While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.

You give me strength ¹  for battle; you make my foes kneel before me. ² 

For as the churning ¹  of milk produces butter and as punching the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger ²  produces strife. ³ 

The people will treat each other harshly; men will oppose each other; neighbors will fight. ¹  Youths will proudly defy the elderly and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. ² 

Indeed,” says the Lord, “captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children.

They sound like ¹  chariots rumbling ²  over mountain tops, like the crackling ³  of blazing fire consuming stubble, like the noise of ⁴  a mighty army ⁵  being drawn up for battle. ⁶ 

On that day there will be great confusion from the Lord among them; they will seize each other and attack one another violently.

For nation will rise up in arms ¹  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. ²  These are but the beginning of birth pains.

They are filled ¹  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ²  envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips,

Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,

Remind people ¹  of these things and solemnly charge them ²  before the Lord ³  not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen. ⁴ 

Then ¹  war broke out in heaven: Michael ²  and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ¹  Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! ²  See, I am handing over to you ³  the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.

(The Danites failed to conquer their territory, ¹  so they went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. They put the sword to it, took possession of it, and lived in it. They renamed it ²  Dan after their ancestor. ³ )

Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the Lord ¹  in those days), “Should we ²  once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, ³  or should we ⁴  quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them ⁵  over to you.”

Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, and you will be ¹  defeated before your enemies.

Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war – who went out to battle – and the other for all the community.

Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. ¹ 

The Lord said to him, “Ah, but ¹  I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” ²