Joshua 10; Joshua 11; Joshua 12; Luke 1:39-56

Joshua 10

1 King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and claimed it for the LORD the same way he had destroyed Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the people of Israel and were living with them.

2 He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors.

3 So King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem sent [this message] to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon:

4 "Come, help me destroy Gibeon because it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel."

5 So the five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon combined their armies. They marched to Gibeon, camped there, and attacked it.

6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: "Don't abandon us! Come quickly, and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings who live in the mountains have united against us."

7 So Joshua, with all his soldiers and best warriors, set out from Gilgal.

8 The LORD told Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. None of them can stand up to you."

9 So Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and took them by surprise.

10 The LORD threw the enemy into disorder in front of Israel and defeated them decisively at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that goes to the slope of Beth Horon and continued to defeat them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

11 As they fled from the Israelites down the slope of Beth Horon toward Azekah, the LORD threw huge hailstones on them. More died from the hailstones than from Israelite swords.

12 The day the LORD handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to the LORD while Israel was watching, "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon!"

13 The sun stood still, and the moon stopped until a nation got revenge on its enemies. Isn't this recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set.

14 Never before or after this day was there anything like it. The LORD did what a man told him to do, because the LORD fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

16 The five kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah.

17 Someone told Joshua, "The five kings have been found. They are hiding in the cave at Makkedah."

18 Joshua replied, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post a guard there.

19 But don't stop. Chase your enemies! Cut off their rear guard. Don't let them get back into their own cities, because the LORD your God has handed them over to you."

20 Joshua and the Israelites defeated them decisively, almost destroying them. But some who survived got back into the fortified cities.

21 Then the whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a single person dared to speak against any of the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, "Open the cave, and bring me the five kings!"

23 So they brought him the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

24 When they brought them to Joshua, he called for all the men of Israel. He told the officers who had gone with him, "Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So that's what they did.

25 Joshua told them, "Don't be afraid or terrified! Be strong and courageous, because this is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you're fighting against."

26 After this, Joshua put them to death and hung their bodies on five poles until evening.

27 When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take them down from the poles. Then they threw them into the cave where they had been hiding and put large stones over the mouth of the cave. These stones are still there today.

28 That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, and the Israelites killed its people and king with swords. He claimed them for the LORD by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.

30 The LORD also handed Libnah and its king over to Israel. He killed all the people. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Libnah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish, camped there, and attacked it.

32 The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel. He captured it on the next day and killed all the people, the same way he had captured Libnah.

33 At that time King Horam of Gezer had come to help Lachish. But Joshua killed him and his troops. There were no survivors.

34 Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon, camped there, and attacked it.

35 They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He claimed it for the LORD by destroying it the same way he had destroyed Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel marched from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it.

37 They captured it and its neighboring villages and killed its king and all the people. There were no survivors, the same as at Eglon. He claimed the city and all its people for the LORD by destroying them.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel went back to Debir and attacked it.

39 He captured it and its king and all its neighboring villages and killed everyone. So they claimed them all for the LORD by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to Debir and its king that he had done to Hebron and Libnah and their kings.

40 So Joshua captured the whole land--the mountains, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes. There were no survivors. He claimed every living creature for the LORD by destroying it, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded.

41 So Joshua defeated the people from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

42 Joshua captured all these kings and their territories in one campaign because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

43 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 11

1 King Jabin of Hazor heard [what had happened]. So he sent messengers to King Jobab of Madon and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph.

2 He also sent messengers to the northern kings in the mountains, the plains south of Chinneroth, the foothills, and Naphoth Dor in the west,

3 the Canaanites from east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Jebusites in the mountains, and the Hivites at the foot of Mount Hermon in Mizpah.

4 They came out with all their armies. Their troops were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also had horses and chariots.

5 All these kings camped together by the Springs of Merom in order to fight Israel.

6 The LORD told Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel. About this time tomorrow they will all be dead. You must disable their horses so that they cannot be used in battle. You must burn their chariots."

7 Joshua and all his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs of Merom and attacked the Canaanite armies.

8 The LORD handed them over to Israel, and the Israelites defeated them. The Israelites chased them as far as Great Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the valley of Mizpah in the east. There were no survivors.

