Daily Bible Reading
Day 71
Today's reading: Joshua 14,20
Look for the promises in God’s word. As you read and find them, write them in your journal along with the scripture reference.
Joshua 14
Judah’s Tribal Lands
1. The following is a record of the territory assigned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders.
2. The land assignments to the nine-and-a-half tribes were made by drawing lots, as the Lord had instructed Moses.
3. Now Moses had assigned land to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan, but he assigned no land to the Levites.
4. The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions.
5. The Israelites followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses and divided up the land.
6. The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.
7. I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.
8. My countrymen who accompanied me frightened the people, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.
9. That day Moses made this solemn promise: ‘Surely the land on which you walked will belong to you and your descendants permanently, for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’
10. So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old.
11. Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.
12. Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer them, as the Lord promised.”
13. Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.
14. So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel.
15. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.) Then the land was free of war.
Joshua 20
Israel Designates Cities of Refuge
1. The Lord instructed Joshua:
2. “Have the Israelites select the cities of refuge that I told you about through Moses.
3. Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.
4. The one who committed manslaughter should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city. They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there.
5. When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation.
6. He must remain in that city until his case is decided by the assembly and the high priest dies. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped.”
7. So they selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8. Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they selected Bezer in the desert on the plain belonging to the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan belonging to the tribe of Manasseh.
9. These were the cities of refuge appointed for all the Israelites and for resident foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed someone could escape there and not be executed by the avenger of blood, at least until his case was reviewed by the assembly.