Joshua Chapters 8-10
Chapter 8 8:1 “Do not fear or be dismayed”: Joshua was not to become timid or fearful in light of the previous defeat. He needed to remember that the failure in the past was not a fluke or matter of chance. It is very easy to become gun-shy or timid when we fail. In like manner, Christians cannot afford to fight a mere defensive battle against the world (2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 6:9). In addition we need to remember that without God we cannot succeed: “With the power of God the great Jericho could be taken…without His power not even the smallest post could be overrun” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 67). “When we get to chapter 8, Joshua and Israel are chastened puppies. The residue of the Achan incident is the same as that of the Ananias and Sapphira incident: ‘Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things’ (Acts 5:11). Any one of you who has known the acute fear of the Lord will not abhor it. In fact, I always pray to keep it, for I am never more in my right mind than when I fear God….Israel is back on track. This Achan business has merely been a bump in the relationship, an interruption, nothing more---and all to the long-term good” (Andree Seu). 8:1 “Take all the people”: This might be a mild rebuke for underestimating the strength of Ai, or reminding Joshua that all Israel was to be involved in taking the land. 8:2 Like Jericho, every inhabitant in the city was to be killed, and unlike Jericho, the people could take the spoil and plunder of the city for themselves. This pattern for dealing with Canaanite cities was laid down in Deut. 2:34-35; 3:6-7. “The plunder and livestock of Ai and all subsequent cities could be kept by Israel and would be their means of support throughout the years of conquest” (Gaebelein p. 290). “Set an ambush”: God gives the specific method by which the city was to be taken. 1
“What irony! If only Achan had suppressed his greedy and selfish desires and obeyed God’s word at Jericho he would later have had all his heart desires and God’s blessing too” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 346). “When Yahweh’s priority is recognized and satisfied (6:18-19), He then gives to His people. God never seeks to impoverish His people. It is only as His people lose sight of His generosity, His provision, His goodness, that the cancer of covetousness consumes them. Indeed this is one of the first principles of ‘serpent theology’, for the temper was sharp enough to place his emphasis on the restriction God has imposed rather than on the riches He had lavished (Genesis 3:1). Recognizing Yahweh as the giving God is the prerequisite for faithfulness; contentment with God’s goodness is our antidote for apostasy” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 67-68). At this point some have accused God of being deceitful because the plan of attack involved an ambush, yet an ambush is far from the moral equivalent of lying or dishonesty. An ambush on the field of battle is the same as a quarterback sneak or any other well-timed and executed play. Carefully note that God’s method for taking Ai wasn’t the same as for taking Jericho. “God is not limited to any one method of working. He is not and will not be stereotyped in His operations” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 346). “Quite amazingly, Israel’s former defeat at Ai now becomes useful as the new short-cut for victory on the second try. The tactic will be a feint. She will pretend to flee in battle, and it will be believable because she fled before…The way that our past failures are parlayed by God into present and future victories is interesting to contemplate…The past defeats, in God’s merciful hands, are redeemable and useful” (Andree Seu). 8:3-8 Apparently the ambush was on the west side of the city, which was the far side…an attack from this direction wouldn’t be suspected. The movement of troops by night was another successful strategy in this book (10:9). While 30,000 troops sound like a good number, the presence of large rocks in the region made it possible for all these men to remain hidden. The trip from Jericho to the far side of Ai was about 13 miles. 8:11 There is a deep ravine north of Ai (Wadi Muheism), such detail implies that the account was written by an eyewitness. 8:12 This is not a contradiction with verses 3-4, rather this is a third group of soldiers, who were positioned between Bethel and Ai. “The 5000 troops, sent to the West of Ai, were deployed as a defensive measured designed to prevent the
