Three Arrows

90 – Three Arrows

1 Samuel 20:1-42

David said, “Jonathan, why is your father trying to kill me? What have I done?”

He said, “The king doesn’t want to kill you. I would know about it if he did. He doesn’t hide anything from me.”

David said, “As sure as there is a God, and as sure as you’re alive, your father wants to kill me. He doesn’t tell you because he knows we’re best friends.”

Jonathan said, “What do you want me to do? Name it and I’ll do it.”

David said, “Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to go to a three-day banquet with the king. If he notices that I’m not there, tell him you gave me permission to go to Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice. Tell him it was important that I be there because it involves my entire clan.

“If your father accepts that answer, then we’ll know all is well and he doesn’t hate me. But if he gets angry, then it will be clear to both of us that he wants to kill me.

“Jonathan, if you find out that he has good reason to hate me, then come … and kill me yourself.”

Jonathan said, “I’ll go and find out exactly what my father thinks about you. If you’re right and he wants to kill you, I’ll send you away in peace. But remember, we made a vow to each other before the Lord. If I die and God blesses you, take care of my family. Love my household as if they’re your own.

“Here’s my plan. Hide next to the big rock in the field. I’ll find out what my father thinks about you. Then I’ll come here and shoot three arrows toward the rock. I’ll send my servant to get them. As he goes, I’ll yell something to him. If I say, ‘They are on this side of the rock.’ That’s your sign that all is well and you can come back.

“But if I yell, ‘They’re on the other side of the rock,’ That’s your sign that you need to run for your life because my father is trying to kill you.”

During the first day of the banquet, Saul noticed that David was not in his place, but he didn’t say anything. On the second day, Saul said to Jonathan, “Where is that son of Jesse? He’s missed both days so far.”

“Oh, I gave him permission to go to Bethlehem. His family is having a big annual sacrifice, and his brothers insisted that he be there.”

Saul yelled at his son. “You son of a prostitute! I know what you’re doing. You’re taking his side. Don’t you realize he’s going to take away your kingdom? You’re a shame to our family. Now go get him and bring him here so I can kill him.”

Jonathan yelled back. “What has he done? Why do you want to kill him?”

Saul grabbed a spear and threw it at his son. Jonathan got up from the table and left. He didn’t eat for a whole day because he was ashamed of his father.

In the morning, he went to the field with his servant. He shot three arrows out beyond the rock. As the servant ran out to get them, Jonathan yelled, “They are on the other side of that rock. You need to hurry. Go as fast as you can.”

The servant found the arrows and brought them back. Jonathan then told him to take the equipment and go back to the city.

After he left, David came out of hiding. The two men hugged and cried. Jonathan said, “You’re right. My father is determined to kill you. Go. But remember our pledge to one another, and between your children and my children.” With that, David left, and Jonathan went back to the city.

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David Earns a Wife

88 – David Earns a Wife

1 Samuel 18:1-30

After the death of Goliath, Saul’s son, Jonathan, became a close friend to David. The love between these two men was great. Jonathan gave David everything he needed to fight on the battlefield, and also what he needed for working in the king’s court.

David was successful as a commander in the army. All the people admired him, and his men became loyal to him. One day when Saul and his army came in from battle, the women from the various cities greeted them with dancing and singing. Their song was, “Saul has killed thousands. David has killed tens of thousands.”

This made Saul furious! He said, “Listen to them. They give him more credit than me. What will they do next? Give him the kingdom?” From that day on, Saul became more and more jealous of David.

The next day, God allowed an evil spirit to take control of Saul. He started to act crazy. It was still David’s job to go play his harp when the king was in one of these moods. As David played, Saul said to himself, “I’ll end this right now. I’ll pin him to the wall.” When the time was just right, he grabbed a spear and threw it at David. David dodged it just in time, and kept playing the harp. Saul waited, and once again when the time was just right, he grabbed another spear and threw it at David. Again David dodged it just in time.

With that, Saul realized that the Spirit of the Lord had left him and was now with David. The king’s anger turned to fear.

He put David in charge of 1,000 soldiers and sent him out to battle. David was successful in every campaign he led. This increased the love that the people had for him, but it made Saul even more afraid of him.

One of the king’s daughters, named Michal, loved David. When Saul found out about this, he got an idea. He thought of a plan where the Philistines would kill David. The king had his servants go to David and say, “The king likes you so much that he’s willing for you to become his son-in-law.”

