORD your God, just as he has spoken about you.

²⁵ They conquered fortified cities and fertile ground, possessing houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, with vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were satiated, and were well nourished, delighting themselves in your great goodness.

³⁵ But they in their kingdom— in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them and in the large and fertile land that you provided them— did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds.

¹ The Evil Behavior of the People Poor me! I feel like those who harvest summer fruit, or like those who pick grapes— there are no clusters to eat or any fresh fruit that I want.

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

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.

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.”

³⁶ They traveled from Ezion-geber, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin, which is also known as Kadesh.

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.

⁵¹ Both of you acted unfaithfully against me among the Israelis at Meribah-kadesh in the desert of Zin, when you failed to uphold my holiness among the Israelis.

⁵ including the territory of the Gebalites and all of Lebanon facing the east from Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath,

¹ Allotments to JudahJoshua said, “Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah, allocated according to their families, will extend to the border of Edom, southward to the wilderness of Zin until land’s end,

⁹ When King Tou of Hamath learned that David had conquered the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah,

² Cross over to Calneh and look around, then go on to that great city of Hamath, and from there go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory more extensive than yours?

¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and settled beside the oaks of Mamre that are by Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

² She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

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.

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 At that time Joshua came and annihilated the Anakim from the hill country, that is, from Hebron, Debir, and Anab, as well as from all the hill country of Judah and Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them along with their cities. ²² None of the Anakim remained in the land belonging to the Israelis—they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

¹³ Caleb’s Conquests
Now Joshua gave an allotment among the descendants of Judah to Jephunneh’s son Caleb, just as God told Joshua, Kiriath-arba, which was named after the ancestor of Anak (that is, Hebron). ¹⁴ From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai—the Anakim.

¹³ So they gave Hebron to the descendants of Aaron the priest to serve as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, Libnah with its pasture lands,

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

¹ David Becomes King over JudahSome time later, David inquired of the LORD to ask, “Am I to move to any one of the cities of Judah?”
The LORD told him, “Go.”
So David asked, “To which one?”
He replied, “To Hebron.”

¹¹ The period of David’s kingship in Hebron lasted seven years and six months.

¹² He performed marvelous things in the presence of their ancestors in the land of Egypt— in the fields of Zoan.

⁴³ when he set his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the plain of Zoan.

¹¹ A Rebuke to Egypt’s LeadersZoan’s princes are nothing but fools; the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I’m a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings”?

¹³ The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis deluded; the leaders of its tribes have led Egypt astray.

⁴ And it will turn out that his officials are at Zoan, and his envoys will reach Hanes.

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.

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.

⁴ Samson Meets DelilahAfter this incident, he loved a woman in Sorek Valley whose name was Delilah.

¹⁸ When Moses went up on the mountain, he went into the center of the cloud and was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

²⁸ While Moses was there with the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights, he did not eat or drink. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

³³ and your children will wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years. They’ll bear the consequences of your idolatries until your bodies are entirely consumed in the wilderness. 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.

¹⁶ Then we cried to the LORD and he heard our voice, sending us a messenger who brought us out of Egypt. Now look! We’ve arrived in Kadesh, a city at the extreme end of your territory.

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.

¹⁷ I have said that I will bring you out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

⁵ When the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your ancestors to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ritual in this month.

³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I won’t go up among you, because you are an obstinate people, and otherwise I might consume you along the way.”

²⁴ But I’ve promised you that you’ll inherit the land that I’m about to give you as your permanent possession—a land flowing with milk and honey.
“I am your God. I’ve separated you from the people.

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.

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.”

³ Listen, Israel! Be careful to obey, so that life may go well for you and that you may increase greatly. Just as the LORD God of your ancestors told you, you’ll have a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁹ and so you’ll live long in the land that the LORD your God promised by an oath to give your ancestors and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁹ And then we arrived at this place, and he gave this land to us, flowing with milk and honey.

¹¹ Rejoice with the descendants of Levi and the foreigner among you at all the good things that the LORD your God has given you and your family.”
¹² Levitical Tithes“When you have finished your harvest, reserve the tithe in the third year (the year of the tithe), and give the entire tithe to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows, so they may eat and be satisfied in your cities. ¹³ Then declare in the presence of the LORD your God: ‘I’ve removed the holy offering from my house and given it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows just as you have commanded me. I haven’t violated or forgotten your commands. ¹⁴ I haven’t eaten any part of it while mourning, nor removed any part of it while unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I’ve obeyed the voice of the LORD my God and did all that he commanded me. ¹⁵ Look down from your holy habitation in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land that you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.’”

³ Then inscribe on them all the words of this law when you’ve crossed over into the land that the LORD your God is about to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—just as the LORD God of your ancestors promised you.

²⁰ because after I’ve brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised to their ancestors by an oath, they’ll eat, grow fat, and then they’ll turn to other gods and serve them, while despising me and breaking my covenant.

