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

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Joshua 10

1 At this time Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it, as he had also done to Jericho and its king. The king also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace agreement with Israel and that they lived nearby.

2 Adoni-Zedek and his people were very afraid because of this. Gibeon was not a little town like Ai; it was a large city, as big as a city that had a king, and all its men were good fighters.

3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent a message to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon. He begged them,

4 "Come with me and help me attack Gibeon, which has made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites."

5 Then these five Amorite kings -- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon -- gathered their armies, went to Gibeon, surrounded it, and attacked it.

6 The Gibeonites sent this message to Joshua in his camp at Gilgal: "Don't let us, your servants, be destroyed. Come quickly and help us! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the mountains have joined their armies and are fighting against us."

7 So Joshua marched out of Gilgal with his whole army, including his best fighting men.

8 The Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of those armies, because I will hand them over to you. None of them will be able to stand against you."

9 Joshua and his army marched all night from Gilgal for a surprise attack.

10 The Lord confused those armies when Israel attacked, so Israel defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. They chased them along the road going up to Beth Horon and killed men all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

11 As they chased the enemy down the Beth Horon Pass to Azekah, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky and killed them. More people were killed by the hailstones than by the Israelites' swords.

12 On the day that the Lord gave up the Amorites to the Israelites, Joshua stood before all the people of Israel and said to the Lord: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon. Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon."

13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. These words are written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and waited to go down for a full day.

14 That has never happened at any time before that day or since. That was the day the Lord listened to a human being. Truly the Lord was fighting for Israel!

15 After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.

16 During the fight the five kings ran away and hid in a cave near Makkedah,

17 but someone found them hiding in the cave at Makkedah and told Joshua.

18 So he said, "Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks. Put some men there to guard it,

19 but don't stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don't let them get to their cities, because the Lord your God will hand them over to you."

20 So Joshua and the Israelites killed the enemy, but a few were able to get back to their strong, walled cities.

21 After the fighting, Joshua's men came back safely to him at Makkedah. No one was brave enough to say a word against the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, "Move the rocks that are covering the opening of the cave and bring those five kings out to me."

23 So Joshua's men brought the five kings out of the cave -- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

24 When they brought the five kings out to Joshua, he called for all his men. He said to the commanders of his army, "Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came close and put their feet on their necks.

25 Joshua said to his men, "Be strong and brave! Don't be afraid, because I will show you what the Lord will do to the enemies you will fight in the future."

26 Then Joshua killed the five kings and hung their bodies on five trees, where he left them until evening.

27 At sunset Joshua told his men to take the bodies down from the trees. Then they threw them into the same cave where they had been hiding and covered the opening of the cave with large rocks, which are still there today.

28 That day Joshua defeated Makkedah. He killed the king and completely destroyed all the people in that city as an offering to the Lord; no one was left alive. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.

30 The Lord handed over the city and its king. They killed every person in the city; no one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king that they had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua and all the Israelites left Libnah and went to Lachish, which they surrounded and attacked.

32 The Lord handed over Lachish on the second day. The Israelites killed everyone in that city just as they had done to Libnah.

33 During this same time Horam king of Gezer came to help Lachish, but Joshua also defeated him and his army; no one was left alive.

34 Then Joshua and all the Israelites went from Lachish to Eglon. They surrounded Eglon, attacked it, and

35 captured it the same day. They killed all its people and completely destroyed everything in it as an offering to the Lord, just as they had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and the Israelites went from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it,

37 capturing it and all the little towns near it. The Israelites killed everyone in Hebron; no one was left alive there. Just as they had done to Eglon, they completely destroyed the city and all its people as an offering to the Lord.

38 Then Joshua and the Israelites went back to Debir and attacked it.

39 They captured that city, its king, and all the little towns near it, completely destroying everyone in Debir as an offering to the Lord; no one was left alive there. Israel did to Debir and its king just as they had done to Libnah and its king, just as they had done to Hebron.

40 So Joshua defeated all the kings of the cities of these areas: the mountains, southern Canaan, the western hills, and the slopes. The Lord, the God of Israel, had told Joshua to completely destroy all the people as an offering to the Lord, so he left no one alive in those places.

41 Joshua captured all the cities from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and from Goshen to Gibeon.

42 He captured all these cities and their kings on one trip, because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel.

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

Joshua 11

1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard about all that had happened, he sent messages to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Acshaph.

2 He sent messages to the kings in the northern mountains and also to the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Lake Galilee and in the western hills. He sent a message to the king of Naphoth Dor in the west

3 and to the kings of the Canaanites in the east and in the west. He sent messages to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the mountains. Jabin also sent one to the Hivites, who lived below Mount Hermon in the area of Mizpah.

4 So the armies of all these kings came together with their horses and chariots. There were as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore.

