BRAGADAYJAH 719

BRAGADAYJAH 719

The nations ravaged Israel because it did evil in the sight of the Lord. For they descended upon Israel with their cattle and their tents and they came upon Israel like grasshoppers both they and their cattle and their camels in great multitudes upon the land of Israel to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Medianites and again Israel cried unto the Lord.  And when they cried unto the Lord, He sent a prophet unto the children of Israel who said unto them, “Thus say the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land. And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but you have not obeyed my voice.

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BRAGADAYJAH 718

BRAGADAYJAH 718

Man’s Helplessness without the Holy Spirit.

Is it possible for any man to do good continually without the restraining influence of God’s Holy Spirit in his life?  The answer is clearly, No.  For here we find in the children of Israel a people, chosen and led, protected, preferred and manifested by God, yet every time they are delivered and set straight and left to follow the right way, they fall away; they go astray, to fell into desperate need again, to cry unto the Lord, to be rescued and to fall away and to do evil in the sight of the Lord again. So once again after forty years of rest from their enemies, and after being delivered by Deborah and Barak whom God sent to deliver them, they once again did evil in the sight of the Lord; and again they fell into the hands of the enemy, the Medianites seven years. And so great were the hands of the Medianites against Israel that they made themselves dens and caves and strongholds in the mountains. And when they sew their crops, the Medianites, the Amalekites and others came and encamped against Israel and destroyed their crops until there was nothing left for them to eat.  www.chaberbooks.com

BRAGADAYJAH 717

BRAGADAYJAH 717

Deborah’s Song (continues)

Curse ye Morez, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Blessed above woman shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be; blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish; she put forth her hand to the nail, her right hand to the workman’s hammer, and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down at her feet, he bowed; he fell where he bowed; there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at her window and cried through the lattice, why is her chariots so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of her chariots?  He wise ladies answered her, she even returned answer to herself. Have they not sped, have they not divided the prey? To every man a damsel or two to Sisera, to every man a prey of many colors, of needlework on both sides meet for the necks of them that take the spoil.  So let all thine enemies perish O Lord, let them that love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might  And the land had rest forty years.

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BRAGADAYJAH 716

BRAGADAYJAH 716

The Song of Deborah (continues)

Why abide among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleating of the flock? For the divisions of Reuben, there were great searching of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan; and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher remained on the sea shore and abode in her breaches. Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeopardized their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain or money. They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon, O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. Then were the horse hooves broken by means of the prancings the prancings of the might ones.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 715

BRAGADAYJAH 715

Deborah’s Song of Praise

“Speak ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment and walk by the way. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Israel; then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates. Awake, awake Deborah, awake, awake utter a song; arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remain have dominion over the nobles among the people, the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek after thee, Benjamin among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the water. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah even Issachar and also Barak, he was sent on foot into the valley; for the divisions of Reuben there was great thoughts of heart.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 714

GRAGADAYJAH 714

Deborah’s Song of Praise

“Hear O ye kings, give ear, O ye princes, I will sing unto the Lord, I will sing praise unto the Lord God of Israel.  Lord when thou went out of Seir when thou marched out of the field if Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.  In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied and the traveler walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased; they ceased in Israel until that I Deborah rose, that I arose a mother in Israel.  They chose new gods, then was war in the gates; was there a shield or spear among forty thousand in Israel? My heart is towards the governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people.  Bless ye the Lord.” 

