23rd May

¹ And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;² That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.³ And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,⁴ They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;⁵ And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.⁶ And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.⁷ And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?⁸ And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?⁹ And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,¹⁰ And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.¹¹ Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.¹² This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:¹³ And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.¹⁴ And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.¹⁵ And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.¹⁶ And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.¹⁷ And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.¹⁸ And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.¹⁹ But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.²⁰ This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.²¹ And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.²² And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?²³ Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.²⁴ And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.²⁵ And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.²⁶ And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.²⁷ And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

¹ The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.² Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.³ I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.⁴ The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.⁵ They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.⁶ Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.⁷ Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:⁸ And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.⁹ Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.¹⁰ For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.¹¹ And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.¹² I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.¹³ Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.¹⁴ And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.¹⁵ Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.¹⁶ Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.¹⁷ Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.¹⁸ Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.¹⁹ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.²⁰ It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.²¹ But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.²² And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

¹ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;² Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;³ Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:⁵ For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.⁶ If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.⁷ But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.⁸ For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.⁹ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.¹⁰ For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.¹¹ These things command and teach.¹² Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

¹ Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;² The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.³ Honour widows that are widows indeed.⁴ But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.⁵ Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.⁶ But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.⁷ And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.⁸ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.⁹ Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.¹⁰ Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.¹¹ But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;¹² Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.¹³ And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.¹⁴ I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.¹⁵ For some are already turned aside after Satan.¹⁶ If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.¹⁷ Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.¹⁸ For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.¹⁹ Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.²⁰ Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.²¹ I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.²² Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.²³ Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.²⁴ Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.²⁵ Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.