5 All of these kings met together at the waters of Merom, joined their armies together into one camp, and made plans to fight against the Israelites.

6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will cripple their horses and burn all their chariots."

7 So Joshua and his whole army surprised the enemy by attacking them at the waters of Merom.

8 The Lord handed them over to Israel. They chased them to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Valley of Mizpah in the east. Israel fought until none of the enemy was left alive.

9 Joshua did what the Lord said to do; he crippled their horses and burned their chariots.

10 Then Joshua went back and captured the city of Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had been the leader of all the kingdoms that fought against Israel.)

11 Israel killed everyone in Hazor, completely destroying them; no one was left alive. Then they burned Hazor itself.

12 Joshua captured all of these cities, killed all of their kings, and completely destroyed everything in these cities. He did this just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded.

13 But the Israelites did not burn any cities that were built on their mounds, except Hazor; only that city was burned by Joshua.

14 The people of Israel kept for themselves everything they found in the cities, including all the animals. But they killed all the people there; they left no one alive.

15 Long ago the Lord had commanded his servant Moses to do this, and then Moses had commanded Joshua to do it. Joshua did everything the Lord had commanded Moses.

16 So Joshua defeated all the people in the land. He had control of the mountains and the area of southern Canaan, all the areas of Goshen, the western hills, and the Jordan Valley. He controlled the mountains of Israel and all the hills near them.

17 Joshua controlled all the land from Mount Halak near Edom to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon, below Mount Hermon. Joshua also captured all the kings in the land and killed them.

18 He fought against them for many years.

19 The people of only one city in all the land had made a peace agreement with Israel -- the Hivites living in Gibeon. All the other cities were defeated in war.

20 The Lord made those people stubborn so they would fight against Israel and he could completely destroy them without mercy. This is what the Lord had commanded Moses to do.

21 Now Joshua fought the Anakites who lived in the mountains of Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel, and he completely destroyed them and their towns.

22 There were no Anakites left living in the land of the Israelites and only a few were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23 Joshua took control of all the land of Israel as the Lord had told Moses to do long ago. He gave the land to Israel, because he had promised it to them. Then Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel, and there was peace in the land.

Joshua 12

1 The Israelites took control of the land east of the Jordan River from the Arnon Ravine to Mount Hermon and all the land along the eastern side of the Jordan Valley. These lands belonged to the kings whom the Israelites defeated.

2 Sihon king of the Amorites lived in the city of Heshbon and ruled the land from Aroer at the Arnon Ravine to the Jabbok River. His land started in the middle of the ravine, which was their border with the Ammonites. Sihon ruled over half the land of Gilead

3 and over the eastern side of the Jordan Valley from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea. And he ruled from Beth Jeshimoth south to the slopes of Pisgah.

4 Og king of Bashan was one of the last of the Rephaites. He ruled the land in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, and all the area of Bashan up to where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived. Og also ruled half the land of Gilead up to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 The Lord's servant Moses and the Israelites defeated all these kings, and Moses gave that land to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to East Manasseh as their own.

7 Joshua and the Israelites also defeated kings in the land west of the Jordan River. He gave the people the land and divided it among the twelve tribes to be their own. It was between Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon and Mount Halak near Edom.

8 This included the mountains, the western hills, the Jordan Valley, the slopes, the desert, and southern Canaan. This was the land where the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had lived. The Israelites defeated the king of each of the following cities:

9 Jericho, Ai (near Bethel),

10 Jerusalem, Hebron,

11 Jarmuth, Lachish,

12 Eglon, Gezer,

13 Debir, Geder,

14 Hormah, Arad,

15 Libnah, Adullam,

16 Makkedah, Bethel,

17 Tappuah, Hepher,

18 Aphek, Lasharon,

19 Madon, Hazor,

20 Shimron Meron, Acshaph,

21 Taanach, Megiddo,

22 Kedesh, Jokneam in Carmel,

23 Dor (in Naphoth Dor), Goyim in Gilgal, and

24 Tirzah. The total number of kings was thirty-one.

Luke 1:39-56

39 Mary got up and went quickly to a town in the hills of Judea.

40 She came to Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the unborn baby inside her jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She cried out in a loud voice, "God has blessed you more than any other woman, and he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth.

43 Why has this good thing happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

44 When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy.

45 You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord said to you would really happen."

46 Then Mary said, "My soul praises the Lord;

47 my heart rejoices in God my Savior,

48 because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl. From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,

49 because the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is holy.

50 God will show his mercy forever and ever to those who worship and serve him.

51 He has done mighty deeds by his power. He has scattered the people who are proud and think great things about themselves.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones and raised up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with nothing.

54 He has helped his servant, the people of Israel, remembering to show them mercy

55 as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his children forever."

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.