Tola

¹After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.

²Tola judgedIsrael twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.

Jair

³Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.

⁴He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.

⁵When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites

⁶And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.

⁷So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites,

⁸who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and they did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.

⁹The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.

¹⁰Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”

¹¹The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,

¹²Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonitesoppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their hands?

¹³But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.

¹⁴Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”

¹⁵“We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”

¹⁶So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

¹⁷Then the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

¹⁸And the rulers of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all who live in Gilead.”

Israel Rebuked at Bochim

¹Now the angelof the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,

²and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?

³So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”

⁴When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

⁵So they called that place Bochimand offered sacrifices there to the LORD.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

⁶After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.

⁷And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel.

⁸And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.

⁹They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heresin the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹⁰After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel.

¹¹And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

¹²Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,

¹³for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

¹⁴Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them.He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.

¹⁵Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.

Judges Raised Up

¹⁶Then the LORD raised up judges,who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.

¹⁷Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

¹⁸Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.

¹⁹But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

²⁰So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice,

²¹I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.

²²In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.”

²³That is why the LORD had left those nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History

¹Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

²And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphratesand worshiped other gods.

³But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,

⁴and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

⁵Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and afterward I brought you out.

⁶When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea,the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.

⁷So your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

⁸Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I destroyed them before you.

⁹Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

¹⁰but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

¹¹After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.

¹²I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.

¹³So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

¹⁴Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

¹⁵But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

¹⁶The people replied, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!

¹⁷For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us throughout our journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.

¹⁸And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!”

¹⁹But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.

²⁰If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you.”

²¹“No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”

²²Then Joshua told them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”“We are witnesses!” they said.

²³“Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

²⁴So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”

²⁵On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance.

²⁶Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oakthat was near the sanctuary of the LORD.

²⁷And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”

²⁸Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

²⁹Some time later, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.

³⁰And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-serahin the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

³¹Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel.

³²And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.

³³Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

The Triumphant Messiah

¹Why do the nations rageand the peoples plot in vain?

²The kings of the earth take their standand the rulers gather together,against the LORDand against His Anointed One:

³“Let us break Their chainsand cast away Their cords.”

⁴The One enthroned in heaven laughs;the Lord taunts them.

⁵Then He rebukes them in His anger,and terrifies them in His fury:

⁶“I have installed My King on Zion,upon My holy mountain.”

⁷I will proclaim the decreespoken to Me by the LORD:“You are My Son;today I have become Your Father.

⁸Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,the ends of the earth Your possession.

⁹You will break themwith an iron scepter;You will shatter them like pottery.”

¹⁰Therefore be wise, O kings;be admonished, O judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve the LORD with fear,and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the Son, lest He be angryand you perish in your rebellion,when His wrath ignites in an instant.Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.