Day 123 of 365

Judg 3:1–4:24

3:1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

3:2 only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it:

3:3 namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

3:4 They were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.

3:5 The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

3:6 and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

3:7 The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

3:8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim eight years.

3:9 When the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

3:10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan Rishathaim.

3:11 The land had rest forty years. Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

3:12 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

3:13 He gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.

3:14 The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

3:15 But when the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised them up a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

3:16 Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

3:17 He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man.

3:18 When he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people who bore the tribute.

3:19 But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, king." The king said, "Keep silence!" All who stood by him went out from him.

3:20 Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God to you." He arose out of his seat.

3:21 Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:

3:22 and the handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he didn't draw the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.

3:23 Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them.

3:24 Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, "Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room."

3:25 They waited until they were ashamed; and behold, he did not open the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them, and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

3:26 Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.

3:27 It happened, when he had come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he before them.

3:28 He said to them, "Follow after me; for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." They went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow a man to pass over.

3:29 They struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man.

3:30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. The land had rest eighty years.

3:31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck of the Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad: and he also saved Israel.

4:1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead.

4:2 The Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

4:3 The children of Israel cried to the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

4:5 She lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

4:6 She sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, "Hasn't the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded, 'Go and draw to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

4:7 I will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.'"

4:8 Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go."

4:9 She said, "I will surely go with you: nevertheless, the journey that you take shall not be for your honor; for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

4:10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab the brother-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

4:12 They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to Mount Tabor.

4:13 Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon.

4:14 Deborah said to Barak, "Go; for this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Hasn't the Lord gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

4:15 The Lord confused Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got off from his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

4:16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the army, to Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.

4:17 However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

4:18 Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; do not be afraid." He came in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

4:19 He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty." She opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

4:20 He said to her, "Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man comes and inquires of you, and says, 'Is there any man here?' that you shall say, 'No.'"

4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died.

4:22 Behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek." He came to her; and behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent peg was in his temples.

4:23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

4:24 The hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Luke 22:45–71

45 When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples, and found them sleeping because of grief,

46 and said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

47 While he was still speaking, behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him.

48 But Jesus said to him, "Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

49 When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"

50 A certain one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered, "Let me at least do this"-and he touched his ear, and healed him.

52 Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and elders, who had come against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

53 When I was with you in the temple daily, you did not stretch out your hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

54 They seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed from a distance.

55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, Peter sat among them.

56 A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, "This man also was with him."

57 He denied Jesus, saying, "Woman, I do not know him."

58 After a little while someone else saw him, and said, "You also are one of them!" But Peter answered, "Man, I am not!"

59 After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!"

60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

61 The Lord turned, and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lord's word, how he said to him, "Before the rooster crows today you will deny me three times."

62 And he went out, and wept bitterly.

63 The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him.

64 Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?"

65 They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.

66 As soon as it was day, the council of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying,

67 "If you are the Messiah, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you won't believe,

68 and if I ask, you will in no way answer me.

69 From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

70 They all said, "Are you then the Son of God?" He said to them, "You say it, because I am."

71 They said, "Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!"

Prov 28:1–11

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2 In rebellion, a land has many rulers, but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.

3 A needy man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.

4 Those who forsake the Law praise the wicked; but those who keep the Law contend with them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.

7 Whoever keeps the Law is a wise son; but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his father.

8 He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.

9 He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.

10 Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will inherit good.

11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes; but the poor who has understanding sees through him.