Old/New Testament
Rocks to Remind the People
4 After all the ·people [nation] had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe. 3 ·Tell [Command; Instruct] them to get twelve rocks from the middle of the river, from where the priests stood. Carry the rocks and put them down where you ·stay [camp; lodge] tonight.”
4 So Joshua ·chose [appointed] one man from each tribe. Then he called the twelve men together 5 and said to them, “Go out into the river where the Ark of the Lord your God is. Each of you bring back one rock, one for each tribe of Israel, and carry it on your shoulder. 6 They will be a ·sign [reminder; memorial] among you. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these rocks mean [L to you]?’ 7 Tell them the water stopped flowing in the Jordan when the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord crossed the ·river [L Jordan]. These rocks will always remind the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] of this [C stone memorials are common in the OT; 7:26; 24:26–27; Gen. 28:18–22; 31:45–47].”
8 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] obeyed Joshua and carried twelve rocks from the middle of the Jordan River, one rock for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried the rocks with them and put them down where they made their camp. 9 Joshua also put twelve rocks in the middle of the Jordan River where the priests had stood while carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. These rocks are still there today.
10 The priests carrying the Ark continued standing in the middle of the river until everything was done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried across the river. 11 After they finished crossing the river, the priests carried the Ark of the Lord to the other side as the people watched. 12 The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh obeyed what Moses had told them. They were dressed for war, and they crossed the river ahead of the other people. 13 About forty thousand soldiers prepared for war passed before the Lord as they marched across the river, going toward the plains of Jericho.
14 That day the Lord ·made Joshua great [honored/exalted Joshua] in the ·opinion [L eyes] of all the Israelites. They ·respected [revered; stood in awe of] Joshua all his life, just as they had ·respected [revered; stood in awe of] Moses.
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests to bring the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony] out of the river.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 Then the priests carried the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord out of the river. As soon as their feet touched dry land, the water began flowing again. The river again overflowed its banks, just as it had before they crossed.
19 The people ·crossed [L came up from] the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, ·east [on the eastern border] of Jericho. 20 They carried with them the twelve rocks taken from the Jordan, and Joshua set them up at Gilgal. 21 Then he spoke to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]: “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What ·do these rocks mean [L are these stones]?’ 22 Tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry land. 23 The Lord your God ·caused the water to stop flowing [L dried up the river before you] until you finished crossing it, just as the Lord did to the ·Red Sea [or Sea of Reeds; Ex. 14–15]. He ·stopped the water [L dried it up] until we crossed it. 24 The Lord did this so all ·people [L the nations/people of the earth] would know ·he has great power [L that the hand of the Lord is powerful] and so you would always ·respect [revere; fear] the Lord your God.’”
5 All the kings of the Amorites west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings living by the ·Mediterranean Sea [L Sea] heard that the Lord dried up the Jordan River until the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had crossed it. ·After that they were scared [L Their hearts melted] and ·too afraid to face [L there was no breath/spirit in them because of] the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
The Israelites Are Circumcised
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make knives from flint stones and circumcise [Gen. 17:7–14] the ·Israelites [L sons of Israel a second time].” 3 So Joshua made knives from flint stones and circumcised the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] at ·Gibeath Haaraloth [C Hebrew for “Hill of Foreskins”].
4 This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men old enough to serve in the army died in the desert on the ·way [journey] ·out of [or after leaving] Egypt. 5 The men who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but none of those who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised. 6 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had moved about in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years. During that time all the fighting men who had left Egypt had died because they had not obeyed the Lord [Num. 13–14]. So the Lord swore they would not see the land he had promised their ancestors to give them, a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; C a phrase describing the natural bounty of the land]. 7 Their sons ·took [were raised up in] their places. But none of the sons born on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised, so Joshua circumcised them. 8 After all the Israelites had been circumcised, they stayed in camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have ·removed [rolled away] the shame [disgrace; reproach] of ·your slavery in Egypt [L Egypt].” So that place was named Gilgal [C sounds like Hebrew for “rolled away”; 4:19], which it is still named today.
