Genesis 24:60

24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ¹ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ²  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ³  of their enemies.”

Numbers 24:17-19

24:17 ‘I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not close at hand. ⁴ 

A star ⁵  will march forth ⁶  out of Jacob,

and a scepter ⁷  will rise out of Israel.

He will crush the skulls ⁸  of Moab,

and the heads ⁹  of all the sons of Sheth. ¹⁰ 

24:18 Edom will be a possession,

Seir, ¹¹  his enemies, will also be a possession;

but Israel will act valiantly.

24:19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;

he will destroy the remains of the city.’” ¹² 

Deuteronomy 21:19

21:19 his father and mother must seize him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his city.

Joshua 1:1--10:43

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! ¹³  Cross the Jordan River! ¹⁴  Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. ¹⁵  1:3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses. ¹⁶  1:4 Your territory will extend from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) ¹⁷  and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea ¹⁸  in the west. ¹⁹  1:5 No one will be able to resist you ²⁰  all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 1:6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. ²¹  1:7 Make sure you are ²²  very strong and brave! Carefully obey ²³  all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! ²⁴  Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful ²⁵  in all you do. ²⁶  1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! ²⁷  You must memorize it ²⁸  day and night so you can carefully obey ²⁹  all that is written in it. Then you will prosper ³⁰  and be successful. ³¹  1:9 I repeat, ³²  be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, ³³  for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” ³⁴ 

Joshua Prepares for the Invasion

1:10 Joshua instructed ³⁵  the leaders of the people: 1:11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your supplies, for within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to you.’” ³⁶ 

1:12 Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh: 1:13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you. ³⁷  The Lord your God is giving you a place to settle and is handing this land over to you. ³⁸  1:14 Your wives, children and cattle may stay in the land that Moses assigned to you east of the Jordan River. But all you warriors must cross over armed for battle ahead of your brothers. ³⁹  You must help them 1:15 until the Lord gives your brothers a place like yours to settle and they conquer the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to them. Then you may go back to your allotted land and occupy the land Moses the Lord’s servant assigned you east of the Jordan.” ⁴⁰ 

1:16 They told Joshua, “We will do everything you say. We will go wherever you send us. 1:17 Just as we obeyed ⁴¹  Moses, so we will obey you. But ⁴²  may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses! 1:18 Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands will be executed. ⁴³  But ⁴⁴  be strong and brave!”

Joshua Sends Spies into the Land

2:1 Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: ⁴⁵  “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.” ⁴⁶  They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. ⁴⁷  2:2 The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well! ⁴⁸  Israelite men have come here tonight ⁴⁹  to spy on the land.” 2:3 So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab: ⁵⁰  “Turn over ⁵¹  the men who came to you ⁵²  – the ones who came to your house ⁵³  – for they have come to spy on the whole land!” 2:4 But the woman hid the two men ⁵⁴  and replied, “Yes, these men were clients of mine, ⁵⁵  but I didn’t know where they came from. 2:5 When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. ⁵⁶  I don’t know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!” 2:6 (Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out ⁵⁷  on the roof.) 2:7 Meanwhile ⁵⁸  the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River ⁵⁹  near the fords. ⁶⁰  The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them. ⁶¹ 

2:8 Now before the spies ⁶²  went to sleep, Rahab ⁶³  went up ⁶⁴  to the roof. 2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. ⁶⁵  We are absolutely terrified of you, ⁶⁶  and all who live in the land are cringing before ⁶⁷  you. ⁶⁸  2:10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. ⁶⁹  2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. ⁷⁰  For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ⁷¹  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ⁷²  Give me a solemn pledge ⁷³  2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us ⁷⁴  from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you ⁷⁵  die, may we die too! ⁷⁶  If you do not report what we’ve been up to, ⁷⁷  then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance ⁷⁸  to you.” ⁷⁹ 

2:15 Then Rahab ⁸⁰  let them down by a rope ⁸¹  through the window. (Her ⁸²  house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.) ⁸³  2:16 She told them, “Head ⁸⁴  to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t find you. ⁸⁵  Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you ⁸⁶  to return. Then you can be on your way.” 2:17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met: ⁸⁷  2:18 When we invade the land ⁸⁸ , tie this red rope ⁸⁹  in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house. ⁹⁰  2:19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death – we are innocent in that case! ⁹¹  But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible. ⁹²  2:20 If you should report what we’ve been up to, ⁹³  we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.” 2:21 She said, “I agree to these conditions.” ⁹⁴  She sent them on their way ⁹⁵  and then tied the red rope in the window. 2:22 They went ⁹⁶  to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them ⁹⁷  to return. Their pursuers ⁹⁸  looked all along the way but did not find them. ⁹⁹  2:23 Then the two men returned – they came down from the hills, crossed the river, ¹⁰⁰  came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. 2:24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us! ¹⁰¹  All who live in the land are cringing before us!” ¹⁰² 

Israel Crosses the Jordan

3:1 Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan. ¹⁰³  They camped there before crossing the river. ¹⁰⁴  3:2 After three days the leaders went through the camp 3:3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God ¹⁰⁵  being carried by the Levitical priests, you must leave here ¹⁰⁶  and walk ¹⁰⁷  behind it. 3:4 But stay about three thousand feet behind it. ¹⁰⁸  Keep your distance ¹⁰⁹  so you can see ¹¹⁰  which way you should go, for you have not traveled this way before.”

3:5 Joshua told the people, “Ritually consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform miraculous deeds among you.” 3:6 Joshua told the priests, “Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

3:7 The Lord told Joshua, “This very day I will begin to honor you before all Israel ¹¹¹  so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 3:8 Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, ‘When you reach the bank of the Jordan River, ¹¹²  wade into the water.’” ¹¹³ 

3:9 Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God!” 3:10 Joshua continued, ¹¹⁴  “This is how you will know the living God is among you and that he will truly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 3:11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Ruler ¹¹⁵  of the whole earth is ready to enter the Jordan ahead of you. 3:12 Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe. 3:13 When the feet ¹¹⁶  of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Ruler ¹¹⁷  of the whole earth, touch ¹¹⁸  the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.” ¹¹⁹ 

3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ¹²⁰  ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface ¹²¹  of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) ¹²²  – 3:16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. ¹²³  It piled up far upstream ¹²⁴  at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). ¹²⁵  The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. ¹²⁶  3:17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side. ¹²⁷ 

Israel Commemorates the Crossing

4:1 When the entire nation was on the other side, ¹²⁸  the Lord told Joshua, 4:2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. 4:3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests ¹²⁹  stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”

4:4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. 4:5 Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. 4:6 The stones ¹³⁰  will be a reminder to you. ¹³¹  When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 4:7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing ¹³²  before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. ¹³³  These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”

4:8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones ¹³⁴  in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.

4:10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly, 4:11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed as the people looked on. ¹³⁵  4:12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. 4:13 About forty thousand battle-ready troops ¹³⁶  marched past the Lord to fight ¹³⁷  on the plains of Jericho. ¹³⁸  4:14 That day the Lord brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected ¹³⁹  him all his life, ¹⁴⁰  just as they had respected ¹⁴¹  Moses.

4:15 The Lord told Joshua, 4:16 “Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws ¹⁴²  to come up from the Jordan.” 4:17 So Joshua instructed the priests, “Come up from the Jordan!” 4:18 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land, ¹⁴³  the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage. ¹⁴⁴ 

4:19 The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month ¹⁴⁵  and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. ¹⁴⁶  4:20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the ¹⁴⁷  twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 4:21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ ¹⁴⁸  4:22 explain ¹⁴⁹  to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River ¹⁵⁰  on dry ground.’ 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it. ¹⁵¹  4:24 He has done this so ¹⁵²  all the nations ¹⁵³  of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power ¹⁵⁴  and so you might always obey ¹⁵⁵  the Lord your God.”

