Joshua 12, 13, Psalm 145, Jeremiah 6, Matthew 20

Joshua 12, 13,

1 These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
 
2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge-from the middle of the gorge-to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead.
 
3 He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
 
4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
 
5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
 
6 Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.
 
7 These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (their lands Joshua gave as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions-
 
8 the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the desert and the Negev-the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites):
 
9 the king of Jericho one the king of Ai (near Bethel) one
 
10 the king of Jerusalem one the king of Hebron one
 
11 the king of Jarmuth one the king of Lachish one
 
12 the king of Eglon one the king of Gezer one
 
13 the king of Debir one the king of Geder one
 
14 the king of Hormah one the king of Arad one
 
15 the king of Libnah one the king of Adullam one
 
16 the king of Makkedah one the king of Bethel one
 
17 the king of Tappuah one the king of Hepher one
 
18 the king of Aphek one the king of Lasharon one
 
19 the king of Madon one the king of Hazor one
 
20 the king of Shimron Meron one the king of Acshaph one
 
21 the king of Taanach one the king of Megiddo one
 
22 the king of Kedesh one the king of Jokneam in Carmel one
 
23 the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor ) one the king of Goyim in Gilgal one
 
24 the king of Tirzah one thirty-one kings in all.

1 When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
 
2 "This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites:
 
3 from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron-that of the Avvites
 
4 from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites,
 
5 the area of the Gebalites ; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
 
6 "As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you,
 
7 and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."
 
8 The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the LORD, had assigned it to them.
 
9 It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,
 
10 and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites.
 
11 It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah-
 
12 that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over their land.
 
13 But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
 
14 But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them.
 
15 This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan:
 
16 The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba
 
17 to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
 
18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
 
19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,
 
20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth
 
21 -all the towns on the plateau and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba-princes allied with Sihon-who lived in that country.
 
22 In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
 
23 The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.
 
24 This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:
 
25 The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;
 
26 and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir;
 
27 and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth ).
 
28 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Gadites, clan by clan.
 
29 This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan:
 
30 The territory extending from Mahanaim and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og king of Bashan-all the settlements of Jair in Bashan, sixty towns,
 
31 half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). This was for the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh-for half of the sons of Makir, clan by clan.
 
32 This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho.
 
33 But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.

Psalm 145,

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
 
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
 
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
 
4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
 
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
 
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
 
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
 
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
 
9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
 
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.
 
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
 
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
 
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
 
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. .
 
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
 
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
 
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
 
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
 
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
 
20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
 
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

Jeremiah 6,

1 "Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction.
 
2 I will destroy the Daughter of Zion, so beautiful and delicate.
 
3 Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents around her, each tending his own portion."
 
4 "Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! But, alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long.
 
5 So arise, let us attack at night and destroy her fortresses!"
 
6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; it is filled with oppression.
 
7 As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
 
8 Take warning, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it."
 
9 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Let them glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand over the branches again, like one gathering grapes."
 
10 To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
 
11 But I am full of the wrath of the LORD, and I cannot hold it in. "Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years.
 
12 Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land," declares the LORD.
 
13 "From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
 
14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
 
15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.
 
16 This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
 
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen.'
 
18 Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them.
 
19 Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.
 
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me."
 
21 Therefore this is what the LORD says: "I will put obstacles before this people. Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish."
 
22 This is what the LORD says: "Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth.
 
23 They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, O Daughter of Zion."
 
24 We have heard reports about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.
 
25 Do not go out to the fields or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is terror on every side.
 
26 O my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
 
27 "I have made you a tester of metals and my people the ore, that you may observe and test their ways.
 
28 They are all hardened rebels, going about to slander. They are bronze and iron; they all act corruptly.
 
29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out.
 
30 They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them."

Matthew 20

1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.
 
2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
 
3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
 
4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'
 
5 So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
 
6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
 
7 " 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
 
8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
 
9 "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
 
10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
 
11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
 
12 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
 
13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?
 
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.
 
15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
 
16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
 
17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,
 
18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death
 
19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
 
20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
 
21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."
 
22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered.
 
23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."
 
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
 
25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
 
26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
 
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-
 
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
 
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
 
30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
 
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
 
32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
 
33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."
 
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.