Crossing the Read Sea

Joshua 10:40-11:5 

God Fights for God's People

40 So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings; he left no one remaining but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 41 And Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

The United Kings of Northern Canaan Defeated

11 When King Jabin of Hazor heard of this, he sent to King Jobab of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 They came out, with all their troops, a great army, in number like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 All these kings joined their forces and came and camped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:44–52

[HAAZINU]

44 And Moshe came and spoke kol divre hashirah in the hearing of the people, he, and Hoshea ben Nun.

45 And Moshe made an end of speaking all these devarim to kol Yisroel;

46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the devarim which I testify among you today, which ye shall command your banim to be shomer to do, kol divrei hatorah hazot.

47 For it is not an idle thing for you; because it is Chayyeichem (your life); and through this thing ye shall prolong your yamim in ha’adamah, whither ye go over Yarden to possess it.

48 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe that very same day, saying,

49 Get thee up into this mountain range Avarim, unto Mt Nevo, which is in Eretz Moav, that is opposite Yericho; and view Eretz Kena’an, which I give unto the Bnei Yisroel for a possession;

50 And in the mount whither thou goest up ye will die, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aharon thy brother died in Mt Hor, and was gathered unto his people;

51 Because you trespassed against Me among the Bnei Yisroel at the waters of Merivat Kadesh, in the midbar of Tzin; because lo kiddashtem (not ye upheld as holy) Me in the midst of the Bnei Yisroel.

52 Therefore from a distance thou shalt see ha’aretz; but thou shalt not enter thither into ha’aretz which I give the Bnei Yisroel.

Joshua 11:6-9, 16-23 

God Brings Victory

6 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will hand over all of them, slain, to Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Joshua came suddenly upon them with all his fighting force, by the waters of Merom, and fell upon them. 8 And the Lord handed them over to Israel, who attacked them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim and eastward as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down until they had left no one remaining. 9 And Joshua did to them as the Lord had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10 Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor and struck its king down with the sword. Before that time Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they put to the sword all who were in it, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed, and he burned Hazor with fire. 12 And all the towns of those kings and all their kings, Joshua took and struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But Israel burned none of the towns that stood on mounds except Hazor, which Joshua did burn. 14 All the spoil of these towns and the livestock the Israelites plundered for themselves, but all the people they struck down with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests

16 So Joshua took all that land: the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them down, and put them to death. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a town that made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon; all were taken in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed and might receive no mercy but be exterminated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 At that time Joshua came and wiped out the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their towns. 22 None of the Anakim was left in the land of the Israelites; some remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:1–7.

V’Zot HaBerachah 

33 And this is the brocha, wherewith Moshe the Ish HaElohim blessed the Bnei Yisroel before moto (his death).

2 And he said, Hashem came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mt Paran, and He came with ten thousands of kodesh; from His right hand went a fiery law for them.

3 Yea, He loved the amim; kol kedoshav (all His holy ones) are in Thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy devarot.

4 Moshe charged us with a torah, even the morashah kehillat Ya’akov (heritage of the Congregation of Ya’akov).

5 And He was Melech in Yeshurun, when the Rashei Am and the Shivtei Yisroel were gathered together.

6 Let Reuven live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

7 And this to Yehudah: and he said, Shema, Hashem, the voice of Yehudah, and bring him unto his people; let his hands contend for him; and be Thou an ezer (help) to him from his enemies.

Joshua 2:1-7 

Welcoming Strangers

1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and spent the night there. 

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.” 

3 Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out the whole land.” 

4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. 

5 And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them.” 

6 She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 

7 So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

Leviticus 16:1–34

Torah Reading for Yom Kippur

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they died.

2 And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to your brother Aaron, that he should not come at all times into the Holy within the dividing curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he should not die, for I appear over the ark cover in a cloud.

3 With this shall Aaron enter the Holy: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

4 He shall wear a holy linen shirt and linen pants shall be upon his flesh, and he shall gird himself with a linen sash and wear a linen cap these are holy garments, [and therefore,] he shall immerse himself in water and don them.

