In the Promised Land,
some descendants of Joseph
And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.-Judges 1:23-26***Fraternal twin sons Esau (Edom) and Jacob (Israel) were born to 60-year-old Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was Isaac's favorite, and Jacob was Rebekah's favorite. After Rebekah prompted Jacob to deceive Isaac, and cheat Esau, and learned that Esau planned to kill Jacob, she spoke words to Isaac that led him to send Jacob from their home in Canaan to Rebekah's family in Padan Aram, Haran. During the journey, Jacob rested and fell asleep in Luz, and saw, in a dream, the angels of God, and saw and heard the Lord God speaking to him. Jacob renamed the place Bethel and thought of Bethel as the house God. During Jacob's 7th year in Haran, he was married to Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Rebekah's brother Laban the Syrian (Aramean). Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Joseph was the 1st son born to Jacob and Rachel. During Jacob's 20th year in Haran, he began journeying home with his family, servants, animals, and possessions. Shortly thereafter, Jacob and Esau were reunited. In Canaan, near Bethlehem, Benjamin was born to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died. Near Hebron, Jacob and Isaac were reunited. When Joseph was 17 years old, his brothers sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt and led Jacob to believe that Joseph was killed by a wild beast. The merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian official. After Potiphar's wife made a false accusation, Potiphar put Joseph in prison. At least 2 years after Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to the imprisoned cupbearer who served Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh's imprisoned baker, 30-year-old Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh proclaimed Joseph second-in-command. After the 2nd time that Joseph's brothers were in Egypt to buy grain (corn) during a famine, Joseph identified himself to them and told his brother to move with their families, including Jacob, to Egypt. Pharaoh heard about the reunion and expressed his generosity and hospitality. During the journey, the Lord God spoke to 130-year-old Jacob. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons, and the tribe of Joseph became the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt, and Jacob's family buried his body in Canaan, and 110-year-old Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born into the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelite elders and Pharaoh. After the Lord God brought the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get the Israelites and their animals and go worship the Lord God. Moreover, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to bless him. Before Moses and Aaron led the Israelites, and those with them, away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, the Israelites asked for and were given an abundance of valuable goods, fulfilling the words that the Lord God spoke to Abraham. In the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai, the Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them, and the Lord God began giving Moses judgments, statutes and laws for the Israelites, and the Lord God made a covenant with the Israelites, and the Israelites said they would obey the words of the Lord God. When Moses was upon Mount Sinai 40 days and nights with the Lord God, the Lord God gave Moses commands about the offering willing Israelites were to bring, and the Lord God described to Moses and showed Moses the likeness of the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the other sacred items the Israelites were commanded to make, and the Lord God told Moses that only Aaron, and Aaron's sons and the sons born to their descendants were to serve the Lord God as priests. Meanwhile, the Israelites thought they were abandoned and told Aaron to make gods to lead them. Aaron told the Israelites to bring him their gold earrings, and Aaron made a golden calf that the Israelites worshiped and Moses burned and ground. In the wilderness of Paran, Moses sent 12 spies, including Caleb from the tribe of Judah and Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim, to Canaan. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died, and Aaron's son Eleazar became Aaron's successor. Near Canaan, the Lord God gave Moses the commands for allotting each tribe its portion of the Promised Land, and the Lord God named the tribal leaders who were to assist Joshua and Eleazar with the task. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died, and was divinely buried. Joshua was Moses' aide and successor. After the Lord God spoke to Joshua, and Joshua sent 2 spies to Canaan, and Rahab hid the spies, and the spies returned, Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. When the Ephraimites prepared to conquer their portion of the Promised Land, they sent spies on a mission to Bethel (Luz). Over 1,300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died, and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 16:1-10, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
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