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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.
Day 100 and 67
then Joshua built an altar to the
Lord, the God of Israel on Mount Evil.
He followed the commands that Moses
the Lord's servant, had written in
the Book of Instruction, make me an
altar from stones that are uncut and
have not been shaped with iron tools.
Then on the altar, they presented burnt
offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.
As the Israelites watched, Joshua
copied onto the stones of the altar,
the instructions Moses had given them.
Then all the Israelites, foreigners
and native born alike, along with
the elders, officers and judges
were divided into two groups.
One group stood in front of Mount
Guzi, the other in front of Mount Evil.
Each group faced the other, and between
them stood the Levitical priests
carrying the Ark of the Lord's covenant.
This was all done according to the
commands that Moses, the servant
of the Lord, had previously given
for blessing the people of Israel.
Joshua then read to them all the
blessings and curses Moses had
written in the book of instruction.
Every word of every command that
Moses had ever given was read to
the entire assembly of Israel.
Including the women and children and
the foreigners who lived among them.
Now, all the kings west of the Jordan
River heard about what had happened.
These were the kings of the Hittites,
Amorites, Canaanites, parasites, Hivites,
and Jebusites, who lived in the hill
country in the Western foothills and
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
as far north as the Lebanon Mountains.
These kings combined their armies to fight
as one against Joshua and the Israelites.
But when the people of Gibeon heard what
Joshua had done to Jericho and ai, they
resorted to deception to save themselves.
They sent ambassadors to Joshua
loading their donkeys with weathered
saddlebags and old patched wineskins.
They put on worn out patched
sandals and ragged clothes.
And the bread they took
with them was dry and moldy.
When they arrived at the Camp of Israel
at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of
Israel, we have come from a distant land
to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.
The Israelites replied to these HIEs, how
do we know you don't live nearby for if
you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.
They replied, we are your servants.
But who are you?
Joshua demanded.
Where do you come from?
They answered.
Your servants have come
from a very distant country.
We have heard of the might of the Lord
your God, and of all he did in Egypt.
We have also heard what he did to the two
Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
King Sahan of Hessan and King OG
of Bean who lived in Ash Tarof.
So our elders and all our
people instructed us take
supplies for a long journey.
Go meet with the people of Israel
and tell them we are your servants.
Please make a treaty with us.
This bread was hot from the ovens
when we left our homes, but now as
you can see, it is dry and moldy.
These wine skins were new when we filled
them, but now they're old and split
open and our clothing and sandals are
worn out from our very long journey.
So the Israelites examined their food,
but they did not consult the Lord.
Then Joshua made a peace treaty with
them and guaranteed their safety, and
the leaders of the community ratified
their agreement with a binding oath.
Three days after making the
treaty, they learned that these
people actually lived nearby.
The Israelites set out at
once to investigate and reach
their towns in three days.
The names of these towns were Gibbon,
Kera BI and EF Jiram, but the Israelites
did not attack the towns for the
Israelite leaders had made a vow to them.
In the name of the
Lord, the God of Israel.
The people of Israel grumbled against
their leaders because of the treaty, but
the leaders replied, since we have sworn
an oath in the presence of the Lord,
the God of Israel, we cannot touch them.
This is what we must do.
We must let them live for divine Anger
would come upon us if we broke our oath.
Let them live.
So they made them wood cutters and
water carriers for the entire community.
As the Israelite leaders directed,
Joshua called together the gibeonites
and said, why did you lie to us?
Why did you say that you live in a distant
land when you live right here among us.
May you be cursed from now on, you will
always be servants who cut wood and
carry water for the house of my God.
They replied, we did it because we,
your servants were clearly told that
the Lord your God commanded his servant
Moses to give you this entire land and
to destroy all the people living in it.
So we feared greatly for
our lives because of you.
That is why we have done this.
Now we are at your mercy due to
us, whatever you think is right.
So Joshua did not allow the people of
Israel to kill them, but that day he made
the gibeonites, the woodcutters and water
carriers for the community of Israel
and for the altar of the Lord, wherever
the Lord would choose to build it.
And that is what they do to this day.
A don't I zeck King of Jerusalem.
Heard that Joshua had captured
and completely destroyed
AI and killed its king.
Just as he had destroyed the town
of Jericho and killed its king.
He also learned that the
Gibeonites had made peace with
Israel and were now their allies.
He and his people became very afraid
when they heard all this because Gibeon
was a large town as large as the royal
cities and larger than ai and the
Gibeon night men were strong warriors.
So King Adonai Zedek of Jerusalem
sent messengers to several
other kings ho Ham of Hebron.
Pyrim of Jarmus.
Giah of Laish, and Deber of Lon
come and help me destroy Gibeon.
He urged them for they have made peace
with Joshua and the people of Israel.
So these five amite kings combined
their armies for a united attack.
They moved all their troops
into place and attacked Gibbon.
The men of Gibbon quickly sent messengers
to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal.