5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they ¹⁵⁶  crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. ¹⁵⁷ 

A New Generation is Circumcised

5:2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.” ¹⁵⁸  5:3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites on the Hill of the Foreskins. ¹⁵⁹  5:4 This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt. ¹⁶⁰  5:5 Now ¹⁶¹  all the men ¹⁶²  who left were circumcised, but all the sons ¹⁶³  born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised. 5:6 Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the desert until all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed the Lord, died off. ¹⁶⁴  For the Lord had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn on oath to give them, ¹⁶⁵  a land rich in ¹⁶⁶  milk and honey. 5:7 He replaced them with their sons, ¹⁶⁷  whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way. 5:8 When all the men ¹⁶⁸  had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they had healed. 5:9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away ¹⁶⁹  the disgrace ¹⁷⁰  of Egypt from you.” So that place is called Gilgal ¹⁷¹  even to this day.

5:10 So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho. ¹⁷²  5:11 They ate some of the produce of the land the day after the Passover, including unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹⁷³  5:12 The manna stopped appearing the day they ate ¹⁷⁴  some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again. ¹⁷⁵ 

Israel Conquers Jericho

5:13 When Joshua was near ¹⁷⁶  Jericho, ¹⁷⁷  he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. ¹⁷⁸  Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” ¹⁷⁹  5:14 He answered, ¹⁸⁰  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ¹⁸¹  Now I have arrived!” ¹⁸²  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ¹⁸³  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?” 5:15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.

6:1 Now Jericho ¹⁸⁴  was shut tightly ¹⁸⁵  because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. ¹⁸⁶  6:2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, ¹⁸⁷  along with its king and its warriors. 6:3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time; ¹⁸⁸  do this for six days. 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns ¹⁸⁹  in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 6:5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, ¹⁹⁰  have the whole army give a loud battle cry. ¹⁹¹  Then the city wall will collapse ¹⁹²  and the warriors should charge straight ahead.” ¹⁹³ 

6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 6:7 And he told ¹⁹⁴  the army, ¹⁹⁵  “Move ahead ¹⁹⁶  and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

6:8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, ¹⁹⁷  the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 6:9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 6:10 Now Joshua had instructed the army, ¹⁹⁸  “Do not give a battle cry ¹⁹⁹  or raise your voices; say nothing ²⁰⁰  until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’ ²⁰¹  Then give the battle cry!” ²⁰²  6:11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time. ²⁰³  Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there. ²⁰⁴ 

6:12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord. ²⁰⁵  6:13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 6:14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.

6:15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn ²⁰⁶  and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times. ²⁰⁷  6:16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, ²⁰⁸  “Give the battle cry, ²⁰⁹  for the Lord is handing the city over to you! ²¹⁰  6:17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord, ²¹¹  except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies ²¹²  we sent. 6:18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. ²¹³  6:19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. ²¹⁴  They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”

6:20 The rams’ horns sounded ²¹⁵  and when the army ²¹⁶  heard the signal, ²¹⁷  they gave a loud battle cry. ²¹⁸  The wall collapsed ²¹⁹  and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. ²²⁰  6:21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, ²²¹  including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house ²²²  and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” ²²³  6:23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside ²²⁴  the Israelite camp. 6:24 But they burned ²²⁵  the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²²⁶  6:25 Yet Joshua spared ²²⁷  Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, ²²⁸  and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel ²²⁹  to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. ²³⁰  6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ²³¹  “The man who attempts to rebuild ²³²  this city of Jericho ²³³  will stand condemned before the Lord. ²³⁴  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ²³⁵  6:27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. ²³⁶ 

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ²³⁷  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ²³⁸  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ²³⁹  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ²⁴⁰ 

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ²⁴¹  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ²⁴² ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, ²⁴³  “Don’t send the whole army. ²⁴⁴  About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. ²⁴⁵  Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” ²⁴⁶ 

7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures ²⁴⁷  and defeated them on the steep slope. ²⁴⁸  The people’s ²⁴⁹  courage melted away like water. ²⁵⁰ 

7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; ²⁵¹  he and the leaders ²⁵²  of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening ²⁵³  and threw dirt on their heads. ²⁵⁴  7:7 Joshua prayed, ²⁵⁵  “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated ²⁵⁶  before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us ²⁵⁷  from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” ²⁵⁸ 

7:10 The Lord responded ²⁵⁹  to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? ²⁶⁰  7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ²⁶¹  They have taken some of the riches; ²⁶²  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ²⁶³  7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. ²⁶⁴  I will no longer be with you, ²⁶⁵  unless you destroy what has contaminated you. ²⁶⁶  7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, ²⁶⁷  O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” ²⁶⁸  7:14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. ²⁶⁹  The tribe the Lord selects ²⁷⁰  must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. ²⁷¹  The family the Lord selects must approach man by man. ²⁷²  7:15 The one caught with the riches ²⁷³  must be burned up ²⁷⁴  along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

7:16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order ²⁷⁵  and the tribe of Judah was selected. 7:17 He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi ²⁷⁶  was selected. ²⁷⁷  7:18 He then made Zabdi’s ²⁷⁸  family approach man by man ²⁷⁹  and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor ²⁸⁰  the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!” 7:20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way: ²⁸¹  7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, ²⁸²  two hundred silver pieces, ²⁸³  and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”

7:22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. ²⁸⁴  7:23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed ²⁸⁵  it before the Lord. 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster. ²⁸⁶  7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster ²⁸⁷  on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) ²⁸⁸  7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day ²⁸⁹ ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.

Israel Conquers Ai

8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ²⁹⁰  Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! ²⁹¹  See, I am handing over to you ²⁹²  the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 8:2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho ²⁹³  and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”

8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. ²⁹⁴  Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told ²⁹⁵  them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops ²⁹⁶  who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack ²⁹⁷  us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place ²⁹⁸  and seize ²⁹⁹  the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it ³⁰⁰  on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” ³⁰¹  8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place ³⁰²  west of Ai, between Bethel ³⁰³  and Ai. ³⁰⁴  Joshua spent that night with the army. ³⁰⁵ 

8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered ³⁰⁶  the army, ³⁰⁷  and he and the leaders ³⁰⁸  of Israel marched ³⁰⁹  at the head of it ³¹⁰  to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. ³¹¹  They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. ³¹²  8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel ³¹³  and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into ³¹⁴  the middle of the valley.

8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. ³¹⁵  But he did not realize ³¹⁶  men were hiding behind the city. ³¹⁷  8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements ³¹⁸  in Ai ³¹⁹  were ordered ³²⁰  to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; ³²¹  they all went out after Israel. ³²²  They left the city wide open and chased Israel.

