The Daily Audio Bible
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The Capture of Jerusalem
1 Sometime after Joshua had died, the Israelis asked the Lord, “Who is to lead[a] us against the Canaanites in our opening attack against them?”
2 The Lord replied, “The tribe of[b] Judah is to lead you.[c] Look! I’ve given the land into their control.”
3 But the tribe of Judah told the tribe of Simeon, the descendants of Judah’s[d] brother, “Come with us[e] into our territory, and we’ll both fight the Canaanites. In return, we’ll[f] go with you when you fight in your territory.” So the army of[g] the tribe of Simeon accompanied the army of the tribe of Judah.
4 When the army of the tribe of Judah went into battle, the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their control, and they defeated 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 They located Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Adoni-bezek ran off, but they pursued him, caught him, and amputated his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-bezek used to brag, “Seventy kings without thumbs and big toes used to eat what was left under my table. God has repaid me for what I’ve done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he later died there.
8 Then the army of Judah attacked Jerusalem, captured it, executed its inhabitants, and set fire to the city. 9 Later, the army of Judah left Jerusalem[h] to attack the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, the Negev,[i] and the Shephelah.[j] 10 They[k] attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba) and fought Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
The Capture of Debir(A)
11 The army of Judah then proceeded to attack the inhabitants of Debir, which used to be known as Kiriath-sepher. 12 Caleb announced, “I’ll give my daughter Achsah in marriage to whomever leads the attack against Kiriath-sepher and captures it.” 13 Othniel, Caleb’s nephew through his younger brother Kenaz, captured the city, so Caleb[l] awarded him his daughter Achsah in marriage.
14 Later on, after she had arrived, she urged Othniel[m] to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want[n] for yourself?”
15 “I want this blessing from you,” she replied. “Since you’ve given me land in the Negev,[o] give me water springs, too.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
The Capture of Certain Southern Territories
16 The descendants of the Kenites, the tribe from which[p] Moses’ father-in-law came, accompanied the descendants of Judah from the city of the palms to the Judean wilderness, which is in the desert area south of Arad, and lived with the people there. 17 The army of Judah accompanied the army of Simeon, Judah’s[q] brother, as they attacked the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and they completely destroyed it. Then they renamed the city Hormah. 18 The army of Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. 19 The Lord was with the army of Judah, and they captured the hill country, but did not expel the inhabitants of the valley because they were equipped with iron chariots.
Hebron Awarded to Caleb(B)
20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised,[r] and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there. 21 However, the descendants of Benjamin did not expel the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the descendants of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
The Capture of Bethel
22 Then the army of the tribe[s] of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 The army of the tribe of Joseph scouted out Bethel, which had been formerly named Luz. 24 The scouts observed a man coming out of the city and they promised him, “Please show us the entrance to the city and we’ll deal kindly with you.” 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they attacked the city with swords, but they let the man and his entire family escape. 26 So the man traveled to the land of the Hittites and built a city that he named “Luz,” and it is called by that name to this day.
Unconquered Territories
27 The army of the tribe of Manasseh did not conquer Beth-shean and its villages, Taanach and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages. Instead, the Canaanites continued to live in that land. 28 When Israel had grown strong, they subjected the Canaanites to conscripted labor and never did expel them completely.
29 The army of the tribe of Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
30 The army of the tribe of Zebulun did not expel the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but were subjected to conscripted labor.
31 The army of the tribe of Asher did not expel the inhabitants of Acco nor the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 So the descendants of Asher lived among the Canaanites who continued to inhabit the land, because they did not expel them.
33 The army of the tribe of Naphtali did not expel the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and the inhabitants of Beth-anath. Instead, they lived among the Canaanites who inhabited the land. However, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were subjected to conscripted labor.
34 Later on, the Amorites forced the descendants of Dan into the hill country and did not permit them to come into the valleys of the hills. 35 Furthermore, the Amorites continued to inhabit Mount Heres in Aijalon and Shaalbim. Eventually, however, after the tribe[t] of Joseph had become strong, the Amorites[u] were subjected to conscripted labor. 36 The Amorite border extended upward from the Akrabbim Ascent, that is, from Sela.
Israel is Rebuked
2 Some time later, the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and announced to Israel,[v] “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I promised to your ancestors. I had told them,[w] ‘I’ll never breach my covenant with you. 2 As for you, you must not make any treaties[x] with the inhabitants of this land. Instead, tear down their altars.’ But you haven’t obeyed me. What have you done? 3 Therefore I’m now saying,[y] ‘I won’t expel them before you. Instead, they’ll remain at your side, and their gods will ensnare you.’”
