Day 120 of 365

Josh 22:1–23:16

22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

22:2 and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you.

22:3 You have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have performed the duty of the commandment of the Lord your God.

22:4 Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now return and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan.

22:5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

22:6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went to their tents.

22:7 Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given inheritance in Bashan; but to the other half gave Joshua among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward. Moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them,

22:8 and spoke to them, saying, "Return with much wealth to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with brass, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."

22:9 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they owned, according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.

22:10 When they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.

22:11 The children of Israel heard this, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the forefront of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that pertains to the children of Israel."

22:12 When the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up against them to war.

22:13 The children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,

22:14 and with him ten princes, one prince of a fathers' house for each of the tribes of Israel; and they were everyone of them head of their fathers' houses among the thousands of Israel.

22:15 They came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying,

22:16 "Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, 'What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built you an altar, to rebel this day against the Lord?

22:17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague on the congregation of the Lord,

22:18 that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? It will be, seeing that you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

22:19 However, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the Lord, in which the Lord's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in building an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.

22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? That man did not perish alone in his iniquity.'"

22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads of the thousands of Israel,

22:22 "The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord, he knows; and Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or if in trespass against the Lord (do not save us this day),

22:23 that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord; or if to offer burnt offering or meal offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings, let the Lord himself require it.

22:24 If we have not out of concern done this, and for a reason, saying, 'In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, "What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?

22:25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord."' So your children might make our children cease from fearing the Lord.

22:26 Therefore we said, 'Let's now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice;

22:27 but it will be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings;' that your children may not tell our children in time to come, 'You have no portion in the Lord.'

22:28 Therefore we said, 'It shall be, when they tell us or our generations this in time to come, that we shall say, "Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you."'

22:29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn away this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meal offering, or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the Lord our God that is before his tabernacle!"

22:30 When Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, even the heads of the thousands of Israel that were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them well.

22:31 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is in the midst of us, because you have not committed this trespass against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord."

22:32 Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.

22:33 The thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and spoke no more of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and the children of Gad lived.

22:34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar "A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God."

23:1 It happened after many days, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years,

23:2 that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, "I am old and well advanced in years.

23:3 You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you; for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.

23:4 Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun.

23:5 The Lord your God will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from out of your sight. You shall possess their land, as the Lord your God spoke to you.

23:6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the scroll of the Law of Moses, that you not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left;

23:7 that you not come among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves to them;

23:8 but hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

23:9 For the Lord has driven great and strong nations out from before you. But as for you, no man has stood before you to this day.

23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand; for it is the Lord your God who fights for you, as he spoke to you.

23:11 Take good heed therefore to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.

23:12 Else if you do at all go back, and hold fast to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in to them, and they to you;

23:13 know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no longer drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

23:14 Behold, today I am going the way of all the earth. You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have happened to you. Not one thing has failed of it.

23:15 It shall happen that as all the good things have come on you of which the Lord your God spoke to you, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you,

23:16 when you disobey the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given to you."

Luke 21:1–38

1 He looked up, and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the treasury.

2 He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins.

3 He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,

4 for all these put in gifts from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on."

5 As some were talking about the temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said,

6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come, in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down."

7 They asked him, "Teacher, so when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?"

8 He said, "Watch out that you do not get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Therefore do not follow them.

9 When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won't come immediately."

10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

11 There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.

13 It will turn out as a testimony for you.

14 Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand how to answer,

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict.

16 You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death.

17 You will be hated by all men for my name's sake.

18 And not a hair of your head will perish.

19 "By your endurance you will win your lives.

20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein.

22 For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people.

24 They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves;

26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near."

29 He told them a parable. "See the fig tree, and all the trees.

30 When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near.

31 Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.

32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished.

33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

34 "So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.

35 For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth.

36 Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be able to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

37 Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.

38 All the people came early in the morning to him in the temple to hear him.

Ps 51:1–52:9

1 Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? God's loving kindness endures continually.

2 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

3 You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking the truth. Selah.

4 You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.

5 God will likewise destroy you forever. He will take you up, and pluck you out of your tent, and root you out of the land of the living. Selah.

6 The righteous also will see it, and fear, and laugh at him, saying,

7 "Behold, this is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."

8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in God's house. I trust in God's loving kindness forever and ever.

9 I will give you thanks forever, because you have done it. I will hope in your name, for it is good, in the presence of your holy ones.