The Daily Audio Bible
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21 Then the people of Reuben and Gad and the half-family group of Manasseh answered the leaders of the families of Israel, saying, 22 “The Powerful One, the Lord, the Powerful One, God, the Lord! He knows! And may Israel itself know! If it was going against the Lord and not being faithful to Him, do not save us this day! 23 If we have built an altar to turn away from following the Lord, or to give burnt gifts, grain gifts or peace gifts on it, may the Lord Himself punish us. 24 We have done this because we were afraid that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has put the Jordan between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have nothing to do with the Lord.’ Then your children might make our children stop worshiping the Lord. 26 So we said, ‘Let us build an altar. It will not be for burnt gifts or killing animals in worship. 27 But it will be something special to be seen between us and you and our children after us. It will show that we are to serve the Lord before Him with our burnt gifts, our gifts of animals and our peace gifts. Then your children will not say to our children in the future, “You have nothing to do with the Lord.”’ 28 We thought that if they say this to us or our children in the future we can say, ‘See the altar we have made like the altar of the Lord which our fathers made. It is not for burnt gifts or killing animals in worship. But it is something special to see between us and you.’ 29 Never let it be said that we went against the Lord and turned away from following the Lord this day by building an altar. It is not for burnt gifts or grain gifts or killing animals in worship. It is not to be used instead of the altar of the Lord our God before His meeting tent.”
30 Phinehas the religious leader and the leaders of the people, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, were pleased when they heard the words of the people of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. 31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the religious leader said to the people of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is among us. Because you have not done this as sin against the Lord. Now you have saved the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.” 32 Then Phinehas the son of the religious leader Eleazar and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad. They returned from the land of Gilead to the people of Israel in the land of Canaan. And they told them what had happened. 33 The news pleased the people of Israel, and they gave thanks to God. They said no more about going against them in war, to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and Gad were living. 34 The people of Reuben and Gad said, “This altar shows the agreement between us that the Lord is God.”
23 A long time after that, the Lord had given Israel rest from all those around them who hated them. Joshua had grown old, and had lived many years. 2 Joshua called all Israel, their leaders, their heads, and the men chosen among them who judge between what is right or wrong. Then he said to them, “I am old and have lived many years. 3 And you have seen all the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you. The Lord your God is the One Who has fought for you. 4 See, I have given to you as land for your families those nations that are left, with all the nations I have destroyed. They lie from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will send them out from in front of you. He will send them away from you. Then their land will be yours, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 So do not be moved by others. Keep and obey all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. 7 Do not mix with these nations that stay among you. Do not say the names of their gods or make anyone swear by them. Do not work for them or worship them. 8 But hold on to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven away large and strong nations from in front of you. No man has been able to stand in front of you to this day. 10 One of your men makes a thousand run away. For the Lord your God is the One Who fights for you, just as He promised you. 11 Be very careful to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you ever turn away and join the people of these nations left among you and marry some of their people and go among them, 13 know for sure that the Lord your God will stop driving these nations away from you. And they will be a net and a trap to you. They will be a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you are destroyed from this good land the Lord your God has given you.
14 “See, today I am going the way of all the earth. Know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God made to you has been broken. All have come true for you. Not one of them has been broken. 15 Every good promise the Lord your God made to you has come true. But in the same way, He will keep His promises to punish you. He will punish you until He has destroyed you from this good land the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you do not keep the agreement the Lord your God made with you, and serve other gods and worship them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you and you will be destroyed from the good land He has given you.”
They Ask about Being Raised from the Dead (A)
27 Some people from the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked Him, 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us in the Law, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother must marry her. He should have children for his brother who died.’ (B) 29 There were seven brothers. The first had a wife but died without children. 30 The second brother took her for his wife. He died without children. 31 The third brother took her for his wife. In the same way all seven took her for a wife. They all died without children. 32 Then the woman died also. 33 When people are raised from the dead, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had her for a wife.”
34 Jesus said to them, “People of this earth marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who have the right to have that life and are raised from the dead do not marry and are not given in marriage. 36 They cannot die anymore. They are as the angels and are sons of God. They are children who have been raised from the dead. 37 As for the dead being raised, even Moses spoke of that when he told of the burning bush. There he calls the Lord, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 For He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. All live for Him.”
39 One of the teachers of the Law said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 After that they were afraid to ask Him anything.
Jesus Asks the Teachers of the Law about the Christ (C)
41 Jesus said to them, “How do they say that Christ is the Son of David? 42 For David himself said in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to My Lord, “Sit at my right side 43 until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet.”’ (D) 44 David calls Him, ‘Lord!’ Then how can He be his son?”
False Teachers (E)
45 All the people were listening. He said to His followers, 46 “Look out for the teachers of the Law. They like to walk around in long coats. They like to have people speak words of respect to them in the center of town where people gather. They like the important seats in the places of worship. They like the important places at big suppers. 47 They take houses from poor women whose husbands have died. They cover up their actions by making long prayers. They will be punished all the more.”
14 Your throne stands on what is right and fair. Loving-kindness and truth go before You. 15 How happy are the people who know the sound of joy! They walk in the light of Your face, O Lord. 16 They are full of joy in Your name all day long. And by being right with You, they are honored. 17 For You are the shining-greatness of their strength. And our horn is lifted high by Your favor. 18 For our safe-covering belongs to the Lord. And our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once You spoke in a special dream to Your faithful ones, saying: “I have given help to a powerful one. I have honored a chosen one from among the people. 20 I have found David, Your servant. I have poured My holy oil upon him. 21 My hand will stay with him. And My arm will give him strength. 22 Those who hate him will not fool him. No sinful man will bring trouble to him. 23 But he will see Me crush those who fight against him. I will kill those who hate him. 24 I will be faithful and My loving-kindness will be with him. And in My name he will become great. 25 I will set his hand on the sea also, and his right hand on the rivers. 26 He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock that saves me.’ 27 I will make him My first-born also, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 I will keep My loving-kindness for him forever. And My agreement with him will be made strong. 29 I will make his seed last forever. And his throne will last as long as heaven.
30 “If his sons leave My Law and do not do what I say, 31 and if they break My Laws and do not obey My Word, 32 then I will punish their sin with the stick, and their wrong-doing with the whip. 33 But I will not take my loving-kindness from him. I will always be faithful to him. 34 I will not break My agreement, or change what was spoken by My lips. 35 Once I have promised by My holy name, I will not lie to David. 36 His seed will last forever. And his throne will last before Me like the sun. 37 It will last forever like the moon, which may always be seen in the sky.”
17 A sinful helper falls into trouble, but a faithful helper brings healing.
18 He who will not listen to strong teaching will become poor and ashamed, but he who listens when strong words are spoken will be honored.
19 A desire that is filled is sweet to the soul, but fools hate to give up what is sinful.
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