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BRAGADAYJAH 713

BRAGADAYJAH 713

Still pursuing after Sisera, Barak came to Jael’s house, and she told him to follow her into the house and find the man he was after; and entering the house, Barak saw Sisera lying dead with the nail through his temples. So it was that God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered and prevailed until Jabin king of Canaan had been destroyed.  So Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang a new song on that day, saying, “Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel when the people willingly offered themselves.”  More

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BRAGADAYJAH 712

BRAGADAYJAH 712

Sisera Flees from the Battle

And the Lord discomforted Sisera and all his chariots and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak so that Sisera lighted down from his chariot and fled on foot.  But Barak pursued after the chariots and after the host even unto Rosheth of the Gentiles; and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword and there was not a man left. However, Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.  And Jael went out to meet Sisera and said unto him turn in my Lord; turn in to me and fear not; and when he had turned in unto her, she covered him with a mantle. And he said to her, give me I pray thee a little water to drink for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk and gave it to him and covered him. And he said to her, stand in the door of the tent; and if any man comes and ask you if any man is here with you will then say no.  Feeling secure with Jael and being tired, Sisera fell asleep and while he was asleep, Jael took a nail and drove it through his skull so that he died.

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BRAGADAYJAH 711

BRAGADAYJAH 711

So Deborah agreed to go against Sisera but she cautioned Barak that the battle will not for his honor for the Lord had decided that the victory was to be hers. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh and he went up with ten thousand men I his command and Deborah went up with them. And Heber the Kenite which was of the children of Hobab the father- in-law of Moses had severed himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim which is by Kedesh.   And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, including nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon, and Deborah said unto Barak, “Get going, for this is the day that the Lord had delivered Sisera into your hand.”  “Is the Lord not gone out before you?” So Barak went down from mount Tabor and ten thousand men with him.        

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BRAGADAYJAH 710

BRAGADAYJAH 710

And Deborah sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said unto him, “has not the Lord God pf Israel commanded, saying go and draw toward mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun, and I will draw unto you to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army with his chariots and his multitude and I will deliver him unto your hand?  And Barak said unto her, “if you will go with me then I will go; but if you will not go with me then I will not go.”  And she said, “I will surely go with you; however the journey that you will take will not be for your honor; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.  And Deborah said, “I will go with you.”   

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BRAGADAYJAH 708

RAGADAYJAH 709

Then after the death of Ehud the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord sold them into slavery into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan that reigned in Hazor the captain of whose host was Sisera which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And again the children of Israel cried unto the Lord; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.  And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under  the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.       

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BRAGADAYJAH 708

BRAGADAYJAH 708

Ehud stabbed the Amorite king in the gut and looking the door shutting the king in he made his escape.  For when the king’s servants came and found the door locked, they assumed that the king was attending to himself, and so they waited and waited until they could surely wait no longer, and they opened the door with a key and found their lord dead on the floor. In the meantime Ehud had bought sufficient time to escape and he did so and escaped as far away as Seirath, and having arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim and the children of Israel gathered unto him; and he lead them from there. And he said unto them, “follow after me, for the Lord has delivered your enemies, the Moabites into your hand; and so Ehud led them and thy followed him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab and suffered not a man to pass. And at that time they slew about ten thousand Moabites, mighty men of valor and not one of them escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under Ehud, and Israel had rest eighty years.  And after Ehud was Shamgar the son of Anath who slew of the Philistines 600 men with an ox goad and he too delivered Israel.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 707

BRAGADAYJAH 707

So the children of Israel, finding themselves under oppression again, cried unto the Lord and He raised up a third deliverer judge, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left handed man and the children of Israel sent by him a present for Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud had made himself a two-edged dagger which he hid on his right hip under his clothing.  And so he met with Eglon and offered him the gift which he had brought. The king was a very greedy man and upon the presentation of the gift he sent away all those that were there presenting the gift and Ehud seized the moment to tell the king that he had a secret to tell him, whereupon the king told Ehud to wait until they were alone to speak. When Ehud was alone with the king he told him that he had a message from God for him; so the king rose from his seat to hear it; but as he did so Ehud took the dagger and thrust it into the kings belly and the king was so fat that the very hilt of the dagger could not be reached by him and so his stomach spilt out.  And Ehud went through the porch and shut the doors of the king’s parlor and locked them.

---

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BRAGADAYJAH 706

BRAGADAYJAH 706

The Lord raised up Othniel to defend Israel, and God put His Spirit in him so that he judged Israel and went out to war against Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia and the Lord delivered him into his hand, and Othniel defeated him. And the land had rest forty years after which Othniel died; and the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he also strengthened the children of Ammon and Amalek and together they went and smote Israel and possessed the city of Palm Trees. And so the children of Israel were made to serve Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years; and after eighteen years being subject to the Moabite king the children of Israel cried unto the Lord again. 