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armies of Bethel from….. outflanking the 30,000 on the west side of the city of Ai” (Davis p. 57). 8:14 The plan worked to precision, and what really helped was the overconfidence and arrogance on the part of the King of Ai and his troops. They were sure that they could whip the Israelites (Proverbs 16:25). “Eager for victory and overly confident, the king ‘hurried out’” (Gaebelein p. 292). 8:16 To the king it looked like they had Israel thoroughly beaten. He calls out all the reinforcements and leaves the city without any protection. 8:17 “Or Bethel: This verse suggests that soldiers from Bethel were involved in the battle as well. The location of Ai to Bethel may have encouraged the army of Bethel to come to the aid of Ai. If this is the case, then the Israelite ambush had remained hidden from the main road and had allowed troops from Bethel to enter the battle, only to be equally caught in this trap. 8:18 Compare with Exodus 17:8-12. There was nothing magical about the javelin that Joshua possessed, rather this was the signal to the men in ambush to attack the city. God decided the precise moment of attack. Evidently, scouts had been posted which would see this signal. 8:19-22 These verses should remind us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God (Heb. 10:31). In a moment, the unrepentant and arrogant individual can find themselves facing eternity. The prosperity, boasting, and over-confidence of the defiant sinner can all be over in a moment. Compare with what happened to the arrogant and powerful Haman, and consider how quickly he found himself trapped, in the book of Esther. Lest we envy the boastful sinner, the person who seems to be spurning God and getting away with it, the Psalmist said, “Surely Thou dost set them in slippery places; Thou dost cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!” (Psalm 73:18-19). So much for the idea that God always will give us time or plenty of time to repent after every sin. 8:23-29 If we are somewhat surprised at the complete destruction which was divinely ordered against this city, let us remember that such examples demonstrate how we cannot afford to show mercy to sin. Especially when it comes to sin in our own lives, we must not show any mercy. Such attitudes and practices must be absolutely put to death (Galatians 5:24). 3
8:28 “Heap”: “This word represents the Hebrew word tel, which is found in the names of many places in modern Israel, e.g., “Tel Aviv”. It normally refers to a particular kind of mound that is formed by the ruins of a walled city” (Gaebelein p. 293). 8:29 The king of Ai was first killed (10:26) and then his body was hung or impaled on a tree or pole. The Israelites were prevented from leaving such a body overnight (Deut. 21:23). God does believe in making an example of the rebellious individual. Such a sight would make it clear that even powerful kings could not oppose God, and that Israel needed to have a greater concern for offending God than in fearing such human rulers. “This disgrace demonstrated the curse of God upon those who resisted the movement of God’s people” (Smith p. 77). “Perhaps the living God must stoop to such spectacles; else we might never fear sin” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 69). 8:30-35 The instructions found in Deut 27:1ff are followed right down to the smallest detail. After the victory at Ai, the children of Israel marched northward to Mount Ebal, located about twenty miles north of Ai. Even though the city of Shechem is located nearby, the Bible records no battle at this place. Mount Ebal is 3080 feet high and just to the south of it is the famous Mount Gerizim (2849 feet). The mountains form a natural amphitheater in which the blessings of obedience and curses of disobedience could be spoken and heard by all those present. Such an altar should have reminded the Israelites that God was the true source of their victories. But how many of us typically congratulate ourselves when we have success—instead of God? Moses has not even been dead for a year, and yet there is a written copy of the Law revealed through Him (8:32). While the Lord spoke to Joshua, the method by which the Lord spoke to the rest of the nation was through His Word (8:34). Every word spoken by God is important, and in view of man’s poor track record when it comes to obedience, Scripture can never be read or stressed enough (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2). Observe the people present, “women and little ones”: “This law is not merely some official record for the archives but a lively, personal word for shaping the lives of housewives, kids, and hangers-on” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 72). Remember, it was in this vicinity that Abraham had first received the promise of the land (Genesis 12:6-7). Also, in this region, Jacob had returned safely after a long exile from the land (Genesis 33:18-20; 28:13). And now, in this chapter, here is Abraham’s seed, here is Jacob’s family, experiencing the fulfillment of such promises. Note how 4
these verses seem at first sight, kind of out-of-place. “We have been accustomed to reading a fairly continuous narrative of strategies and battles when, suddenly, the war movie is cut and we are left looking at a slide of a worship service” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 71-72). What we are learning is that obedience to the will of God is the foundation. The only way that these people can take this land is if they are faithful to God. But how many times do we get the cart before the horse? And how many times do we hear people arguing, “as long was we are growing, adherence to doctrine isn’t that important”? God is saying, “Without obedience to My word, taking the land is meaningless”.
