Day 128 of 365

Judg 10:1–11:40

10:1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

10:2 He judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

10:3 After him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

10:5 Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.

10:6 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord, and did not serve him.

10:7 The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

10:8 They troubled and oppressed the children of Israel that year. Eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

10:9 The children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was very distressed.

10:10 The children of Israel cried to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals."

10:11 The Lord said to the children of Israel, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

10:12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.

10:13 Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more.

10:14 Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress."

10:15 The children of Israel said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, please, this day."

10:16 They put away the foreign gods from among them, and served the Lord; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

10:17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped at Mizpah.

10:18 The people, the rulers of Gilead, said to each other, "What man is he who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a prostitute. And Gilead became the father of Jephthah.

11:2 Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said to him, "You shall not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of another woman."

11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and lived in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

11:4 It happened after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

11:5 It was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah out of the land of Tob;

11:6 and they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon."

11:7 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Did you not hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? And why have you come to me now when you are in distress?"

11:8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

11:9 Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them before me, shall I be your head?"

11:10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord shall be witness between us; surely according to your word so will we do."

11:11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, "What have you to do with me, that you are come to me to fight against my land?"

11:13 The king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore restore it peaceably."

11:14 Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon;

11:15 and he said to him, "Thus says Jephthah: 'Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon,

11:16 but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;

11:17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let me pass through your land.' But the king of Edom did not listen. In the same way, he sent to the king of Moab; but he would not. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

11:18 Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they did not come within the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

11:19 Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, "Please let us pass through your land to our land.'

11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

11:21 The Lord, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

11:22 They possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.

11:23 So now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them?

11:24 Won't you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever the Lord our God has driven out from before us, we will possess.

11:25 And now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

11:26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; why did you not recover them within that time?

11:27 I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong by making war against me. The Lord, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon."

11:28 However the king of the children of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

11:29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.

11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, "If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

11:31 then it shall be that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."

11:32 So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.

11:33 He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

11:34 Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

11:35 It happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I can't break it."

11:36 She said to him, "My father, since you have given your word to the Lord; do to me as you promised, because the Lord has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon."

11:37 She said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions."

11:38 He said, "Go." He sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and wept because of her virginity on the mountains.

11:39 It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to what he had vowed. And she was a virgin. It became a custom in Israel,

11:40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly four days in a year to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

John 1:1–17

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.

6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.

9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not recognize him.

11 He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him.

12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:

13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testified about him. He shouted out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.'"

16 For of his fullness we all received, and grace upon grace.

17 For the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

Prov 29:1–15

1 He who is often rebuked and stiffens his neck will be destroyed suddenly, with no remedy.

2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

3 Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

4 The king by justice makes the land stable, but he who takes bribes tears it down.

5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

6 An evil man is snared by his sin, but the righteous can sing and be glad.

7 The righteous care about justice for the poor. The wicked aren't concerned about knowledge.

8 Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

9 If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man, the fool rages or scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity; and they seek the life of the upright.

11 A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.

12 If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked.

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

14 The king who fairly judges the poor, his throne shall be established forever.

15 The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.