After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” And Yahweh said, “Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand.” And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Go up with me into my allotment, and let us fight against the Canaanites; then I too will go with you into your allotment.” And Simeon went with him. And Judah went up, and Yahweh gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. At Bezek they came upon Adoni-bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued after him; they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; just as I have done, so God has repaid to me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

The descendants of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and they captured it, put it to the sword, and set the city on fire. Afterward the descendants of Judah pursued to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Shephelah. And Judah went against the Canaanites living in Hebron (the former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

And from there they went to the inhabitants of Debir (the former name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher). And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, I will give to him Acsah my daughter as a wife.” Othniel son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, captured it, and he gave to him Acsah his daughter as a wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from the donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” And she said to him, “Give me a gift; you have given me the land of the Negev, and give me also a spring of water.” And Caleb gave to her the upper and lower spring.

The descendants of Hobab the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the descendants of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev near Arad. And they went and settled with the people. And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they defeated the Canaanites inhabiting Zephath; they utterly destroyed it, so he called the name of the city Hormah. Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. And Yahweh was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. They gave Hebron to Caleb just as Moses said, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. But the descendants of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived among the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

Likewise, the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. And the house of Joseph spied out Bethel (the former name of the city was Luz). And when the spies saw a man leaving the city, they said to him, “Please show us the entrance of the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” So he showed them the entrance of the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city and named it Luz; this is its name to this day.

Manasseh did not drive out Beth-Sean and its towns, or Taanach and its towns, or the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; the Canaanites were determined to live in this land. And it happened, when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they never totally drove them out. Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in their midst in Gezer. Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived in their midst and became subjected to forced labor. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob, so the Asherites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or Beth-anath, but lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

The Amorites pressed the descendants of Dan to the hill country, and they did not allow them to come down to the plain; the Amorites were determined to live in Har-heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy on them, and they became subjected to forced labor. The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim from Sela and upward.

And the angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you to the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. And as for you, do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; break down their altars.’ But you did not listen to my voice. Why would you do such a thing? Now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; they will become as thorns for you, and their gods will be a trap for you.” And as the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people wept bitterly. And they called the name of this place Bokim, and there they sacrificed to Yahweh.

And Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites went each to their own inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who saw all the great work Yahweh had done for Israel. And Joshua son of Nun, servant of Yahweh, died at the age of one hundred and ten years. They buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnah-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Moreover, that entire generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them who did not know Yahweh or the work he had done for Israel.

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they served the Baals. They abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors, who brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from the gods of the people who were around them; and they bowed down to them, and they provoked the anger of Yahweh. They abandoned Yahweh, and they served Baal and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of plunderers; and they plundered them, and he sold them into the hand of their enemies from all sides. They were unable to withstand their enemies any longer. Whenever they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them to harm them, just as Yahweh warned, and just as Yahweh had sworn to them. And they were very distressed.

Then Yahweh raised up leaders, and they delivered them from the hand of their plunderers. But they did not listen to their leaders, but lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They turned away quickly from the way that their ancestors went, who had obeyed the commandment of Yahweh; they did not do as their ancestors. And when Yahweh raised leaders for them, Yahweh was with the leader, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the leader, for Yahweh was moved by their groaning because of their persecutors and oppressors. But when the leader died they relapsed and acted corruptly, more than their ancestors, following other gods, serving them, and bowing down to them. They would not give up their deeds or their stubborn ways. So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he said, “Because this people transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice, I will not again drive out anyone from before them from the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel whether or not they would observe the way of Yahweh, to walk in it just as their ancestors did.” So Yahweh left those nations; he did not drive them out at once, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

These are the nations that Yahweh left, to test Israel by them (that is, to test all those who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan, in order that the generations of Israel would know war, to teach those who had not experienced it before): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon up to Lebo-Hamath. They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors through the hand of Moses. And the Israelites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They forgot Yahweh their God, and they served the Baals and the Asheroth. And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. The Israelites cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and Yahweh gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into his hand, and he prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. So the land rested forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

And again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He gathered to himself the Ammonites and Amalekites, and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms. And the Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

And the Israelites cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite and a left-handed man. And the Israelites sent a tribute to Eglon king of Moab through him. Ehud made for himself a short, two-edged sword (a cubit in length), and he fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. But he turned back from the sculptured stones that were near Gilgal, and he said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Silence!” So all those standing in his presence went out, and Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upper room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he got up from his seat. Then Ehud reached with his left hand for the sword on his right thigh, and he thrust it into his stomach. And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not draw back the sword from his stomach; and it went protruding out the back. And Ehud went out the vestibule, and he closed the doors of the upper room and locked them behind him.

After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the cool inner room.” And they waited so long they became embarrassed because he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors, and there their lord was lying on the ground dead.

And Ehud escaped while they delayed. He passed by the sculptured stones and escaped to Seirah. And when he arrived he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down from the hill country with him leading them. And he said to them, “Follow after me! Yahweh has given Moab your enemies into your hand.” So they went down after him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan toward Moab; and they did not allow anyone to cross over. And they struck Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, all strong and able men; no one escaped. And Moab was subdued on that day under the hand of Israel. And the land rested eighty years.

And Shamgar son of Anath came after him, and he killed six hundred Philistines with the goad of an ox; he also delivered Israel.

A miktam of David.

Protect me, O God,

for I take refuge in you.

Oh my soul you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.

I have no good apart from you.”

With regard to the saints who are in the land,

they are the noble ones in whom is all my desire.

Those who hurry after another god increase their sorrows.

I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,

nor take up their names on my lips.

Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup.

You hold my lot.

The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me.

I will bless Yahweh who advises me;

yes, at night my innermost being instructs me.

I have set Yahweh before me always.

Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.

Yes, my body will dwell in safety,

for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

you will not give your faithful one to see the grave.

You will make known to me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forever.

And it happened that on one of the days while he was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes approached together with the elders and said, saying to him, “Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, or who is the one who gave you this authority? And he answered and said to them, “I also will ask you a question, and you tell me: The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? And they discussed this with one another, saying, “If we say ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” And they replied that they did not know where it was from. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time. And at the proper time he sent a slave to the tenant farmers, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers sent him away empty-handed after beating him. And he proceeded to send another slave, but they beat and dishonored that one also, and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send a third, but they wounded and threw out this one also. So the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenant farmers saw him, they began to reason with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him so that the inheritance will become ours!’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard this, they said, “May this never happen!” But he looked intently at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

this has become the cornerstone.’

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls—it will crush him!” And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay their hands on him at that same hour, and they were afraid of the people, for they knew that he had told this parable with reference to them.

And they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended they were upright, in order that they could catch him in a statement, so that they could hand him over to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor. And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But seeing through their craftiness, he said to them, “Show me a denarius! Whose image and inscription does it have?” And they answered and said, “Caesar’s.” So he said to them, “Well then, give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” And they were not able to catch him in a statement in the sight of the people, and astonished at his answer, they became silent.

Now some of the Sadducees—who deny that there is a resurrection—came up and asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and this man is childless, that his brother should take the wife and father descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died childless, and the second, and the third took her, and likewise also the seven did not leave children and died. Finally the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection, the woman—whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they are not even able to die any longer, because they are like the angels and are sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him!” And some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” For they no longer dared to ask him anything.

But he said to them, “In what sense do they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”‘

David therefore calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?”

And while all the people were listening, he said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”

Until next time, keep meditating on the word of God.

Scripture quotations are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.