Chapter 9 9:1-2 These verses inform us that the kings of the Amorite city-states, who controlled the southern portions of Canaan, were desperately trying to form some kind of coalition in order to survive the invasion by the nation of Israel” (Davis p. 60). 9:3 Yet the inhabitants of Gibeon, were not convinced that such a coalition would really be effective. “Gibeon”, pronounced (GIBB he un) was located in the hill country only six miles northwest of Jerusalem and about the same distance southwest of Ai. It is clear that the Gibeonites were somewhat familiar with the Divine commands which governed Israel’s military policy (Exodus 23:31-33; 34:12; Deut. 7:2ff). “They seemed to know that Israel was directed to dispossess and exterminate the residents of Canaan and probably knew that Israel was to make no treaties with these people” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 76). It appears, somehow, the inhabitants of Gibeon found out about this legislation. 9:4-13 As the text says, these individuals had thought of everything, and they did act very craftily. They do not talk about the Israelite victories at Jericho or Ai. This indeed is appropriate, for it they had been on the road for many days, away from contact with cities, as evidenced by their moldy bread—then they should not have knowledge of these recent battles. “Perhaps most deceptive of all was the spiritual testimony they offered (9-11). It was the reputation of Yahweh earned in His might acts…One might compare their words with Rahab’s confession of faith in 2:10-13. How difficult to tell the difference between faith and flattery…especially when that flattery is so spiritual and pious” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 77).
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9:14 “Did not ask for the counsel of the Lord”: Joshua and the elders could have inquired through Eleazar the priest (Numbers 27:21). God’s direction was available, but it was ignored. “Now it was not that Joshua and the elders did not ask the right questions; they were suspicious at just the right points (7-8). It was not that they were sloppy in their investigation…It wasn’t that they didn’t think but that they didn’t pray…This episode raises pertinent questions for God’s people. Do we need the guidance of God only when we are in doubt? Do we not need to be careful when we begin to think, “There is no need to consult the Lord on his matter….?”…we must beware of that subtle unbelief that assumes “I have this under control”” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 77-78). Often we are so careful against powerful enemies and temptations that we overlook subtle temptations. “When God’s people think they ‘have it made’ they are most vulnerable to the enemy’s assault” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 348). It is so tempting to think that there are areas in life when we really don’t need to pray or search the Scriptures. It is tempting to think that “enlightened” men don’t need to rely upon the Lord, yet how many of us go into difficult situations or make hard decisions without first going to God in prayer? Are we trying to act independently of God in planning our futures? Everything here just seemed to fit---it all looked so right, it seemed to mess with their common sense---and yet none of it was true (Proverbs 16:25). “Having said this, Israel’s ‘note to self’ in the aftermath of the Gibeonite deception was probably: Next time, let’s inquire of the Lord, and not judge matters on appearances” (Andree Seu). 9:15-16 Even the most well thought-out and planned deception will come to light. Sooner or later trickery and deceit are exposed (Proverbs 12:19), and truth will win out. Gibeon was located only about 25 miles from Gilgal, and evidently an Israelite exploratory force confirmed the fraud by discovering the nearby location of Gibeon. 9:17 “Chephirah”: (kih FYE ruh), about 5 miles southwest of Gibeon. “Beeroth”: (bee uh ROTH). “Kiriath-jearim”-(KIR jath JEE uh rim), located about 8 miles southwest of Jerusalem. 9:18-19 The congregation wanted to disregard the treaty and destroy the Gibeonites, but the leaders (apparently with God’s approval, see 2 Samuel 21:1-6) insisted that the treaty must be honored, even if deception had been used by the other party. Faithfulness was owed, not to the Gibeonites, but to the Lord. “Naturally, we Christians in the West have a difficult time understanding why Israel sticks to this oath. That is because we have such a low view of the given 6