When David heard this, he said, “I am not a rich man. I can’t offer the king anything for his daughter.”

“Oh, the king doesn’t want you to pay him money. All he wants is for you to get revenge on his enemies. He wants you to kill 100 Philistines, and bring back proof that they’re dead.”

David was pleased by these terms. So he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines and took Saul proof that they were dead. Saul had no choice but to give his daughter Michal to David.

Even more now, Saul considered David to be his enemy. Still, the Lord gave David victory every time he went out to battle. He was more successful than all of the other military officers and his name became more and more famous.

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Jonathan’s Victory

84 – Jonathan’s Victory

1 Samuel 13-14

Continued from the previous story

Jonathan looked at the Philistines’ camp on the other side of the pass. He said to his armor bearer, “Let’s go over there and kill a few Philistines. The Lord just might help us. He’s not limited by how many of us there are.”

The man said, “If you go, I’ll go with you.”

Jonathan said, “Here’s my plan. We’ll go across to the rear of the Philistine camp. We’ll let them see us at the bottom of their cliffs. If they tell us to stop, we’ll come back here. But if they tell us to come up, we’ll consider that a sign from God. We’ll know that the Lord will give us victory.”

They decided not to tell the king where they were going. When they got to the cliffs, the Philistines saw them. They said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of their hiding places!” They yelled down to Jonathan. “Come on up, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”

Jonathan laughed, “Follow me. The Lord has given them to us.” The two men climbed up the cliffs and killed twenty Philistines.

News quickly spread through the rest of the Philistine camp. This caused panic. They said, “The Israelites have attacked us from behind.” Suddenly the earth shook, and their panic turned to terror. They ran in every direction.

Men in Saul’s camp saw this and told the king. He looked around. “Call the roll and find out who’s missing.” They found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone.

As Saul assembled his troops, the panic in the Philistine camp intensified. When Saul’s army marched into battle, he found that the Philistines were fighting each other.

The Israelites that had joined the Philistines now rallied around Saul. Those who hid among rocks and caves came out and joined the battle.

Saul wanted his men to completely focus on winning the battle, so he shouted, “I put a curse on anyone who eats food before we win this victory.” His men obeyed, but soon they became hungry and tired.

Jonathan didn’t know what his father had said. He found some honey in the forest and ate it. Others immediately told him about the king’s order. He said, “The king shouldn’t have said that. Look at me. I ate some honey, now I’m ready to fight again. Our men should eat all of this food that the Philistines have left behind. Then they would fight harder.”

Saul finally realized his army was famished! He had a meal prepared and allowed his men to eat. The king then wanted to go back into battle, but suddenly realized something was wrong. He called everyone together and said, “Something is wrong, and I’m going to find out who’s behind it. Once I know who it is, he’ll be put to death, even if he’s my own son.”

He then drew lots, and it fell on Jonathan. The king asked him, “What did you do?”

“I ate some honey. If I’m to die for that, then I’m ready to die.”

Saul said to his son, “I took an oath, therefore you must die.”

The people shouted, “Jonathan won’t die! God used him to give us victory today. As the Lord God lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground.

So the people saved Jonathan’s life. With that, the battle was over and the Philistines returned to their own territory.

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Ark of God Returned

79 – Ark of God Returned

1 Samuel 5:1 – 6:21

Continued from the previous story

After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they put it in the temple of their god. The next morning, they found their idol face down in front of the Ark. They set the idol back up, but the next morning it was on the ground again. This time, the head and hands were broken off.

Suddenly the city was overrun with mice, and the people had large tumors covering their bodies. The men said, “This is being caused by the Ark of Israel’s God.” So they moved it to another city.

Immediately, God’s judgment hit that city. They were overrun with mice and the people developed large painful tumors. This caused the people to panic. The men sent the Ark of God to yet another city, but the people there yelled at them. “You’re trying to kill us! We don’t want that Ark in our city!”

They moved the Ark from city to city for seven months. Fear and death followed it wherever it went. Finally the Philistines asked their priests, “How can we send the Ark of the Lord back to Israel?”

They said, “If you send the Ark back to Israel, you must send a guilt offering with it. Then God will remove his hand of judgment, and you’ll be healed. Make five gold images of your tumors and five gold images of the mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and he will stop crushing you. But if you become stubborn, you’ll be like Pharaoh when these people left Egypt. He’ll send more plagues upon you until you send the Ark back to Israel.