8:18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city ³²³  over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand. 8:19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. ³²⁴  They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. 8:20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw ³²⁵  the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. ³²⁶  In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers. 8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the city was going up in smoke, ³²⁷  they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 8:22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle. ³²⁸  The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees. 8:23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

8:24 When Israel had finished killing all the men ³²⁹  of Ai who had chased them toward the desert ³³⁰  (they all fell by the sword), ³³¹  all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it. 8:25 Twelve thousand men and women died ³³²  that day, including all the men of Ai. 8:26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. ³³³  8:27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in accordance with the Lord’s orders to Joshua. ³³⁴  8:28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). ³³⁵  8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. ³³⁶  At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. ³³⁷  They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). ³³⁸ 

Covenant Renewal

8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 8:31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. ³³⁹  They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. ³⁴⁰  8:32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses. ³⁴¹  8:33 All the people, ³⁴²  rulers, ³⁴³  leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. ³⁴⁴  Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. ³⁴⁵  8:34 Then ³⁴⁶  Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 8:35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given ³⁴⁷  before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them. ³⁴⁸ 

The Gibeonites Deceive Israel

9:1 When the news reached all the kings on the west side of the Jordan ³⁴⁹  – in the hill country, the lowlands, ³⁵⁰  and all along the Mediterranean coast ³⁵¹  as far as ³⁵²  Lebanon (including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites) – 9:2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel. ³⁵³ 

9:3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho ³⁵⁴  and Ai, 9:4 they did something clever. They collected some provisions ³⁵⁵  and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched. 9:5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes. All their bread ³⁵⁶  was dry and hard. ³⁵⁷  9:6 They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.” 9:7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us. ³⁵⁸  So how can we make a treaty with you?” 9:8 But they said to Joshua, “We are willing to be your subjects.” ³⁵⁹  So Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9:9 They told him, “Your subjects ³⁶⁰  have come from a very distant land because of the reputation ³⁶¹  of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt ³⁶²  9:10 and all he did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan – King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. 9:11 Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, “We are willing to be your subjects. ³⁶³  Make a treaty with us.”’ 9:12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you, ³⁶⁴  but now it is dry and hard. ³⁶⁵  9:13 These wineskins we filled were brand new, but look how they have ripped. Our clothes and sandals have worn out because it has been a very long journey.” 9:14 The men examined ³⁶⁶  some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the Lord’s advice. ³⁶⁷  9:15 Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community ³⁶⁸  sealed it with an oath. ³⁶⁹ 

9:16 Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby. ³⁷⁰  9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities – Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 9:18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. ³⁷¹  The whole community criticized ³⁷²  the leaders, 9:19 but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of ³⁷³  the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt ³⁷⁴  them! 9:20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.” ³⁷⁵  9:21 The leaders then added, ³⁷⁶  “Let them live.” So they became ³⁷⁷  woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. ³⁷⁸ 

9:22 ³⁷⁹ Joshua summoned the Gibeonites ³⁸⁰  and said to them, “Why did you trick ³⁸¹  us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby? ³⁸²  9:23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” ³⁸³  9:24 They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects ³⁸⁴  how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified ³⁸⁵  we would lose our lives, so we did this thing. 9:25 So now we are in your power. ³⁸⁶  Do to us what you think is good and appropriate. ³⁸⁷  9:26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them ³⁸⁸  9:27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.) ³⁸⁹ 

Israel Defeats an Amorite Coalition

10:1 Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, ³⁹⁰  heard how Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho ³⁹¹  and its king. ³⁹²  He also heard how ³⁹³  the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived among them. 10:2 All Jerusalem was terrified ³⁹⁴  because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors. 10:3 So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: 10:4 “Come to my aid ³⁹⁵  so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 10:5 So the five Amorite kings (the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) and all their troops gathered together and advanced. They deployed their troops and fought against Gibeon. ³⁹⁶ 

10:6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, “Do not abandon ³⁹⁷  your subjects! ³⁹⁸  Rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.” ³⁹⁹  10:7 So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from Gilgal. ⁴⁰⁰  10:8 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for I am handing them over to you. ⁴⁰¹  Not one of them can resist you.” ⁴⁰²  10:9 Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal. ⁴⁰³  10:10 The Lord routed ⁴⁰⁴  them before Israel. Israel ⁴⁰⁵  thoroughly defeated them ⁴⁰⁶  at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass ⁴⁰⁷  of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 10:11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from ⁴⁰⁸  Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, ⁴⁰⁹  all the way to Azekah. They died – in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

10:12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: ⁴¹⁰ 

“O sun, stand still over Gibeon!

O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!”

10:13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. ⁴¹¹  The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. ⁴¹²  10:14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord obeyed ⁴¹³  a man, for the Lord fought for Israel! 10:15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

10:16 The five Amorite kings ⁴¹⁴  ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 10:17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 10:18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. ⁴¹⁵  10:19 But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! ⁴¹⁶  Don’t allow them to retreat to ⁴¹⁷  their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.” ⁴¹⁸  10:20 Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities. ⁴¹⁹  10:21 Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. ⁴²⁰  No one ⁴²¹  dared threaten the Israelites. ⁴²²  10:22 Joshua said, “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings ⁴²³  out of the cave to me.” 10:23 They did as ordered; ⁴²⁴  they brought the five kings ⁴²⁵  out of the cave to him – the kings of Jerusalem, ⁴²⁶  Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 10:24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he ⁴²⁷  summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, “Come here ⁴²⁸  and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came up ⁴²⁹  and put their feet on their necks. 10:25 Then Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ⁴³⁰  Be strong and brave, for the Lord will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight. 10:26 Then Joshua executed them ⁴³¹  and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging on the trees until evening. 10:27 At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees. ⁴³²  They threw them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth of the cave. (They remain to this very day.) ⁴³³ 

Joshua Launches a Southern Campaign

10:28 That day Joshua captured Makkedah and put the sword to it and its king. He annihilated everyone who lived in it; he left no survivors. He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho. ⁴³⁴ 

10:29 Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against it. ⁴³⁵  10:30 The Lord handed it and its king over to Israel, and Israel ⁴³⁶  put the sword to all who lived there; they ⁴³⁷  left no survivors. They ⁴³⁸  did to its king what they ⁴³⁹  had done to the king of Jericho. ⁴⁴⁰ 

10:31 Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish. He deployed his troops ⁴⁴¹  and fought against it. 10:32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel and they ⁴⁴²  captured it on the second day. They put the sword to all who lived there, just as they had done to Libnah. 10:33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck down him and his army ⁴⁴³  until no survivors remained.

10:34 Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon. They deployed troops ⁴⁴⁴  and fought against it. 10:35 That day they captured it and put the sword to all who lived there. That day they ⁴⁴⁵  annihilated it just as they ⁴⁴⁶  had done to Lachish.

10:36 Joshua and all Israel marched up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 10:37 They captured it and put the sword to its king, all its surrounding cities, and all who lived in it; they ⁴⁴⁷  left no survivors. As they ⁴⁴⁸  had done at Eglon, they ⁴⁴⁹  annihilated it and all who lived there.

10:38 Joshua and all Israel turned to Debir and fought against it. 10:39 They ⁴⁵⁰  captured it, its king, and all its surrounding cities and put the sword to them. They annihilated everyone who lived there; they ⁴⁵¹  left no survivors. They ⁴⁵²  did to Debir and its king what they ⁴⁵³  had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. ⁴⁵⁴ 

10:40 Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, ⁴⁵⁵  the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 10:41 Joshua conquered the area between Kadesh Barnea and Gaza and the whole region of Goshen, all the way to Gibeon. ⁴⁵⁶  10:42 Joshua captured in one campaign ⁴⁵⁷  all these kings and their lands, for the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 10:43 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10:2

10:2 All Jerusalem was terrified ⁴⁵⁸  because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors.

Joshua 8:1-18

Israel Conquers Ai

8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ⁴⁵⁹  Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! ⁴⁶⁰  See, I am handing over to you ⁴⁶¹  the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 8:2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho ⁴⁶²  and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”

8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. ⁴⁶³  Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told ⁴⁶⁴  them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops ⁴⁶⁵  who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack ⁴⁶⁶  us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place ⁴⁶⁷  and seize ⁴⁶⁸  the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it ⁴⁶⁹  on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” ⁴⁷⁰  8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place ⁴⁷¹  west of Ai, between Bethel ⁴⁷²  and Ai. ⁴⁷³  Joshua spent that night with the army. ⁴⁷⁴ 

8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered ⁴⁷⁵  the army, ⁴⁷⁶  and he and the leaders ⁴⁷⁷  of Israel marched ⁴⁷⁸  at the head of it ⁴⁷⁹  to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. ⁴⁸⁰  They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. ⁴⁸¹  8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel ⁴⁸²  and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into ⁴⁸³  the middle of the valley.