word and such a flimsy concern for truth (Psalm 15:4; Matthew 23:16-22)….This demand spills over into Christian experience. Sometimes God’s people are called to live obediently amidst the results of their folly. There are times when our preferences, our conveniences, our justification must not be allowed to dissolve those difficult situations” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 79). We might be tempted to argue that there are many situations today in which a person does not have to keep their side of the agreement, i.e. getting sucked into a shaky business deal, buying a lemon, make a poor investment, marrying someone who was putting up a good front and so on. Yet God might ask us, “Why were you fooled?” This chapter really makes us ask the question, “Were we innocently ripped off? Are we just a helpless victim?” Or, do we get sucked into such circumstances because we are failing to rely upon the Lord for wisdom? No wonder the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). 9:20-27 The Gibeonites also must pay a price, i.e. perpetual slavery, lowly servants from that day forth. “In order to keep the Gibeonites’ idolatry from defiling the religion of Israel, their work would be carried out in connection with the tabernacle (23/27) where they would be exposed to the worship of the one true God” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 349). Even though the Israelites are bound to the their word, there is still something they can do. Sparing the Gibeonites didn’t mean that the Gibeonites must remain free men. When we must keep our side of an agreement, even though the other party wasn’t up front and honest, there is always something we can do. “Why have you deceived us?” (22) While some might be tempted to say, “Duh, Joshua, these people wanted to live!” To Joshua, an honorable death seems preferable to deception and a life of degrading service. The text infers that Joshua did not see dishonesty as being acceptable even in a life and death situation. “Do as it seems good and right in your sight”-(25)—this isn’t a simple resignation on the part of the Gibeonites. Rather, they knew that at the hands of Israel they would receive true justice and fairness. They knew that the Israelites were honorable. “The collateral encouragement in this story (including God’s tacit approval of Israel’s honoring its oath) for us is that God Himself is as zealous for oaths as the Israelites proved to be…The troublesome fallout of the ill-advised treaty does not tarry long, as Israel is soon forced to defend Gibeon from a coalition of neighbors irate at their defection. To Israel’s credit, they come to the aid of Gibeon with the
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same zeal as if defending one of their own. Honorable is the man ‘who swears to his own hurt and does not change’ (Psalm 15:4)” (Andree Seu).
Chapter 10 “As we reach chapter 10, I was thinking that the story of Israel’s conquests could have ended abruptly and ignominiously at chapter 7. That was the first battle of Ai, the one they entered jubilant after Jericho and exited dejected after sin was discovered in the camp. Some children of God might have lost heart and concluded that they could never make much progress in the land because they could never hope to be pure enough. They might even have couched this spiritual defeatism in comforting theological terms, evolving an elaborate theology of limited expectations….If Israel had taken that attitude, the subsequent history of the nation would have looked very different. They would have been forever reminiscing around hearths about Jerchio as if it were a big deal, and erecting statues to it. They would perhaps have settled in middling contentment on their little piece of real estate with their little memories of little achievement---never realizing that they had been meant for much more glorious destiny” (Andree Seu). 10:1 “Adoni-zedek”, is pronounced (ad DAWN ih ZEH deck). Jerusalem was located 5 miles south of Gibeon. “The treacherous surrender of the Gibeonite cities completed an arc beginning at Gilgal and extending through Jericho and Ai to a point just a few miles northwest of Jerusalem. The handwriting was on the wall” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 349). The name Adoni-zedek is very similar to the name Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18), who was an earlier ruler in Jerusalem. This king was very upset with the surrender of Gibeon. First of all, it was a dangerous trend, especially in light of the fact that Gibeon was a powerful city (10:2). Secondly, Gibeon may have been within the jurisdiction of the king in Jerusalem, therefore such a treaty with Israel was viewed as treason. 10:2-5 With five other kings, Adoni-zedek was determined to make an example of the Gibeonites. “Hoham”-(HOE ham); “Piram”-“(PIE ruhm); “Jarmuth”(JAHR muhth); Japhia”(juh FIGH uh); “Debir”-(duh BEER); “Eglon”-(EGG lahn). “The Amarna Letters indicate that Jerusalem was the center of political activity in the fourteenth century B.C. and was always conscious of its own security” (Davis p. 63). Hebron was located about 20 miles south of Jerusalem, Jarmuth was
