1 Jesus the son a Nave was valiant in the wars, and was the successor of Moses in prophecies, who according to his name was made great for the saving of the elect of God, and taking vengeance of the enemies that rose up against them, that he might set Israel in their inheritance.
2 How great glory gat he, when he did lift up his hands, and stretched out his sword against the cities!
3 Who before him so stood to it? for the Lord himself brought his enemies unto him.
4 Did not the sun go back by his means? and was not one day as long as two?
5 He called upon the most high Lord, when the enemies pressed upon him on every side; and the great Lord heard him.
6 And with hailstones of mighty power he made the battle to fall violently upon the nations, and in the descent of Beth-horon he destroyed them that resisted, that the nations might know all their strength, because he fought in the sight of the Lord, and he followed the Mighty One.
7 In the time of Moses also he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb the son of Jephunne, in that they withstood the congregation, and withheld the people from sin, and appeased the wicked murmuring.
8 And of six hundred thousand people on foot, they two were preserved to bring them in to the heritage, even unto the land that floweth with milk and honey.
9 The Lord gave strength also unto Caleb, which remained with him unto his old age: so that he entered upon the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an heritage:
10 That all the children of Israel might see that it is good to follow the Lord.
11 And concerning the judges, every one by name, whose heart went not a whoring, nor departed from the Lord, let their memory be blessed.
12 Let their bones flourish out of their place, and let the name of them that were honoured be continued upon their children.
13 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, beloved of his Lord, established a kingdom, and anointed princes over his people.
14 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the Lord had respect unto Jacob.
15 By his faithfulness he was found a true prophet, and by his word he was known to be faithful in vision.
16 He called upon the mighty Lord, when his enemies pressed upon him on every side, when he offered the sucking lamb.
17 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard.
18 And he destroyed the rulers of the Tyrians, and all the princes of the Philistines.
19 And before his long sleep he made protestations in the sight of the Lord and his anointed, I have not taken any man’s goods, so much as a shoe: and no man did accuse him.
20 And after his death he prophesied, and shewed the king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people.
Joshua
1 Joshua son of Nun was a great soldier and the next of the prophets after Moses. He lived up to the meaning of his name as the great deliverer of the Lord's chosen people. He defeated the enemies that attacked them, so that Israel could claim its land. 2 How magnificent it was when he raised his arm and then led the attacks on the cities! 3 No one could stand up to him; he was fighting a holy war for the Lord. 4 Remember how he held back the sun and made one day as long as two? 5 When his enemies were threatening him from every side, he prayed to the mighty Lord Most High, and his prayer was answered with a hailstorm of devastating force. 6 The Lord hurled the hail down on the enemy and destroyed them at the pass at Beth Horon, so that the nations would realize how strong Joshua was, since he was fighting as a devoted follower of the Lord.
Caleb
7 Joshua was loyal as long as Moses lived, both he and Caleb son of Jephunneh. They stood up to the whole community, made them stop their ungrateful complaining, and kept them from sinning. 8 Out of the 600,000 Israelites who marched through the wilderness, these two were the only ones spared and allowed to enter the rich and fertile land that was to be theirs. 9 The Lord made Caleb strong, and when he was an old man, he was still strong enough to go up into the hill country and capture it for himself and his descendants. 10 Then all of Israel could see how good it is to follow the Lord.
The Judges
11 Then there were the judges, each of them famous in their own right, who never fell into idolatry and never abandoned the Lord. 12 May their memory be honored! May these whom we honor spring from the grave to new life in their descendants!
Samuel
13 Samuel was loved by the Lord. As the Lord's prophet he established the kingdom and appointed rulers for the people. 14 He judged the nation in accordance with the Law of the Lord, and the Lord protected Israel. 15 Because Samuel was faithful, he was accepted as a true prophet. People trusted him as a seer because of his words. 16 When his enemies were threatening him from every side, he called upon the mighty Lord and offered him a young lamb as a sacrifice. 17 Then the Lord thundered from heaven with a mighty roar 18 and destroyed all the enemy rulers of Philistia. 19 When Samuel was about to die, he gave assurances before the Lord and the anointed king that he had never taken anyone's property, not even so much as a pair of shoes, and no one contradicted him. 20 Even after he died, he prophesied to King Saul how he would die. Out of the grave he spoke as a prophet, to blot out his people's wickedness.
