The One Year Bible TLB (91 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
April 23After Joshua died, the nation of Israel went to the Lord to receive his instructions.
“Which of our tribes should be the first to go to war against the Canaanites?” they inquired.
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God’s answer came, “Judah. And I will give them a great victory.”
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The leaders of the tribe of Judah, however, asked help from the tribe of Simeon. “Join us in clearing out the people living in the territory allotted to us,” they said, “and then we will help you conquer yours.” So the army of Simeon went with the army of Judah.
4-6
And the Lord helped them defeat the Canaanites and Perizzites, so that ten thousand of the enemy were slain at Bezek. King Adoni-bezek escaped, but the Israeli army soon captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
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“I have treated seventy kings in this same manner and have fed them the scraps under my table!” King Adoni-bezek said. “Now God has paid me back.” He was taken to Jerusalem and died there.
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(Judah had conquered Jerusalem and massacred its people, setting the city on fire.)
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Afterward the army of Judah fought the Canaanites in the hill country and in the Negeb, as well as on the coastal plains.
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Then Judah marched against the Canaanites in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath-arba), destroying the cities of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
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Later they attacked the city of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).
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“Who will lead the attack against Debir?” Caleb challenged them. “Whoever conquers it shall have my daughter Achsah as his wife!”
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Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, son of his younger brother Kenaz, volunteered to lead the attack; and he conquered the city and won Achsah as his bride.
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As they were leaving for their new home,
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she urged him to ask her father for an additional piece of land. She dismounted from her donkey to speak to Caleb about it.
“What do you wish?” he asked.
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And she replied, “You have been kind enough to give me land in the Negeb, but please give us springs of water too.”
So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
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When the tribe of Judah moved into its new land in the Negeb Desert south of Arad, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law—members of the Kenite tribe—accompanied them. They left their homes in Jericho, “The City of Palm Trees,” and the two tribes lived together after that.
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Afterwards the army of Judah joined Simeon’s, and they fought the Canaanites at the city of Zephath and massacred all its people. So now the city is named Hormah (meaning, “massacred”).
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The army of Judah also conquered the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, with their surrounding villages.
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The Lord helped the tribe of Judah exterminate the people of the hill country, though they failed in their attempt to conquer the people of the valley, who had iron chariots.
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The city of Hebron was given to Caleb as the Lord had promised; so Caleb drove out the inhabitants of the city; they were descendants of the three sons of Anak.
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The tribe of Benjamin failed to exterminate the Jebusites living in their part of the city of Jerusalem, so they still live there today, mingled with the Israelis.
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As for the tribe of Joseph, they attacked the city of Bethel, formerly known as Luz, and the Lord was with them. First they sent scouts,
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who captured a man coming out of the city. They offered to spare his life and that of his family if he would show them the entrance passage through the wall.
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So he showed them how to get in, and they massacred the entire population except for this man and his family.
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Later the man moved to Syria and founded a city there, naming it Luz, too, as it is still known today.
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The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, with their surrounding towns; so the Canaanites stayed there.
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In later years when the Israelis were stronger, they put the Canaanites to work as slaves, but never did force them to leave the country.
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This was also true of the Canaanites living in Gezer; they still live among the tribe of Ephraim.
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And the tribe of Zebulun did not massacre the people of Kitron or Nahalol, but made them their slaves;
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nor did the tribe of Asher drive out the residents of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob; so the Israelis still live among the Canaanites, who were the original people of that land.
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And the tribe of Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or of Beth-anath, so these people continue to live among them as servants.
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As for the tribe of Dan, the Amorites forced them into the hill country and wouldn’t let them come down into the valley;
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but when the Amorites later spread into Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, the tribe of Joseph conquered them and made them their slaves.
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The boundary of the Amorites begins at the ascent of Scorpion Pass, runs to a spot called The Rock, and continues upward from there.
2:
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One day the Angel of the Lord arrived at Bochim, coming from Gilgal, and announced to the people of Israel, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I promised to your ancestors, and I said that I would never break my covenant with you,
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if you, on your part, would make no peace treaties with the people living in this land; I told you to destroy their heathen altars. Why have you not obeyed?
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And now since you have broken the contract, it is no longer in effect, and I no longer promise to destroy the nations living in your land; rather, they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”
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The people broke into tears as the Angel finished speaking;
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so the name of that place was called “Bochim” (meaning, “the place where people wept”). Then they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
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When Joshua finally disbanded the armies of Israel, the tribes moved into their new territories and took possession of the land.
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Joshua, the man of God, died at the age of 110 and was buried at the edge of his property in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. The people had remained true to the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime, and as long afterward as the old men of his generation were still living—those who had seen the mighty miracles the Lord had done for Israel.
Then he [Jesus] gave them this illustration:
“Notice the fig tree, or any other tree.
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When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near.
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In the same way, when you see the events taking place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of God is near.
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“I solemnly declare to you that when these things happen, the end of this age
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has come.
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And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.
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“Watch out! Don’t let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don’t let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world.
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Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors.”
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37-38
Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and the crowds began gathering early in the morning to hear him. And each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
22:
1
And now the Passover celebration was drawing near—the Jewish festival when only bread made without yeast was used.
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The chief priests and other religious leaders were actively plotting Jesus’ murder, trying to find a way to kill him without starting a riot—a possibility they greatly feared.
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Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples,
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and he went over to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guards to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.
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They were, of course, delighted to know that he was ready to help them and promised him a reward.
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So he began to look for an opportunity for them to arrest Jesus quietly when the crowds weren’t around.
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Now the day of the Passover celebration arrived, when the Passover lamb was killed and eaten with the unleavened bread.
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Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to find a place to prepare their Passover meal.
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“Where do you want us to go?” they asked.
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And he replied,
“As soon as you enter Jerusalem,
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you will see a man walking along carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house he enters,
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and say to the man who lives there, ‘Our Teacher says for you to show us the guest room where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’
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He will take you upstairs to a large room all ready for us. That is the place. Go ahead and prepare the meal there.”
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They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and prepared the Passover supper.
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!
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Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed, you are God without beginning or end.
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You speak, and man turns back to dust.
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A thousand years are but as yesterday to you! They are like a single hour!
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5-6
We glide along the tides of time as swiftly as a racing river and vanish as quickly as a dream. We are like grass that is green in the morning but mowed down and withered before the evening shadows fall.
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We die beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your wrath.
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You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and see them all.
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No wonder the years are long and heavy here beneath your wrath. All our days are filled with sighing.
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Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often empty and filled with pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone.
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Who can realize the terrors of your anger? Which of us can fear you as he should?
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Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.
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O Jehovah, come and bless us! How long will you delay? Turn away your anger from us.
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Satisfy us in our earliest
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youth with your loving-kindness, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives.
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Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.
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Let us see your miracles again; let our children see glorious things, the kind you used to do,
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and let the Lord our God favor us and give us success. May he give permanence to all we do.
91:
1
We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.
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This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him.
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For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague.
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He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor.
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Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day;
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nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning.
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Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me.
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I will see how the wicked are punished, but I will not share it.
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For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all gods to shelter me.
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How then can evil overtake me or any plague come near?
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For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.
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They will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail.
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You can safely meet a lion or step on poisonous snakes, yes, even trample them beneath your feet!
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For the Lord says, “Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name.
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When he calls on me, I will answer; I will be with him in trouble and rescue him and honor him.
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I will satisfy him with a full life
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and give him my salvation.”