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about 16 miles west of Jerusalem, Lachish, about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem, and Eglon, about seven miles west of Lachish. This attack upon Gibeon was a second test of Israel’s faithfulness to their agreements. 10:6-8 God makes it clear to Joshua that defending the Gibeonites is the right thing to do. This battle is really the first attempt on the part of Canaanites to take the offensive against Israel. 10:9 Gathering his forces, Joshua and his men marched the 25 miles from Gilgal to Gibeon under the cover of darkness. “It was a tiresome journey with an ascent of 4,000 feet up steep and difficult terrain” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 350). 10:10 “The Lord confounded them”: It appears that the Lord confounded the enemy, because it was God’s plan for Israel to march by night. “The sudden arrival of the dreaded Israelites caused them to panic” (Goslinga p. 98). 10:10 “He slew them”: That is the Lord fought. “Granted it may sound strange to us to hear of Yahweh pursuing, for example, the enemy. But that is precisely the point; the writer wants us to see that it is Yahweh who is the fighter; he is the warrior, he is the victor who crushes the enemy….It is too bad much of the church has lost this vision of God or Christ as the warrior who fights for his people. Too many of us regard this conception as substandard, by which we mean it does not fit our sentimental twentieth-century graven images of what God ought to be like. The imagery seems too violent. And we do the same for the Lord Jesus, with perhaps not a little help from church school materials. The popular image of Jesus is that he is not only kind and tender but also soft and prissy, as though Jesus comes to us reeking of hand cream. Such a Jesus can hardly steel the soul that is daily assaulted by the enemy” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 83-83). Compare with Psalm 24 and Revelation 19:11-16.
10:10 “The ascent of Beth-horon”: the pass at Beth Horon was an important point of access to the hill country and Jerusalem. “Beth Horon is modern Beit ‘Ur. It was composed to two parts: The upper town was about five miles northwest of Gibeon and the lower town was about two miles farther” (Gaebelein p. 302). “Azekah”, pronounced (a ZEE kah), a city situated between Jerusalem and Lachish. “Makkedah” (ma KEE duh). “Joshua pursued his enemy along the ancient road that went from Lachish to the Valley of Aijalon…In disarray the enemy fled south down the mountains through the pass at Beth Horon and headed south” (Gaebelein p. 302).
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10:11 “The Lord threw large stones from heaven”: This wasn’t a fluke of nature or some mysterious meteorite shower. Such stones didn’t hit any of the Israelites. They hit the enemy with remarkable precision, “more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword”. 10:12 “Aijalon”: (A juh lon) 10:13 “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies” It appears that as the day wore on, Joshua realized Israel was running out of time to avenge their enemies, and if the enemy was given the benefit of darkness and rest, it might be difficult to engage them again. This is one of those events that sorts out the true believer from the pretender. If you believe that God is really God, then there is no question that such a miracle is fully within God’s powers. If God can create the sun out of nothing, then certainly He can suspend time. If God can create the entire universe out of nothing, then it would be very easy for Him to either slow down or completely stop the rotation of the earth---and at the same time deal with all the side effects. It is interesting to me, that while people ridicule the miracles in the Bible and label as gullible or unenlightened those who accept them, such people end up swallowing explanations which are really off the wall. Some say that it only seemed like the sun stood still, but this contradicts the plain language of the text, including verse 14. One writer proposed that the earth’s rotation was indeed slowed down, and that this was caused by a vast number of simultaneous volcanic eruptions, all, of course, facing east, thus providing a counter-thrust causing the crust of the earth to slow down in rotation. God hears and answers prayer! (James 5:17) “An important fact that should not be overlooked is that the sun and moon were principal deities among the Canaanites. At the prayer of Israel’s leader Canaan’s gods were compelled to obey” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 351). Some feel that Joshua actually was praying that the sun stop shining, yet extended darkness would seem to give the enemy a chance to escape. Others claim that Joshua was wanting his troops spared from the heat of the day (i.e. that the sun would stop shining so brightly), again, such would also benefit the enemy as they were trying to escape. Of course, stopping or slowing down the rotation of the earth isn’t the only way that God could have performed this miracle. God doesn’t have a problem with placing light where there isn’t a light giver (Genesis 1:3, 14). Yet the language of verse 13, “and the sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and 10