5 And from the community of the children of Israel, he shall take two he goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.

6And Aaron shall bring his sin offering bull, and initiate atonement for himself and for his household.

7 And he shall take the two he goats, and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

8 And Aaron shall place lots upon the two he goats: one lot "For the Lord," and the other lot, "For Azazel."

9 And Aaron shall bring the he goat upon which the lot, "For the Lord," came up, and designate it as a sin offering.

10 And the he goat upon which the lot "For Azazel" came up, shall be placed while still alive, before the Lord, to [initiate] atonement upon it, and to send it away to Azazel, into the desert.

11 And Aaron shall bring his sin offering bull, and shall [initiate] atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall [then] slaughter his sin offering bull.

12 And he shall take a pan full of burning coals from upon the altar, from before the Lord, and both hands' full of fine incense, and bring [it] within the dividing curtain.

13 And he shall place the incense upon the fire, before the Lord, so that the cloud of the incense shall envelope the ark cover that is over the [tablets of] Testimony, so that he shall not die.

14 And he shall take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle [it] with his index finger on top of the ark cover on the eastern side; and before the ark cover, he shall sprinkle seven times from the blood, with his index finger.

15 He shall then slaughter the he goat of the people's sin offering and bring its blood within the dividing curtain, and he shall do with its blood as he had done with the bull's blood, and he shall sprinkle it upon the ark cover and before the ark cover.

16 And he shall effect atonement upon the Holy from the defilements of the children of Israel and from their rebellions and all their unintentional sins. He shall do likewise to the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them amidst their defilements.

17 And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes to effect atonement in the Holy, until he comes out. And he shall effect atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

18 And he shall then go out to the altar that is before the Lord and effect atonement upon it: He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the he goat's blood, and place it on the horns of the altar, around.

19 He shall then sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his index finger seven times, and he shall cleanse it and sanctify it of the defilements of the children of Israel.

20 And he shall finish effecting atonement for the Holy, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and then he shall bring the live he goat.

21 And Aaron shall lean both of his hands [forcefully] upon the live he goat's head and confess upon it all the willful transgressions of the children of Israel, all their rebellions, and all their unintentional sins, and he shall place them on the he goat's head, and send it off to the desert with a timely man.

22 The he goat shall thus carry upon itself all their sins to a precipitous land, and he shall send off the he goat into the desert.

23 And Aaron shall enter the Tent of Meeting and remove the linen garments that he had worn when he came into the Holy, and there, he shall store them away.

24 And he shall immerse his flesh in a holy place and don his garments. He shall then go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering, and he shall effect atonement for himself and for the people.

25 And he shall cause the fat of the sin offering to go up in smoke upon the altar.

26 And the person who sent off the he goat to Azazel, shall immerse his garments and immerse his flesh in water. And after this, he may come into the camp.

27 And the sin offering bull and he goat of the sin offering, [both of] whose blood was brought to effect atonement in the Holy, he shall take outside the camp, and they shall burn in fire their hides, their flesh, and their waste.

28 And the person who burns them shall immerse his garments and immerse his flesh in water. And after this, he may come into the camp.

29 And [all this] shall be as an eternal statute for you; in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict yourselves, and you shall not do any work neither the native nor the stranger who dwells among you.

30 For on this day He shall effect atonement for you to cleanse you. Before the Lord, you shall be cleansed from all your sins.

31 It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict yourselves. It is an eternal statute.

32 And the Kohen who is anointed or who is invested to serve in his father's stead, shall effect [this] atonement, and he shall don the linen garments, the holy garments;

33 And he shall effect atonement upon the Holy of Holies, and he shall effect atonement upon the Tent of Meeting and upon the altar, and he shall effect atonement upon the kohanim and upon all the people of the congregation.