“Here’s what to do. Prepare a new cart and place the Ark of God on it. Put the gold objects in a box beside it. Select two milk cows that have never been in a yoke, and hitch them to the cart. Take the calves away from the cows and put them in a pen nearby. Then stand back and see what the cows do. If they ignore their calves and go up the road toward Israel, you’ll know it was the Lord who tormented us for seven months. But, if the cows go toward their calves, we’ll know that all of this was just something that happened by chance. It wasn’t God’s judgment.”

The men did exactly as they were instructed. They got two milk cows and separated them from their calves. They hitched the cows to a cart, even though they had never been in a yoke before. They put the Ark on a new cart, along with the five gold images of their tumors and the mice.

When all was ready, they stood back and watched. The cows went straight up the road toward Israel. They stayed on that road with their heads down, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers walked behind them all the way to the territory of Israel.

The people of Israel were harvesting wheat when they saw the Ark coming toward them. They shouted for joy. As they watched, the cows pulled the cart to a field near a large rock and stopped. The people of Israel put the Ark on the rock. They then used the wood from the cart to offer the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. When the Philistine rulers saw this, they returned to their country.

There were 70 men from a nearby town who were curious about what was in the Ark of God, so they opened it and looked inside. All 70 men died by the hand of God. This struck fear into the people, but it was the beginning of the nation of Israel turning their hearts back to God.

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Cart for the Ark of the Covenant reconstruction, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Ruth & Boaz

76 – Ruth & Boaz

Ruth 3:1 – 4:22

Continued from the previous story

At the end of harvest, Naomi said to Ruth, “I am going to make sure you’re cared for. Here’s what you’re to do. Take a bath and put on some perfume. Dress in your best clothes. Boaz and his men will be working late tonight at the threshing floor. When they’re done, they’ll eat and drink, and then sleep on the threshing floor to protect the grain.

“Go there, but don’t let the men see you. Watch carefully and note where Boaz lies down. Once everyone is asleep, uncover his feet, and lie down next to them. When he wakes up, he’ll explain what you’re to do.”

So Ruth went to where the men were working and hid in the shadows. She watched carefully until she saw Boaz and the others lie down on the threshing floor. Their heads were towards the grain with their feet pointing out. Once they were asleep, she quietly uncovered the feet of Boaz, and lay down.

During the night, Boaz realized there was a woman lying at his feet. He said, “Who are you?”

She said, “I’m Ruth. Spread your protection over me, because you’re my closest relative.”

He said, “The Lord bless you! You didn’t come to our village looking for a husband, rich or poor. Instead you proved yourself to be a woman of integrity.

“Still, there is a next-of-kin who is closer than me. In the morning I’ll talk to him and give him an opportunity to redeem you. If he doesn’t, I will. For now, it’s not safe to go home in the night. I’ll send you there in the morning.”

She lay at his feet until morning, and then got up while it was still dark. Boaz gave her grain to take to Naomi.

Ruth told her mother-in-law everything that happened. Naomi said, “Now you’re to wait. Boaz won’t rest until this matter is settled.”

That day, Boaz arranged a meeting with the next-of-kin and the elders of the city. He said, “Naomi has come back from Moab and is selling her husband’s land. You’re the closest relative. Buy it in the presence of these elders. And if you don’t, I’ll buy it.”

The man was quick to answer. “I’ll buy it!”

Boaz went on to explain, “Well, when you buy it, you must also marry Ruth, the Moabite woman. This will keep the family name with the property.”

The man said, “I can’t marry this woman. It would ruin my own family name. You have my permission to buy the property.” With that, the man took off one of his sandals and handed it to Boaz. That made the deal legally binding.

Boaz held the sandal out toward the elders. “You are witnesses that I just bought the property that belonged to Naomi’s husband and sons. And because of that, Ruth will become my wife.”

People had gathered around and were watching all of this. The elders said, “Yes, we’ve seen the whole thing. May the Lord bless you, and may the Lord bless this woman who will become your wife.”

So Boaz took Ruth as his wife, and in the course of time, she gave birth to a son named Obed. He had a son named Jesse, who became the father of a shepherd boy named David. He became the great king of Israel!

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The Birth of Samson

68 – The Birth of Samson

Judges 13:1-25

There was a man from the tribe of Dan whose wife couldn’t have children. This was during the time when the Philistines had taken control of Israel. The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said, “Soon you’ll become pregnant. The child you’ll be carrying is going to have the vow of a Nazirite from the time he’s born. So be careful. Don’t drink alcohol or eat anything that is against the Law of Moses. And never cut your son’s hair. He will save Israel from the Philistines.”

The woman didn’t realize she was talking to the angel of the Lord. She ran to her husband and said, “A man of God came and told me that you and I are going to have a baby. He told me not to drink any alcohol or eat anything that is against the Law of Moses. I’m not to cut his hair because our son is going to keep the Nazirite vow from birth.”

Her husband immediately prayed and asked God if he would once again send the man of God to them. He wanted more instruction on exactly what they were to do when the child was born.

Later, the woman was sitting in the field, suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to her again. She quickly ran and got her husband. She said, “That same man of God is out in the field.”

The husband ran to meet him. He said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”

“Yes, I am.”

The angel then gave him the same instructions he had given the woman. The man said, “Please stay here as we prepare a meal for you.”

The angel said, “I’ll stay, but I won’t eat a meal with you. Instead, present a burnt offering to God.”

The man and his wife still didn’t know they were talking to the angel of the Lord. The man said, “What’s your name? We want to honor you when all you say comes true.”

The angel said, “I’m not going to tell you my name. It is too wonderful for you.”

So the man prepared a burnt offering and sacrificed it on a rock. The flames rose up into the sky. Suddenly, as the man and his wife watched, the angel of the Lord went up into the flames.

The couple immediately fell to the ground. The man said, “We’re going to die! We’ve seen God!!”

The woman said, “I don’t think we’re going to die. He accepted our burnt offering. Besides he said we were going to have a baby.”

The woman followed the instructions she was given, and at the appointed time, she gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Samson.

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Jephthah’s Vow

67 – Jephthah’s Vow

Judges 10:6 – 11:40

Jephthah’s mother was a prostitute, but his father was a prominent man in Israel. Jephthah was raised in his father’s house, but when his half-brothers were old enough they said, “Get out! You’re not a son of our mother, and you’re not going to inherit anything from our father.”

So Jephthah left the area. He became a great warrior and organized a gang of thugs.

During this time, the people of Israel once again rebelled against the Lord and started worshiping other gods. God allowed the Ammonites to conquer them. The Ammonites were extremely cruel, and Israel suffered under their cruelty for eighteen years.

The people cried out to the Lord and said, “Deliver us!”

The Lord said, “No! I won’t do it. I’ve delivered you over and over. I won’t do it again. Go call on your idols to deliver you.”

So the Israelites got rid of their false gods and started worshiping the Lord. They said, “Do what you want with us. We know we’ve sinned. But please, get us out of this mess!” With that, God once again had mercy on them.

The Ammonites moved into the land to fight against Israel. The Israelites went out to meet them, but they didn’t have a leader. They sent for Jephthah and said to him, “Come and lead our troops into battle against the Ammonites.”

He sent a message back saying, “You’re the same people who kicked me out! Now you’re coming to me for help?”

They said, “It’s true. We did that, but if you’ll come and give us victory, you’ll be our leader. Listen, the Lord is our witness. We will do as we’ve said.”

So the Spirit of God came upon Jephthah, and he led the people into battle. He made a vow before the Lord and said, “Oh God, if you’ll give me victory over the Ammonites, when I go home I’ll give you the first thing that comes out of my house. I’ll sacrifice it to you as a burnt offering.”

The Lord gave Jephthah victory. He totally turned the Ammonite army away and even destroyed twenty of their cities.

Jephthah only had one child, a daughter. When he went home, she came dancing out to him. She was so proud of his victory. When Jephthah saw her, he ripped his clothes and fell down. He cried, “Oh my daughter! What have I done! I’ve made a vow to God, and I can’t take it back.”

She said, “Father, you must keep your word to the Lord. He kept his part of the bargain by giving you a great victory. Now you must keep yours. I just ask one thing. Since I’ll never marry, allow me to go to the hills with my friends for two months. Together, we’ll mourn the fact that I’ll never marry.”

Her father agreed, so she and her girlfriends went to the hills. For two months, they mourned the fact that she’d never be intimate with a man and have the joy of nursing children.

She then went back home, and Jephthah fulfilled his vow. After that, it became a custom in Israel. Every year, young women went out and spent four days remembering the daughter of Jephthah.

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Gideon’s Fleece

64 – Gideon’s Fleece

Judges 6:1-40

For seven years, the Midianites came into Israel like a swarm of locusts. They moved across the land, taking everything off it—all the crops and farm animals. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat. The people became desperate and had to find places to hide in mountain caves.

A man named Gideon was also hiding from the Midianites. He had to thresh his wheat in a wine vat instead of an open threshing floor. The Angel of the Lord came and sat under an oak tree nearby. He said, “The Lord is with you, oh mighty warrior.”

Gideon said, “Oh my Lord! If God is with us, why is he allowing all these bad things to happen to us? Where are all the wonderful miracles our fathers told us about? God is no longer fighting for us.”

The Angel said, “I’m sending you to deliver Israel from the Midianites.”

Gideon was shocked. “Lord, how can I deliver Israel? I’m a nobody.”

The Lord said, “Yes, but I’ll be with you, and you’ll have victory.”

Gideon said, “Lord, I need a sign that you’re really talking to me. Please, stay here while I prepare a sacrifice.”

The Lord said. “I will stay here until you return.”

Gideon rushed off and prepared a sacrifice for him. When it was ready, he put it on a rock. The Angel of the Lord reached over and touched the sacrifice with the tip of his staff. Fire came up from the rock and burnt it up. And then the Lord vanished.

Gideon yelled, “Lord God! I’m about to die! I’ve seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!”

The Lord said, “Don’t be afraid. You’re not going to die. Do what I say. Your father has an altar of Baal. Tear it down and build an altar to God. Then offer a burnt offering to the Lord.”

Gideon obeyed, but he did it at night. He was afraid of his family and the men who lived in his city.

In the morning, people found Baal’s altar torn down. They saw the altar to the Lord built in its place, and the ashes of the burnt offering on top of it. Soon they learned Gideon had done this.

The men of the city went to his father’s house and said, “Give us your son! We’ll kill him because he tore down Baal’s altar.”

Gideon’s father said to them, “Show me the man who is defending Baal. He’ll be dead by morning! If Baal is really a god, let him defend himself.”

Once again the Midianites came into Israel and camped in a valley. The Spirit of the Lord filled Gideon, and he sent out messages for people to come, ready to fight.

Then Gideon prayed, “Lord, give me a sign.” He then put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and said to God, “I’ll know you’ll deliver us if the morning dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry.”

He got up early in the morning and found that the fleece was soaking wet, but the ground was dry.

Gideon said, “Lord, don’t be angry with me. Allow me one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” In the morning, the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.

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Job’s Three Friends

61 – Job’s Three Friends

Job 1:1 – 42:17

Job was a great man of high integrity who feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was a rich man with many servants. His livestock included a large number of sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys.

One day, Satan went to the Lord when all of the angels were there. The Lord said, “So, where have you been?”

“Oh, walking here and there around the earth.

The Lord said, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one else on earth like him. He has high integrity and stays away from evil.”

Satan said, “Well, of course he does. He’s found that being righteous is a good deal. You protect him and everything he owns. You bless him and give him whatever he wants. But try taking away all his possessions. Then watch what happens. He’ll curse you to your face.”

The Lord said, “We’ll see. I give you permission to take everything he owns, but you can’t touch him personally.”

Soon afterwards, a servant ran up to Job and said, “Some thugs came and took all your oxen and donkeys. They tried to kill all the servants, and only I escaped. I immediately came to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up and said, “A huge storm blew in. Lightning struck and killed all your sheep and servants. Only I lived through it, so I ran here to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up. “An army came and took all your camels and killed the servants. I escaped and came to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up. “Your sons and daughters were eating together, when suddenly a tornado hit the house and they all died. I’m the only one to live through it. So I came here to tell you what happened.”

Job fell down with grief. He tore his clothes and shaved his head. He then bowed his head and said, “I came into this world naked. I’ll leave this life naked. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In spite of all that happened, Job didn’t sin or blame God.

Once again, Satan went to the Lord when all of the angels were there. The Lord said, “So, where have you been?”

“Oh, walking here and there around the earth.

The Lord said, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one else on earth like him. He has high integrity and stays away from evil, even after I permitted you, without any reason, to destroy all he had.”

“Oh, but you didn’t allow me to touch his skin. A man will do anything to save his life. Hit his flesh and bones, and he will curse you to your face.”

The Lord said, “We’ll see. I give you permission to strike him, but you can’t take his life.”

Soon afterwards, Job was covered with boils, from head to toe. He sat down in ashes and took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself. His wife said, “How can you go through all this and still keep your integrity? Curse God and die!”

He said, “You’re talking foolishness! I’m willing to accept whatever God gives me, good or bad.” And so, with all of this, Job didn’t sin or blame God.

Three friends of Job heard about what had happened, and went to visit him. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw him sitting there. They yelled and threw dust in their hair. All three sat down next to Job and didn’t say anything for seven days.

Finally Job cried out, “I wish I’d never been born!”

His friends then tried to help him understand what was happening to him. One friend explained that righteous people don’t suffer like this, only sinners do. Job agreed with him, but he didn’t know of anything he had done to deserve this.

His second friend was a bit more bold. He said, “Job, you’re a hypocrite! You need to confess your sin, and then God will be merciful.”

Job again held to his innocence. He said, “I remember seeing the righteous suffering, while evildoers were prospering.”

His third friend was the most bold of all. He said, “Job, you’re a liar! You’re a sinful man and deserve God’s judgment.” Now Job became passionate about his innocence.

A young man came along with a different perspective. He wanted to encourage Job. He said “God meant this suffering to be educational. Yes, the Lord is trying to correct your sin, but he’s also restoring you to righteousness.”

Suddenly, God talked to Job. He said, “My ways are far above what you can understand. My purpose for suffering is an individual matter for each person. Job, listen. I always know what is going on with you, and I’m always with you. I simply want you to come to the end of yourself and totally trust in me.”

The Lord then turned to Job’s friends. “I’m angry with you. All of your advice is false. Only Job spoke the truth.” God told them to make a burnt sacrifice and ask Job to pray for them.

God then restored to Job double of all that he had before. He got twice as many sheep and camels. He got twice as many oxen, and donkeys. God also gave him seven more sons and three more daughters.

Job lived to be an old man. He died at the age of 140 after living a full life.

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Sun Standing Still

59 – Sun Standing Still

Joshua 9:1 – 10:43

The news of the destruction of Jericho and Ai spread throughout Canaan. Most of the cities formed alliances in order to protect themselves from Israel. But one city decided to do something different.

A group of men from the city of Gibeon dressed up in old clothes and worn-out sandals. They put old sacks on their donkeys, packed stale dry bread, and carried old wineskins.

They went to Joshua and said, “We live far away, but we heard what the Lord your God has done for you. Our elders sent us on this long journey. They said, ‘Go and make a treaty with them.’ Look, we took our bread right out of the oven. It is now dry and stale. The journey was so long that our clothes and sandals have become worn and old.”

The men of Israel looked at their provisions, but didn’t seek guidance from the Lord. So Joshua made a treaty with them. The elders of Israel vowed that the two nations would be allies.

Three days after the treaty, Israel found out that the Gibeonites lived in Canaan, close by. Joshua sent for them and said, “Why did you deceive us?”

They said, “We heard God gave you all of this land. He told Moses to kill everyone who lives here. We feared for our lives, so we deceived you. Now you can do whatever seems right to you. We will accept it.”

Joshua said, “You’ll live because of our promise to you. We can’t touch you, but from now on, you’re our slaves. You’ll cut wood and carry water for us and you’ll serve the House of the Lord.”

The other kings of the land heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel. They joined together and marched against their city. The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua saying, “We’re your slaves. Come quickly and help us!”

So Joshua marched his army through the night and surprised those fighting against Gibeon. They tried to fight back, but the Israelite army was too strong for them. The Lord also sent large hailstones on them, and more people were killed by hail than by the sword.

Joshua needed more time, so he looked up and said, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon!” The Lord heard his command and honored it. The sun stopped moving across the sky. Never in the past, nor since, has there been a day like that.

Five kings ran and hid in a cave, but someone told Joshua. He said, “Roll a stone across the entrance of the cave.” He then stationed men to guard it. Once Israel had sealed their victory, Joshua brought the kings out of the cave. He told his commanders to put their feet on the necks of the kings. He said, “Be strong and courageous. The Lord will do this to all your enemies.” He then executed the five kings.

Joshua led his army from city to city, and the Lord gave him victory wherever he went.