8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. ⁴⁸⁴  But he did not realize ⁴⁸⁵  men were hiding behind the city. ⁴⁸⁶  8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements ⁴⁸⁷  in Ai ⁴⁸⁸  were ordered ⁴⁸⁹  to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; ⁴⁹⁰  they all went out after Israel. ⁴⁹¹  They left the city wide open and chased Israel.

8:18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city ⁴⁹²  over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand.

Joshua 10:1-19

Israel Defeats an Amorite Coalition

10:1 Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, ⁴⁹³  heard how Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho ⁴⁹⁴  and its king. ⁴⁹⁵  He also heard how ⁴⁹⁶  the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived among them. 10:2 All Jerusalem was terrified ⁴⁹⁷  because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors. 10:3 So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: 10:4 “Come to my aid ⁴⁹⁸  so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 10:5 So the five Amorite kings (the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) and all their troops gathered together and advanced. They deployed their troops and fought against Gibeon. ⁴⁹⁹ 

10:6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, “Do not abandon ⁵⁰⁰  your subjects! ⁵⁰¹  Rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.” ⁵⁰²  10:7 So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from Gilgal. ⁵⁰³  10:8 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for I am handing them over to you. ⁵⁰⁴  Not one of them can resist you.” ⁵⁰⁵  10:9 Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal. ⁵⁰⁶  10:10 The Lord routed ⁵⁰⁷  them before Israel. Israel ⁵⁰⁸  thoroughly defeated them ⁵⁰⁹  at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass ⁵¹⁰  of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 10:11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from ⁵¹¹  Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, ⁵¹²  all the way to Azekah. They died – in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

10:12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: ⁵¹³ 

“O sun, stand still over Gibeon!

O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!”

10:13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. ⁵¹⁴  The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. ⁵¹⁵  10:14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord obeyed ⁵¹⁶  a man, for the Lord fought for Israel! 10:15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

10:16 The five Amorite kings ⁵¹⁷  ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 10:17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 10:18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. ⁵¹⁸  10:19 But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! ⁵¹⁹  Don’t allow them to retreat to ⁵²⁰  their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.” ⁵²¹ 

Psalms 2:8-9

2:8 Ask me,

and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, ⁵²² 

the ends of the earth as your personal property.

2:9 You will break them ⁵²³  with an iron scepter; ⁵²⁴ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ⁵²⁵ 

Psalms 72:8-9

72:8 May he rule ⁵²⁶  from sea to sea, ⁵²⁷ 

and from the Euphrates River ⁵²⁸  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ⁵²⁹  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ⁵³⁰ 

Jeremiah 32:22

32:22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. ⁵³¹  You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁵³² 

Daniel 2:44-45

2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. ⁵³³  The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

Micah 1:9

1:9 For Samaria’s ⁵³⁴  disease ⁵³⁵  is incurable.

It has infected ⁵³⁶  Judah;

it has spread to ⁵³⁷  the leadership ⁵³⁸  of my people

and has even contaminated Jerusalem! ⁵³⁹ 

Luke 1:68-75

1:68 “Blessed ⁵⁴⁰  be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help ⁵⁴¹  and has redeemed ⁵⁴²  his people.

1:69 For ⁵⁴³  he has raised up ⁵⁴⁴  a horn of salvation ⁵⁴⁵  for us in the house of his servant David, ⁵⁴⁶ 

1:70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago, ⁵⁴⁷ 

1:71 that we should be saved ⁵⁴⁸  from our enemies, ⁵⁴⁹ 

and from the hand of all who hate us.

1:72 He has done this ⁵⁵⁰  to show mercy ⁵⁵¹  to our ancestors, ⁵⁵² 

and to remember his holy covenant ⁵⁵³  –

1:73 the oath ⁵⁵⁴  that he swore to our ancestor ⁵⁵⁵  Abraham.

This oath grants ⁵⁵⁶ 

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our ⁵⁵⁷  enemies,

may serve him without fear, ⁵⁵⁸ 

1:75 in holiness and righteousness ⁵⁵⁹  before him for as long as we live. ⁵⁶⁰ 

Luke 1:1

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ⁵⁶¹  many have undertaken to compile an account ⁵⁶²  of the things ⁵⁶³  that have been fulfilled ⁵⁶⁴  among us,

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁵⁶⁵  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Revelation 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ⁵⁶⁶  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ⁵⁶⁷ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[24:60]  ¹ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ² tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ³ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

[24:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “near.”

[24:17]  ⁵ sn This is a figure for a king (see also Isa 14:12) not only in the Bible but in the ancient Near Eastern literature as a whole. The immediate reference of the prophecy seems to be to David, but the eschatological theme goes beyond him. There is to be a connection made between this passage and the sighting of a star in its ascendancy by the magi, who then traveled to Bethlehem to see the one born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2). The expression “son of a star” (Aram Bar Kochba) became a title for a later claimant to kingship, but he was doomed by the Romans in a.d. 135.

[24:17]  ⁶ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is equal to the imperfect expressing the future. The verb דָּרַךְ (darakh), related to the noun “way, road,” seems to mean something like tread on, walk, march.”

[24:17]  ⁷ sn The “scepter” is metonymical for a king who will rise to power. NEB strangely rendered this as “comet” to make a parallel with “star.”

[24:17]  ⁸ tn The word is literally “corners,” but may refer to the corners of the head, and so “skull.”

[24:17]  ⁹ tc The MT reads “shatter, devastate.” Smr reads קֹדְקֹד (qodqod, “head; crown; pate”). Smr follows Jer 48:45 which appears to reflect Num 24:17.

[24:17]  ¹⁰ sn The prophecy begins to be fulfilled when David defeated Moab and Edom and established an empire including them. But the Messianic promise extends far beyond that to the end of the age and the inclusion of these defeated people in the program of the coming King.

[24:18]  ¹¹ sn Seir is the chief mountain range of Edom (Deut 33:2), and so the reference here is to the general area of Edom.

[24:19]  ¹² tn Or, understanding the Hebrew word for “city” as a place name, “of Ir” (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[1:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “Get up!”

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “this Jordan”; the word “River” has been supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in v. 11).

[1:2]  ¹⁵ tc Heb “Cross over this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel.” The final phrase, “to the children of Israel,” is probably a later scribal addition specifying the identity of “these people/them.”

[1:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Every place on which the sole of your foot walks, to you I have given it, as I said to Moses.” The second person pronouns in vv. 3-4 are plural, indicating that all the people are addressed here. The verbal form נְתַתִּיו (nÿtattiv, “I have given it”) is probably a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Another option is to translate, “I have already assigned it.” In this case the verb would probably refer to the Lord’s decree to Abraham that he would give this land to his descendants.

[1:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “all the land of the Hittites.” The expression “the land of the Hittites” does not refer to Anatolia (modern Turkey), where the ancient Hittite kingdom of the second millennium b.c. was located, but rather to Syria, the “Hatti land” mentioned in inscriptions of the first millennium b.c. (see HALOT 1:363). The phrase is omitted in the LXX and may be a scribal addition.

[1:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

[1:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, even to the great sea [at] the place where the sun sets, your territory will be.”

[1:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “A man will not stand before you.” The second person pronouns in this verse are singular, indicating Joshua is the addressee.

