1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,040 Hello, this is Father Paul and I'm glad we're taking this journey together to read the Bible 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:07,040 in a year. 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:12,040 Today's reading is from Joshua chapters 20 through 22. 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:13,280 Chapter 20. 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,240 The Lord also spoke to Joshua saying, Speak to the children of Israel saying, 6 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:21,920 Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,480 slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. 8 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,840 And they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 9 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,360 And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of 10 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,800 the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take 11 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:43,000 him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,120 Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:52,320 hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. 14 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,880 And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and 15 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,400 until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,840 Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house to the city from 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,320 which he fled. 18 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:10,680 So they appointed Kaddish in Galilee in the mountains of Naftali, Shaakim in the mountains 19 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,520 of Ephraim, and Kirjas Arba which is Hebron in the mountains of Judah. 20 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,680 And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness 21 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:26,400 on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,280 in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. 23 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,720 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger who 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:37,640 dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die 25 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:42,800 by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation. 26 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,920 Chapter 21 Then the heads of the fathers' houses of the 27 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,240 Levites came near to Eliezer the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of 28 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,600 the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. 29 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,280 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The Lord commanded through 30 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:03,280 Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common lands for our livestock. 31 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,440 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment 32 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,960 of the Lord, these cities and their common lands. 33 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:15,680 Now the Lot came out for the families of the Quatites, and the children of Aaron the priest, 34 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:20,440 who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by Lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe 35 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,760 of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin. 36 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,300 The rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by Lot from the families of the tribe 37 00:02:27,300 --> 00:02:31,480 of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dein, and from the half tribe of Manasseh. 38 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:37,120 And the children of Gershon had thirteen cities by Lot from the families of the tribe of Issachar, 39 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,800 from the tribe of Asher, and from the tribe of Naft Strike and from the half tribe of 40 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:42,600 Manasseh in Beshan. 41 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,160 The Children of Mirari according to their families had twelve cities from the tribe 42 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,560 of Rubin, from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun. 43 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,100 And the children of Israel gave these cities with their common lands by lot to the Levites, 44 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:57,560 as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses. 45 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,920 So they gave from the tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children 46 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:06,360 of Simeon these cities which are designated by name, which were for the children of Aaron, 47 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:11,020 one of the families of the Quatites, who were of the children of Levi, for the lot was theirs 48 00:03:11,020 --> 00:03:12,120 first. 49 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:17,580 And they gave them Kirjas Arba, Arba was the father of Anak, which is Hebron, in the mountains 50 00:03:17,580 --> 00:03:20,640 of Judah, with the common land surrounding it. 51 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,800 But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunah as 52 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:25,800 his possession. 53 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:30,360 Thus to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common land, a city of 54 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:36,200 refuge for the slayer, Libnah with its common land, Jatir with its common land, Eshtimowa 55 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:42,280 with its common land, Holon with its common land, Debir with its common land, Ein with 56 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:47,560 its common land, Judah with its common land, and Beit Shemesh with its common land. 57 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,080 Nine cities from those two tribes. 58 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,880 And from the tribe of Benjamin, Gebian with its common land, Geba with its common land, 59 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,800 Anathoth with its common land, and Almon with its common land. 60 00:03:58,800 --> 00:03:59,800 Four cities. 61 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:04,000 All the cities of the children of Aaron the priests were thirteen cities with their common 62 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,000 lands. 63 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,200 And the families of the children of Kohat, the Levites, the rest of the children of Kohat, 64 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:13,160 even they had the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. 65 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,280 For they gave them Shechem with its common land in the mountains of Ephraim, a city of 66 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:23,520 refuge for the slayer, Gesir with its common land, Kipzaim with its common land, and Bet 67 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:24,920 Huron with its common land. 68 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:25,940 Four cities. 69 00:04:25,940 --> 00:04:31,100 And from the tribe of Dan, Alteka with its common land, Gicuton with its common land, 70 00:04:31,100 --> 00:04:34,840 medicinalon with its common land, and Gadrimon with its common land. 71 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:35,880 Four cities. 72 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:40,720 And from the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanakh with its common land, and Gadrimon with its 73 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:41,720 common land. 74 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:42,980 Two cities. 75 00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:47,000 All the ten cities with their common lands were for the rest of the families of the children 76 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,880 of Kohath. Also to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, from the other 77 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:57,040 half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its common land, a city of refuge 78 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:03,360 for the slayer, and Bey Echtera with its common land, two cities, and from the tribe of Issachar, 79 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,840 Kishon with its common land, Dabirat with its common land, Jarmus with its common land, 80 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:14,440 and Nganim with its common land, four cities, and from the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its 81 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:20,400 common land, Abdon with its common land, Helkat with its common land, and Rehob with its common 82 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:26,360 land, four cities, and from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common land, a city 83 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:31,840 of refuge for the slayer, Harmod Dor with its common land, and Kartan with its common 84 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:36,720 land, three cities. All the cities of the Gershonites, according to their families, 85 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:42,080 were thirteen cities with their common lands. And to the families of the children of Mirari, 86 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:47,560 the rest of the Levites was the tribe of Zebulun – Juknineum with its common land, Kartâ 87 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:53,520 with its common land, Dymna with its common land, and Nahalal with its common land, four 88 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:58,080 cities. And from the Tribe of Ruben – Bezer with its common land, Jehaz with excやって 89 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:02,800 Jihos with its common land, Kedemoth with its common land, and Méfat with its common 90 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:08,160 land – four cities. And from the tribe of Good – Ramoth and Gyliad with its common 91 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:13,760 a city of refuge for the slayer. Ma'aneem with its common land, Hezbon with its common land, 92 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:19,520 and Jazer with its common land, four cities in all. So all the cities for the children of Mirari, 93 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:24,080 according to their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were by their lot 94 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,560 twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel 95 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:33,920 were forty-eight cities with their common lands. Every one of these cities had its common land 96 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:39,040 surrounding it. Thus were all these cities. So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which 97 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:43,280 He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 98 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:47,680 The Lord gave them rest all around according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, 99 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:52,800 and not a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord delivered all their enemies into 100 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:58,800 their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. 