9 Joshua disabled their horses and burned their chariots, as the LORD had told him.

10 Then Joshua turned back and captured Hazor. He killed its king with a sword. (Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.)

11 They claimed everyone for the LORD by destroying them with swords. Not one person survived. Joshua also burned Hazor.

12 So Joshua captured all these cities and their kings. He claimed them for the LORD by destroying them, as the LORD's servant Moses had commanded him.

13 Israel did not burn cities built on mounds. However, Joshua made an exception and burned Hazor.

14 The people of Israel took all the loot and livestock from these cities. But they put everyone to death until they were all destroyed. Not one person survived.

15 So Joshua carried out what the LORD had commanded his servant Moses and what Moses had commanded him. He did not leave out anything the LORD had commanded Moses.

16 Joshua took all this land, the mountains, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the plains, and the mountains and foothills of Israel.

17 The land extended from Mount Halak which ascends to Seir as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and killed them.

18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time.

19 Not one city had made a peace treaty with the people of Israel except Gibeon, where the Hivites lived. Israel captured everything in battle.

20 The LORD made their enemies stubborn enough to continue fighting against Israel so that he could claim them all for destruction without mercy, as he had commanded Moses.

21 At that time Joshua also wiped out the people of Anak in the mountains, in Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and in all the hills of Judah and Israel. Joshua claimed them for the LORD by destroying them and their cities.

22 None of the people of Anak remained in Israel. Some of them were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23 Joshua captured the whole land as the LORD had promised Moses. He gave it to Israel as a possession, dividing it among the tribes. So the land had peace.

Joshua 12

1 These are the kings of the land east of the Jordan River that the people of Israel defeated. Israel also took possession of their lands from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern plains.

2 Sihon was the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon. His rule extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River, which is the border of Ammon. This included the middle of the valley and half of Gilead.

3 It included the eastern plains from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) and the road that goes south from Beth Jeshimoth to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.

4 The territory of King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei was captured. He was the last of the Rephaim.

5 He ruled Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of Geshur and Maacath, and half of Gilead to the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.

6 The LORD's servant Moses and the people of Israel defeated them. Then he gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.

7 These are the kings of the land west of the Jordan River that Joshua and the people of Israel defeated. [Their lands extended] from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave it as a possession to Israel, dividing it among the tribes.

8 It included the mountains, foothills, plains, slopes, desert, and the Negev [that the] Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites [had possessed]. The kings were

9 the king of Jericho, the king of Ai (near Bethel),

10 the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron,

11 the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish,

12 the king of Eglon, the king of Gezer,

13 the king of Debir, the king of Geder,

14 the king of Hormah, the king of Arad,

15 the king of Libnah, the king of Adullam,

16 the king of Makkedah, the king of Bethel,

17 the king of Tappuah, the king of Hepher,

18 the king of Aphek, the king of Sharon,

19 the king of Madon, the king of Hazor,

20 the king of Shimron Meron, the king of Achshaph,

21 the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo,

22 the king of Kedesh, the king of Jokneam in Carmel,

23 the king of Dor in Naphoth Dor, the king of Goiim in Gilgal,

24 the king of Tirzah. The total was 31 kings.

Luke 1:39-56

39 Soon afterward, Mary hurried to a city in the mountain region of Judah.

40 She entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard the greeting, she felt the baby kick. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She said in a loud voice, "You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child that you will have.

43 I feel blessed that the mother of my Lord is visiting me.

44 As soon as I heard your greeting, I felt the baby jump for joy.

45 You are blessed for believing that the Lord would keep his promise to you."

46 Mary said, "My soul praises the Lord's greatness!

47 My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior,

48 because he has looked favorably on me, his humble servant. "From now on, all people will call me blessed

49 because the Almighty has done great things to me. His name is holy.

50 For those who fear him, his mercy lasts throughout every generation.

51 "He displayed his mighty power. He scattered those who think too highly of themselves.

52 He pulled strong rulers from their thrones. He honored humble people.

53 He fed hungry people with good food. He sent rich people away with nothing.

54 "He remembered to help his servant Israel forever.

55 This is the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants."

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.