10 The ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel were camped at Gilgal [4:19] on the plains of Jericho. It was there, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, they celebrated the Passover Feast [Ex. 12]. 11 The day after the Passover, the people ate food grown on that land: ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] and roasted grain. 12 The day they ate this food, the manna stopped coming [Ex. 16:35]. The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] no longer got the manna from heaven. They ate the food grown in the land of Canaan that year.
13 Joshua was near Jericho when he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand [Ex. 3:2—4:17; Judg. 6:11–23]. Joshua went to him and asked, “Are you ·a friend or an enemy [L for us or for our enemies/adversaries]?”
14 The man answered, “·I am neither [L No]. I have come as the commander of the Lord’s army [C God himself who comes as a warrior; Ex. 15:3].”
Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground and asked, “Does my ·master [lord] have a ·command [message] for me, his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy [Ex. 3:5].” So Joshua did.
The Fall of Jericho
6 The people of Jericho were afraid because the Israelites were near. They closed the city gates and guarded them [L Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons/T children of Israel]. No one went into the city, and no one came out.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have given ·you Jericho [L Jericho into your hands], its king, and all its fighting men. 3 March around the city with your ·army [L fighting men] once a day for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets made from ·horns of male sheep [rams’ horns] and have them march in front of the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets as they march. 5 They will make one long blast on the trumpets. When you hear that sound, have all the people give a loud shout. Then the walls of the city will ·fall [collapse] so the people can ·go [charge] straight into the city.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together and said to them, “Carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. Tell seven priests to carry trumpets and march in front of it.” 7 Then Joshua ordered the ·people [or army], “Now go! March around the city. The ·soldiers with weapons [armed troops; or royal guard] should march in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord.”
8 When Joshua finished speaking to the ·people [or army], the seven priests began marching before the Lord. They carried the seven trumpets and blew them as they marched. The priests carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord followed them. 9 ·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops; or The royal guard] marched in front of the priests, and ·armed men [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark. The priests were blowing their trumpets. 10 But Joshua had ·told [commanded] the people not to give ·a war cry [the shout]. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you. Then shout.” 11 So Joshua had the Ark of the Lord carried around the city one time. Then they went back to camp for the night.
12 Early the next morning Joshua got up, and the priests carried the Ark of the Lord again. 13 The seven priests carried the seven trumpets and marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their trumpets. ·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops or The royal guard] marched in front of them, and ·other soldiers [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark of the Lord. ·All this time the priests were blowing their trumpets […while the trumpets kept blowing]. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city one time and then went back to camp. They did this every day for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city, just as they had on the days before. But on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, ·shout [give the battle cry]! The Lord has given you this city! 17 The city and everything in it are to be ·destroyed as an offering [L devoted; set apart; 2:10] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house should remain alive. They must not be killed, because Rahab hid the ·two spies [L messengers] we sent out [2:1–24]. 18 ·Don’t take any of [Keep away from] the things that are ·to be destroyed as an offering [devoted; set apart] to the Lord. If you take them and bring them into ·our camp [L the camp of Israel], you yourselves will be ·destroyed [devoted/set apart for destruction], and you will bring trouble to all of Israel. 19 All the silver and gold and things made from bronze and iron belong to the Lord and must ·be saved for him [L go into the treasury of the Lord].”
20 When the priests blew the trumpets, the ·people [army] shouted. At the sound of the trumpets and the ·people’s [army’s] shout, the walls fell, and everyone ·ran [charged] straight into the city. So the Israelites ·defeated [captured; took] that city. 21 They ·completely destroyed [devoted to the Lord] with the ·sword [L edge of the sword] every living thing in the city—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house. Bring her out and bring out those who ·are with [belong to] her, because of the ·promise you made [oath you swore] to her.” 23 So the ·two men [young men] went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all ·those with [who belonged to] her. They put all of her family in a safe place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then Israel burned the whole city and everything in it, but they did not burn the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron. These were ·saved for [L put in the treasury of the house of] the Lord. 25 Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute, her ·family [L father’s household], and all who ·were with [belonged to] her, because Rahab had helped the men he had sent to spy out Jericho [Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25]. Rahab still lives among the Israelites today.
