Daily Readings for May 21

Daily Readings for May 21
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Joshua 7

1.But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore Yahweh's anger burned against the children of Israel. 2.Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the land."

The men went up and spied out Ai. 3.They returned to Joshua, and said to him, "Don't let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Don't make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them." 4.So about three thousand men of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai. 5.The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them, and they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water. 6.Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of Yahweh until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7.Joshua said, "Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? I wish that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan! 8.Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9.For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?"

10.Yahweh said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you fallen on your face like that? 11.Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff. 12.Therefore the children of Israel can't stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

13."Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, "There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you."

14."'In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. It shall be that the tribe which Yahweh selects shall come near by families. The family which Yahweh selects shall come near by households. The household which Yahweh selects shall come near man by man. 15.It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"

16.So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected. 17.He brought near the family of Judah; and he selected the family of the Zerahites. He brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was selected. 18.He brought near his household man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19.Joshua said to Achan, "My son, please give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done! Don't hide it from me!"

20.Achan answered Joshua, and said, "I have truly sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done. 21.When I saw among the spoil a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it."

22.So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. Behold, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23.They took them from the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel. They laid them down before Yahweh. 24.Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. 25.Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you this day." All Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26.They raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Yahweh turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called "The valley of Achor" to this day.

Isaiah 11

1.A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. 2.The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. 3.His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; 4.but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. 5.Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist. 6.The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. 7.The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. 8.The nursing child will play near a cobra's hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. 9.They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

10.It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner of the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious. 11.It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12.He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13.The envy also of Ephraim will depart, and those who persecute Judah will be cut off. Ephraim won't envy Judah, and Judah won't persecute Ephraim. 14.They will fly down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon will obey them. 15.Yahweh will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will split it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals. 16.There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

2Thessalonians 3

1.Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you; 2.and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith. 3.But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one. 4.We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command. 5.May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.

6.Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion, and not after the tradition which they received from us. 7.For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn't behave ourselves rebelliously among you, 8.neither did we eat bread from anyone's hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you; 9.not because we don't have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us. 10.For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: "If anyone will not work, neither let him eat." 11.For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don't work at all, but are busybodies. 12.Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

13.But you, brothers, don't be weary in doing well. 14.If any man doesn't obey our word in this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. 15.Don't count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

16.Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

17.The greeting of me, Paul, with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter: this is how I write. 18.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.