Don't abandon your
servants now they pleaded.
Come at once.
Save us.
Help us for all the Amorite Kings
who live in the hill country
have joined forces to attack us.
So Joshua and his entire army,
including his best warriors, left
Gilgal and set out for Gibeon.
Do not be afraid of them.
The Lord said to Joshua, for I
have given you victory over them.
Not a single one of them will
be able to stand up to you.
Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal
and took the Amorite armies by surprise.
The Lord threw them into a panic,
and the Israelites slaughtered
great numbers of them at Gibeon.
Then the Israelites chased the
enemy along the road to Beth Horan.
Killing them all along the
way to e Zika and Makeda.
As the Amorites retreated down the road
from Beth Horan, the Lord destroyed them
with a terrible hailstorm from heaven
that continued until they reached e Zika.
The hail killed more of the enemy than the
Israelites killed with the sword On the
day, the Lord gave the Israelites victory
over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the
Lord in front of all the people of Israel.
He said.
Let the sun stand still over Gibeon
and the moon over the valley of Alon.
So the sun stood still and the moon
stayed in place until the nation
of Israel had defeated its enemies.
Is this event not recorded
in the book of Cher?
The sun stayed in the middle of the sky
and it did not set as on a normal day.
There has never been a day like
this one before or since, when
the Lord answered such a prayer.
Surely the Lord fought
for Israel that day.
Then Joshua and the Israel relied
army returned to their camp at Gilgal.
During the battle, the five kings
escaped and hid in a cave at Makita.
When Joshua heard that they had
been found, he issued this command
cover the opening of the cave with
large rocks and place guards at the
entrance to keep the kings inside.
The rest of you continue chasing the
enemy and cut them down from the rear.
Don't give them a chance to get
back to their towns for the Lord.
Your God has given you victory over them.
So Joshua and the Israel relied
army, continued the slaughter
and completely crushed the enemy.
They totally wiped out the five armies
except for a tiny remnant that managed
to reach their fortified towns.
Then the Israelites returned safely
to Joshua in the camp at Makita.
After that, no one dared to
speak even a word against Israel.
Then Joshua said, remove the rocks,
covering the opening of the cave,
and bring the five kings to me.
So they brought the five kings out
of the cave, the kings of Jerusalem,
Hebron, Jarmus, Laish, and Lon.
When they brought them out, Joshua
told the commanders of his army,
Come and put your feet on the king's
necks, and they did as they were told.
Don't ever be afraid or discouraged.
Joshua told his men, be strong and
courageous for the Lord is going
to do this to all of your enemies.
Then Joshua killed each of the five
kings and impaled them on five sharpened
poles where they hung until evening.
As the sun was going down, Joshua gave
instructions for the bodies of the kings
to be taken down from the poles and thrown
into the cave where they had been hiding.
Then they covered the opening of
the cave with a pile of large rocks,
which remains to this very day.
That same day, Joshua captured
and destroyed the town of Makita.
He killed everyone in it, including
the king leaving no survivors.
He destroyed them all and he
killed the king of Makita as he
had killed the King of Jericho.
Then Joshua and the Israelites went
to Lib BNA and attacked it thereto.
The Lord gave them the town and its king.
He killed everyone in
it, leaving no survivors.
Then Joshua killed the king of
Lib BNA as he had killed the
king of Jericho from Lib bna.
Joshua and the Israelites went
to Lake ish and attacked it.
Here again, the Lord gave them lake ish.
Joshua took it on the second
day and killed everyone in it.
Just as he had done at Lib bna.
During the attack on Lake ish, king Hoem
of Geezer arrived with his army to help
defend the town, but Joshua's men killed
him and his army leaving no survivors.
Then Joshua and the Israelite army
went on to Lon and attacked it.
They captured it that day
and killed everyone in it.
He completely destroyed everyone
just as he had done at Lake ish from
Lon Joshua and the Israelite army
went up to Hebron and attacked it.
They captured the town and killed
everyone in it, including its
king, leaving no survivors.
They did the same thing to all
of its surrounding villages,
and just as he had done at Lon.
He completely destroyed
the entire population.
Then Joshua and the Israelites
turned back and attacked Deber.
He captured the town, its king and
all of its surrounding villages.
He completely destroyed everyone
in it, leaving no survivors.
He did to Deber and its king.
Just what he had done to Hebrew
and to lna, and its king.
So Joshua conquered the whole region,
the kings and people of the hill
country, the Negev, the western
foothills, and the mountain slopes.
He completely destroyed everyone in the
land leaving no survivors, just as the
Lord, the God of Israel had commanded
Joshua, slaughtered them from K dash
baria to Gaza and from the region
around the town of Goshen, up to Gibeon.
Joshua conquered all these kings
and their land in a single campaign
for the Lord, the God of Israel
was fighting for his people.
Then Joshua and the Israelite army
returned to their camp at Gilgal.
This concludes today's
immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.