One Year Bible.

The Deceit of the Gibeonites

¹Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan — those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)— ²they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

³But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ⁴acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. ⁵They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy. ⁶They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.”

⁷But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?”

⁸“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you come from?”

⁹“Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt, ¹⁰and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan— Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. ¹¹So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’

¹²This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But look, it is now dry and moldy. ¹³These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”

¹⁴Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not seek the counsel of the LORD. ¹⁵And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

¹⁶Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them. ¹⁷So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities — Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. ¹⁸But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.

¹⁹All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. ²⁰This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” ²¹They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.

²²Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? ²³Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

²⁴The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this. ²⁵Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”

²⁶So Joshua did this and delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the Gibeonites. ²⁷On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose.

The Day the Sun Stood Still

¹Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction — doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king — and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them. ²So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

³Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴“Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

⁵So the five kings of the Amorites— the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon— joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

⁶Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

⁷So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.

⁸The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.”

⁹After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. ¹⁰And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

¹²On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel:

“O sun, stand still over Gibeon,

O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

¹³So the sun stood still

and the moon stopped

until the nation took vengeance

upon its enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?

“So the sun stopped

in the middle of the sky

and delayed going down

about a full day.”

¹⁴There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.

¹⁵Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

The Victory at Makkedah

¹⁶Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”

¹⁸So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them. ¹⁹But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”

²⁰So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified cities. ²¹The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.

²²Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” ²³So they brought the five kings out of the cave — the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

²⁴When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”

So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.

²⁵“Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

²⁶After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left them there until evening. ²⁷At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.

²⁸On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Conquest of the Southern Cities

²⁹Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. ³⁰And the LORD also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it. ³²And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.

³³At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.

³⁴So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it. ³⁵That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish.

³⁶Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. ³⁷They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it.

³⁸Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it. ³⁹And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.

⁴⁰So Joshua conquered the whole region— the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings— leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. ⁴¹Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

⁴²And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. ⁴³Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Women Minister to Jesus

¹Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, ²as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable: ⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

⁶Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop — a hundredfold.”

As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

‘though seeing, they may not see;

though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹²The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹³The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

¹⁵But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The Lesson of the Lamp

¹⁶No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. ¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.”

²¹But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²²One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

²³As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked.

Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

The Demons and the Pigs

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.

²⁸When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!” ²⁹For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³²There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside. ³⁵So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

³⁸The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. ⁴¹Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house, ⁴²because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus went with him, the crowds pressed around Him, ⁴³including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. ⁴⁴She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.

But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding and pressing against You.”

⁴⁶But Jesus declared, “Someone touched Me, for I know that power has gone out from Me.”

⁴⁷Then the woman, seeing that she could not escape notice, came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched Him and how she had immediately been healed.

⁴⁸“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵²Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.” ⁵³And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were astounded, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.