Study Desk

However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.

But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

All 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.

But 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."

If 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.

But 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?

That is why we said, 'Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.

Therefore we said, 'If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer: Here is the copy of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'

But just as every good thing the LORD your God promised you has come to pass, likewise the LORD will bring upon you the calamity He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you.

But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I apportioned to Esau the hill country of Seir, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands, that you should possess their land when I destroyed them before you.

but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.

But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!"

But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.

The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains, because they had chariots of iron.

So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family.

When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.

Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.