Incomplete Conquest, Complete Conviction

1. After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of Yahweh, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2. Yahweh said, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.” 3. Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot.” So Simeon went with him. 4. Judah went up, and Yahweh delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek. 5. They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him. They struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6. But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7. Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 8. The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9. After that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the South, and in the lowland. 10. Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron before that was Kiriath Arba.) They struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 11. From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.) 12. Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.” 13. Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife. 14. When she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 15. She said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 16. The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17. Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. 18. Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border. 19. Yahweh was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20. They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove the three sons of Anak out of there. 21. The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 22. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23. The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city before that was Luz.) 24. The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” 25. He showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. 26. The man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. 27. Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 28. When Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out. 29. Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. 30. Zebulun didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor. 31. Asher didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; 32. but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. 33. Naphtali didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor. 34. The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35. but the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. Yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subject to forced labor. 36. The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward. 1. Yahweh’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I swore to give your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2. You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall break down their altars.’ But you have not listened to my voice. Why have you done this? 3. Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.’” 4. When Yahweh’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5. They called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there to Yahweh. 6. Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land. 7. The people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh that he had worked for Israel. 8. Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being one hundred ten years old. 9. They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. 10. After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who didn’t know Yahweh, nor the work which he had done for Israel. 11. The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals. 12. They abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked Yahweh to anger. 13. They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15. Wherever they went out, Yahweh’s hand was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them; and they were very distressed. 16. Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17. Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying Yahweh’s commandments. They didn’t do so. 18. When Yahweh raised up judges for them, then Yahweh was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved Yahweh because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them. 19. But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways. 20. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel; and he said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice, 21. I also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them; 22. that by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep Yahweh’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.” 23. So Yahweh left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand. 1. Now these are the nations which Yahweh left, to test Israel by them, even as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 2. only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at least those who knew nothing of it before: 3. the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4. They were left to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to Yahweh’s commandments, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. 5. The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6. They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods. 7. The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim eight years. 9. When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10. Yahweh’s Spirit came on him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Yahweh delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. His hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim. 11. The land had rest forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12. The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. 13. He gathered the children of Ammon and Amalek to himself; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees. 14. The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15. But when the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16. Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh. 17. He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18. When he had finished offering the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19. But he himself turned back from the stone idols that were by Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” The king said, “Keep silence!” All who stood by him left him. 20. Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” He arose out of his seat. 21. Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: 22. and the handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he didn’t draw the sword out of his body; and it came out behind. 23. Then Ehud went out onto the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them. 24. After he had gone, his servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They said, “Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room.” 25. They waited until they were ashamed; and behold, he didn’t open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their lord had fallen down dead on the floor. 26. Ehud escaped while they waited, passed beyond the stone idols, and escaped to Seirah. 27. When he had come, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he led them. 28. He said to them, “Follow me; for Yahweh has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” They followed him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn’t allow any man to pass over. 29. They struck at that time about ten thousand men of Moab, every strong man, and every man of valor. No man escaped. 30. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. Then the land had rest eighty years. 31. After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel.

1. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3. remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 4. We know, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen, 5. and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. 6. You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7. so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8. For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything. 9. For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10. and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1. For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain, 2. but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. 3. For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception. 4. But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. 5. For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), 6. nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ. 7. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8. Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. 9. For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God. 10. You are witnesses with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. 11. As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12. to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory. 13. For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe. 14. For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews; 15. who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and didn’t please God, and are contrary to all men; 16. forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost. 17. But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire, 18. because we wanted to come to you—indeed, I, Paul, once and again—but Satan hindered us. 19. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn’t it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming? 20. For you are our glory and our joy. 1. Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone, 2. and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; 3. that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task. 4. For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know. 5. For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain. 6. But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you; 7. for this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith. 8. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. 9. For what thanksgiving can we render again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God; 10. night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith? 11. Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you; 12. and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you, 13. to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1. Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. 2. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3. For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4. that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, 5. not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God; 6. that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7. For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8. Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you. 9. But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10. for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; 11. and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you; 12. that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing. 13. But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. 16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17. then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1. But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. 2. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. 3. For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape. 4. But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. 5. You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness, 6. so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober. 7. For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk are drunk in the night. 8. But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9. For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10. who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11. Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. 12. But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13. and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14. We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient toward all. 15. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all. 16. Rejoice always. 17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. 19. Don’t quench the Spirit. 20. Don’t despise prophesies. 21. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. 22. Abstain from every form of evil. 23. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. 25. Brothers, pray for us. 26. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27. I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers. 28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

1. Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed. 2. You who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3. Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions. 4. Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5. By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea; 6. Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength; 7. who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 8. They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy. 9. You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it. 10. You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop. 11. You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance. 12. The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness. 13. The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.