After the death of Othniel Israel fell into sin again

BRAGADAYJAH 705

BRAGADAYJAH 705

So then the children of Israel continued to dwell among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hand Shushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia and they served him eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord the Lord raised up a deliverer to them who delivered them, namely Othniel the son of Kenaz Caleb’s younger brother.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 704

BRAGADAYJAH 704

When it is written that the Lord allowed certain nations to remain to prove Israel, by them to know whether they would hearken unto His commandments, it is to be understood as linguistic turn of phrase.  Truly God never wants to know in so far that it was not action taken to see or determine what result would ensue.  God knows beforehand every result of every action. In a word he foreknows and in a sense predetermines, so the term “to prove Israel” properly understood means to test them so that may learn from trial and error the result of their own failure and the consequences of their disobedience and failure to keep God’s commandments, always bearing in mind that one of the main reasons why God called them in the first place was to show to the rest of the world as well as themselves, the blessedness of serving the true and living God. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 703

BRAGADAYJAH 703

The Lord gave Israel the land of Canaan; but even so he allowed remnants of some nations to remain among the Israelites to prove them especially those who did not know war in particular the wars for the conquest of Canaan. So that the later generations of the children of Israel might know, and to teach them war that they had not known before. The nations that were allowed to remain among the Israelites included, five lords of the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Sidonians, the Hittites that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon to the entrance of Hamoth. So the Lord allowed those nations to remain to prove Israel by them to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

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BRAGADAYJAH 702

BRAGADAYJAH 702

And it came to pass that when the judge was dead, the people continued to provoke the Lord by their evil ways; and the anger of the Lord rose up against them, and He said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenants which I have commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice, I will not henceforth drive out any of the nations which Joshua left when he died; so that through them I may prove Israel whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did or not.” Therefore the Lord left those nations without driving them out hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua.   

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BRAGADAYJAH 699

BRAGADAJAH 699

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baal; and they forsook the Lord their God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt and followed other gods, the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves to them and provoked the Lord to anger, as they served Baal and Ashtaroth. And so the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them; and they were greatly distressed; nevertheless the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

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BRAGADAYJAH 698

BRAGADAYJAH 698

The Children of Israel Wept.

Now when the angel of the Lord reproached the children of Israel for their apostasy, that they lifted up their voices and wept. And they called the name of the place Bochim, that is to say, “weeping,” and there they sacrificed unto the Lord. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went and tool possession of their possessions. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua; and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord that He did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun died and was buried when he was one hundred and ten years old, and they buried him. And after the death of that generation a new generation grew up who did not know the Lord and forsook the Lord their God and went after other gods. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 697

BRAGADAYJAH 697

Israel’s Misfeasance.

Israel’s misfeasance can be summed up in the simple phrase, “And it came to pass that when Israel was strong they put the Canaanites to tribute and did not drive them out.” The import of the tribute is that they disobeyed God and did not drive out the enemy; but rather sought to keep them dwelling among them for gain.  So the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bechim and said, “I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers and said, I will never break my covenant with you.  And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of the land; you shall throw down their altars; but you have ignored my voice and so tell me, why have you done this?” “Therefore, I also said I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your side and their gods shall be a snare unto you.”          

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BRAGADAYJAH 696

GRAGADAYJAH 696

Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries to them. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley. But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Ailalon and in Shaalbim; but the hand of the children of Joseph prevailed so that they became tributaries. And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock and upwards.               www.chaberbooks.com

BRAGADAYJAH 695

BRAGADAYJAH 695

And it came to pass when Israel was strong and they put the Canaanites to tribute and did not utterly drive them out.  Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron nor the inhabitants Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them and became tributaries. Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Helbah nor of Aphik nor Rehob; but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.                                 

