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 Israel could see how good it is to follow the Lord.
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 honoured! May these whom we honour spring from the grave to new life in their descendants!
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