Study Desk

"Let Reuben live, and not die! But let there be only a few people in his tribe!"

Moses said this about Judah: " Lord , listen to the leader from Judah when he calls for help. Bring him to his people. Make him strong, and help him defeat his enemies!"

" Lord , bless everything Levi has. Accept what he does. Destroy those who attack him! Defeat his enemies so that they will never attack again."

Let the earth give its best to Joseph. He was separated from his brothers. So may the Lord in the burning bush give his best to Joseph.

Joseph is like a powerful bull. His two sons are like bull's horns. They will attack other people and push them to the ends of the earth! Yes, Manasseh has thousands of people, and Ephraim has ten thousands."

Moses said this about Asher: "Asher is the most blessed of the sons. Let him be the favorite of his brothers. And let him wash his feet in olive oil.

"There is no one like the God of Israel! He rides on the clouds in his divine greatness. He comes riding through the skies to help you.

God lives forever. He is your place of safety. His power continues forever! He is protecting you. He will force your enemies to leave your land. He will say, ‘Destroy the enemy!'

Moses was 120 years old when he died. He was as strong as ever, and his eyes were still good.

Moses had put his hands on Joshua and appointed him to be the new leader. Then Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom. So the Israelites began to obey Joshua, and they did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Lord sent Moses to do powerful miracles in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh, all his officers, and all the people in Egypt saw those miracles.

But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do.

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the man and asked, "Are you a friend to our people or are you one of our enemies?"

The man answered, "I am not an enemy. I am the commander of the Lord 's army. I have just now come to you." Then Joshua bowed his face to the ground to show respect and said, "I am your servant. Does my master have a command for me?"

At that time Joshua made this important promise. He said, "Whoever rebuilds Jericho will be in danger from the Lord . When he lays the foundation, he will lose his oldest son. When he sets up the gates, he will lose his youngest son."

When Joshua heard about this, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. He bowed down to the ground before the Holy Box and stayed there until evening. The leaders of Israel did the same thing. They also threw dirt on their heads to show their sadness.

Then Joshua and all the people led Achan son of Zerah to the Valley of Achor. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold, Achan's sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything he owned. They took all these things to the Valley of Achor with Achan.

Then Joshua said, "You caused much trouble for us, but now the Lord will bring trouble to you." Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they died. Then the people burned them and everything he owned.

After they burned Achan, they put many rocks over his body. The rocks are still there today. That is why it is called the Valley of Achor. After this the Lord was not angry with the people.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid; don't give up. Lead all your fighting men to Ai. I will help you defeat the king of Ai. I am giving you his people, his city, and his land.