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BRAGADAYJAH 694

BRAGADAYJAH 694

And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel the name of which city was formerly Luz.  And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city and they said unto him, show us we pray thee, the entrance into the city and we will show you mercy.  And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and called it Luz which name remained. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, not the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, not the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

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BRAGADAYJAH 693

BRAGADAYJAH 693

And Judah went with Simeon his brother and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it.  And the name of the city was called Hormah.  And Judah took Gaza with its coasts and Askelon with its coasts and Ekron with its coasts.  And the Lord was with Judah and he drove out all the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron to Caleb as Moses had said, and he expelled the sons of Anak. And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites hat inhabited Jerusalem, and so they continued to dwell among the children of Benjamin thereafter. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 692

BRAGADAYJAH 692

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother took it and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass that when she came to him that she moved him to ask of her father for a field; and she lighted from her ass, and Caleb asked her, what is your desire? And she said to him, give me a blessing; for you have given me south land; give me also springs of water; so Caleb gave her the upper spring and the lower springs.  And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah which lies in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people
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BRAGADAYJAH 691

BRAGADAYJAH 691

At that time the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem and had taken it, had smitten it with the edge of the sword and set it on fire. And after that the children of Judah had gone and fought against the Canaanites that dwelt in the south, and in the mountain and the valley.  And afterwards they went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron (formerly called Kirjatharba), and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. And from there Judah wen against the inhabitants of Debir and the name of Debir was formerly Kirjathsepher.  And Caleb said, he that smites Kirjathsepher, and takes it will I give my daughter to wife.   

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BRAGADAYJAH 690

BRAGADAYJAH 690

Joshua’s Successor

Now after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked the Lord who was to be their leader to go up against the Canaanites to fight against them.  And the Lord told them that Judah shall be the one to lead them in battle and that the land was already delivered unto them. And Judah invited Simeon his brother to join him in the battle against the Canaanites and that in turn he would join him in his battle to secure his lot; and so Simeon joined Judah in battle. And So Judah went up against the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Lord delivered them unto the hands of Judah and he slew ten thousand of them at Bezek. And they found Adonibezek in Bezek and he fought against them and as they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites Adonibezek escaped; and they pursued after him and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adonibezek said, “three score and ten kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meet under my table; and as I have done unto them, so the Lord has done unto me; so God has requited me.  And they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 689

BRAGADAYJAH 689

From Genesis to Joshua

Over the last 689 days we have been engaged, I have been engaged, in taking small bites of the word of God daily.  At the beginning the resolution was to take small mouth sized samples each day without fail.  Having made that resolution I was conscious that such an undertaking could only be possible if the Almighty God was my helper and if He sent His Holy Spirit to direct, guide, lead and support me day by day as I resolved to fulfill my promise to myself and Almighty God. Along the way there were many obstacles; and there were many days when I thought I would not make it; but thank God each and every obstacle was overcome and I have not missed a day so far.  And today was no different. I negligently left my laptop on this morning and went out and stayed out for the whole day and when I came home and tried to turn my computer on, it would not come on for a full half hour. And although I was getting really worried I never doubted that somehow the difficulty would be resolved, and my blog, (BRAGADAYJAH), would go forth in the mighty name of Jesus; and low and behold the problem was found out and here I am keeping my resolve on the 689^th day.  And so far I have day by day, line by line commented on, summarized, and brought forth the pure unadulterated word of God from Genesis to Joshua.  And so I say, to God alone be the glory. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 688

BRAGADAYJAH 688

The Death of Joshua

Having exhorted Israel to serve the Lord, Joshua sent them away, to possess every man his inheritance. And it came to pass, that Joshua, the son on Nun, the servant of the living God died, being a hundred and ten years old.  And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah which is in mount Ephraim, on the right side of the hill of Gaash.  And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the Elders after Joshua and who had known all the works of the Lord that He had done for Israel. And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver; and it became an inheritance of the children of Joseph.  And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill pertaining to Phinehas his son which was given him in mount Ephraim.    

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