101 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:06,560 All came to pass. Chapter 22 Then Joshua called the Rubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe 102 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:11,600 of Manasseh, and said to them, You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, 103 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:16,960 and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many 104 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,760 days up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. And now the 105 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,480 Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as He promised them. Now therefore return and go to 106 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,200 your tents and to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on 107 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:36,080 the other side of the Jordan. But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses 108 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:41,120 the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep 109 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:46,320 His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 110 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:51,680 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. Now to have the tribe 111 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:57,120 of Manasseh, Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it Joshua gave 112 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:02,640 a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed when Joshua sent 113 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:07,600 them away to their tents, he blessed them and spoke to them saying, Return with much riches to your 114 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:13,600 tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much 115 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:18,560 clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. So the children of Reuben, the 116 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:23,840 children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel 117 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:28,720 at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their 118 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:33,680 possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 119 00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:37,520 And when they came to the region of the Jordan, which is in the land of Canaan, the children of 120 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:42,480 Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, built an altar there by the Jordan, 121 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:47,600 a great impressive altar. Now the children of Israel heard someone say, Behold the children 122 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:53,120 of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have built an altar on the frontier 123 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:58,480 of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the children of Israel's side. And when the 124 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,880 children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at 125 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:08,560 Shiloh to go to war against them. Then the children of Israel sent Phineas, the son of Eliezer the 126 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:13,360 priest, to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the 127 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:20,320 land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel, 128 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:25,040 and each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. Then they 129 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:30,000 came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land 130 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:35,120 of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, 131 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,000 What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel to turn away this day 132 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,640 from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this 133 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:50,640 day against the Lord? Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till 134 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:55,600 this day? Although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, but that you must turn 135 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:01,120 away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, 136 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:06,320 that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Nevertheless, if the land 137 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,880 of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, 138 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:16,000 where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. But do not rebel against 139 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,800 the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the 140 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:27,120 Lord our God. Did not Aqan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in that cursed thing, and wrath fell 141 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:32,880 on all the congregation of Israel, and that man did not perish alone in his iniquity? Then the 142 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:37,840 children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, answered and said to the 143 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:44,320 heads of the divisions of Israel, The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he knows, and let 144 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:50,800 Israel itself know, if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord do not save us this 145 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:56,640 day, if we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt 146 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:03,200 offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord himself require an 147 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:09,840 account. But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason saying, in time to come your descendants 148 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:15,600 may speak to our descendants saying, what have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has 149 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:21,680 made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have 150 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:27,760 no part in the Lord, so your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord. Therefore 151 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:33,680 we said, let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, 152 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:39,680 but that it may be a witness between you and us, and our generations after us, that we may perform 153 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:45,120 the service of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace 154 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:50,640 offerings. That your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, you have no part in 155 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:56,720 the Lord. Therefore we said that it will be when they say this to us or to our generations in time 156 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:02,400 to come, that we may say, here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, 157 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:08,640 though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices, but it is a witness between you and us. Far be it 158 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:14,160 from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day, to build an 159 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:20,000 altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our 160 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,440 God which is before his tabernacle. Now Infinius the priest and the rulers of the congregation, 161 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:30,000 the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of 162 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:35,120 Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. Then Infinius, 163 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:40,160 the son of Eliezer the priest, said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children 164 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:45,680 of Manasseh, this day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this 165 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:50,720 treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the 166 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:56,560 Lord. And Infinius the son of Eliezer the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben 167 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:01,840 and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, 168 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:06,800 and brought back word to them. So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel 169 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:11,840 blessed God. They spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the 170 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:17,200 children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar 171 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,800 witness, for it is a witness between us that the Lord is God. 172 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:30,000 I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you again 173 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:42,720 tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless you and have a great day.