⁶ The Israelis traveled 40 years in the wilderness until the entire nation—that is, the warriors who had departed from Egypt—had perished because they hadn’t listened to the voice of the LORD. The LORD had promised them that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

⁵ As a result, I’ll fulfill the oath that I made with your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as is the case today.”’”
Then I answered, “So be it, LORD.”

²² And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey.

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.

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—

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.

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.’

¹⁰ (The Emites, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, lived there before. ¹¹ Like the Anakim, they were thought of as Rephaim, but the Moabites called them Emites.

²¹ a great people, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed the Rephaim, so that the Ammonites dispossessed them and settled there instead.

⁵ All of these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars. Furthermore, there were very many unwalled regions.

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?’

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

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

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.

⁷ Next they turned back and came to En-mishpat (which was also known as Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, along with the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.

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.”

⁸ The Amalekites Fight the IsraelisAfter this, the Amalekites came and fought with the Israelis at Rephidim. 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.’” ¹⁵ Moses built an altar and named it “The LORD is My Banner.” ¹⁶ “Because,” he said, “a fist has been raised in defiance against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will wage war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

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.”

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.”

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.

²⁰ Next, Balaam looked directly at Amalek and then uttered this prophetic statement: “Even though Amalek is an international leader, his future is permanent destruction.”

³ Whenever the Israelis sowed their crops, the Midianites, the Amalekites, and certain groups from the east would come up and invade them.

⁴⁸ He acted valiantly, defeated Amalek, and delivered Israel from those who had been plundering them.

³ Now, go and attack Amalek. Completely destroy all that they have. Don’t spare them, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, both ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
⁴ Saul summoned the people and mustered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah. ⁵ Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. ⁶ Saul told the Kenites, “Withdraw from the Amalekites so that I don’t destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the Israelis when they departed from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites. ⁷ Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸ He captured alive Agag king of Amalek, but he completely destroyed all the people, executing them with swords. ⁹ Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle—the fattened animals and lambs—along with all that was good. They were not willing to completely destroy them, but they did completely destroy everything that was worthless and inferior.

¹ Trouble on David’s Return to ZiklagWhen David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and set it on fire.

⁷ Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, and the inhabitants of Tyre.

⁶ Nun’s son Joshua and Jephunneh’s son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and attempted to reason with the entire congregation of Israel. They told them, “The land that we went through and explored is very, very good. 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.”

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.

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.

¹² Through God we will fight valiantly; and it is he who will crush our enemies.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me; but in the name of the LORD I will defeat them. ¹¹ They surrounded me, they are around me; but in the name of the LORD I will defeat them.

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.”
¹¹ The Coming Defeat of God’s Enemies“Look! All who are enraged at you will be put to shame and disgraced; those who contend with you will all die. ¹² Those who quarrel with you will be as nothing; those who fight you like nothing at all!”
¹³ A Call to Courage“For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’ll help you. ¹⁴ Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob, and you insects of Israel! I myself will help you,’ declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
¹⁵ A Promise of Victory“See, I’m making you into a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge. You’ll thresh and crush the mountains, and make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶ You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the LORD, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”

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.

¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

³³ Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions,

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.

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

¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of their unbelief.

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.

³⁶ God Kills the Unbelieving ExplorersAfter this, the men whom Moses sent out to explore the land, who returned and made the whole congregation complain against him by bringing an evil report concerning the land, ³⁷ and who produced an evil report about the land, died of pestilence in the LORD’s presence.

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.

⁶ There was also a battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—for a total of 24 digits—who was a descendant of the Rephaim.

¹³ “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because some have been saying to you, “You mountains have been devouring human beings and leaving people childless,” ¹⁴ therefore you will no longer devour human beings or leave their nation childless,’ declares the Lord GOD.

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.

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth at that time (and also immediately afterward), when those divine beings were having sexual relations with those human women, who gave birth to children for them. These children became the heroes and legendary figures of ancient times.

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).

¹⁰ (The Emites, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, lived there before.

¹¹ Only King Og of Bashan remained from the remnants of the Rephaim. In fact, his bed was made of iron. It’s in Rabbah of the Ammonites, isn’t it? It was nine cubits long and four cubits wide.”

² The Anakim are strong and tall, and you know them. You’ve heard it said, ‘Who can stand up against the Anakim?’

⁴ A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. He was four cubits and a span tall, ⁵ wore a bronze helmet on his head, and wore bronze scale armor that weighed about 5,000 shekels. ⁶ He had bronze armor on his legs and carried a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels. A man carrying his shield walked in front of him.

⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome.

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.

²³ He also killed a soldier from Egypt of enormous height—five cubits tall. The Egyptian carried a spear comparable in size to a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah attacked him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

²² He’s the one who sits above the disk of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He’s the one who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in,