34 [All] this shall be as an eternal statute for you, to effect atonement upon the children of Israel, for all their sins, once each year. And he did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

James 2:18-26 

Faith without Works Is Dead

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from works, and I by my works will show you faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is worthless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and by works faith was brought to completion. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 33: 13-17

13 And of Joseph he said: "His land shall be blessed by the Lord, with the sweetness of the heavens with dew, and with the deep that lies below,

14 and with the sweetness of the produce of the sun, and with the sweetness of the moon's yield,

15 and with the crops of early mountains, and with the sweetness of perennial hills,

16 and with the sweetness of the land and its fullness, and through the contentment of the One Who dwells in the thornbush. May it come upon Joseph's head and upon the crown of the one separated from his brothers.

17 To his firstborn ox is [given] glory. His horns are the horns of a re'em. With them, he will gore peoples together [throughout all] the ends of the earth these are the myriads of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh."

Psalm 67 

May the Nations Know God's Salvation

1 

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 

that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.

3 

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

4 

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

5 

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

6 

The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.

7 

May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 33: 18 - 21

18 And to Zebulun he said: "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your departure, and Issachar, in your tents.

19 They will call peoples to the mountain; there, they will offer up righteous sacrifices. For they will be nourished by the abundance of the seas, and by the treasures hidden in the sand."

20 And of Gad he said: "Blessed is He Who grants expanse to Gad; he dwells like a lion, tearing the arm [of his prey, together] with the head.

21 He saw the first portion for himself, because there, the portion of the lawgiver is hidden. And he came at the head of the people; he did what is righteous for the Lord, and what is lawful with Israel."

Hebrews 11:1-2, 29-31 

Faith to Live By

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

The Examples of Abel, Enoch, and Noah

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death, and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

The Faith of Abraham

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith, with Sarah’s involvement, he received power of procreation, even though he was too old, because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better homeland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, “bowing in worship over the top of his staff.” 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 33: 22 - 26

22 And of Dan he said: "Dan is a young lion, streaming from Bashan."

23 And of Naphtali he said, "Naphtali is favorably satisfied and full of the Lord's blessing. Possess the Sea and the south."

24 And of Asher he said: "May Asher be blessed with sons. He will be pleasing to his brothers, and immerse his foot in oil.

25 Your locks are iron and copper, and the days of your old age will be like the days of your youth.

26 Jeshurun, there is none like God; He Who rides the heavens is at your assistance, and with His majesty, [He rides] the skies,

Acts 10:34-48 

God Shows No Partiality

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 33

27 which are the abode for the God Who precedes all, and below, are the mighty ones of the world. He expelled the enemy from before you, and said, 'Destroy!'

28 And Israel dwelled safely and alone as Jacob [blessed them], in a land of grain and wine; also, their heavens will drip dew.

29 Fortunate are you, O Israel! Who is like you, O people whose salvation is through the Lord, the Shield Who helps you, your majestic Sword! Your enemies will lie to you, but you will tread upon their heights."

Hoshea (Hosea) Chapter 14

2 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.

3 Take words with yourselves and return to the Lord. Say, "You shall forgive all iniquity and teach us [the] good [way], and let us render [for] bulls [the offering of] our lips.

4 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses, nor will we say any longer, our gods, to the work of our hands, for in You, by Whom the orphan is granted mercy."

5 I will remedy their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My wrath has turned away from them.

6 I will be like dew to Israel, they shall blossom like a rose, and it shall strike its roots like the Lebanon.

7 Its branches shall go forth, and its beauty shall be like the olive tree, and its fragrance like the Lebanon.

8 Those who dwelt in its shade shall return; they shall revive [like] corn and blossom like the vine; its fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

9 Ephraim; What more do I need the images? I will answer him and I will look upon him: I am like a leafy cypress tree; from Me your fruit is found.

10 Who is wise and will understand these, discerning and will know them; for the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous shall walk in them, and the rebellious shall stumble on them.

Michah (Micah) Chapter 7

18 Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness.

19 He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.

20 You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.