The Death of Joshua

6 When Joshua ^jdismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 ^kAnd the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had ^lseen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who ^mdid not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

11 And the people of Israel ⁿdid what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they ^oabandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, ^pwho had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the ^qgods of the peoples who were around them, and ^rbowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the ^sanger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to ^tplunderers, who plundered them. And he ^usold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that ^vthey could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, ^was the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

16 Then the Lord ^xraised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they ^ywhored after other gods and bowed down to them. They ^zsoon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was ^awith the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was ^bmoved to pity by their ^cgroaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, ^dthey turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have ^etransgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 ^fI will no longer drive out before them any of the ^gnations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to ^htest Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any ^vword of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who ^wfear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel ^xchose our fathers and ^ymade the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and ^zwith uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with¹ them in the wilderness. 19 ^aAnd after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that ^bhe gave them judges until ^cSamuel the prophet. 21 Then ^dthey asked for a king, and ^eGod gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, ^fhe raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ^g‘I have found in David the son of Jesse ^ha man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of ⁱthis man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, ^jas he promised. 24 ^kBefore his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 ^lAnd as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 ^mFor those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the ⁿprophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 ^oAnd though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And ^pwhen they had carried out all that was written of him, ^qthey took him down from the ^rtree and laid him in a tomb. 30 ^sBut God raised him from the dead, 31 ^tand for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the ^ugood news that what God ^vpromised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, ^yno more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,

36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed² from everything from which you ^bcould not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: