Study Desk

But the Israelites could not kill them, because their leaders had made a solemn promise to them in the name of the Lord , Israel's God. All the people complained to the leaders about this,

but they answered, "We have made our solemn promise to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. Now we cannot harm them.

We must let them live because of our promise; if we don't, God will punish us.

Because you did this, God has condemned you. Your people will always be slaves, cutting wood and carrying water for the sanctuary of my God."

They answered, "We did it, sir, because we learned that it was really true that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to kill the people living in it as you advanced. We did it because we were terrified of you; we were in fear of our lives.

but don't stay there yourselves. Keep on after the enemy and attack them from the rear; don't let them get to their cities! The Lord your God has given you victory over them."

Joshua conquered the whole land. He defeated the kings of the hill country, the eastern slopes, and the western foothills, as well as those of the dry country in the south. He spared no one; everyone was put to death. This was what the Lord God of Israel had commanded.

Joshua conquered all these kings and their territory in one campaign because the Lord , Israel's God, was fighting for Israel.

Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi. As the Lord had told Moses, they were to receive as their possession a share of the sacrifices burned on the altar to the Lord God of Israel.

But Moses did not assign any land to the tribe of Levi. He told them that their possession was to be a share of the offerings to the Lord God of Israel.

One day some people from the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. One of them, Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him, "You know what the Lord said in Kadesh Barnea about you and me to Moses, the man of God.

The men who went with me, however, made our people afraid. But I faithfully obeyed the Lord my God.

Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, because he faithfully obeyed the Lord , the God of Israel.

So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long are you going to wait before you go in and take the land that the Lord , the God of your ancestors, has given you?

Write down a description of these seven divisions and bring it to me. Then I will draw lots to consult the Lord our God for you.

All this time you have never once deserted the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commands of the Lord your God.

Now, as he promised, the Lord your God has given the other Israelites peace. So go back home to the land which you claimed for your own, the land on the east side of the Jordan, that Moses, the Lord 's servant, gave you.

Make sure you obey the law that Moses commanded you: love the Lord your God, do his will, obey his commandments, be faithful to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul."

and speaking for the whole community of the Lord , they said to them, "Why have you done this evil thing against the God of Israel? You have rebelled against the Lord by building this altar for yourselves! You are no longer following him!

Now then, if your land is not fit to worship in, come over into the Lord 's land, where his Tent is. Claim some land among us. But don't rebel against the Lord or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of the Lord our God.