Meditate

13. Land East of Jordan

The Parts of Canaan Still Unconquered

13

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.²This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites³(from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is reckoned as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim⁴in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites,⁵and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath,⁶all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I will myself drive them out from before the Israelites; only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.⁷Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

The Territory East of the Jordan

⁸ With the other half-tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them:⁹from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, and the town that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland from Medeba as far as Dibon;¹⁰and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites;¹¹and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;¹²all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the survivors of the Rephaim); these Moses had defeated and driven out.¹³Yet the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites; but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day.

¹⁴ To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance; the offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to them.

The Territory of Reuben

¹⁵ Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the Reubenites according to their clans.¹⁶Their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, and the town that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba;¹⁷with Heshbon, and all its towns that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,¹⁸and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath,¹⁹and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley,²⁰and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth,²¹that is, all the towns of the tableland, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, as princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.²²Along with the rest of those they put to death, the Israelites also put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.²³And the border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its banks. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites according to their families with their towns and villages.

The Territory of Gad

²⁴ Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of the Gadites, according to their families.²⁵Their territory was Jazer, and all the towns of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah,²⁶and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,²⁷and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon, the Jordan and its banks, as far as the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.²⁸This is the inheritance of the Gadites according to their clans, with their towns and villages.

The Territory of the Half-Tribe of Manasseh (East)

²⁹ Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh; it was allotted to the half-tribe of the Manassites according to their families.³⁰Their territory extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan, and all the settlements of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty towns,³¹and half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the towns of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; these were allotted to the people of Machir son of Manasseh according to their clans—for half the Machirites.

³² These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.³³But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, as he said to them.

1. Paul Called by God

There Is No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!⁹As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

33. Psalm 33

Psalm 33

The Greatness and Goodness of God

1

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.

Praise befits the upright.

2

Praise the Lord with the lyre;

make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

3

Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4

For the word of the Lord is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5

He loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and all their host by the breath of his mouth.

7

He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;

he put the deeps in storehouses.

8

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

9

For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

12

Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

13

The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees all humankind.

14

From where he sits enthroned he watches

all the inhabitants of the earth—

15

he who fashions the hearts of them all,

and observes all their deeds.

16

A king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17

The war horse is a vain hope for victory,

and by its great might it cannot save.

18

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

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to deliver their soul from death,

and to keep them alive in famine.

20

Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and shield.

21

Our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

22

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.