The Twelve Stones Taken from the Jordan

41 And it cometh to pass, when all the nation hath completed to pass over the Jordan, that Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua, saying, 2 'Take for you out of the people twelve men, one man—one man out of a tribe; 3 and command ye them, saying, Take up for you from this 'place', from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and ye have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which ye lodge to-night.' 4 And Joshua calleth unto the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man—one man out of a tribe; 5 and Joshua saith to them, 'Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God unto the midst of the Jordan and lift up for you each, one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 so that this is a sign in your midst, when your children ask hereafter, saying, What 'are' these stones to you? 7 that ye have said to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off, at the presence of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; in its passing over into the Jordan were the waters of the Jordan cut off; and these stones have been for a memorial to the sons of Israel—to the age.' 8 And the sons of Israel do so as Joshua commanded, and take up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah hath spoken unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and remove them over with them unto the lodging-place, and place them there, 9 even the twelve stones hath Joshua raised up out of the midst of the Jordan, the place of the standing of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant, and they are there unto this day.

10 And the priests bearing the ark are standing in the midst of the Jordan till the completion of the whole thing which Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people haste and pass over. 11 And it cometh to pass when all the people have completed to pass over, that the ark of Jehovah passeth over, and the priests, in the presence of the people; 12 and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, pass over, by fifties, before the sons of Israel, as Moses had spoken unto them; 13 about forty thousand, armed ones of the host, passed over before Jehovah for battle, unto the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day hath Jehovah made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they reverence him, as they reverenced Moses, all days of his life. 15 And Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua, saying, 16 'Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.' 17 And Joshua commandeth the priests, saying, 'Come ye up out of the Jordan.' 18 And it cometh to pass, in the coming up of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the midst of the Jordan—the soles of the feet of the priests have been drawn up into the dry ground—and the waters of the Jordan turn back to their place, and go as heretofore over all its banks. 19 And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho;

20 and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, hath Joshua raised up in Gilgal. 21 And he speaketh unto the sons of Israel, saying, 'When your sons ask their fathers hereafter, saying, What 'are' these stones? 22 then ye have caused your sons to know, saying, On dry land Israel passed over this Jordan; 23 because Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan at your presence, till your passing over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea which He dried up at our presence till our passing over; 24 so that all the people of the land do know the hand of Jehovah that it 'is' strong, so that ye have reverenced Jehovah your God all the days.'

The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

51 And it cometh to pass when all the kings of the Amorite which 'are' beyond the Jordan, towards the sea, and all the kings of the Canaanite which 'are' by the sea, hear how that Jehovah hath dried up the waters of the Jordan at the presence of the sons of Israel till their passing over, that their heart is melted, and there hath not been in them any more spirit because of the presence of the sons of Israel. 2 At that time said Jehovah unto Joshua, 'Make for thee knives of flint, and turn back, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time;' 3 and Joshua maketh for him knives of flint, and circumciseth the sons of Israel at the height of the foreskins. 4 And this 'is' the thing 'for' which Joshua circumciseth 'them': all the people who are coming out of Egypt, who are males, all the men of war have died in the wilderness, in the way, in their coming out of Egypt, 5 for all the people who are coming out were circumcised, and all the people who 'are' born in the wilderness, in the way, in their coming out from Egypt, they have not circumcised; 6 for forty years have the sons of Israel gone in the wilderness, till all the nation of the men of war who are coming out of Egypt, who hearkened not to the voice of Jehovah, to whom Jehovah hath sworn not to show them the land which Jehovah sware to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey, are consumed; 7 and their sons He raised up in their stead, them hath Joshua circumcised, for they have been uncircumcised, for they have not circumcised them in the way. 8 And it cometh to pass when all the nation have completed to be circumcised, that they abide in their places in the camp till their recovering; 9 and Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'To-day I have rolled the reproach of Egypt from off you;' and 'one' calleth the name of that place Gilgal unto this day.

10 And the sons of Israel encamp in Gilgal, and make the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plains of Jericho; 11 and they eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow of the passover, unleavened things and roasted 'corn', in this self-same day; 12 and the manna doth cease on the morrow in their eating of the old corn of the land, and there hath been no more manna to the sons of Israel, and they eat of the increase of the land of Canaan in that year.

Joshua and the Man with a Drawn Sword

13 And it cometh to pass in Joshua's being by Jericho, that he lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, one standing over-against him, and his drawn sword in his hand, and Joshua goeth unto him, and saith to him, 'Art thou for us or for our adversaries?' 14 And He saith, 'No, for I 'am' Prince of Jehovah's host; now I have come;' and Joshua falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and saith to Him, 'What is my Lord speaking unto His servant?' 15 And the Prince of Jehovah's host saith unto Joshua, 'Cast off thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place on which thou art standing is holy;' and Joshua doth so;

The Fall of Jericho

61 (And Jericho shutteth itself up, and is shut up, because of the presence of the sons of Israel—none going out, and none coming in;) 2 And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'See, I have given into thy hand Jericho and its king—mighty ones of valour, 3 and ye have compassed the city—all the men of battle—going round the city once; thus thou dost six days; 4 and seven priests do bear seven trumpets of the jubilee before the ark, and on the seventh day ye compass the city seven times, and the priests blow with the trumpets, 5 and it hath been, in the prolongation of the horn of the jubilee, in your hearing the voice of the trumpet, all the people shout—a great shout, and the wall of the city hath fallen under it, and the people have gone up, each over-against him.'

6 And Joshua son of Nun calleth unto the priests, and saith unto them, 'Bear ye the ark of the covenant, and seven priests do bear seven trumpets of the jubilee before the ark of Jehovah;' 7 and He said unto the people, 'Pass over, and compass the city, and he who is armed doth pass over before the ark of Jehovah.' 8 And it cometh to pass, when Joshua speaketh unto the people, that the seven priests bearing seven trumpets of the jubilee before Jehovah have passed over and blown with the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is going after them; 9 and he who is armed is going before the priests blowing the trumpets, and he who is gathering up is going after the ark, going on and blowing with the trumpets; 10 and the people hath Joshua commanded, saying, 'Ye do not shout, nor cause your voice to be heard, nor doth there go out from your mouth a word, till the day of my saying unto you, Shout ye—then ye have shouted.' 11 And the ark of Jehovah doth compass the city, going round once, and they come into the camp, and lodge in the camp. 12 And Joshua riseth early in the morning, and the priests bear the ark of Jehovah, 13 and seven priests bearing seven trumpets of the jubilee before the ark of Jehovah are walking, going on, and they have blown with the trumpets—and he who is armed is going before them, and he who is gathering up is going behind the ark of Jehovah—going on and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And they compass the city on the second day once, and turn back to the camp; thus they have done six days. 15 And it cometh to pass, on the seventh day, that they rise early, at the ascending of the dawn, and compass the city, according to this manner, seven times; (only, on that day they have compassed the city seven times); 16 and it cometh to pass, at the seventh time, the priests have blown with the trumpets, and Joshua saith unto the people, 'Shout ye, for Jehovah hath given to you the city;

17 and the city hath been devoted, it and all that 'is' in it, to Jehovah; only Rahab the harlot doth live, she and all who 'are' with her in the house, for she hid the messengers whom we sent; 18 and surely ye have kept from the devoted thing, lest ye devote 'yourselves', and have taken from the devoted thing, and have made the camp of Israel become a devoted thing, and have troubled it; 19 and all the silver and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, holy they 'are' to Jehovah; into the treasury of Jehovah they come.' 20 And the people shout, and blow with the trumpets, and it cometh to pass when the people hear the voice of the trumpet, that the people shout—a great shout, and the wall falleth under it, and the people goeth up into the city, each over-against him, and they capture the city; 21 and they devote all that 'is' in the city, from man even unto woman, from young even unto aged, even unto ox, and sheep, and ass, by the mouth of the sword. 22 And to the two men who are spying the land Joshua said, 'Go into the house of the woman, the harlot, and bring out thence the woman, and all whom she hath, as ye have sworn to her.' 23 And the young man, the spies, go in and bring out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all whom she hath; yea, all her families they have brought out, and place them at the outside of the camp of Israel. 24 And the city they have burnt with fire, and all that 'is' in it; only, the silver and the gold, and the vessels of brass, and of iron, they have given 'to' the treasury of the house of Jehovah; 25 and Rahab the harlot, and the house of her father, and all whom she hath, hath Joshua kept alive; and she dwelleth in the midst of Israel unto this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 And Joshua adjureth 'them' at that time, saying, 'Cursed 'is' the man before Jehovah who raiseth up and hath built this city, 'even' Jericho; in his first-born he doth lay its foundation, and in his youngest he doth set up its doors;' 27 and Jehovah is with Joshua, and his fame is in all the land.

Dedication to Theophilus

11 Seeing that many did take in hand to set in order a narration of the matters that have been fully assured among us, 2 as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word,— 3 it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus, 4 that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elisabeth; 6 and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless, 7 and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days. 8 And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot was to make perfume, having gone into the sanctuary of the Lord, 10 and all the multitude of the people were praying without, at the hour of the perfume. 11 And there appeared to him a messenger of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of the perfume, 12 and Zacharias, having seen, was troubled, and fear fell on him; 13 and the messenger said unto him, 'Fear not, Zacharias, for thy supplication was heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son to thee, and thou shalt call his name John, 14 and there shall be joy to thee, and gladness, and many at his birth shall joy, 15 for he shall be great before the Lord, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and of the Holy Spirit he shall be full, even from his mother's womb; 16 and many of the sons of Israel he shall turn to the Lord their God, 17 and he shall go before Him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn hearts of fathers unto children, and disobedient ones to the wisdom of righteous ones, to make ready for the Lord, a people prepared.' 18 And Zacharias said unto the messenger, 'Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?' 19 And the messenger answering said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who have been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim these good news to thee, 20 and lo, thou shalt be silent, and not able to speak, till the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou didst not believe my words, that shall be fulfilled in their season.'

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 1:1-20

Commentary on Luke 1:1-4

(Read Luke 1:1-4)

Luke will not write of things about which Christians may safely differ from one another, and hesitate within themselves; but the things which are, and ought to be surely believed. The doctrine of Christ is what the wisest and best of men have ventured their souls upon with confidence and satisfaction. And the great events whereon our hopes depend, have been recorded by those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, and who were perfected in their understanding of them through Divine inspiration.

Commentary on Luke 1:5-25

(Read Luke 1:5-25)

The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were eminent for piety and integrity. They had no children, and it could not be expected that Elisabeth should have any in her old age. While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were praying without. All the prayers we offer up to God, are acceptable and successful only by Christ's intercession in the temple of God above. We cannot expect an interest therein if we do not pray, and pray with our spirits, and are not earnest in prayer. Nor can we expect that the best of our prayers should gain acceptance, and bring an answer of peace, but through the mediation of Christ, who ever lives, making intercession. The prayers Zacharias often made, received an answer of peace. Prayers of faith are filed in heaven, and are not forgotten. Prayers made when we were young and entering into the world, may be answered when we are old and going out of the world. Mercies are doubly sweet that are given in answer to prayer. Zacharias shall have a son in his old age, who shall be instrumental in the conversion of many souls to God, and preparing them to receive the gospel of Christ. He shall go before Him with courage, zeal, holiness, and a mind dead to earthly interests and pleasures. The disobedient and rebellious would be brought back to the wisdom of their righteous forefathers, or rather, brought to attend to the wisdom of that Just One who was coming among them. Zacharias heard all that the angel said; but his unbelief spake. In striking him dumb, God dealt justly with him, because he had objected against God's word. We may admire the patience of God towards us. God dealt kindly with him, for thus he prevented his speaking any more distrustful, unbelieving words. Thus also God confirmed his faith. If by the rebukes we are under for our sin, we are brought to give the more credit to the word of God, we have no reason to complain. Even real believers are apt to dishonour God by unbelief; and their mouths are stopped in silence and confusion, when otherwise they would have been praising God with joy and gratitude. In God's gracious dealings with us we ought to observe his gracious regards to us. He has looked on us with compassion and favour, and therefore has thus dealt with us.