“Joshua, you must be strong and brave! You must lead these people so they can take their land. I promised their fathers that I would give them this land.
Stay in that land, and I will be with you. I will bless you. I will give you and your family all these lands. I will do what I promised to Abraham your father.
David also said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and brave and finish this work. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will help you until all the work is finished. He will not leave you. You will build the Lord’s temple. {\cf2\super [311]}
You are our God! You forced the people living in this land to leave. You did this in front of your people Israel. You gave this land to the descendants {\cf2\super [226]} of Abraham forever. Abraham was your friend.
But now, Zerubbabel, the Lord says, ‘Don’t be discouraged!’ High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, ‘Don’t be discouraged!’ All you people of this country, the Lord says, ‘Don’t be discouraged! Continue this work, because I am with you!’ The Lord All-Powerful said these things!”
The Lord All-Powerful says, “Be strong! You people are hearing the same message today that the prophets gave when the Lord All-Powerful first laid the foundations to build his temple again.
Look, there it is! Go up and take the land for your own! The Lord, the God of your ancestors, [5] told you to do this. So don’t be afraid. Don’t worry about anything!’
Look, I am giving you that land. Go and take it. I promised to give that land to your ancestors [2] —Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised to give that land to them and to their descendants. [3] ’”
“So you must obey every command I tell you today. Then you will be strong. And you will be able to go across the Jordan River and take the land that you are ready to enter.
Then the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun. The Lord said, “Be strong and brave. You will lead the people of Israel into the land I promised them. And I will be with you.”
But you must also be strong and brave about another thing. You must be sure to obey the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, then you will be successful in everything you do.
Then Joshua said to his men, “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid. I will show you what the Lord will do to all of the enemies that you will fight in the future.”
“People of Sidon are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim. But I will force out all of these people for the people of Israel. Be sure to remember this land when you divide the land among the people of Israel. Do this like I told you.
So the Lord kept the promise that he had made to the people of Israel. He gave the people all the land that he had promised. The people took the land and lived there.