Joshua 19–20; Psalm 105:1–25; Romans 2

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Joshua 19–20

The Inheritance for Simeon

The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans, pand their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah. qAnd they had for their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhenthirteen cities with their villages; Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashanfour cities with their villages, together with all the villages around these cities as far as Baalath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Simeon according to their clans. rThe inheritance of the people of Simeon formed part of the territory of the people of Judah. Because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them, the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

The Inheritance for Zebulun

10 The third lot came up for the people of Zebulun, according to their clans. And the territory of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid. 11 Then their boundary goes up swestward and on to Mareal and touches Dabbesheth, then the brook that is east of tJokneam. 12 From Sarid it goes in the other direction eastward toward the sunrise to the boundary of Chisloth-tabor. From there it goes to Daberath, then up to Japhia. 13 From there it passes along on the east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon it bends toward Neah, 14 then on the north the boundary turns about to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtahel; 15 and Kattath, Nahalal, uShimron, Idalah, and Bethlehemtwelve cities with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the people of Zebulun, according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Issachar

17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the people of Issachar, according to their clans. 18 Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, vShunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez. 22 The boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordansixteen cities with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Issachar, according to their clansthe cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Asher

24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touches wCarmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then it turns eastward, it goes to Beth-dagon, and touches Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel. Then it continues in the north to xCabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as ySidon the Great. 29 Then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab,1 Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehobtwenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Naphtali

32 The sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, for the people of Naphtali, according to their clans. 33 And their boundary ran from Heleph, from zthe oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan. 34 Then the boundary turns awestward to Aznoth-tabor and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan. 35 The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, bChinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, cHazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemeshnineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Naphtali according to their clansthe cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Dan

40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans. 41 And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 dShaalabbin, dAijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 and Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against eJoppa. 47 When fthe territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor. 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clansthese cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Joshua

49 When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, gTimnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.

51 hThese are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot iat Shiloh before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

Then the Lord said to Joshua, Say to the people of Israel, jAppoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand kat the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. And he shall remain in that city luntil he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.

So they set apart mKedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and nShechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and oKiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) pin the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed qBezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and rRamoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and sGolan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and tfor the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.


Psalm 105:1–25

Tell of All His Wondrous Works

tOh give thanks to the Lord; ucall upon his name;

vmake known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

wtell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Seek the Lord and his xstrength;

yseek his presence continually!

Remember the zwondrous works that he has done,

his miracles, and athe judgments he uttered,

O offspring of bAbraham, his servant,

children of Jacob, his cchosen ones!

He is the Lord our God;

his djudgments are in all the earth.

He eremembers his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded, for fa thousand generations,

gthe covenant that he made with Abraham,

his hsworn promise to Isaac,

10  which he confirmed to iJacob as a statute,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant,

11  saying, jTo you I will give the land of Canaan

as kyour portion for an inheritance.

12  When they were lfew in number,

of little account, and msojourners in it,

13  wandering from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another people,

14  he nallowed no one to oppress them;

he orebuked kings on their account,

15  saying, pTouch not my anointed ones,

do my prophets no harm!

16  When he qsummoned a famine on the land

and rbroke all supply1 of bread,

17  he had ssent a man ahead of them,

Joseph, who was tsold as a slave.

18  His ufeet were hurt with fetters;

his neck was put in a collar of iron;

19  until vwhat he had said came to pass,

the word of the Lord wtested him.

20  xThe king sent and yreleased him;

the ruler of the peoples set him free;

21  he zmade him lord of his house

and ruler of all his possessions,

22  to bind2 his princes at his pleasure

and to teach his elders wisdom.

23  Then aIsrael came to Egypt;

Jacob bsojourned in cthe land of Ham.

24  And the Lord dmade his people very fruitful

and made them stronger than their foes.

25  He eturned their hearts to hate his people,

to fdeal craftily with his servants.


Romans 2

God’s Righteous Judgment

Therefore you have fno excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For gin passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O manyou who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourselfthat you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on hthe riches of his kindness and iforbearance and jpatience, knot knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are lstoring up mwrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

nHe will render to each one according to his works: to those who oby patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking1 and pdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress qfor every human being who does evil, the Jew rfirst and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and speace for everyone who does good, tthe Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For uGod shows no partiality.

God’s Judgment and the Law

12 For all who have sinned vwithout the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For wit is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, xby nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is ywritten on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 zon that day when, aaccording to my gospel, God judges bthe secrets of men cby Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and drely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are ea guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law fthe embodiment of gknowledge and truth 21 hyou then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you irob temples? 23 You who jboast in the law kdishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, las it is written, The name of God is blasphemed mamong the Gentiles because of you.

25 For circumcision indeed is of value nif you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if oa man who is uncircumcised keeps pthe precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded2 as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically3 uncircumcised but keeps the law qwill condemn you who have rthe written code4 and circumcision but break the law. 28 For sno one is a Jew twho is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one uinwardly, and vcircumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. wHis praise is not from man but from God.