26 Then Joshua ·made [or caused them to take] this oath:
“Anyone who tries to rebuild this city of Jericho
will be cursed ·by [or before] the Lord.
The one who lays the foundation of this city
will lose his ·oldest [firstborn] son,
and the one who sets up the gates
will lose his youngest son [1 Kin. 16:34].”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and Joshua became famous through all the land.
Luke Writes About Jesus’ Life
1 Many have ·tried to report on [set out to compile an account/narrative of] the things that ·happened [have been fulfilled/accomplished] among us [John 20:31; Acts 1:1–3; 2 Pet. 1:16–19]. 2 They have written the same things that ·we learned from [L were handed down by] others—the ·people who saw those things [L eyewitnesses] from the beginning and ·served God by telling people his message [L were servants of the word; Acts 10:39–41; 1 John 1:1–3]. 3 Since I myself have ·studied [investigated; followed closely] everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent [C a designation for someone with high social or political status] Theophilus, it seemed ·good [fitting] for me to write it out for you. I arranged it ·in order [or in an orderly manner], 4 to help you know that what you have been taught is ·true [certain; reliable; John 20:31].
Zechariah and Elizabeth
5 During the time ·Herod ruled Judea [L of Herod, king of Judea], there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ·Abijah’s group [the priestly division/order of Abijah; C priests were divided into twenty-four divisions; 2 Chr. 31:2]. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, came from the ·family [L daughters; C female descendants] of Aaron [C brother of Moses and first high priest of Israel; for a priest like Zechariah to marry a woman of priestly ancestry was a special blessing]. 6 [L Both] Zechariah and Elizabeth ·truly did what God said was good [L were righteous before God]. They ·did [followed; walked in] everything the Lord commanded and were ·without fault [blameless] in keeping his ·law [regulations; requirements]. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth ·could not have a baby [could not conceive; T was barren], and both of them were very old [Gen. 17:17; 18:11].
8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his ·group [order; division] was on duty. 9 According to the custom of the ·priests [L priesthood], he was chosen by lot [C similar to dice; used to determine God’s will] to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense [1 Chr. 6:49; Heb. 9:6]. 10 ·There were a great many people [L The whole multitude of the people were] outside praying at the ·time [L hour] the incense was offered. 11 Then an angel ·of [sent by] the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense ·table [altar]. 12 When he saw the angel, Zechariah was ·startled [shaken] and frightened. 13 But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your ·prayer [petition]. Your wife, Elizabeth, will ·give birth to [bear for you] a son, and you will name him John. 14 He will bring you joy and ·gladness [delight], and many people will ·be happy [rejoice] because of his birth. 15 [L For; Because] John will be a great man ·for [in the eyes of; L before] the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer [C indicating he will be set apart to God for special service; Num. 6:3], and even ·from birth [or in his mother’s womb; 1:41, 44], he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will help many ·people [L of the children] of Israel return to the Lord their God [1 Kin. 18:37]. 17 He will go before ·the Lord [L him] in [the] spirit and power ·like [of] Elijah. He will ·make peace between parents and [L turn the hearts of parents/fathers back to] their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the ·right way of thinking [or wisdom of the righteous], ·to make a people ready [L to prepare a people who are fit/ready] for the ·coming of the Lord [L Lord; Mal. 4:5–6].”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know ·that what you say is true [L this]? [L For] I am an old man, and my wife is old, too [Gen. 17:17].”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel [C one of two named angels in Scripture (the other is Michael); Dan. 8:16; 9:21; 10:10–14]. I stand before God, who sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news. 20 Now, ·listen [L look; T behold]! You will [L be silent and] not be able to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe ·what I told you [L my words]. ·But they will really happen [L …which will be fulfilled at their appointed time].”
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