Joshua 1; Joshua 2; Joshua 3; Mark 16

1 After the death of the LORD's servant Moses, the LORD said to Moses' assistant Joshua, son of Nun,

2 "My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must cross the Jordan River into the land that I am going to give the people of Israel.

3 I will give you every place on which you set foot, as I promised Moses.

4 Your borders will be the desert [on the south], nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) [on the north], and the Mediterranean Sea on the west.

5 No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you.

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will help these people take possession of the land I swore to give their ancestors.

7 "Only be strong and very courageous, faithfully doing everything in the teachings that my servant Moses commanded you. Don't turn away from them. Then you will succeed wherever you go.

8 Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed.

9 "I have commanded you, 'Be strong and courageous! Don't tremble or be terrified, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.'"

10 Then Joshua ordered the officers of the people,

11 "Go through the camp. Tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land the LORD your God is going to give you.'"

12 Next, Joshua said to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh,

13 "Remember what the LORD's servant Moses commanded you. Moses said, 'The LORD your God will give you this land--a place to rest.'

14 Your wives, children, and livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River. However, all your best soldiers must march in battle formation ahead of your relatives. You must help your relatives

15 take possession of the land the LORD your God is going to give them. Then they will have a place to rest like you do. After that, you may go back and take possession of the land east of the Jordan River which the LORD's servant Moses gave you."

16 The people responded to Joshua, "We'll do everything you tell us and go wherever you send us.

17 We will obey you as we obeyed Moses. May the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses.

18 Whoever rebels against your authority or does not obey your orders will be put to death. Just be strong and courageous!"

1 From Shittim Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two men as spies. He told them, "Go, look at that country, especially the city of Jericho." So they went to Jericho and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab to spend the night there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, "Some Israelites have entered the city tonight. They came to gather information about our land."

3 So the king of Jericho sent messengers to Rahab, who told her, "Bring out the men who came to your house. They came here to gather information about the entire land."

4 But the woman had already taken the two men inside and hidden them. So she said, "Yes, the men did come here. But I didn't know where they had come from.

5 When it was dark and the gate was just about to close, they left. I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you'll catch up with them."

6 (She had taken them up to the roof and covered them with the flax which she had laid up there.)

7 The king's men pursued them on the road leading to a shallow place to cross the Jordan River. As soon as the king's men had left, the gate was closed.

8 Before the spies fell asleep, Rahab went up to them on the roof.

9 She said to them, "I know the LORD will give you this land. Your presence terrifies us. All the people in this country are deathly afraid of you.

10 We've heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you left Egypt. We've also heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites, who ruled east of the Jordan River. We've heard how you destroyed them for the LORD.

11 When we heard about it, we lost heart. There was no courage left in any of us because of you. The LORD your God is the God of heaven and earth.

12 Please swear by the LORD that you'll be as kind to my father's family as I've been to you. Also give me some proof

13 that you'll protect my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and their households, and that you'll save us from death."

14 The men promised her, "We pledge our lives for your lives. If you don't tell anyone what we're doing here, we'll treat you kindly and honestly when the LORD gives us this land."

15 So she let them down by a rope from her window since her house was built into the city wall. (She lived in the city wall.)

16 She told them, "Go to the mountains so that the men who are pursuing you will not find you. Hide there for three days until they return to Jericho. Then you can go on your way."

17 The men told her, "We will be free from the oath which you made us swear, [if you tell anyone what we're doing here].

18 When we invade your land, tie this red cord in the window through which you let us down. Also, gather your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into your house.

19 Whoever leaves your house will be responsible for his own life. We will be free from that responsibility. But we will take responsibility if anyone inside your house is harmed.

20 If you tell anyone what we're doing here, we will be free from the oath which you made us swear."

21 "I agree," she said. So she let them go and tied the red cord in the window.

22 The men went to the mountains and stayed there for three days until the king's men returned to Jericho. The king's men had searched for them all along the road but had not found them.

23 Then the two spies came down out of the mountains, crossed the Jordan River, and returned to Joshua, son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them.

24 They told Joshua, "The LORD has given us the whole country. The people who live there are deathly afraid of us."

1 Joshua got up early the next morning. He and all the Israelites left Shittim. They came to the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

2 Three days later the officers went through the camp.

3 They told the people, "As soon as you see the ark of the promise of the LORD your God and the Levitical priests who carry it, break camp and follow them.

4 However, stay about half a mile behind them. Don't come any closer to them so that you will know which way to go because you have not gone this way before."

5 Joshua told the people, "Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy because tomorrow the LORD will do miracles among you."

6 Joshua also told the priests, "Take the ark of the promise, and go ahead of the people." They did as they were told.

7 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.

8 Order the priests who carry the ark of the promise, 'When you step into the water of the Jordan River, stand there.'"

9 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here, and listen to the words of the LORD your God."

10 Joshua continued, "This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly force the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites out of your way.

11 Watch the ark of the promise of the Lord of the whole earth as it goes ahead of you into the Jordan River.

12 Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

13 The priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the whole earth, will stand in the water of the Jordan. Then the water flowing from upstream will stop and stand up like a dam."

14 So they broke camp to cross the Jordan River. The priests who carried the ark of the promise went ahead of the people.

15 (The Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest season.) When the priests who were carrying the ark came to the edge of the Jordan River and set foot in

16 the water, the water stopped flowing from upstream. The water rose up like a dam as far away as the city of Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. Then the people crossed from the east side [of the Jordan River] directly opposite Jericho.

17 The priests who carried the ark of the LORD's promise stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.

1 When the day of worship was over, Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome bought spices to go and anoint Jesus.

2 On Sunday they were going to the tomb very early when the sun had just come up.

3 They said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"

4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. It was a very large stone.

5 As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man. He was dressed in a white robe and sat on the right side. They were panic-stricken.

6 The young man said to them, "Don't panic! You're looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been brought back to life. He's not here. Look at the place where they laid him.

7 Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he's going ahead of them to Galilee. There they will see him, just as he told them."

8 They went out of the tomb and ran away. Shock and trembling had overwhelmed them. They didn't say a thing to anyone, because they were afraid.

9 After Jesus came back to life early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary from Magdala, from whom he had forced out seven demons.

10 She went and told his friends, who were grieving and crying.

11 They didn't believe her when they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him.

12 Later Jesus appeared to two disciples as they were walking to their home in the country. He did not look as he usually did.

13 They went back and told the others, who did not believe them either.

14 Still later Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles while they were eating. He put them to shame for their unbelief and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive.

15 Then Jesus said to them, "So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News.

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

17 "These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people. They will speak new languages.

18 They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them."

19 After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where God gave him the highest position.

20 The disciples spread [the Good News] everywhere. The Lord worked with them. He confirmed his word by the miraculous signs that accompanied it.