71 But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban , for Achan , the son of Carmi , the son of Zabdi , the son of Zerah , from the tribe of Judah , took some of the things under the ban , therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel . 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai , which is near Beth-aven , east of Bethel , and said to them, "Go up and spy out the land ." So the men went up and spied out Ai . 3 They returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai ; do not make all the people toil up there , for they are few ." 4 So about three thousand men from the people went up there , but they fled from the men of Ai . 5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men , and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent , so the hearts of the people melted and became as water .
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening , both he and the elders of Israel ; and they put dust on their heads . 7 Joshua said , "Alas , O Lord GOD , why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan , only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites , to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan ! 8 "O Lord , what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies ? 9 " For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth . And what will You do for Your great name ?"
10 So the Lord said to Joshua , "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face ? 11 "Israel has sinned , and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived . Moreover, they have also put them among their own things . 12 "Therefore the sons of Israel cannot e stand before their enemies ; they turn their backs before their enemies , for they have become accursed . I will not be with you anymore unless e you destroy the things under the ban from your midst . 13 "Rise up! Consecrate the people and say , 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow , for thus the Lord , the God of Israel , has said , " There are things under the ban in your midst , O Israel . You cannot e stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst ." 14 'In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes . And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes by lot shall come near by families , and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households , and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man . 15 ' It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire , he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord , and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel .' "
16 So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes , and the tribe of Judah was taken . 17 He brought the family of Judah near , and he took the family of the Zerahites ; and he brought the family of the Zerahites near man by man , and Zabdi was taken . 18 He brought his household near man by man ; and Achan , son of Carmi , son of Zabdi , son of Zerah , from the tribe of Judah , was taken . 19 Then Joshua said to Achan , "My son , I implore you, give glory to the Lord , the God of Israel , and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done . Do not hide it from me." 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said , "Truly , I have sinned against the Lord , the God of Israel , and this is what I did : 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight , then I coveted them and took them; and behold , they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it." 22 So Joshua sent messengers , and they ran to the tent ; and behold , it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it. 23 They took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel , and they poured them out before the Lord . 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah , the silver , the mantle , the bar of gold , his sons , his daughters , his oxen , his donkeys , his sheep , his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor . 25 Joshua said , "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day ." And all Israel stoned them with stones ; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones . 26 They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day , and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger . Therefore e the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day .
81 Now the Lord said to Joshua , " Do not fear or be dismayed . Take all the people of war with you and arise , go up to Ai ; see , I have given into your hand the king of Ai , his people , his city , and his land . 2 "You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king ; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind e it."
3 So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai ; and Joshua chose 30,000 e men , valiant warriors , and sent them out at night . 4 He commanded them, saying , "See , you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city , but all of you be ready . 5 "Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city . And when they come out to meet us as at the first , we will flee before them. 6 "They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city , for they will say , 'They are fleeing before us as at the first .' So we will flee before them. 7 "And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city , for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand . 8 "Then it will be when you have seized the city , that you shall set the city on fire . You shall do it according to the word of the Lord . See , I have commanded you." 9 So Joshua sent them away , and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai , on the west side of Ai ; but Joshua spent that night among the people . 10 Now Joshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people , and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai . 11 Then all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and arrived in front of the city , and camped on the north side of Ai . Now there was a valley between him and Ai . 12 And he took about 5,000 e men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai , on the west side of the city . 13 So they stationed the people , all the army that was on the north side of the city , and its rear guard on the west side of the city , and Joshua spent that night in the midst of the valley . 14 It came about when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose up early and went out to meet Israel in battle , he and all his people at the appointed place before the desert plain . But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind e the city . 15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness . 16 And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city . 17 So not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel , and they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel . 18 Then the Lord said to Joshua , " Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai , for I will give it into your hand ." So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city . 19 The men in ambush rose quickly from their place , and when he had stretched out his hand , they ran and entered the city and captured it, and they quickly set the city on fire . 20 When the men of Ai turned back and looked , behold , the smoke of the city ascended to the sky , and they had no place to flee this way or that, for the people who had been fleeing to the wilderness turned against the pursuers . 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city ascended , they turned back and slew the men of Ai . 22 The others came out from the city to encounter them, so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel , some on this side and some on that side ; and they slew them until no one was left of those who survived or escaped .
23 But they took alive the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua . 24 Now when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them were fallen by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed , then all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword . 25 All who fell that day , both men and women , were 12,000 e e -all the people of Ai . 26 For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai . 27 Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua . 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever , a desolation until this day . 29 He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening ; and at sunset e Joshua gave command and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the city gate , and raised over it a great heap of stones that stands to this day .
