Wednesday, 03 July

1.   Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. 2.   But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3.   Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? 4.   "Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. 5.   "And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. 6.   "You shall therefore survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God. 7.   "But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them." 8.   Then the men arose to go away; and Joshua charged those who went to survey the land, saying, "Go, walk through the land, survey it, and come back to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh." 9.   So the men went, passed through the land, and wrote the survey in a book in seven parts by cities; and they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh. 10.   Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions. 11.   Now the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families, and the territory of their lot came out between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. 12.   Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the mountains westward; it ended at the Wilderness of Beth Aven. 13.   The border went over from there toward Luz, to the side of Luz (which is Bethel) southward; and the border descended to Ataroth Addar, near the hill that lies on the south side of Lower Beth Horon. 14.   Then the border extended around the west side to the south, from the hill that lies before Beth Horon southward; and it ended at Kirjath Baal (which is Kirjath Jearim), a city of the children of Judah. This was the west side. 15.   The south side began at the end of Kirjath Jearim, and the border extended on the west and went out to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16.   Then the border came down to the end of the mountain that lies before the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is in the Valley of the Rephaim on the north, descended to the Valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite city on the south, and descended to En Rogel. 17.   And it went around from the north, went out to En Shemesh, and extended toward Geliloth, which is before the Ascent of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. 18.   Then it passed along toward the north side of Arabah, and went down to Arabah. 19.   And the border passed along to the north side of Beth Hoglah; then the border ended at the north bay at the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary. 20.   The Jordan was its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to its boundaries all around, according to their families. 21.   Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22.   Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23.   Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24.   Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages; 25.   Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26.   Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, 27.   Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28.   Zelah, Eleph, Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

1.   The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. And their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2.   They had in their inheritance Beersheba (Sheba), Moladah, 3.   Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4.   Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5.   Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, 6.   Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their villages; 7.   Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan: four cities and their villages; 8.   and all the villages that were all around these cities as far as Baalath Beer, Ramah of the South. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families. 9.   The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people.

1.   Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2.   Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3.   And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. 4.   Then the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: "What confidence is this in which you trust? 5.   "I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6.   "Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7.   "But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?"’ 8.   "Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses––if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9.   "How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10.   "Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’" 11.   Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it ; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall." 12.   But the Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?" 13.   Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14.   "Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15.   ‘nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."’ 16.   "Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 17.   ‘until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18.   ‘ Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19.   ‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20.   ‘Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’" 21.   But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, "Do not answer him." 22.   Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

1.   Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2.   Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3.   For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4.   But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5.   For each one shall bear his own load. 6.   Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. 7.   Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8.   For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9.   And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10.   Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. 11.   See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12.   As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13.   For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14.   But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15.   For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16.   And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17.   From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 18.   Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.