3 But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy. 6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.”

7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?”

8“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you come from?”

9“Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt, 10and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan— Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. 11So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’

12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But look, it is now dry and moldy. 13These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”

14 Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not seek the counsel of the Lord. 15And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

16 Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them. 17So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities — Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.

19 All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.

22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

24 The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this. 25Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”

26 So Joshua did this and delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the Gibeonites. 27On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation of the Lord and for the altar at the place He would choose.

1 Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction — doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king — and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them. 2So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4“Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

5 So the five kings of the Amorites— the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon— joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

7 So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.”

9 After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. 10And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the Lord cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

12 On the day that the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?

14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, because the Lord fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”

18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them. 19But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.”

20 So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified cities. 21The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23So they brought the five kings out of the cave — the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

24 When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”

So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.

25“Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

26 After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left them there until evening. 27At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.

28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30And the Lord also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 32And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.

33 At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.

34 So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 35That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it.

38 Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it. 39And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region— the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings— leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

42 And because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. 43Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

19 Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. 20And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

24 So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

25 But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

27 ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’

29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1 Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

7 Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told? 10So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”