The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel ^cto Shechem and ^dsummoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And ^ethey presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, ^fyour fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,¹ Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and ^gthey served other gods. 3 ^hThen I took your father Abraham from beyond the River² and ⁱled him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. ^jI gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave ^kJacob and Esau. ^lAnd I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, ^mbut Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 ⁿAnd I sent Moses and Aaron, ^oand I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and ^pafterward I brought you out.

6 “‘Then ^pI brought your fathers out of Egypt, and ^qyou came to the sea. ^rAnd the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 ^sAnd when they cried to the Lord, ^the put darkness between you and the Egyptians ^uand made the sea come upon them and cover them; ^vand your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. ^wAnd you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. ^xThey fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 ^yThen Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. ^zAnd he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 ^abut I would not listen to Balaam. ^aIndeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 ^bAnd you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, ^cand the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also ^cthe Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent ^dthe hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was ^enot by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored ^fand cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

14 ^g“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. ^hPut away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 ⁱAnd if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, ^jchoose this day whom you will serve, whether ^hthe gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or ^kthe gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. ^lBut as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is ^ma holy God. He is ⁿa jealous God; ^ohe will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 ^pIf you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then ^qhe will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that ^ryou have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then ^sput away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua ^tmade a covenant with the people that day, and put in place ^ustatutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua ^vwrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And ^whe took a large stone and set it up there ^xunder the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, ^ythis stone shall be a witness against us, for ^zit has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua ^asent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

29 ^bAfter these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. 30 And they buried him in his own inheritance at ^cTimnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

31 ^dIsrael served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua ^eand had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

32 ^fAs for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land ^gthat Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money.³ It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of ^hPhinehas his son, which had been given him in ⁱthe hill country of Ephraim.

Peter and John Before the Council

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^lthe captain of the temple and ^mthe Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ⁿin Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and ^oput them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and ^pthe number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with ^qAnnas the high priest and ^rCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ^s“By what power or ^tby what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, ^ufilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today ^vconcerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that ^wby the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^xwhom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 ^yThis Jesus¹ is the stone that was ^zrejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.² 12 And there is ^asalvation ^bin no one else, for ^cthere is no other ^dname under heaven given among men³ by which we must be saved.”

13 ^eNow when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed ^fstanding beside them, ^gthey had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, ^h“What shall we do with these men? For that ⁱa notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them ^jto speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ^k“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for ^lwe cannot but speak of what ^mwe have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, ⁿbecause of the people, for all were praising God ^ofor what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices ^ptogether to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, ^qwho made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,⁴ said by the Holy Spirit,

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your ^uholy servant Jesus, ^vwhom you anointed, both ^wHerod and ^xPontius Pilate, along ^ywith the Gentiles and ^zthe peoples of Israel, 28 ^ato do whatever your hand and ^byour plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, ^clook upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all ^dboldness, 30 while ^eyou stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed ^fthrough the name of your ^gholy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, ^hthe place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and ⁱthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and ^jcontinued to speak the word of God with boldness.

They Had Everything in Common

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of ^kone heart and ^lsoul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but ^mthey had everything in common. 33 And with great ⁿpower the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and ^ogreat grace was upon them all. 34 ^pThere was not a needy person among them, for ^qas many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and ^rlaid it at the apostles’ feet, and ^sit was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means ^tson of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and ^ulaid it at the apostles’ feet.

The Ruined Loincloth

1 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and ^qput it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4 “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, ^rgo to the Euphrates and hide it there in ^sa cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there ^qthe loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took ^qthe loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was ^tspoiled; it was ^ugood for nothing.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: ^vEven so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great ^wpride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, ^xwho stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is ^ugood for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, ^ythat they might be for me a people, ^za name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

The Jars Filled with Wine

12 “You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that ^aevery jar will be filled with wine?’ 13 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^bBehold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: ^cthe kings who sit on David’s throne, ^dthe priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 14 And I will ^edash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”

Exile Threatened

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 ^wWhen morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people ^xtook counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and ^yled him away and ^zdelivered him over to ^aPilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

3 Then when ^bJudas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus¹ was condemned, ^che changed his mind and brought back ^dthe thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^eSee to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^fhe departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^gthe treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore ^hthat field has been called the Field of Blood ⁱto this day. 9 ^jThen was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^k“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

11 ^lNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^mthe King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ⁿ“You have said so.” 12 ^oBut when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, ^p“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

15 ^qNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^rJesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out ^sof envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on ^tthe judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^uthat righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^vin a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^wask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ^xThey all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? ^yWhat evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that ^za riot was beginning, he took water and ^awashed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^bthis man’s blood;^{2 c}see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, ^d“His blood be on us and ^eon our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^fscourged³ Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27 ^gThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^hgovernor’s headquarters,⁴ and they gathered the whole ⁱbattalion⁵ before him. 28 And they stripped him and put ^ja scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they ^kmocked him, saying, “Hail, ^lKing of the Jews!” 30 And ^mthey spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and ⁿled him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 ^opAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to ^ocarry his cross. 33 ^qAnd when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 ^rthey offered him wine to drink, mixed with ^sgall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, ^tthey divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and ^ukept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, ^vthe King of the Jews.” 38 Then two ^wrobbers were crucified with him, ^xone on the right and one on the left. 39 And ^ythose who passed by ^zderided him, ^awagging their heads 40 and saying, ^b“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ^cIf you are ^dthe Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 ^e“He saved others; ^fhe cannot save himself. ^gHe is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 ^hHe trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ⁱAnd the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.