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Reuben and Gad Present a Proposal(A)
32 Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands[a] for cattle, 2 the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon— 4 the land that the Lord defeated in the sight of the community of Israel—is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. 5 If we’ve found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River.”[b]
6 “Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?” Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. 7 “Why would you discourage[c] the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the Lord has given them? 8 That’s what[d] your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore[e] the land. 9 When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged[f] the Israelis from entering the land that the Lord had given them. 10 That’s why the Lord’s anger flared up that day and he promised by an oath that 11 ‘Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly,[g] 12 except Jephunneh’s son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun’s son Joshua. They’ve wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’
13 “The Lord’s anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, had died. 14 And now, look! You’re acting just like[h] your ancestors, like a brood[i] of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the Lord against the Israelis one step at a time. 15 If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You’ll end up destroying this entire people.”
A Compromise is Offered
16 Then they approached him and said, “Here’s where we’re going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families,[j] 17 but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we’ve brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, 18 but we won’t return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, 19 since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward.”
The Offer is Accepted
20 “If you do this,” Moses replied to them, “that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the Lord’s presence 21 and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the Lord until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him 22 and subjugated the land before him,[k] then afterwards when you return, you’ll be able to stand blameless before the Lord and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the Lord. 23 “But if you won’t do so, look out! You will be sinning against the Lord. Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! 24 So after you’ve built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises.”
Moses Assigns the Territory
25 Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke up. “Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded.” They said. 26 “Our children, wives, flocks, and all our cattle will be settled in the cities of Gilead, 27 but every soldier that we’ve equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River[l] in the presence of the Lord, as our master has spoken.”
28 So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun’s son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, 29 telling them, “If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who’ve been equipped for battle in the Lord’s presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if the armed men don’t cross over with you, then they won’t have any possession in the land of Canaan.”
31 “We’ll do just what the Lord told your servants,” the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. 32 “We are to cross over in battle array[m] in the Lord’s presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River.”
33 So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.
Gad and Reuben Rebuild Their Cities
34 The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atrothshophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities with corrals for sheep. 37 The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal-meon (after having changed their names), and Sibmah. The cities that they rebuilt were renamed. 39 The descendants of Manasseh’s son Machir attacked Gilead and then captured and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 40 That’s why Moses gave Gilead to Manasseh’s son Machir, who lived there at the time. 41 Manasseh’s son Jair captured[n] their towns and renamed them Havvoth-jair. 42 Nobah captured Kenath and its towns and renamed it Nobah after himself.
Stages of Israel’s Journey from Egypt
33 Here’s the travel itinerary[o] for the Israelis after they left the land of Egypt in groups under the authority of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses recorded their departures in their travels after being commanded[p] to do so by the Lord. Here’s a list of their travels based on[q] their departures:
3 They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of that first month. The day[r] after the Passover, the Israelis came out confidently,[s] and all the Egyptians watched them leave, 4 while they were burying their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. The Lord also executed justice against their gods.
5 Then the Israelis traveled from Rameses and rested[t] in Succoth.
6 They traveled from Succoth, then rested in Etham, which is at the outskirts of the wilderness.
7 They traveled from Etham but turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is outside of[u] Baal-zephon.
They rested outside of Migdol. 8 They traveled from Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness. They were on the road three days in the wilderness of Etham, then rested in Marah.
9 They traveled from Marah and arrived at Elim. In Elim there were twelve wells[v] of water and 70 palm trees, so they rested there.
10 They traveled from Elim, then rested by the Reed[w] Sea.
11 They traveled from the Reed[x] Sea, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin.
12 They traveled from the Wilderness of Zin, then rested in Dophkah.
13 They traveled from Dophkah, then rested in Alush.
14 They traveled from Alush, then rested in Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.
15 They traveled from Rephidim, then rested in the Wilderness of Sinai.
16 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sinai, then rested in Kibroth-hattaavah.
17 They traveled from Kibroth-hattaavah, then rested in Hazeroth.
18 They traveled from Hazeroth, then rested in Rithmah.
19 They traveled from Rithmah, then rested in Rimmon-perez.
20 They traveled from Rimmon-perez, then rested in Libnah.
21 They traveled from Libnah, then rested in Rissah.
22 They traveled from Rissah, then rested in Kehelathah.
23 They traveled from Kehelathah, then rested at Mount Shepher.
24 They traveled from Mount Shepher, then rested in Haradah.
25 They traveled from Haradah, then rested in Makheloth.
26 They traveled from Makheloth, then rested in Tahath.
27 They traveled from Tahath, then rested in Terah.
28 They traveled from Terah, then rested in Mithkah.
29 They traveled from Mithkah, then rested in Hashmonah.
30 They traveled from Hashmonah, then rested in Moseroth.
31 They traveled from Moseroth, then rested in Bene-jaakan.
32 They traveled from Bene-jaakan, then rested in Hor-haggidgad.
33 They traveled from Hor-haggidgad, then rested in Jotbathah.
34 They traveled from Jotbathah, then rested in Abronah.
35 They traveled from Abronah, then rested in Ezion-geber.
36 They traveled from Ezion-geber, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin, which is also known as Kadesh.
37 They traveled from Kadesh, then rested in Mount Hor at the outskirts of the land of Edom.
38 Then Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor in obedience to the Lord’s command and died there, in the fortieth year after the Israelis had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(A)
31 Then Jesus[a] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and began teaching the people[b] on Sabbath days.[c] 32 They were utterly amazed at what he taught, because his message was spoken[d] with authority.
33 In the synagogue was a man who had a demon.[e] He screamed with a loud voice, 34 “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he said, “and come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man[f] down in the middle of the synagogue[g] and came out of him without hurting him.
36 Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, “What kind of statement is this?—because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 So news about him spread to every place in the surrounding region.
Jesus Heals Many People(B)
38 Then Jesus[h] got up to leave the synagogue and went into Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, so they asked Jesus[i] about her. 39 He bent over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began serving them. 40 When the sun was setting, everyone who had any friends[j] suffering from various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each of them and began healing them. 41 Even demons came out of many people, screaming, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus[k] rebuked them and ordered them not to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.[l]
Jesus Goes on a Preaching Tour(C)
42 At daybreak he left and went to a deserted place, while the crowds kept looking for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he told them, “I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also.” 44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.[m]
Jesus Calls His First Disciples(D)
5 One day, as the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to God’s word, Jesus[n] was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats lying on the shore, but the fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets. 3 So Jesus[o] got into one of the boats (the one that belonged to Simon) and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and began to teach the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Push out into deep water, and lower your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll lower the nets.” 6 After the men[p] had done this, they caught so many fish that the nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until the boats[q] began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord! I am a sinful man!”— 9 because Simon[r] and all the people who were with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons and Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus told Simon, “Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching people.” 11 So when they brought the boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.[s]
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer for Protection
64 Hear, God, as I express my concern;
protect me[a] from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the mob of those who practice evil,
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords,
and aim their bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting at the innocent from concealment.
Suddenly they shoot, fearing nothing.
5 They concoct an evil scheme for themselves;
they enumerate their hidden snares;
they say, “Who will see them?”[b]
6 They devise wicked schemes, saying,
“We have completed our plans,
hiding them deep in our hearts.”
7 But God shot an arrow at them,
and they were wounded immediately.
8 They tripped over their own tongues,
and everyone who was watching ran away.
9 Everyone was gripped with fear
and acknowledged God’s deeds,
understanding what he had done.
10 The righteous rejoiced in the Lord,
because they had fled to him for refuge.
Let all the upright in heart exult.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
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