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Towns for the Levites
21 The heads of the ·Levite families [L fathers of the Levites] went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the ·families [fathers] of all the tribes of Israel. 2 At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said to them, “The Lord commanded Moses that you give us towns where we may live and pastures for our animals.” 3 So the Israelites obeyed this command of the Lord and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures ·for their own land [L from their own inheritance/possessions]: 4 The Kohath ·family groups [clans] were part of the tribe of Levi [C the three sons of Levi were Kohath, Gershom, and Merari; Ex. 6:16; Num. 3:17]. Some of the Levites in the Kohath ·family groups [clans] were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were ·given [allotted; given by lot] thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The ·other family groups [L rest of the sons/descendants] of Kohath were given ten towns in the areas of Ephraim, Dan, and ·West [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh.
6 The ·people from the Gershon family groups [L sons/descendants of Gershom] were given thirteen towns ·in the land [L from the clans of the tribe] of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the East Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The ·family groups [L clans of the sons/descendants] of Merari were given twelve towns in the areas of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] gave the Levites these towns and the pastures around them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
9 These are the names of the towns that came from the ·lands [L tribe of the sons/descendants] of Judah and Simeon. 10 The first ·choice of towns [L lot] was given to the Kohath ·family groups [clans] of the Levites. 11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, and all its pastures in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12 But the fields and the villages around Kiriath Arba had been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh [L as his possession].
13 So they gave the city of Hebron to the descendants of Aaron (Hebron was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]). They also gave them the towns of Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, and all the pastures around them. Nine towns were given from these two tribes.
17 ·They also gave the people of Aaron these cities that belonged to [L And from] the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon. They gave them these four towns and the pastures around them.
19 So these thirteen towns with their pastures were given to the priests, who were from the ·family [L sons; descendants] of Aaron.
20 The other Kohathite ·family groups [clans] of the Levites were ·given [allotted] these towns from the tribe of Ephraim: 21 Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim (which was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon. There were four towns and their pastures.
23 The tribe of Dan gave them Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. There were four towns and their pastures.
25 ·West [L The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon and the pastures around these two towns.
26 So these ten towns and the pastures around them were given to the rest of the Kohathite ·family groups [clans].
27 The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] of the Levite tribe were given these towns: ·East [L The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Golan in Bashan, which was a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer], and Be Eshtarah, and the pastures around these two towns.
28 The tribe of Issachar gave them Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, and the pastures around these four towns.
30 The tribe of Asher gave them Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob, and the pastures around these four towns.
32 The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee (a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, and the pastures around these three towns.
33 So the Gershonite ·family groups [clans] received thirteen towns and the pastures around them.
34 The Merarite ·family groups [clans] (the rest of the Levites) were given these towns: The tribe of Zebulun gave them Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, and the pastures around these four towns.
36 The tribe of Reuben gave them Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the pastures around these four towns.
38 The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead (a city of ·safety [L refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer, and the pastures around these four towns.
40 So the total number of towns given to the Merarite ·family groups [clans] was twelve.
41 A total of forty-eight towns with their pastures in the ·land [L midst of the possession of the sons/T children of Israel] of Israel were given to the Levites. 42 Each town had pastures around it [L this was true of all the cities].
43 So the Lord gave ·the people [L Israel] all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there. 44 The Lord gave them ·peace [rest] on all sides, as he had ·promised [sworn to] their ancestors. None of their enemies ·defeated [could resist] them; the Lord handed all their enemies ·over to them [L into their hands]. 45 He kept every promise he had made to the Israelites; each one came true.
Three Tribes Go Home
22 Then Joshua called a meeting of the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L half-tribe of] Manasseh. 2 He said to them, “You have done everything Moses, the Lord’s servant, told you to do. You have also obeyed ·all my commands [L my voice in all I commanded you]. 3 For a long time you have ·supported [L not abandoned/forsaken] the other Israelites. You have been careful to ·obey the commands [or carry out the task] the Lord your God gave you [Deut. 3:18–20]. 4 The Lord your God promised to give the Israelites ·peace [rest], and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you, ·on the east side of [L beyond] the Jordan River. 5 But be careful to obey the ·teachings [commandment] and laws Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you: to love the Lord your God and ·obey his commands [L walk in his paths], to ·continue to follow [L hold fast to] him and serve him ·the very best you can [L with all your heart and with all your soul].”
6 Then Joshua ·said good-bye to [blessed] them, and ·they left and [L sent them away and they] went away to their ·homes [L tents]. 7 Moses had given the land of Bashan to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan River to ·West Manasseh [L the other half]. And he sent them to their homes and he blessed them. 8 He said, “Go back to your homes with your riches. You have many animals, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and many beautiful clothes. Divide among ·yourselves [L your brothers] the ·things [plunder] you have taken from your enemies.
9 So the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh left the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] at Shiloh in Canaan and went back to Gilead. It was their own land, given to them by Moses as the Lord had commanded.
10 The people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a ·beautiful [or imposing; impressive] altar. 11 The ·other Israelites still at Shiloh [L sons/T children of Israel] heard about the altar these three tribes built at the border of Canaan at Geliloth, near the Jordan River on Israel’s side. 12 All the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] became very angry at these three tribes, so ·they [L the whole assembly/congregation] met together and decided to ·fight [wage war against] them [C because they considered this idolatry; Deut. 13:12–18].
13 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. 14 They also sent ·one leader [L ten leaders, one] from each of the ten tribes at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader ·of his family group [among the clans] of Israelites.
15 These leaders went to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh. They said: 16 “·All the Israelites [L The whole assembly/congregation of the Lord] ask you: ‘Why did you ·turn against [break faith by turning away from] the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is ·against God’s law [L rebellion this day against the Lord]. 17 ·Remember what happened at Peor [L Wasn’t the sin of Peor enough; Num. 24]? We still ·suffer today [L have not cleansed/purified ourselves] because of that sin, for which ·God made many Israelites very sick [L a plague came against the congregation/assembly of the Lord]. 18 And now are you turning against the Lord and refusing to follow him?
