The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc> came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land,<n id="1" /> the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Joshua was near<n id="1" /> Jericho,<n id="2" /> he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword.<n id="3" /> Joshua approached him and asked him, &#8220;Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?&#8221;<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">When Joshua gave the army its orders,<n id="1" /> the seven priests carrying the seven rams&#8217; horns before the <sc>Lordsc> moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc> followed behind.

Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place<n id="1" /> west of Ai, between Bethel<n id="2" /> and Ai.<n id="3" /> Joshua spent that night with the army.<n id="4" />p>

Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given<n id="1" /> before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them.<n id="2" />p>

Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, &#8216;Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, &#8220;We are willing to be your subjects.<n id="1" /> Make a treaty with us.&#8221;&#8217;

Now the <sc>Lordsc> your God has made your fellow Israelites secure,<n id="1" /> just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes<n id="2" /> in your own land<n id="3" /> which Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan.

But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant gave you. Love<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> your God, follow all his instructions,<n id="2" /> obey<n id="3" /> his commands, be loyal to him,<n id="4" /> and serve him with all your heart and being!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

If you violate the covenantal laws of the <sc>Lordsc> your God which he commanded you to keep,<n id="1" /> and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods,<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc> will be very angry with you and you will disappear<n id="3" /> quickly from the good land which he gave to you.&#8221;p>

but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates<n id="1" /> and brought him into<n id="2" /> the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac,

For the <sc>Lordsc> our God took us and our fathers out of slavery<n id="1" /> in the land of Egypt<n id="2" /> and performed these awesome miracles<n id="3" /> before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses&#8217; father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah,<n id="1" /> located in the Negev.<n id="2" /> They went and lived with the people of Judah.<n id="3" />p>

They abandoned the <sc>Lordsc> God of their ancestors<n id="1" /> who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods &#8211; the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped<n id="2" /> them and made the <sc>Lordsc> angry.

But they did not obey<n id="1" /> their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped<n id="2" /> them. They quickly turned aside from the path<n id="3" /> their ancestors<n id="4" /> had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s commands, but they did not.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">She summoned<n id="1" /> Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, &#8220;Is it not true that the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun!

Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, &#8220;Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.&#8221; He went with her into the tent,<n id="1" /> and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead<n id="2" /> with the tent peg in his temple.p>

The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.<n id="1" /> Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger then disappeared.<n id="2" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> said to Gideon, &#8220;With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army<n id="1" /> and I will hand Midian over to you.<n id="2" /> The rest of the men should go home.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">The Ephraimites said to him, &#8220;Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us<n id="1" /> when you went to fight the Midianites!&#8221; They argued vehemently with him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Jotham heard the news,<n id="1" /> he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!p>