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord , the God of Israel , in Mount Ebal , 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel , as it is written in the book of the law of Moses , an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord , and sacrificed peace offerings . 32 He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses , which he had written , in the presence of the sons of Israel . 33 All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both e sides e of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord , the stranger as well as the native . Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal , just as Moses the servant of the Lord had given command at first to bless the people of Israel . 34 Then afterward e he read all the words of the law , the blessing and the curse , according to all that is written in the book of the law . 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.
91 Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan , in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward e Lebanon , the Hittite and the Amorite , the Canaanite , the Perizzite , the Hivite and the Jebusite , heard of it, 2 that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel .
3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai , 4 they also acted craftily and set out as envoys , and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys , and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended , 5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet , and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled . 6 They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel , "We have come from a far country ; now therefore, make a covenant with us." 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites , "Perhaps you are living within our land ; how then shall we make a covenant with you?" 8 But they said to Joshua , " We are your servants ." Then Joshua said to them, "Who are you and where do you come from?" 9 They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the Lord your God ; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt , 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan , to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth . 11 "So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying , 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey , and go to meet them and say to them, " We are your servants ; now then, make a covenant with us."' 12 "This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold , it is dry and has become crumbled . 13 "These wineskins which we filled were new , and behold , they are torn ; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey ." 14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions , and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord .
15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live ; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. 16 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land . 17 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day . Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim . 18 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel . And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders . 19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation , "We have sworn to them by the Lord , the God of Israel , and now we cannot e touch them. 20 "This we will do to them, even let them live , so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them." 21 The leaders said to them, "Let them live ." So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation , just as the leaders had spoken to them.
22 Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying , "Why have you deceived us, saying , 'We are very far from you,' when you are living within our land ? 23 "Now therefore, you are cursed , and you shall never cease being slaves , both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God ." 24 So they answered Joshua and said , " Because it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land , and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before e you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because e of you, and have done this thing . 25 "Now behold , we are in your hands ; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us." 26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel , and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord , to this day , in the place which He would choose .
21 The people were waiting for Zacharias , and were wondering at his delay in the temple . 22 But when he came out, he was unable e to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple ; and he kept [1]making signs to them, and remained mute . 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended , he went back home . 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant , and she [2]kept herself in seclusion for five months , saying , 25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men ."
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth , 27 to a virgin [3]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph , of the [4]descendants of David ; and the virgin's name was [5]Mary . 28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings , [6]favored one! The Lord [7]is with you." 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement , and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, " Do not be afraid , Mary ; for you have found favor with God . 31 "And behold , you will conceive in your womb and bear a son , and you shall name Him Jesus . 32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High ; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David ; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever , and His kingdom will have no end ." 34 Mary said to the angel , "How [8]can this be, since I [9]am a virgin e e ?" 35 The angel answered and said to her, " The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the [10]holy Child shall be called the Son of God . 36 "And behold , even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age ; and [11]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month . 37 "For [12] nothing e e will be impossible with God ." 38 And Mary said , "Behold , the [13]bondslave of the Lord ; may it be done to me according to your word ." And the angel departed from her.
(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.
(Read Luke 1:26-38)
We have here an account of the mother of our Lord; though we are not to pray to her, yet we ought to praise God for her. Christ must be born miraculously. The angel's address means only, Hail, thou that art the especially chosen and favoured of the Most High, to attain the honour Jewish mothers have so long desired. This wondrous salutation and appearance troubled Mary. The angel then assured her that she had found favour with God, and would become the mother of a son whose name she should call Jesus, the Son of the Highest, one in a nature and perfection with the Lord God. JESUS! the name that refreshes the fainting spirits of humbled sinners; sweet to speak and sweet to hear, Jesus, a Saviour! We know not his riches and our own poverty, therefore we run not to him; we perceive not that we are lost and perishing, therefore a Saviour is a word of little relish. Were we convinced of the huge mass of guilt that lies upon us, and the wrath that hangs over us for it, ready to fall upon us, it would be our continual thought, Is the Saviour mine? And that we might find him so, we should trample on all that hinders our way to him. Mary's reply to the angel was the language of faith and humble admiration, and she asked no sign for the confirming her faith. Without controversy, great was the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16. Christ's human nature must be produced so, as it was fit that should be which was to be taken into union with the Divine nature. And we must, as Mary here, guide our desires by the word of God. In all conflicts, let us remember that with God nothing is impossible; and as we read and hear his promises, let us turn them into prayers, Behold the willing servant of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.