“‘If you ·don’t stop what you’re doing [L rebel against the Lord] today, the Lord will be angry with ·everyone in Israel [the whole congregation/assembly] tomorrow. 19 If your land is ·unclean [C in a ritual sense], come over into our land where the Lord’s ·Tent [T Tabernacle] is. Share it with us. But don’t ·turn [rebel] against the Lord and us by building another altar for the Lord our God. 20 ·Remember how [L Is it not true that…?] Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about ·what must be completely destroyed [L the devoted things; 7:1–26]. That one man broke God’s law, but ·all the Israelites [L the whole assembly/congregation] were punished. ·Achan died because of his sin, but others also died [L And he did not die alone for his sin].’”
Jewish Leaders Question Jesus(A)
20 One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and ·telling them the Good News [preaching the Gospel]. The ·leading [T chief] priests, ·teachers of the law [scribes], and elders came up to talk with him, 2 saying, “Tell us what authority you have to do these things? [L Or] Who gave you this authority?”
3 Jesus answered, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [L heaven; C a reverent Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”
5 They ·argued about this [L discussed this among themselves], saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [L heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ all the people will stone us to death, because they ·believe [are convinced that] John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they didn’t know where it came from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
The Story of the Evil Farmers(B)
9 Then Jesus ·told [L began/proceeded to tell] the people this ·story [parable]: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some [C tenant] farmers [C Jesus builds on Is. 5:1–7; the owner represents God; the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. Then he ·went away [took a journey] for a long time. 10 ·When it was time for the grapes to be picked [L At the (harvest) time], he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get some of the grapes [C the portion of the harvest to pay the rent]. But they beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Then he sent another ·servant [slave]. They beat him also, and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 So the man sent a third. The farmers wounded him and threw him out [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel]. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love [C representing Jesus; see 3:22]. ·Maybe [or Probably; or Surely] they will respect him.’ 14 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This ·son will inherit the vineyard [L is the heir]. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].”
When the people heard this ·story [parable], they said, “·Let this never happen [T God forbid; L May it not happen]!”
17 But Jesus looked [directly; intently] at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture passage mean:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [or capstone; or keystone; L head of the corner]’? [C This is the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone; Ps. 118:22.]
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken [Is. 8:14], and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed [cf. Dan. 2:34]!”
19 The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the ·leading [T chief] priests ·wanted [tried/sought] to ·arrest [seize; L lay hands on] Jesus at once, because they knew the ·story [parable] was ·about [told against] them. But they were afraid of what the people would do.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(C)
20 So they watched Jesus and sent some spies who acted as if they were ·sincere [honest; righteous]. They wanted to trap Jesus in saying something wrong so they could hand him over to the ·authority [jurisdiction; rule] and ·power [authority] of the governor. 21 So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is ·true [right; correct]. You ·pay no attention to who people are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances], and you always teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. 22 Tell us, is it ·right [permissible; lawful] for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [C Saying yes would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying no could result in being charged with insurrection.]
23 But Jesus, knowing ·they were trying to trick him [L their craftiness/duplicity], said, 24 “Show me a ·coin [L denarius]. Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription; title] are on it?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
25 Jesus said to them, “Then ·give [give back; T render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and ·give [give back; T render] to God the things that are God’s.”
26 So they were not able to ·trap [catch] Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they ·became silent [kept quiet].
A Song About God’s Loyalty
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Ethan the Ezrahite [C a wise man; 1 Kin. 4:31].
89 I will always sing about the Lord’s ·love [loyalty];
I will ·tell of [L make known with my mouth] his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·from now on [for generations].
2 I will say, “Your ·love [loyalty] ·continues [L is built] forever;
your ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [is established] like the ·sky [heavens].”
3 You said, “I ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] with the man of my choice;
I made a promise to my servant David.
4 I told him, ‘I will ·make your family continue [L establish your seed] forever.
·Your kingdom will go on and on [L I will build your throne for generations; 2; 72; 78:70–72; 2 Sam. 7:11–16; 1 Chr. 17:10–14].’” ·
5 Lord, the heavens praise you for your ·miracles [wonderful acts]
and for your ·loyalty [faithfulness] in the ·meeting [assembly] of your holy ones.
6 Who in ·heaven [the skies] ·is equal to [ranks with] the Lord?
None of the ·angels [gods; divine council/assembly; L sons of God; 82:1] is like the Lord.
7 When the ·holy ones [L council of holy ones] meet, it is God they fear.
He is more ·frightening [awesome] than all who surround him.
8 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who is like you?
Lord, you are powerful and completely ·trustworthy [faithful].
9 You rule the ·mighty [raging; surging] sea
and ·calm [still] the ·stormy [rising] waves.
10 You crushed the Rahab [C a sea monster, representing chaos (Job 26:12; Is. 51:9) and in some contexts Egypt defeated at the Sea (87:4; Is. 30:7; Ezek. 29:3; 32:3)] like a corpse;
by your ·power [L strong arm] you scattered your enemies.
11 The ·skies [heavens] and the earth belong to you.
You ·made [founded] the world and ·everything in it [L its fullness].
12 You created the north and the south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon [C majestic mountains] sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm has great power.
Your hand is strong; your right hand is lifted up.
15 People with good ·understanding [insight; sense] will ·be well liked [receive favor],
but the ·lives of those who are not trustworthy are [L way of the faithless is] hard.
16 Every ·wise [prudent] person acts ·with good sense [knowledgeably],
but fools ·show how foolish they are [display stupidity].
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