Day 125 of 365

Judg 6:1–7:25

6:1 And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them.

6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, as far as Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, as well as sheep, or ox, or donkey.

6:5 For they came up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in like locusts in number; both they and their camels were without number, and they came into the land to ravage it.

6:6 Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to the Lord.

6:7 It happened, when the children of Israel cried to the Lord because of Midian,

6:8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

6:9 and 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;

6:10 and I said to you, "I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." But you have not listened to my voice.'"

6:11 The angel of the Lord came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

6:12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!"

6:13 Gideon said to him, "Oh, my lord, if the Lord 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 the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian."

6:14 The Lord looked at him, and said, "Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven't I sent you?"

6:15 He said to him, "O Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

6:16 The Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man."

6:17 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.

6:18 Please do not 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."

6:19 Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.

6:20 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." And he did so.

6:21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

6:22 Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, "Alas, Lord God! Because I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"

6:23 The Lord said to him, "Peace be to you! Do not be afraid. You shall not die."

6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it "The Lord is Peace." To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

6:25 It happened the same night, that the Lord said to him, "Take your father's bull, even the second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;

6:26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down."

6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken to him: and it came about, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

6:28 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.

6:29 They said one to another, "Who has done this thing?" When they inquired and asked, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing."

6:30 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."

6:31 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 while it is yet morning: if he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar."

6:32 Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar."

6:33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they crossed over, and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

6:34 But the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.

6:35 He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

6:36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken,

6:37 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 shall I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken."

6:38 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.

6:39 Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make one more test with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew."

6:40 God did so that night, for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew all over the ground.

7:1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'

7:3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.' There returned of the people twenty-two thousand; but ten thousand remained.

7:4 The Lord said to Gideon, "The people are yet too many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them for you there: and it shall be, that of whom I tell you, This shall go with you, the same shall go with you; and of whoever I tell you, This shall not go with you, the same shall not go.

7:5 So he brought down the people to the water: and the Lord said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him you shall set by himself; likewise everyone who kneels down on his knees to drink."

7:6 The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people kneeled down on their knees to drink water.

7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand; and let all the people go every man to his home."

7:8 So the people took food in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

7:9 It happened the same night, that the Lord said to him, "Arise, get down into the camp; for I have delivered it into your hand.

7:10 But if you fear to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp:

7:11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward will your hands be strengthened to go down into the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp.

7:12 The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand which is on the seashore.

7:13 When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his friend; and he said, "Behold, I had a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent collapsed."

7:14 His friend answered, "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. Into his hand God has delivered Midian, and all the army."

7:15 It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshiped, and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, "Get up, for the Lord has delivered into your hand the army of Midian."

7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.

7:17 He said to them, "Look at me, and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so you shall do.

7:18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, "For the Lord and for Gideon."

7:19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.

7:20 The three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they called out, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.'"

7:21 They each stood in his place every man around the camp; and all the army ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight.

7:22 They blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

7:23 The men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.

7:24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian, and capture the waters, as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and seized the waters as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan.

7:25 They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

Luke 23:24–56

24 Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done.

25 He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.

26 When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and placed on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.

27 A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.

28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'

30 Then they will begin to tell the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and tell the hills, 'Cover us.'

31 For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?"

32 There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.

33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

35 The people stood watching. The rulers also scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

38 An inscription was also written above him: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

39 One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

42 And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."

43 And he said to him, "Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.

45 The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

46 Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" Having said this, he breathed his last.

47 When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous man."

48 All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.

49 All his acquaintances, and the women who followed with him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

50 Behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man

51 (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Judeans, who was also waiting for the Kingdom of God:

52 this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 He took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been placed.

54 It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.

55 The women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and saw the tomb, and how his body was placed.

56 They returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Ps 53:1–54:7

1 Save me, God, by your name. Vindicate me in your might.

2 Hear my prayer, God. Listen to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen up against me. Violent men have sought after my soul. They haven't set God before them. Selah.

4 Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the one who sustains my soul.

5 He will repay the evil to my enemies. Destroy them in your truth.

6 With a free will offering, I will sacrifice to you. I will give thanks to your name, Lord, for it is good.

7 For he has delivered me out of all trouble. My eye has seen triumph over my enemies.