Study Desk

Had I not feared the provocation of the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge, That they would say, "Our [own] hand has prevailed, And the LORD has not done all this."'

"For they are a nation devoid of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

"O that they were wise, that they understood this, That they could discern their future and ultimate fate!

"And He will say, 'Where are their gods, The rock in which they took refuge?

"Indeed, He loves His people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand. They followed in Your steps; They accept and receive direction from You.

"The priests shall teach Your ordinances (judgments) to Jacob, And Your law to Israel. They shall put incense before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

"O LORD, bless Levi's substance (ability), And accept and take pleasure in the work of his hands; Crush and shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, And of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again."

"They will call the peoples to the mountain (Mount Carmel); There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand."

until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as He has given you, and they also take possession of the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall [be allowed to] return to your own land, and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise."

They answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as scouts secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho [the walled city]." So they went and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and lodged there.

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them; so she said, "Yes, two men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and bring into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household [so that they will be safe].

She said, "According to your words, so be it." Then Rahab sent them off, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

They left and went [on their way] to the hill country [west of Jericho], and stayed there [hidden in the caves] three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had searched all along the road but had not found them.

Joshua got up early in the morning; then he and all the children of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they spent the night there before they crossed [the river].

and they commanded the people, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from where you are and follow it.

Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over [the river] ahead of the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went on ahead of the people.

The LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to magnify and exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that just as I was with Moses, I will [also] be with you.

"When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, [come to] rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing down from above will be cut off, and they will stand in one mass [of water]."