Today's Reading

¹These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

²It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.

³It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them;

⁴after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

⁵Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

⁶"The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, You have lived long enough in this mountain:

⁷turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all the places near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the Negev, and by the sea coast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

⁸Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their seed after them."

⁹I spoke to you at that time, saying, "I am not able to bear you myself alone:

¹⁰The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of the sky for multitude.

¹¹The Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!

¹²How can I myself alone bear your encumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

¹³Take wise men of understanding and well known according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you."

¹⁴You answered me, and said, "The thing which you have spoken is good to do."

¹⁵So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

¹⁶I commanded your judges at that time, saying, "Hear cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.

¹⁷You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it."

¹⁸I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

¹⁹We traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.

²⁰I said to you, "You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God gives to us.

²¹Behold, the Lord your God has set the land before you: go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you; do not be afraid, neither be dismayed."

²²You came near to me everyone of you, and said, "Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come."

²³The thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe:

²⁴and they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

²⁵They took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, "It is a good land which the Lord our God gives to us."

²⁶Yet you wouldn't go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:

²⁷and you murmured in your tents, and said, "Because the Lord hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

²⁸Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart to melt, saying, 'The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to the sky; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'"

²⁹Then I said to you, "Do not dread, neither be afraid of them.

³⁰The Lord your God who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

³¹and in the wilderness, where you have seen how that the Lord your God bore you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place."

³²Yet in this thing you did not believe the Lord your God,

³³who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.

³⁴The Lord heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying,

³⁵"Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land, which I swore to give to your fathers,

³⁶except Caleb the son of Jephunneh: he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he has trodden on, and to his children, because he has wholly followed the Lord."

³⁷Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, "You also shall not go in there:

³⁸Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there: encourage you him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

³⁹Moreover your little ones, whom you said should be a prey, and your children, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there, and to them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

⁴⁰But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea."

⁴¹Then you answered and said to me, "We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us." Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.

⁴²The Lord said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be struck before your enemies.'"

⁴³So I spoke to you, and you did not listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill country.

⁴⁴The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.

⁴⁵You returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord did not listen to your voice, nor gave ear to you.

⁴⁶So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.

¹Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me; and we encircled Mount Seir many days.

²The Lord spoke to me, saying,

³"You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward.

⁴Command the people, saying, 'You are to pass through the border of your brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves therefore;

⁵do not contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.

⁶You shall purchase food of them for money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink.'"

⁷For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.

⁸So we passed by from our brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

⁹The Lord said to me, "Do not bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession."

¹⁰(The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim:

¹¹these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

¹²The Horites also lived in Seir before, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which the Lord gave to them.)

¹³"Now rise up, and cross over the brook Zered." We went over the brook Zered.

¹⁴The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea, until we had come over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the midst of the camp, as the Lord swore to them.

¹⁵Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp, until they were consumed.

¹⁶So it happened, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

¹⁷that the Lord spoke to me, saying,

¹⁸"You are this day to pass over Ar, the border of Moab:

¹⁹and when you come near over against the children of Ammon, do not bother them, nor contend with them; for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession."

²⁰(That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim lived therein before; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

²¹a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place;

²²as he did for the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day:

²³and the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and lived in their place.)

²⁴"Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

²⁵This day will I begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you."

²⁶I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,

²⁷"Let me pass through your land: I will go along by the highway, I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left.

²⁸You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only let me pass through on my feet,

²⁹as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the Lord our God gives us."

³⁰But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as at this day.

³¹The Lord said to me, "Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you: begin to possess, that you may inherit his land."

³²Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.

³³The Lord our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, and his sons, and all his people.

³⁴We took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones; we left none remaining:

³⁵only the livestock we took for a prey to ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.

³⁶From Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us; the Lord our God delivered up all before us:

³⁷only to the land of the children of Ammon you did not come near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God forbade us.

¹Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

²The Lord said to me, "Do not fear him; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon."

³So the Lord our God delivered into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we struck him until none was left to him remaining.