did not hasten to go down for a whole day”, seems to contradict the idea that God simply extended daylight long after the sun went down. The eyewitnesses of this event saw the sun remaining in the middle of the sky. 10:13 “It is not written in the book of Jashar?”: Not some mysterious “lost book of the Bible”, for it contained the same information as is found in this section. This book may have been a collection of songs written to honor the accomplishments of Israel’s leaders, compare with 2 Samuel 1:17-27. 10:14 “There was no day like that before it or after it: The biblical writers didn’t exaggerate. Joshua realized that such an event was very unique, and didn’t happen every day or in every generation. Miracles in the Bible are treated as the exception, rather than the rule. 10:16-20 Taking every advantage of the extended day Joshua continued in hot pursuit of the enemy. Five kings and their armies had left the protection of their well-fortified cities, and Joshua wanted to inflict as much damage upon them before they could retreat behind such walls. 10:21 “No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel”: That is, at the end of the day the Israelites returned to camp safe and sound, no one in the area lay in wait for them or even dared to say a word against them. 10:22-24 “Put your feet on the necks of these kings”: This wasn’t merely a duplication of the macho thing to do. Rather, Joshua wanted to impress his commanders that with God on their side, they would have nothing to fear from boastful and arrogant men. 10:28-39 In a series of quick raids Joshua attacked the key military centers in southern Canaan. The cities mentioned in this section ranged roughly north to south and guarded the approaches to the southern highlands. “Centuries later both Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar followed the same strategy in their attacks on Judah” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 352). “Libnah” is pronounced (LIB nuh). 10:37 The mention of the execution of the king of Hebron in this verse is interesting in light of 10:23 in which he was executed on the day of the smashing victory. The conquests in 10:28-39 must have stretched over some time. For by the time Israel approaches Hebron, the citizens of that city had chosen a new king. 11
During this time Jerusalem was not taken, in fact, Jerusalem will not be taken until the time of David, some 400 years in the future (2 Samuel 5:7). The purpose of this campaign was to destroy key military centers in the land, and neutralize the military capacity of important city-states. The purpose was not to occupy the sites immediately. Following the initial conquest, it would be the responsibility of each tribe to conquer and control the sections of territory assigned to them. After these initial battles, some of these cities had to be taken again (15:13-17). 10:40-43 The extend of Israel’s military campaign in the south is summarized. The hill country is the central mountain range principally in what would be later called Judah and Ephraim. The Negev is the desert region in southern Palestine. The “lowland”, or western foothills, also called the Shephelah, is the area between the hill country of Judah and the coastal plain. The “slopes”, refers to the steep descent from the mountains to the Jordan Valley 10:41 This denotes a large area of southern Palestine. “Goshen” in the passage is obviously not the Goshen in the land of Egypt. The line running from Kadeshbarnea to Gaza was the southern boundary of Israelite territory (13:3; 15:3). “Israel’s leader was both a military genius and a spiritual giant…..1. His battles were all offensive….2. He used the element of surprise (10:9; 11:7; 8:14-19). 3. He sent his soldiers to harry the retreating enemies, to prevent them from reaching their cities (10:19-20). Spiritually, Joshua served as an example to the people: he stood by the promise his spies made to Rahab; he kept faith with the deceptive Gibeonites; he could have used his position for personal gain but he did not” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 352).
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