[1:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “For you will cause these people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give to them.” The pronoun “them” at the end of the verse refers to either the people or to the fathers.

[1:7]  ²² tn Or “Only be.”

[1:7]  ²³ tn Heb “so you can be careful to do.” The use of the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (lishmor, “to keep”) after the imperatives suggests that strength and bravery will be necessary for obedience. Another option is to take the form לִשְׁמֹר as a vocative lamed (ל) with imperative (see Isa 38:20 for an example of this construction), which could be translated, “Indeed, be careful!”

[1:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “commanded you.”

[1:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[1:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in all which you go.”

[1:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “mouth.”

[1:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

[1:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “be careful to do.”

[1:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

[1:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[1:9]  ³² tn Heb “Have I not commanded you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes the importance of the following command by reminding the listener that it is being repeated.

[1:9]  ³³ tn Or perhaps, “don’t get discouraged!”

[1:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “in all which you go.”

[1:10]  ³⁵ tn Or “commanded.”

[1:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “to enter to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving to you to possess it.”

[1:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “remember the word which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you.”

[1:13]  ³⁸ tn Heb “is providing rest for you and is giving to you this land.”

[1:14]  ³⁹ tn Heb “But you must cross over armed for battle before your brothers, all [you] mighty men of strength.”

[1:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Then you may return to the land of your possession and possess it, that which Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave to you beyond the Jordan toward the rising of the sun.”

[1:17]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “listened to.”

[1:17]  ⁴² tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 18 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).

[1:18]  ⁴³ tn Heb “any man who rebels against your mouth and does not listen to your words, to all which you command us, will be put to death.”

[1:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 17 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).

[2:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Joshua, son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spies, secretly, saying.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “go, see the land, and Jericho.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “they went and entered the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they slept there.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “look.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”

[2:3]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying.”

[2:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “bring out.”

[2:3]  ⁵² tn The idiom “come to” (בוֹא אֶל, bo’ ’el) probably has sexual connotations here, as it often does elsewhere when a man “comes to” a woman. If so, the phrase could be translated “your clients.” The instructions reflect Rahab’s perspective as to the identity of the men.

[2:3]  ⁵³ tn The words “the ones who came to your house” (Heb “who came to your house”) may be a euphemistic scribal addition designed to blur the sexual connotation of the preceding words.

[2:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “The woman took the two men and hid him.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “hid” has to be a scribal error (see GKC §135.p).

[2:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “the men came to me.” See the note on this phrase in v. 3.

[2:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “And the gate was to be shut in the darkness and the men went out.”

[2:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “arranged in rows by her.”

[2:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.

[2:7]  ⁵⁹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

[2:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.

[2:7]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “And they shut the gate after – as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.

[2:8]  ⁶² tn Heb “they.”

[2:8]  ⁶³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:8]  ⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.

[2:9]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

[2:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”

[2:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “melting away because of.”

[2:9]  ⁶⁸ tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”

[2:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”

[2:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”

[2:12]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

[2:12]  ⁷² tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

[2:12]  ⁷³ tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

[2:13]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “our lives.”

[2:14]  ⁷⁵ tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.

[2:14]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.

[2:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”

[2:14]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.

[2:14]  ⁷⁹ tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.

[2:15]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ⁸¹ tc The phrase “by a rope” is omitted in the LXX. It may be a later clarifying addition. If original, the omission in the LXX is likely due to an error of homoioarcton. A scribe’s or translator’s eye could have jumped from the initial ב (bet) in the phrase בַּחֶבֶל (bakhevel, “with a rope”) to the initial ב on the immediately following בְּעַד (bÿ’ad, “through”) and accidentally omitted the intervening letters.

[2:15]  ⁸² tn Heb “For her house.”

[2:15]  ⁸³ tc These explanatory statements are omitted in the LXX and probably represent a later scribal addition.

[2:16]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “Go.”

[2:16]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “so that the pursuers might not meet you.”

[2:16]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“you”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.

[2:17]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.

[2:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”

[2:18]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”

[2:18]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”

[2:19]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”

[2:19]  ⁹² tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”

[2:20]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”

[2:21]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “According to your words, so it [will be].”

[2:21]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “she sent them away and they went.”

[2:22]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “they went and came.”

[2:22]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“them”) is added for clarification.

[2:22]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “the ones chasing them.” This has been rendered as “their pursuers” in the translation to avoid redundancy with the preceding clause.

[2:22]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “The pursuers looked in all the way and did not find [them].”

[2:23]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, are added for clarification.

[2:24]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “Surely the Lord has given into our hand all the land.” The report by the spies uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

[2:24]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “And Joshua arose early in the morning and he and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:3]  ¹⁰⁵ sn The ark of the covenant refers to the wooden chest that symbolized God’s presence among his covenant people.

[3:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “set out from your place.”

[3:3]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “march.”

[3:4]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “But there should be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits in measurement.”

[3:4]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “do not approach it.”

[3:4]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “know.”

[3:7]  ¹¹¹ tn Or more literally, “to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel.”

[3:8]  ¹¹² tn Heb “the edge of the waters of the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.

[3:8]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “stand in the Jordan.” Here the repetition of the word “Jordan” would be redundant according to contemporary English style, so it was not included in the translation.

[3:10]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “said.”

[3:11]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”

[3:13]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”

[3:13]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”

[3:13]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “rest in.”

[3:13]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”

[3:14]  ¹²⁰ tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.

[3:15]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”

[3:15]  ¹²² tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”

[3:16]  ¹²³ tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”

[3:16]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”

[3:16]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.”

[3:16]  ¹²⁶ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[3:17]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

[4:1]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “And when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

[4:3]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “the feet of the priests.”

[4:6]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:6]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”

[4:7]  ¹³² tn Heb “were cut off from before.”

[4:7]  ¹³³ tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”

[4:9]  ¹³⁴ tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.

[4:11]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “in the presence of the people.”

[4:13]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “men equipped for battle.”

[4:13]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “for war.”

[4:13]  ¹³⁸ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[4:14]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “feared.”

[4:14]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “all the days of his life.”

[4:14]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “had feared.”

[4:16]  ¹⁴² tn Traditionally, “the ark of the testimony,” another name for the ark of the covenant. The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut, “testimony” or “witness”) here refers to the Mosaic covenant and the body of stipulations contained within it (see HALOT 2:791).

[4:18]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “and the soles of the feet of the priests were brought up to the dry land.”

[4:18]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went as formerly over their banks.”

[4:19]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The first month was the month Abib (= late March-early April in the modern calendar). The Passover in Egypt also occurred on the tenth day of the first month (Exod 12:2; 13:4).

[4:19]  ¹⁴⁶ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[4:20]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7.

[4:21]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “What are these stones?”

[4:22]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “make known.”

[4:22]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[4:23]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when he dried [it] up before us while we crossed over.”

[4:24]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “in order that.”

[4:24]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “peoples.”

[4:24]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “know the hand of the Lord that it is strong.”

[4:24]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “fear.”

[5:1]  ¹⁵⁶ tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”

[5:1]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”

[5:2]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “return, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate the repetition of an action.

[5:3]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “Gibeath Haaraloth.” This name means “Hill of the Foreskins.” Many modern translations simply give the Hebrew name, although an explanatory note giving the meaning of the name is often included.

[5:4]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “All the people who went out from Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the desert in the way when they went out from Egypt.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “indeed.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “people.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “all the people.”

[5:6]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “all the nation, the men of war who went out from Egypt, who did not listen to the voice of the Lord, came to an end.”

[5:6]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Some Hebrew mss, as well as the Syriac version, support this reading. Most ancient witnesses read “us.”

