AM: The Lessons for Thursday Week After Ascension

2  The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

3  Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

4  Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:

5  Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

6  And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

7  And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them?

8  Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

9  For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them.

10  And the Lord’S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,

11  Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

12  Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord.

13  And the Lord’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed.

14  And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.

15  For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

16  And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:

17  But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18  We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

19  For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.

20  And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war,

21  And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,

22  And the land be subdued before the Lord: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the Lord, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.

23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.

24  Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.

25  And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.

26  Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:

27  But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith.

28  So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel:

29  And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:

30  But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.

31  And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.

32  We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.

33  And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.

36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

2  For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

5  By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

20  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21  By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

22  By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.