The Daily Audio Bible
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Battle with the Canaanites
21 The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim. He fought against Israel, and took some of them against their will. 2 So Israel made a promise to the Lord, and said, “If You will give this people into my hand, I will destroy every part of their cities.” 3 The Lord heard the voice of Israel, and gave them the Canaanites. Then Israel destroyed all of them and their cities. So the name of the place was called Hormah.
The Brass Snake
4 Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people wanted to give up because of the long way. 5 They spoke against God and Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is no food and no water. And we hate this bad food.” 6 Then the Lord sent snakes with a bite of poison among the people. They bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord, that He will take away the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a special snake and put it up on a long piece of wood. Everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it.” 9 So Moses made a brass snake and put it up on the long piece of wood. If a snake bit any man, he would live when he looked at the brass snake.
From Mount Hor to Moab
10 The people of Israel traveled on, and set up their tents in Oboth. 11 Then they left Oboth and stopped at Iye-abarim, in the desert beside Moab, to the east. 12 From there they traveled on to Wadi Zered. 13 And from there they traveled on and set up their tents on the other side of the Arnon. It is in the desert that goes out from the land of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the side of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 So it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon, 15 and the hill-side of the valleys that goes to the place of Ar, and rests on the side of Moab.” 16 From there they went on to Beer. That is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so I may give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song: “Come up, O well! Sing to it! 18 The well, which the leaders dug, which the rulers of the people dug, with the special stick of power and with their walking sticks.” From the desert they went on to Mattanah. 19 From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth. 20 From Bamoth they went to the valley in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which looks down upon the desert.
Battle with Amorites
21 Then Israel sent men to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vines. We will not drink water from wells. We will go on the king’s road until we have passed through your country.” 23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his country. He gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the desert. He came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then Israel killed Sihon with the sword. They took his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon. For Jazer was the side of the land of the Ammonites. 25 Israel took all these cities. They lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its towns. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites. He had fought against the man who was once the king of Moab, and had taken all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 So those who use wise sayings say, “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be built. 28 For a fire went out from Heshbon, fire from the city of Sihon. It burned up Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of the Arnon. 29 It is bad for you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! His sons run for their lives. His daughters have been taken against their will by an Amorite king, Sihon. 30 But we have put them down. Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We have destroyed even to Nophah, which goes to Medeba.” 31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent men to spy out Jazer in secret. And Israel took its towns and took the place of the Amorites who were there.
King Og Killed
33 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people to battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him. For I have given him into your hand, with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So the people of Israel killed Og and his sons and all his people, until there was not one left alive. And they took his land.
Balak Sends for Balaam
22 Then the people of Israel traveled on and set up their tents in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan beside Jericho. 2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 So Moab was filled with much fear because of the people, for they were many. Moab was very afraid of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the leaders of Midian, “Now these people will take away everything around us like the bull eats up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 So he sent men to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the children of his people. They said to him, “See, a people came out of Egypt. See, they cover the land, and they are living beside me. 6 Now come, I beg you. Curse this people for me, because they are too strong for me. Then I may be able to win the battle against them and send them out of the land. For I know that good will come to the one you pray for, and trouble will come to the one you curse.”
7 So the leaders of Moab and the leaders of Midian left with the pay in their hand for the one who tells what will happen in the future. When they came to Balaam, they told him Balak’s words. 8 Balaam said to them, “Stay here tonight. I will bring word to you as the Lord may speak to me.” So the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, saying, 11 ‘See, the people who came out of Egypt cover the land. Now come, curse them for me. Then I may be able to fight against them and send them away.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. Do not curse the people, for I have decided that good would come to them.” 13 So Balaam got up in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Return to your land. For the Lord will not let me go with you.” 14 So the leaders of Moab got up and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam would not come with us.”
15 Balak sent leaders again, more than were sent before, and men who were more important. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “Balak the son of Zippor says, ‘I beg you, let nothing keep you from coming to me. 17 I will give you much honor. I will do whatever you tell me. I beg you to come and curse these people for me.’” 18 Balaam answered and said to Balak’s men, “Balak could give me his house full of silver and gold. But I could not do anything, small or big, against the Word of the Lord my God. 19 Now I ask you to stay here tonight. I will find out what else the Lord will say to me.” 20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you.”
Gabriel Speaks to Mary
26 Six months after Elizabeth knew she was to become a mother, Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. Nazareth was a town in the country of Galilee. 27 He went to a woman who had never had a man. Her name was Mary. She was promised in marriage to a man named Joseph. Joseph was of the family of David. 28 The angel came to her and said, “You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. *You are chosen from among many women.”
29 When she saw the angel, she was troubled at his words. She thought about what had been said. 30 The angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God. 31 See! You are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early father David sat. 33 He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen? I have never had a man.” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will cover you. The holy Child you give birth to will be called the Son of God.
36 “See, your cousin Elizabeth, as old as she is, is going to give birth to a child. She was not able to have children before, but now she is in her sixth month. 37 For God can do all things.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am willing to be used of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel went away from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At once Mary went from there to a town in the hill country of Judea. 40 She went to the house of Zacharias to see Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary speak, the baby moved in her body. At the same time Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth spoke in a loud voice, “You are honored among women! Your Child is honored! 43 Why has this happened to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your voice, the baby in my body moved for joy. 45 You are happy because you believed. Everything will happen as the Lord told you it would happen.”
Mary’s Song of Thanks
46 Then Mary said, “My heart sings with thanks for my Lord. 47 And my spirit is happy in God, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin. 48 The Lord has looked on me, His servant-girl and one who is not important. But from now on all people will honor me. 49 He Who is powerful has done great things for me. His name is holy. 50 The loving-kindness of the Lord is given to the people of all times who honor Him. 51 He has done powerful works with His arm. He has divided from each other those who have pride in their hearts. 52 He has taken rulers down from their thrones. He has put those who are in a place that is not important to a place that is important. 53 He has filled those who are hungry with good things. He has sent the rich people away with nothing. 54 He has helped Israel His servant. This was done to remember His loving-kindness. 55 He promised He would do this to our early fathers and to Abraham and to his family forever.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went to her own home.
Prayer for Help
57 Show me loving-kindness, O God, show me loving-kindness. For my soul goes to You to be safe. And I will be safe in the shadow of Your wings until the trouble has passed. 2 I will cry to God Most High, to God Who finishes all things for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me. He will put to shame him who is breaking me under his feet. God will send His loving-kindness and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions. I must lie among the sons of men who breathe fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and whose tongues are a sharp sword. 5 Be lifted up above the heavens, O God. Let Your shining-greatness be above all the earth. 6 They have set a net for my steps. My soul is brought down. They dug a deep hole in front of me. But they themselves have fallen into it.
7 My heart will not be moved, O God. My heart cannot be moved. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! 8 Awake, my shining-greatness. Awake, harps. I will awake early in the morning. 9 O Lord, I will give thanks to You among the people. I will sing praises to You among the nations. 10 For Your loving-kindness is great to the heavens, and Your truth to the clouds. 11 Be lifted up above the heavens, O God. Let Your shining-greatness be above all the earth.
9 The sinful man destroys his neighbor with his mouth, but those who are fair will be saved through knowing God.
10 The city is glad when everything goes well with those who are right with God, and there are shouts of joy when the sinful are destroyed.
11 A city is honored by the good things that come to the faithful, but it is torn down by the mouth of the sinful.
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