[5:6]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “flowing with.”

[5:7]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “their sons he raised up in their place.”

[5:8]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “nation.”

[5:9]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “rolled away.”

[5:9]  ¹⁷⁰ sn One might take the disgrace of Egypt as a reference to their uncircumcised condition (see Gen 34:14), but the generation that left Egypt was circumcised (see v. 5). It more likely refers to the disgrace they experienced in Egyptian slavery. When this new generation reached the promised land and renewed their covenantal commitment to the Lord by submitting to the rite of circumcision, the Lord’s deliverance of his people from slavery, which had begun with the plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, reached its climax. See T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 59.

[5:9]  ¹⁷¹ sn The name Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew verb “roll away” (גַּלַל, galal).

[5:10]  ¹⁷² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[5:11]  ¹⁷³ tn The Hebrew text adds, “on this same day.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “the day after, when they ate.” The present translation assumes this means the day after the Passover, though it is possible it refers to the day after they began eating the land’s produce.

[5:12]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and the sons of Israel had no more manna.”

[5:13]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “in.”

[5:13]  ¹⁷⁷ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[5:13]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “he lifted up his eyes and looked. And look, a man was standing in front of him, and his sword was drawn in his hand.” The verb הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the reader to view the scene through Joshua’s eyes. By calling the stranger “a man,” the author reflects Joshua’s perspective. The text shortly reveals his true identity (vv. 14-15).

[5:13]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

[5:14]  ¹⁸⁰ tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX and Syriac versions. The traditional reading of the MT (לֹא, lo’, “no, neither”) is probably the product of aural confusion (the two variant readings sound the same in Hebrew). Although followed by a number of modern translations (cf. NIV, NRSV), this reading is problematic, for the commander of the Lord’s army would hardly have declared himself neutral.

[5:14]  ¹⁸¹ sn The Lord’s heavenly army, like an earthly army, has a commander who leads the troops. For the phrase שַׂר־צְבָא (sar-tsÿva’, “army commander”) in the human sphere, see among many other references Gen 21:22, 32; 26:26; Judg 4:2, 7; 1 Sam 12:9.

[5:14]  ¹⁸² sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the Lord’s invisible army would ensure victory.

[5:14]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

[6:1]  ¹⁸⁴ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[6:1]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].”

[6:1]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.”

[6:2]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.

[6:3]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “and go around the city, all [you] men of war, encircling the city one time.” The Hebrew verb וְסַבֹּתֶם (vÿsabbotem, “and go around”) is plural, being addressed to the whole army.

[6:4]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “rams’ horns, trumpets.”

[6:5]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5.

[6:5]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.”

[6:5]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “fall in its place.”

[6:5]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”

[6:7]  ¹⁹⁴ tn An alternative reading is “and they said.” In this case the subject is indefinite and the verb should be translated as passive, “[the army] was told.”

[6:7]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “the people.”

[6:7]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “pass by.”

[6:8]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.”

[6:10]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “the people.”

[6:10]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Or “the shout.”

[6:10]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.”

[6:10]  ²⁰¹ tn Or “the shout.”

[6:10]  ²⁰² tn Or “the shout.”

[6:11]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “and he made the ark of the Lord go around the city, encircling one time.”

[6:11]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “and they entered the camp and spent the night in the camp.”

[6:12]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests picked up the ark of the Lord.”

[6:15]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “On the seventh day they rose early, when the dawn ascended.”

[6:15]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “and they went around the city according to this manner seven times, only on that day they went around the city seven times.”

[6:16]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “the people.”

[6:16]  ²⁰⁹ tn Or “the shout.”

[6:16]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “for the Lord has given to you the city.” The verbal form is a perfect, probably indicating certitude here.

[6:17]  ²¹¹ tn Or “dedicated to the Lord.”

[6:17]  ²¹² tn Heb “messengers.”

[6:18]  ²¹³ tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the Lord] so that you might not, as you are setting [it] apart, take some of what is set apart [to the Lord] and make the camp of Israel set apart [to destruction by the Lord] and bring trouble on it.”

[6:19]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “it is holy to the Lord.”

[6:20]  ²¹⁵ tc Heb “and the people shouted and they blew the rams’ horns.” The initial statement (“and the people shouted”) seems premature, since the verse goes on to explain that the battle cry followed the blowing of the horns. The statement has probably been accidentally duplicated from what follows. It is omitted in the LXX.

[6:20]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “the people.”

[6:20]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “the sound of the horn.”

[6:20]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “they shouted with a loud shout.”

[6:20]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “fell in its place.”

[6:20]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “and the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.”

[6:21]  ²²¹ tn Heb “all which was in the city.”

[6:22]  ²²² tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”

[6:22]  ²²³ tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”

[6:23]  ²²⁴ tn Or “placed them outside.”

[6:24]  ²²⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”

[6:24]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the Lord.” Technically the Lord did not have a “house” yet, so perhaps this refers to the tabernacle using later terminology.

[6:25]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “kept alive.”

[6:25]  ²²⁸ tn Heb the house of her father.”

[6:25]  ²²⁹ tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.”

[6:25]  ²³⁰ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[6:26]  ²³¹ tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the Lord” spoken through Joshua.

[6:26]  ²³² tn Heb “rises up and builds.”

[6:26]  ²³³ tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.

[6:26]  ²³⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the Lord”) also occurs in 1 Sam 26:19.

[6:26]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.

[6:27]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”

[7:1]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ²³⁸ tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).

[7:1]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[7:2]  ²⁴¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[7:2]  ²⁴² map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:3]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”

[7:3]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”

[7:3]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”

[7:3]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”

[7:5]  ²⁴⁷ tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).

[7:5]  ²⁴⁸ sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.

[7:5]  ²⁴⁹ tn Or “army’s.”

[7:5]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”

[7:6]  ²⁵¹ sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).

[7:6]  ²⁵² tn Or “elders.”

[7:6]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel.”

[7:6]  ²⁵⁴ sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).

[7:7]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “said.”

[7:8]  ²⁵⁶ tn Heb “turned [the] back.”

[7:9]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “and cut off our name.”

[7:9]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”

[7:10]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “said.”

[7:10]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”

[7:11]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ²⁶² tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ²⁶³ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:12]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the Lord].”

[7:12]  ²⁶⁵ tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.

[7:12]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”

[7:13]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] [is] in your midst.”

[7:13]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”

[7:14]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “by your tribes.”

[7:14]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”

[7:14]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “houses.”

[7:14]  ²⁷² tn Heb “by men.”

[7:15]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:15]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “burned with fire.”

[7:16]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “by tribes.”

[7:17]  ²⁷⁶ tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.

[7:17]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The Lord is the apparent subject. The LXX supports reading a passive (Niphal) form here, as does the immediate context.

[7:18]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:18]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “by men.”

[7:19]  ²⁸⁰ tn Heb “give glory to.”

[7:20]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”

[7:21]  ²⁸² tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).

[7:21]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “shekels.”

[7:22]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”

[7:23]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.

[7:24]  ²⁸⁶ tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).

[7:25]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).

[7:25]  ²⁸⁸ tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.

[7:26]  ²⁸⁹ tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.

[8:1]  ²⁹⁰ tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”

[8:1]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”

[8:1]  ²⁹² tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.

[8:2]  ²⁹³ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[8:3]  ²⁹⁴ tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”

[8:4]  ²⁹⁵ tn Or “commanded, ordered.”

[8:5]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:6]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “come out after.”

[8:7]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “from the ambush.”

[8:7]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “take possession of.”

[8:8]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “the city.”

[8:8]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “I have commanded you.”