⁴We took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them; sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

⁵All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides the unwalled towns a great many.

⁶We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones.

⁷But all the livestock, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.

⁸We took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon.

⁹(The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir.)

¹⁰We took all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, to Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

¹¹(For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; isn't it in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, after the cubit of a man.)

¹²This land we took in possession at that time: from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead, and its cities, gave I to the Reubenites and to the Gadites:

¹³and the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, gave I to the half-tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, even all Bashan. (The same is called the land of Rephaim.

¹⁴Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.)

¹⁵I gave Gilead to Machir.

¹⁶To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and its border, even to the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

¹⁷the Arabah also, and the Jordan and its border, from Chinnereth even to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward.

¹⁸I commanded you at that time, saying, "The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it: you shall pass over armed before your brothers the children of Israel, all the men of valor.

¹⁹But your wives, and your little ones, and your livestock, (I know that you have much livestock), shall live in your cities which I have given you,

²⁰until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan: then you shall return every man to his possession, which I have given you."

²¹I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, "Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings: so shall the Lord do to all the kingdoms where you go over.

²²You shall not fear them; for the Lord your God, he it is who fights for you."

²³I begged the Lord at that time, saying,

²⁴"Lord God, you have begun to show your servant your greatness, and your strong hand: for what god is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to your works, and according to your mighty acts?

²⁵Please let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon."

²⁶But the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and did not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, "Let it suffice you; speak no more to me of this matter.

²⁷Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes: for you shall not go over this Jordan.

²⁸But commission Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you shall see."

²⁹So we stayed in the valley over against Beth Peor.

¹It happened soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. With him were the twelve,

²and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;

³and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions.

⁴When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable.

⁵"The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.

⁶Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

⁷Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.

⁸Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

⁹Then his disciples asked him, "What does this parable mean?"

¹⁰He said, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables; that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

¹²Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

¹³Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.

¹⁴That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

¹⁵That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.

¹⁶"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light.

¹⁷For nothing is hidden, that will not be revealed; nor anything secret, that will not be known and come to light.

¹⁸Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever does not have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has."

¹⁹His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd.

²⁰It was told him by some saying, "Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you."

²¹But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it."

²²Now it happened on one of those days, that he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out.

²³But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water.

²⁴So they came to him, and awoke him, saying, "Master, master, we are dying!" And he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.

²⁵He said to them, "Where is your faith?" Being afraid they marveled, saying one to another, "Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

²⁶They arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and did not live in a house, but in the tombs.

²⁸When he saw Jesus, he shouted, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, "What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!"

²⁹For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bands apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him.

³¹They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss.

³²Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them.

³³The demons came out from the man, and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned.

³⁴When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country.

³⁵Then people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

³⁶Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed.

³⁷All the people of the surrounding country of the Geresenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.

³⁸But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹"Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you." He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

⁴¹Behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus' feet, and begged him to come into his house,

⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him.

⁴³A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any,

⁴⁴came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes press and jostle you."

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me."

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

⁴⁸He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

⁴⁹While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue's house came, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher."

⁵⁰But Jesus hearing it, answered him, "Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed."

⁵¹When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter in with him, except Peter, John, Jacob, the father of the child, and her mother.

⁵²All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, "Do not weep. She is not dead, but sleeping."

⁵³They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But he, taking her by the hand, called, saying, "Child, arise!"

⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.

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

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

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

⁴You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.

⁵God 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.

⁶The 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."

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

⁹I 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.

¹The king's heart is in the Lord's hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.

³To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴A high look, and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.

⁶Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.

⁸The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

¹¹When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom. When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked, and brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the righteous to do justice; but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; the treacherous for the upright.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.

²¹He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence.

²³Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴The proud and haughty man, "scoffer" is his name; he works in the arrogance of pride.

²⁵The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶There are those who covet greedily all day long; but the righteous give and do not withhold.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

²⁸A false witness will perish, and a man who listens speaks to eternity.

²⁹A wicked man hardens his face; but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with the Lord.