Joshua 13–15
1 Now Joshua was old and well advanced in years. The Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, but very much of the land still remains to be possessed.
2 “This is the land that remains: all the districts of the Philistines and those of the Geshurites 3 (from the Shihor east of Egypt northward to the boundary of Ekron, which is counted as Canaanite; the cities of the five Philistine governors: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and also the Avvites’ lands. 4 Also remaining in the south is all the land of the Canaanites, Arah owned by the Sidonians, as far as Aphek at the Amorite boundary, 5 the land of the Gebalites and all Lebanon to the east, and from Baal Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 “I will drive out from before the children of Israel all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim and all the Sidonians. Be sure to divide these lands by lot as an inheritance for Israel as I have commanded you. 7 So now, divide this land as an inheritance for the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
8 With the other half-tribe of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad took their inheritance that Moses gave to them on the east side of the Jordan, as Moses the servant of the Lord had given them: 9 from Aroer on the bank of the River Arnon, the city in the middle of the valley, all the plain from Medeba to Dibon, 10 all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, and the land up to the Ammonite border. 11 Moses had also given them Gilead, the territory of the Geshurites and Maakathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salekah, 12 and in Bashan all the kingdom of Og, one of the last remnant of the giants, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses struck them down and took their lands. 13 Yet the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maakathites, and Geshur and Maakah live among Israel until this day.
14 However Moses did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The burnt offerings of the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as He said to them.
15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of the Reubenites according to their clans. 16 Their territory was from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, the city in the middle of the valley, all the plain of Medeba, 17 Heshbon and all its towns in the plain: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth, 21 all the cities of the plain, and the whole kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses struck him down along with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were princes of Sihon who lived in the land. 22 The children of Israel killed Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination, with the sword along with the rest of the slain. 23 The border of the Reubenites was the banks of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites according to their clans: those towns and their settlements.
24 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Gad for the Gadites according to their clans. 25 Their territory was Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of the Ammonite land as far as Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah, Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. 27 In the valley were Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, the Jordan as its boundary to the lower Sea of Galilee to the east of the Jordan. 28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites according to their clans: those towns and their settlements.
29 Moses assigned land to the half-tribe of Manasseh for the descendants of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their territory was from Mahanaim, through all of Bashan, all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, all the sixty villages of Jair that are in Bashan, 31 half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei: cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. This was for the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, half of the descendants of Makir by their clans.
32 This is the territory Moses assigned in the desert plains of Moab, on the eastern side of Jericho and the Jordan. 33 Yet Moses did not assign land to the tribe of Levi as an inheritance. The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He said to them.
Chapter 14
1 These are the territories that the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes assigned to them. 2 Their inheritance fell to them by lot, as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine and a half tribes. 3 For Moses had assigned the inheritance of two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, but he had not assigned an inheritance among them to the Levites. 4 The descendants of Joseph were two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim. They did not give territory to the Levites in the land, but only towns in which to live, along with the pastures, livestock, and property. 5 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did when they divided the land.
6 The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God about you and me at Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. 8 My companions who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt, but I wholeheartedly followed after the Lord my God. 9 On that day Moses swore an oath, ‘The land on which your foot treads shall be your inheritance, for your descendants perpetually, because you completely followed after the Lord my God.’
10 “Now, the Lord has kept me alive, just as He said, for forty-five years, since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 I am still just as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me. My strength now is just like my strength then, both for battle and for going out and returning. 12 So now, give me this hill country that the Lord spoke about on that day. That day you heard that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out, as the Lord said.”
13 Then Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron became an inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day because he completely followed after the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 The former name of Hebron was Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the Anakites.
Then the land had rest from war.
Chapter 15
1 The allotment for the tribe of Judah, by their clans, stretches southward to the border of Edom, to the Zin wilderness in the south.
2 Their southern border runs from the southern tip of the Salt Sea, 3 to south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, crosses to Zin, rises south of Kadesh Barnea, crosses to Hezron, then rises to Addar, turns toward Karka, 4 then crosses to Azmon, goes out to the Brook of Egypt, and then to the sea. This is your southern border.
5 The eastern border is the Salt Sea up to the mouth of the Jordan.
The northern border runs from the northern extremity of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan River, 6 then rises to Beth Hoglah, crosses north of Beth Arabah, rises to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben, 7 and rises to Debir from the Achor Valley, turns northward to Gilgal opposite the Ascent of Adummim south of the valley, and crosses to the waters of En Shemesh and onward to En Rogel. 8 The border rises to Valley of Ben Hinnom, to the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem), then rises to the top of the hill west of the Valley of Ben Hinnom, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 The border turns from the top of the hill to the waters of Nephtoah and goes out to the cities of Mount Ephron, then turns to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). 10 The border turns west of Baalah to Mount Seir, crosses to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), descends to Beth Shemesh, and crosses to Timnah. 11 The border goes out to the northern slope of Ekron, turns to Shikkeron, crosses to Mount Baalah, goes out to Jabneel, and ends at the sea.
12 The western border was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
These were the borders surrounding the tribe of Judah according to their clans.
13 According to the word of the Lord to Joshua, Caleb son of Jephunneh was given an allotment among the tribe of Judah: Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron). Arba was the father of Anak. 14 Caleb drove out from there three Anakites: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15 He went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. Before the name of Debir was Kiriath Sepher. 16 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it, so Caleb gave him Aksah his daughter in marriage.
18 When she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. She dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What can I do for you?”
19 She answered, “Please give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So he gave her the upper and lower springs.
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah according to their clans.
21 The cities at the southern extremity of the tribe of Judah toward the border with Edom were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. The cities numbered twenty-nine with their villages.
33 In the lowland were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah (Gederothaim): fourteen cities with their villages.
37 Also there were Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.
42 Also there were Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Akzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.
45 Also there were Ekron, its towns and villages; 46 from Ekron to the sea, all the land near Ashdod and their villages, 47 Ashdod, its towns and villages, Gaza, its towns and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea with its coast.
48 In the hill country were Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages.
52 Also there were Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine cities with their villages.
55 Also there were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities with their villages.
58 Also there were Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon: six cities with their villages.
60 Also there were Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.
61 In the wilderness were Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, 62 Nibshan, City of Salt, and En Gedi: six cities with their villages.
63 The people of Judah were not able to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
Luke 1:57–80
57 Now Elizabeth’s time had come to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and cousins heard how the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they were calling him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60 But his mother answered, “Not so! He shall be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
62 They made signs to his father, asking what he would have him called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he spoke and praised God. 65 Fear came on all who lived around them. And all these facts were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 All those who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will he be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of long ago,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
74 to grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people
by the remission of their sins,
78 through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise from on high has visited us;
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he remained in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to Israel.