[8:9]  ³⁰² tn Or “the place of ambush.”

[8:9]  ³⁰³ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:9]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

[8:9]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”

[8:10]  ³⁰⁶ tn Or “summoned, mustered.”

[8:10]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:10]  ³⁰⁸ tn Or “elders.”

[8:10]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “went up.”

[8:10]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.

[8:11]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”

[8:11]  ³¹² tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”

[8:12]  ³¹³ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:13]  ³¹⁴ tn Some Hebrew mss read, “spent the night in.”

[8:14]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”

[8:14]  ³¹⁶ tn Or “know.”

[8:14]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”

[8:16]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “All the people.”

[8:16]  ³¹⁹ tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”

[8:16]  ³²⁰ tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”

[8:17]  ³²¹ tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”

[8:17]  ³²² tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”

[8:18]  ³²³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:19]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “and ran.”

[8:20]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “and they saw, and look.” The Hebrew term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to the scene and invites the audience to view the events from the perspective of the men of Ai.

[8:20]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “and there was not in them hands to flee here or there.” The Hebrew term יָדַיִם (yadayim, “hands”) is idiomatic for “strength.”

[8:21]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “and that the smoke of the city ascended.”

[8:22]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”

[8:24]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “residents.”

[8:24]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “in the field, in the desert in which they chased them.”

[8:24]  ³³¹ tc Heb “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed.” The LXX omits the words, “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword.” They may represent a later scribal addition.

[8:25]  ³³² tn Heb “fell.”

[8:26]  ³³³ tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”

[8:27]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he commanded Joshua.”

[8:28]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”

[8:29]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  ³³⁷ sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.

[8:29]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “to this day.”

[8:31]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).

[8:31]  ³⁴⁰ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[8:32]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”

[8:33]  ³⁴² tn Heb “All Israel.”

[8:33]  ³⁴³ tn Or “elders.”

[8:33]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.

[8:33]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “as Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded to bless the people, Israel, formerly.”

[8:34]  ³⁴⁶ tn Or “afterward.”

[8:35]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”

[8:35]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “walked in their midst.”

[9:1]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”

[9:1]  ³⁵⁰ tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

[9:1]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

[9:1]  ³⁵² tn Heb “in front of.”

[9:2]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”

[9:3]  ³⁵⁴ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[9:4]  ³⁵⁵ tc Heb “and they went and [?].” The root and meaning of the verb form יִצְטַיָּרוּ (yitstayyaru) are uncertain. The form is most likely a corruption of יִצְטַיָּדוּ (yitstayyadu), read by some Hebrew mss and ancient versions, from the root צוּד (tsud, “take provisions,” BDB 845 s.v. II צוד) which also occurs in v. 11. Note NRSV “they went and prepared provisions”; cf. NEB “They went and disguised themselves”; NIV “they went as a delegation.”

[9:5]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “all the bread of their provisions.”

[9:5]  ³⁵⁷ tn Or “moldy.”

[9:7]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “in our midst.”

[9:8]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “we are your servants.”

[9:9]  ³⁶⁰ tn Or “servants.”

[9:9]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “name.”

[9:9]  ³⁶² tn Heb “the report about him, all that he did in Egypt.”

[9:11]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “your servants.”

[9:12]  ³⁶⁴ tn Heb “in the day we went out to come to you.”

[9:12]  ³⁶⁵ tn Or “moldy.”

[9:14]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “took.” This probably means they tasted some of the food to make sure it was stale.

[9:14]  ³⁶⁷ tn Heb “but they did not ask the mouth of the Lord.” This refers to seeking the Lord’s will and guidance through an oracle.

[9:15]  ³⁶⁸ tn Or “assembly.”

[9:15]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.”

[9:16]  ³⁷⁰ tn Heb “At the end of three days, after they made the treaty with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and in their midst they were living.”

[9:18]  ³⁷¹ tn Heb “by the Lord God of Israel.”

[9:18]  ³⁷² tn Or “grumbled against.”

[9:19]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “to them by….”

[9:19]  ³⁷⁴ tn Or “touch.”

[9:20]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”

[9:21]  ³⁷⁶ tc Heb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”

[9:21]  ³⁷⁷ tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.

[9:21]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “as the leaders said to them.”

[9:22]  ³⁷⁹ sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.

[9:22]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “them.”

[9:22]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “deceive.”

[9:22]  ³⁸² tn Heb “live in our midst?”

[9:23]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

[9:24]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “your servants.”

[9:24]  ³⁸⁵ tn Or “we were very afraid.”

[9:25]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “so now, look, we are in your hand.”

[9:25]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “according to what is good and according to what is upright in your eyes to do us, do.”

[9:26]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “And he did to them so and he rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel and they did not kill them.”

[9:27]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the Lord to this day at the place which he chooses.”

[10:1]  ³⁹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:1]  ³⁹¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:1]  ³⁹² tn Heb “as he had done to Jericho and to its king, so he did to Ai and to its king.”

[10:1]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “and how.”

[10:2]  ³⁹⁴ tn This statement is subordinated to v. 1 in the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “When Adoni-Zedek…they feared greatly.” The subject of the plural verb at the beginning of v. 2 is probably the residents of Jerusalem.

[10:4]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “Come up to me and help me.”

[10:5]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “and they camped against Gibeon and fought against it.”

[10:6]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “do not let your hand drop from us.”

[10:6]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “your servants!”

[10:6]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “have gathered against us.”

[10:7]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the brave warriors.”

[10:8]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “I have given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.

[10:8]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “and not a man [or “one”] of them will stand before you.”

[10:9]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “Joshua came upon them suddenly, all the night he went up from Gilgal.”

[10:10]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Or “caused to panic.”

[10:10]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Israel (mentioned at the end of the previous sentence in the verse; cf. NIV, NRSV), but it is also possible that the Lord should be understood as the referent (cf. NASB “and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon”), or even Joshua (cf. NEB “and Joshua defeated them utterly in Gibeon”).

[10:10]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”

[10:10]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Or “ascent.”

[10:11]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “on the descent of.”

[10:11]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Or “heaven” (also in v. 13). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[10:12]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day the Lord placed the Amorites before the sons of Israel and he said in the eyes of Israel.” It is uncertain whether the phrase “before the sons of Israel” modifies the verb “placed” (as in the present translation, “delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites”) or the verb “spoke” (“Joshua spoke to the Lord before the sons of Israel in the day the Lord delivered over the Amorites”).

[10:13]  ⁴¹¹ tn Heb “Is it not written down in the Scroll of the Upright One.” Many modern translations render, “the Scroll [or Book] of Jashar,” leaving the Hebrew name “Jashar” (which means “Upright One”) untranslated.

[10:13]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “and did not hurry to set [for] about a full day.”

[10:14]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “listened to the voice of.”

[10:16]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “these five kings.”

[10:18]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “and appoint by it men to guard them.”

[10:19]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Heb “But [as for] you, don’t stand still, chase after your enemies and attack them from the rear.”

[10:19]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Or “enter into.”

[10:19]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “has given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.

[10:20]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “When Joshua and the sons of Israel finished defeating them with a very great defeat until they were destroyed (now the survivors escaped to the fortified cities).” In the Hebrew text the initial temporal clause (“when Joshua…finished”) is subordinated to v. 21 (“the whole army returned”).

[10:21]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua [at] Makkedah [in] peace.”

[10:21]  ⁴²¹ tc Heb “No man.” The lamed (ל) prefixed to אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is probably dittographic (note the immediately preceding יִשְׂרָאֵל [isra’el] which ends in lamed, ל); cf. the LXX.

