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Listen to today's reading by Tom Dooley © MasterMedia Ministries/Tyndale.
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.
When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian, Yahweh sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not listened to my voice.’”
Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
He said to him, “O Lord, [The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.” ]how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”
He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah [1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel ]of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
He did so. Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out of his sight.
Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”
Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”
Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.” [or, Yahweh Shalom ]To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
That same night, Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it. Then build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?”
When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.” Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!” Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal, [“Jerub-Baal” means “Let Baal contend”. ]saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.”
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I’ll know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.”
It was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
God did so that night; for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. (WEB)
This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
Those who had taken Jesus prisoner took him away into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But, when they had lit a fire in the centre of the courtyard and had all sat down there, Peter seated himself in the middle of them. Presently a maidservant saw him sitting near the blaze of the fire. She looked carefully at him and said, “Why, this man was one of his companions!” But Peter denied it. “I do not know him,” he replied. A little while afterward someone else – a man – saw him and said, “Why, you are one of them!”
“No,” Peter said, “I am not.” About an hour later another man declared positively, “This man also was certainly with him. Why, he is a Galilean!” But Peter said, “I do not know what you are speaking about.” Instantly, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed. And the Master turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the words that the Master had said to him – “Before a cock has crowed today, you will disown me three times”; and he went outside and wept bitterly.
The men who held Jesus kept making sport of him and beating him. They blindfolded him and then questioned him. “Now play the prophet,” they said. “Who was it that struck you?” And they heaped many other insults on him.
At daybreak the assembly of the elders of the people met – both the chief priests and the teachers of the Law – and took Jesus before their High Council. “If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us so.”
“If I tell you,” replied Jesus, “you will not believe me; and, if I question you, you will not answer. But from this hour the Son of Man will be seated on the right hand of God Almighty.”
“Are you, then, the Son of God?” they all asked. “It is true,” answered Jesus, “I am.” At this they exclaimed, “Why do we want any more evidence? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”
Then they all rose in a body and led Jesus before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, “This is a man whom we found misleading our people, preventing them from paying taxes to the Emperor, and giving out that he himself is ‘Christ, a king.’”
“Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked him. “It is true,” replied Jesus. But Pilate, turning to the chief priests and the people, said, “I do not see anything to find fault with in this man.” But they insisted, “He is stirring up the people by his teaching all through Judea; he began with Galilee and has now come here.” Hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and, having satisfied himself that Jesus came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who also was at Jerusalem at the time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly pleased, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, having heard a great deal about him; and he was hoping to see some sign given by him. So he questioned him at some length, but Jesus made no reply. Meanwhile the chief priests and the teachers of the Law stood by and vehemently accused him. And Herod, with his soldiers, treated Jesus with scorn; he mocked him by throwing a gorgeous robe around him, and then sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, for before that there had been ill-will between them.
(OEB)
This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
Come! Let us ring out our joy to the Lᴏʀᴅ,
let us merrily shout to our rock of salvation.
Before his face let us come with thanks,
with songs of praise let us shout to him.
For the Lᴏʀᴅ is a great God,
king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
the heights of the mountains are his.
The sea is his, for he made it:
the dry land was formed by his hands.
Come! Let us worship and bow
on our knees to the Lᴏʀᴅ our creator.
For he is our God; and we
are the people he tends, the sheep in his care.
If only you would heed his voice today:
“Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
or at Massah, that day in the desert,
when your ancestors tempted and tried me,
though they had seen my deeds.
“For forty years I was filled with loathing
for that generation, so I said:
‘A people with wandering hearts are they,
and ignorant of my ways.’
So I solemnly swore to them in my anger,
that never would they enter my place of rest.”
Sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ a new song,
sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, all the earth.
Sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, bless his name,
from day to day herald his victory.
Tell his glory among the nations,
his wonders among all peoples.
For great is the Lᴏʀᴅ and worthy all praise;
held in awe, above all gods:
for all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lᴏʀᴅ created the heavens.
Before him are splendor and majesty,
beauty and strength in his holy place.
Ascribe to the Lᴏʀᴅ, you tribes of the nations,
ascribe to the Lᴏʀᴅ glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lᴏʀᴅ the glory he manifests:
bring you an offering, enter his courts.
Bow to the Lᴏʀᴅ in holy array:
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say to the nations, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is king.”
The world stands firm to be shaken no more.
He will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice,
let the sea and its fulness thunder.
Let the field, and all that is in it, exult;
let the trees of the forest ring out their joy
before the Lᴏʀᴅ: for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
and the nations with faithfulness.
(OEB)
This content pulled from bible.org.
A truthful witness does not lie,but a false witness breathes out lies. The scorner sought wisdom—there was none, but understanding was easy for a discerning person.
(NET)