Scripture Readings - Joshua

Joshua (Jesus Navi)

The book of Joshua tells the story of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. The account begins with the crossing of the Jordan River and the dramatic fall of Jericho (Ch. 1–6). The Israelite armies then moved from the Jordan Valley into the highlands, where they conquered Ai (Ch. 7–8). Through a clever deception, the Gibeonites persuaded Israel to make a covenant with them, becoming unwilling allies of the Israelites (Ch. 9).

This alliance led to a major battle against the kings of five other Canaanite cities and to the conquest of the southern region of the land (Ch. 10). A final campaign in the north brought about the defeat of the remaining Canaanite forces and established Israel’s control over much of Canaan (Ch. 11).

After a brief summary of Joshua’s victories (Ch. 12), the book describes the division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel (Ch. 13–23). The book concludes with Israel renewing its covenant to serve the Lord faithfully—the God whose power had been so mightily demonstrated in their conquest and deliverance (Ch. 24).