[10:21]  ⁴²² tn Heb “no man sharpened [or perhaps, “pointed”] his tongue against the sons of Israel.” Cf. NEB “not a man of the Israelites suffered so much as a scratch on his tongue,” which understands “sharpened” as “scratched” (referring to a minor wound). Most modern translations understand the Hebrew expression “sharpened his tongue” figuratively for opposition or threats against the Israelites.

[10:22]  ⁴²³ tn Heb “these five kings.”

[10:23]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “they did so.”

[10:23]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “these five kings.”

[10:23]  ⁴²⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:24]  ⁴²⁷ tn Heb “Joshua.” The translation has replaced the proper name with the pronoun (“he”) because a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant according to English style.

[10:24]  ⁴²⁸ tn Or “Draw near.”

[10:24]  ⁴²⁹ tn Or “drew near.”

[10:25]  ⁴³⁰ tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”

[10:26]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”

[10:27]  ⁴³² sn For the legal background of the removal of the corpses before sundown, see Deut 21:22-23.

[10:27]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “to this very day.” The words “They remain” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[10:28]  ⁴³⁴ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:29]  ⁴³⁵ tn Heb “Libnah.” Repetition of the proper name here would be redundant according to English style, so the pronoun (“it”) has been employed in the translation.

[10:30]  ⁴³⁶ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:30]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:30]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “He”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:30]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:30]  ⁴⁴⁰ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:31]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “encamped against it.”

[10:32]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:33]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “people.”

[10:34]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “they encamped against it.”

[10:35]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:35]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:37]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:37]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:37]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:39]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “He”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:39]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:39]  ⁴⁵² tn Heb “He”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:39]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).

[10:39]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “as he did to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, and as he did to Libnah and its king.” The clauses have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[10:40]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

[10:41]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Heb “and Joshua struck them down, from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, even to Gibeon.”

[10:42]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “at one time.”

[10:2]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn This statement is subordinated to v. 1 in the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “When Adoni-Zedek…they feared greatly.” The subject of the plural verb at the beginning of v. 2 is probably the residents of Jerusalem.

[8:1]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”

[8:1]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”

[8:1]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.

[8:2]  ⁴⁶² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[8:3]  ⁴⁶³ tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”

[8:4]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Or “commanded, ordered.”

[8:5]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:6]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “come out after.”

[8:7]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Heb “from the ambush.”

[8:7]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Heb “take possession of.”

[8:8]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “the city.”

[8:8]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “I have commanded you.”

[8:9]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Or “the place of ambush.”

[8:9]  ⁴⁷² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:9]  ⁴⁷³ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

[8:9]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Or “summoned, mustered.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Or “elders.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “went up.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.

[8:11]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”

[8:11]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”

[8:12]  ⁴⁸² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:13]  ⁴⁸³ tn Some Hebrew mss read, “spent the night in.”

[8:14]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”

[8:14]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Or “know.”

[8:14]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”

[8:16]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn Heb “All the people.”

[8:16]  ⁴⁸⁸ tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”

[8:16]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”

[8:17]  ⁴⁹⁰ tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”

[8:17]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”

[8:18]  ⁴⁹² tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ⁴⁹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:1]  ⁴⁹⁴ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:1]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn Heb “as he had done to Jericho and to its king, so he did to Ai and to its king.”

[10:1]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Heb “and how.”

[10:2]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn This statement is subordinated to v. 1 in the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “When Adoni-Zedek…they feared greatly.” The subject of the plural verb at the beginning of v. 2 is probably the residents of Jerusalem.

[10:4]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “Come up to me and help me.”

[10:5]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “and they camped against Gibeon and fought against it.”

[10:6]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “do not let your hand drop from us.”

[10:6]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “your servants!”

[10:6]  ⁵⁰² tn Heb “have gathered against us.”

[10:7]  ⁵⁰³ tn Heb “And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the brave warriors.”

[10:8]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Heb “I have given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.

[10:8]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “and not a man [or “one”] of them will stand before you.”

[10:9]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Heb “Joshua came upon them suddenly, all the night he went up from Gilgal.”

[10:10]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn Or “caused to panic.”

[10:10]  ⁵⁰⁸ tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Israel (mentioned at the end of the previous sentence in the verse; cf. NIV, NRSV), but it is also possible that the Lord should be understood as the referent (cf. NASB “and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon”), or even Joshua (cf. NEB “and Joshua defeated them utterly in Gibeon”).

[10:10]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”

[10:10]  ⁵¹⁰ tn Or “ascent.”

[10:11]  ⁵¹¹ tn Heb “on the descent of.”

[10:11]  ⁵¹² tn Or “heaven” (also in v. 13). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[10:12]  ⁵¹³ tn Heb “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day the Lord placed the Amorites before the sons of Israel and he said in the eyes of Israel.” It is uncertain whether the phrase “before the sons of Israel” modifies the verb “placed” (as in the present translation, “delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites”) or the verb “spoke” (“Joshua spoke to the Lord before the sons of Israel in the day the Lord delivered over the Amorites”).

[10:13]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Heb “Is it not written down in the Scroll of the Upright One.” Many modern translations render, “the Scroll [or Book] of Jashar,” leaving the Hebrew name “Jashar” (which means “Upright One”) untranslated.

[10:13]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “and did not hurry to set [for] about a full day.”

[10:14]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Heb “listened to the voice of.”

[10:16]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “these five kings.”

[10:18]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “and appoint by it men to guard them.”

[10:19]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “But [as for] you, don’t stand still, chase after your enemies and attack them from the rear.”

[10:19]  ⁵²⁰ tn Or “enter into.”

[10:19]  ⁵²¹ tn Heb “has given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.

[2:8]  ⁵²² sn I will give you the nations. The Lord promises the Davidic king universal dominion.

[2:9]  ⁵²³ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ⁵²⁴ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ⁵²⁵ sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.

[72:8]  ⁵²⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ⁵²⁷ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ⁵²⁸ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ⁵²⁹ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ⁵³⁰ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[32:22]  ⁵³¹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[32:22]  ⁵³² tn For an alternative translation of the expression “a land flowing with milk and honey” see the translator’s note on 11:5.

[2:45]  ⁵³³ tn Aram “after this.”

[1:9]  ⁵³⁴ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁵³⁵ tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.

[1:9]  ⁵³⁶ tn Heb “come to.”

[1:9]  ⁵³⁷ tn Or “reached.”

[1:9]  ⁵³⁸ tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.

[1:9]  ⁵³⁹ tn Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line.

[1:68]  ⁵⁴⁰ sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).

[1:68]  ⁵⁴¹ sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).

[1:68]  ⁵⁴² tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.”

[1:69]  ⁵⁴³ tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.

[1:69]  ⁵⁴⁴ sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.

[1:69]  ⁵⁴⁵ sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”

[1:69]  ⁵⁴⁶ sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.

[1:70]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Grk “from the ages,” “from eternity.”

[1:71]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Grk “from long ago, salvation.”

[1:71]  ⁵⁴⁹ sn The theme of being saved from our enemies is like the release Jesus preached in Luke 4:18-19. Luke’s narrative shows that one of the enemies in view is Satan and his cohorts, with the grip they have on humanity.

[1:72]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

[1:72]  ⁵⁵¹ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

[1:72]  ⁵⁵² tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

[1:72]  ⁵⁵³ sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

[1:73]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.

[1:73]  ⁵⁵⁵ tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”

[1:73]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.

[1:74]  ⁵⁵⁷ tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] Ë^1,13 565 892 pc) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 Ï pc) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.

[1:74]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.

[1:75]  ⁵⁵⁹ sn The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.

[1:75]  ⁵⁶⁰ tn Grk “all our days.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ⁵⁶² tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[1:1]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[11:15]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”