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First Reading: Joshua Chapter 3 and 4

Joshua 3

1 And Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over.

2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;

3 and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.

6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.

9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God.

10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.

12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.

13 And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.

14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people;

15 and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest,)

16 that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan.

Joshua 4

1 And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying,

2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

5 and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;

6 that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7 then ye shall say unto them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

10 For the priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:

13 about forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before Jehovah unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of the Jordan.

18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime.

19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over;

24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for ever.

Second Reading: Psalms Chapter 40 and 41

Psalms 40

1 I waited patiently for Jehovah; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah.

4 Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust, And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, And thy thoughts which are to us-ward; They cannot be set in order unto thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; Mine ears hast thou opened: Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.

7 Then said I, Lo, I am come; In the roll of the book it is written of me:

8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart.

9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest.

10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly.

11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about; Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; And my heart hath failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me: Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.

14 Let them be put to shame and confounded together That seek after my soul to destroy it: Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor That delight in my hurt.

15 Let them be desolate by reason of their shame That say unto me, Aha, aha.

16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: Let such as love thy salvation say continually, Jehovah be magnified.

17 But I am poor and needy; `Yet' the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; Make no tarrying, O my God. Psalm 41 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Psalms 41

1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.

2 Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.

3 Jehovah will support him upon the couch of languishing: Thou makest all his bed in his sickness.

4 I said, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me: Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5 Mine enemies speak evil against me, `saying', When will he die, and his name perish?

6 And if he come to see `me', he speaketh falsehood; His heart gathereth iniquity to itself: When he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

7 All that hate me whisper together against me; Against me do they devise my hurt.

8 An evil disease, `say they', cleaveth fast unto him; And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Who did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me.

10 But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, That I may requite them.

11 By this I know that thou delightest in me, Because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, And settest me before thy face for ever.

13 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. Psalm 42 For the Chief Musician. Maschil of the sons of Korah.

Bible Background

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

JOSHUA

Part 2 of 2

The book of Joshua can be outlined as follows:

  1. God's Commission to Joshua - Chapter 1
  2. Spies are sent into the land and Rahab the Canaanite hides them - Chapter 2
  3. The Israelites cross the Jordan and observe the Passover - Chapters 3-5
  4. The walls of Jericho fall and Israel conquors the city - Chapter 6
  5. Continued conquest of the land - Chapters 7-12
  6. The Promised land is divided by tribes - Chapters 13-22
  7. Joshua exhorts the people and renews the covenant - Chapters 23-24
  8. The death of Joshua - Chapter 24

 

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