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Old Testament

Joshua

24 chapters

Start reading: Joshua 1

About this book

Joshua tells how Israel, led by Moses' successor, enters the land God had promised to Abraham's descendants. After Moses' death, Joshua is commissioned to lead, and God tells him to be strong and courageous. With Rahab's help in Jericho, the people cross the Jordan on dry ground and see the walls of Jericho fall. The story is not all victory: Achan's sin brings defeat at Ai, and the people of Gibeon win a treaty by trickery. The middle chapters list the battles and then divide the land among the tribes, with cities of refuge and towns for the Levites. The book closes with Joshua's farewell, where he calls the people to choose whom they will serve. The conquest raises hard questions about warfare and judgment, and Christians read these passages in different ways, often alongside the whole story of God's patience and promise.

Author
Unknown; tradition credits Joshua for much of it, and some scholars see later editing.
Date
The events fall in the 15th or 13th century BC; scholars debate both the date of the conquest and when the book was written.
Audience
Israel, remembering how God gave the land and calling the people to stay faithful to him.

Themes

God keeps his promisesCourage and obedienceHoliness and the cost of sinRest in the landChoosing whom to serve

Outline

  1. 1:1–5:15Preparing to cross the Jordan
  2. 6:1–8:35Jericho, Ai and the cost of sin
  3. 9:1–12:24The southern and northern campaigns
  4. 13:1–21:45Dividing the land
  5. 22:1–24:33Joshua's farewell and the covenant at Shechem

Key verses

Joshua 1:9Joshua 21:45Joshua 24:15

Chapters of Joshua

  1. 1Joshua 1After Moses' death, God commissions Joshua to lead Israel across the Jordan into the land promised to their ancestors.
  2. 2Joshua 2Joshua sends two spies to Jericho, and they lodge at the house of Rahab, a prostitute.
  3. 3Joshua 3Israel breaks camp and comes to the Jordan, which is at flood stage.
  4. 4Joshua 4When all Israel has crossed, God tells Joshua to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, to take stones from the middle of the Jordan and carry them to the camp.
  5. 5Joshua 5The Canaanite kings lose heart on hearing of the crossing.
  6. 6Joshua 6God gives Joshua an unusual battle plan for Jericho.
  7. 7Joshua 7Israel is defeated at the small town of Ai, and thirty-six men die.
  8. 8Joshua 8God tells Joshua not to be afraid and gives him a plan to take Ai: an ambush force hides behind the city while Joshua and the main army draw the defenders out by feigning retreat.
  9. 9Joshua 9Kings of the region unite against Israel, but the people of Gibeon choose deception.
  10. 10Joshua 10A coalition of five Amorite kings attacks Gibeon, and Joshua marches all night to help, since God promises victory.
  11. 11Joshua 11A northern coalition of kings, led by Jabin of Hazor, gathers a vast army with horses and chariots at the waters of Merom.
  12. 12Joshua 12This chapter summarizes Israel's victories under Moses and Joshua.
  13. 13Joshua 13Joshua is old, and the Lord tells him that much land remains to be taken, including Philistine territory and areas in the north.
  14. 14Joshua 14Now west of the Jordan, the land is divided by lot, overseen by Eleazar, Joshua and tribal heads.
  15. 15Joshua 15This chapter describes the territory given to the tribe of Judah, tracing its borders from the Dead Sea and the Negev to the Mediterranean, with a detailed list of towns.
  16. 16Joshua 16The chapter describes the lot for Joseph's descendants, Ephraim and Manasseh, beginning with the boundaries of Ephraim, stretching from the Jordan near Jericho west to the sea, with towns set aside within Manasseh's territory.
  17. 17Joshua 17Manasseh's western allotment is described, including the five daughters of Zelophehad who claim the inheritance God had promised through Moses, and Joshua grants it.
  18. 18Joshua 18With the tabernacle now set up at Shiloh, Joshua rebukes the seven tribes who had not received their land for putting it off.
  19. 19Joshua 19The remaining lots fall to Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Dan, each with a list of borders and towns.
  20. 20Joshua 20God tells Joshua to set apart the cities of refuge that Moses had spoken of.
  21. 21Joshua 21The Levite heads approach Eleazar and Joshua at Shiloh to request the towns Moses had promised, and each Levitical clan receives towns and pastureland from the other tribes: the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites, forty-eight towns in all, including the six cities of refuge.
  22. 22Joshua 22Joshua sends the eastern tribes home with his blessing, commending them for keeping their promise.
  23. 23Joshua 23Joshua, old and near death, gathers Israel's leaders for a farewell address.
  24. 24Joshua 24At Shechem, Joshua gathers all the tribes and recounts God's history with them from Abraham through the exodus and conquest.
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