One Year Bible.

Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites

¹Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel ²at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”

³So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

⁴The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁵The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁶The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

⁹From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name ¹⁰to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:

¹¹They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹²But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

¹³So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah, ¹⁴Jattir, Eshtemoa, ¹⁵Holon, Debir, ¹⁶Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh— nine cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands.

¹⁷And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, ¹⁸Anathoth, and Almon— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

¹⁹In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

²⁰The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities:

From the tribe of Ephraim ²¹they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer, ²²Kibzaim, and Beth-horon— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

²³From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon, ²⁴Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁵And from the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon— two cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁶In all, ten cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

²⁷This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah— two cities, together with their pasturelands.

²⁸From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹Jarmuth, and En-gannim— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁰From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal, Abdon, ³¹Helkath, and Rehob— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³²And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan— three cities, together with their pasturelands.

³³In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the Gershonite clans.

³⁴This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given:

From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah, ³⁵Dimnah, and Nahalal— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁶From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷Kedemoth, and Mephaath— four cities, together with their pasturelands.

³⁸And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim, ³⁹Heshbon, and Jazer— four cities in all, together with their pasturelands.

⁴⁰In all, twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.

⁴¹For the Levites, then, there were forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands, within the territory of the Israelites. ⁴²Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.

⁴³Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.

⁴⁴And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

⁴⁵Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

¹Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh ²and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. ³All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God.

⁴And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan. ⁵But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

⁶So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes. ⁷(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them, ⁸saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”

The Altar of Witness

⁹So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses. ¹⁰And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

¹¹Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” ¹²And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

¹³The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. ¹⁴With him they sent ten chiefs — one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

¹⁵They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them, ¹⁶“This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel against the LORD this day?

¹⁷Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. ¹⁸And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

¹⁹If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

²⁰Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”

²¹Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel: ²²“The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today. ²³If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable.

²⁴But in fact we have done this for fear that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? ²⁵For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

²⁶That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. ²⁷Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’

²⁸Therefore we said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

²⁹Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.”

³⁰When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation — the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him — heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied. ³¹Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”

³²Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead. ³³The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived. ³⁴So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

The Burden against Israel’s Enemies

¹This is the burden of the word of the LORD

against the land of Hadrach

and Damascus its resting place—

for the eyes of men

and of all the tribes of Israel

are upon the LORD—

²and also against Hamath,

which borders it,

as well as Tyre and Sidon,

though they are very shrewd.

³Tyre has built herself a fortress;

she has heaped up silver like dust,

and gold like the dirt of the streets.

⁴Behold, the Lord will impoverish her

and cast her wealth into the sea,

and she will be consumed by fire.

⁵Ashkelon will see and fear;

Gaza will writhe in agony,

as will Ekron,

for her hope will wither.

There will cease to be a king in Gaza,

and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.

⁶A mixed race will occupy Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

⁷I will remove the blood from their mouths

and the abominations from between their teeth.

Then they too will become a remnant for our God;

they will become like a clan in Judah,

and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

⁸But I will camp around My house because of an army,

because of those who march to and fro,

and never again will an oppressor overrun My people,

for now I keep watch with My own eyes.

Zion’s Coming King

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your King comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

humble and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

¹⁰And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the horse from Jerusalem,

and the bow of war will be broken.

Then He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion will extend from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates

to the ends of the earth.

¹¹As for you,

because of the blood of My covenant,

I will release your prisoners

from the waterless pit.

¹²Return to your stronghold,

O prisoners of hope;

even today I declare

that I will restore to you double.

¹³For I will bend Judah as My bow

and fit it with Ephraim.

I will rouse your sons, O Zion,

against the sons of Greece.

I will make you like the sword

of a mighty man.

The LORD Will Save His People

¹⁴Then the LORD will appear over them,

and His arrow will go forth like lightning.

The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn

and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.

¹⁵The LORD of Hosts will shield them.

They will destroy and conquer with slingstones;

they will drink and roar as with wine.

And they will be filled like sprinkling bowls,

drenched like the corners of the altar.

¹⁶On that day the LORD their God will save them

as the flock of His people;

for like jewels in a crown

they will sparkle over His land.

¹⁷How lovely they will be,

and how beautiful!

Grain will make the young men flourish,

and new wine, the young women.

A Call to Repentance

¹At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way? ³No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman

¹⁰One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight. ¹²When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.” ¹³Then He placed His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.

¹⁴But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵“You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water? ¹⁶Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things He was doing.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? ¹⁹It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

²⁰Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

The Narrow Door

²²Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem. ²³“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?”

Jesus answered, ²⁴“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’

But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

²⁶Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

²⁸There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. ²⁹People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”

³²But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ ³³Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

³⁴O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! ³⁵Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”