4 Because the angel of the Lord said these things to all of the Israelis, the people wept out loud, 5 which is why they named the place Bochim.[z] And there they sacrificed to the Lord. 6 After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelis returned to their respective inheritances to take possession of the land.
The Death of Joshua(C)
7 The people served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua as well as the lifetimes of all the elders who outlived Joshua and who had observed all the great deeds that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 But then Nun’s son Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 They buried him in Timnath-heres, within the boundaries of his inheritance in the mountainous region[aa] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
The Lesson from the Fig Tree(A)
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 As soon as they produce leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already approaching. 31 In the same way, when you see these things taking place, you will know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell all of you[a] with certainty, this generation won’t disappear until all these things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words won’t ever disappear.”
Be Alert
34 “Constantly be on your guard so that your hearts will not be loaded down with self-indulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, or that day will take you by surprise 35 like a trap, because it will come on everyone who lives on the face of the earth. 36 So be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”
37 Now during the day Jesus[b] would teach in the Temple, but when evening came he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the Temple.
The Plot to Kill Jesus(B)
22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2 So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.
3 But Satan went into Judas called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle[c] of the Twelve. 4 So he went off and discussed with the high priests and the Temple police how he could betray Jesus[d] to them. 5 They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. 6 Judas[e] accepted their offer and began to look for a good opportunity to betray Jesus[f] to them when no crowd was present.
The Passover with the Disciples(C)
7 Then the day of the Festival[g] of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus[h] sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover meal.”
9 They asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”
10 He told them, “Just after you go into the city, a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large upstairs room that is furnished. Get things ready for us there.” 13 So they went and found everything just as Jesus[i] had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
BOOK IV (Psalms 90-106)
A prayer by Moses, the godly man
Life is Short
90 Lord, you’ve been our refuge[a]
from generation to generation.
2 Before the mountains were formed
or the earth and the world were brought forth,
you are God from eternity to eternity.
3 You return people to dust
merely by[b] saying, “Return, you mortals!”
4 One thousand years in your sight are but a single day
that passes by, just like a night watch.
5 You will sweep them away while they are asleep—
by morning they are like growing grass.
6 In the morning it blossoms and is renewed,
but toward evening, it fades and withers.
7 Indeed, we are consumed[c] by your anger
and terrified by your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
what we have concealed in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass[d] away in your wrath;
our years fade away[e] and end like a sigh.
10 We live for 70 years,
or 80 years if we’re healthy,[f]
yet even in the prime years[g] there are troubles and sorrow.
They pass by quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can know the intensity of your anger?
Because our fear of you matches your wrath,
12 teach us to keep account of our days
so we may develop inner wisdom.
13 Please return, Lord! When will it be?
Comfort your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your gracious love
so we may sing for joy
and rejoice every day.
15 Cause us to rejoice throughout the time when you have afflicted us,
the years when we have known[h] trouble.
16 May your awesome deeds be revealed to your servants,
as well as your splendor to their children.
17 May your favor be on us, Lord our God;
make our endeavors successful;
yes, make our endeavors secure!
A Davidic Psalm[i]
God is My Refuge
91 The one who lives in the shelter of the Most High,
who rests in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord,
“You are my refuge, my fortress,
and my God in whom I trust!”
3 He will surely deliver you from the hunter’s snare
and from the destructive plague.
4 With his feathers he will cover you,
under his wings you will find safety.
His truth is your shield and armor.
5 You need not fear terror that stalks[j] in the night,
the arrow that flies in the day,
6 plague that strikes in the darkness,
or calamity that destroys at noon.
7 If a thousand fall at your side
or ten thousand at your right hand,
it will not overcome you.
8 Only observe[k] it with your eyes,
and you will see how the wicked are paid back.
9 “Lord, you are my refuge!”
Because you chose the Most High as your dwelling place,
10 no evil will fall upon you,
and no affliction will approach your tent,
11 for he will command his angels
to protect you in all your ways.
12 With their hands they will lift you up
so you will not trip over a stone.
13 You will stomp on lions and snakes;
you will trample young lions and serpents.
The Lord Speaks
14 Because he has focused his love on me,
I will deliver him.
I will protect him[l]
because he knows my name.
15 When he calls out to me,
I will answer him.
I will be with him in his[m] distress.
I will deliver him,
and I will honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with long life;
I will show him my deliverance.
24 Whoever does not discipline[a] his son hates him,
but whoever loves him is diligent to correct him.
25 A righteous person eats to his heart’s content,
but the stomach of the wicked remains hungry.
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