Daily Readings for May 22
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Joshua 8

 

1.Yahweh said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid, neither be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. Behold, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, with his people, his city, and his land. 2.You shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king, except its spoil and its livestock, you shall take for a plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it."

3.So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them out by night. 4.He commanded them, saying, "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Don't go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 5.I, and all the people who are with me, will approach to the city. It shall happen, when they come out against us, as at the first, that 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 flee before us, like the first time.' So we will flee before them, 7.and you shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; for Yahweh your God will deliver it into your hand. 8.It shall be, when you have seized on the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do this according to the word of Yahweh. Behold, I have commanded you."

9.Joshua sent them out; and they went to set up the ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua stayed among the people that night. 10.Joshua rose up early in the morning, mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11.All the people, even the men of war who were with him, went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between him and Ai. 12.He took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13.So they set the people, even all the army who was on the north of the city, and their ambush on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. 14.It happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hurried and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the Arabah; but he didn't know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15.Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16.All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them. They pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 17.There was not a man left in Ai or Beth El who didn't go out after Israel. They left the city open, and pursued Israel.

18.Yahweh said to Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand."

Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19.The ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it. They hurried and set the city on fire. 20.When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way. The people who fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers. 21.When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and killed the men of Ai. 22.The others came out of the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. They struck them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23.They captured the king of Ai alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24.It happened, when Israel had made an end of killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they pursued them, and they had all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned to Ai, and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25.All that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26.For Joshua didn't draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27.Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took for prey to themselves, according to the word of Yahweh which he commanded Joshua. 28.So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap forever, even a desolation, to this day. 29.He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until the evening, and at the sundown Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised a great heap of stones on it that remains to this day.

30.Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal, 31.as Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones, on which no man had lifted up any iron. They offered burnt offerings on it to Yahweh, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32.He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 33.All Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, who carried the ark of Yahweh's covenant, the foreigner as well as the native; half of them in front of Mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34.Afterward 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 commanded, which Joshua didn't read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who were among them.

 

Isaiah 12

 

1.In that day you will say, "I will give thanks to you, Yahweh; for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you comfort me. 2.Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation." 3.Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4.In that day you will say, "Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted! 5.Sing to Yahweh, for he has done excellent things! Let this be known in all the earth! 6.Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy One of Israel is great in the midst of you!"

 

1Timothy 1

 

1.Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope; 2.to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3.As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, 4.neither to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God's stewardship, which is in faith-- 5.but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith; 6.from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking; 7.desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm. 8.But we know that the law is good, if a man uses it lawfully, 9.as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10.for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine; 11.according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 12.And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; 13.although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14.The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15.The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16.However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. 17.Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

18.This instruction I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you may wage the good warfare; 19.holding faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith; 20.of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

 

1Timothy 2

 

1.I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: 2.for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. 3.For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4.who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. 5.For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6.who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times; 7.to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8.I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting. 9.In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety; not just with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing; 10.but (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works. 11.Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. 12.But I don't permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness. 13.For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14.Adam wasn't deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience; 15.but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sobriety.

 

1Timothy 3

 

1.This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer¹, he desires a good work. 2.The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; 3.not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4.one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; 5.(but if a man doesn't know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?) 6.not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7.Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8.Servants², in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money; 9.holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10.Let them also first be tested; then let them serve³ if they are blameless. 11.Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12.Let servants⁴ be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13.For those who have served well⁵ gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

14.These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly; 15.but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16.Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.

 

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