John the Baptist Beheaded^(A)(B)

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,^[a] “John the Baptist^(C) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.”^(D)

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,^(E) like one of the prophets of long ago.”^(F)

¹⁶ But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.^(G) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. ¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”^{(H) 19} So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, ²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.^(I) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled^[b]; yet he liked to listen to him.

²¹ Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet^(J) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.^{(K) 22} When the daughter of^[c] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”^(L)

²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

²⁵ At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, ²⁸ and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ²⁹ On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends,^(A) flee from idolatry.^{(B) 15} I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break^(C) a participation in the body of Christ?^{(D) 17} Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,^(E) for we all share the one loaf.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices^(F) participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?^{(G) 20} No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,^(H) not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.^{(I) 22} Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?^(J) Are we stronger than he?^(K)

The Believer’s Freedom

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(L) “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.^(M)

²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,^{(N) 26} for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[a](O)

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you^(P) without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.^{(Q) 29} I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom^(R) being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?^(S)

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.^{(T) 32} Do not cause anyone to stumble,^(U) whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God^(V)— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way.^(W) For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,^(X) so that they may be saved.^(Y)

Psalm 85^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,^(A) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?^(B)”^(C) And they challenged him vigorously.^(D)

² But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?^{(E) 3} God gave Oreb and Zeeb,^(F) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

⁴ Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan^(G) and crossed it. ⁵ He said to the men of Sukkoth,^(H) “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out,^(I) and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna,^(J) the kings of Midian.”

⁶ But the officials of Sukkoth^(K) said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread^(L) to your troops?”^(M)

⁷ Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna^(N) into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

⁸ From there he went up to Peniel^[a](O) and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. ⁹ So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”^(P)

¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.^{(Q) 11} Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah^(R) and Jogbehah^(S) and attacked the unsuspecting army. ¹² Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

¹³ Gideon son of Joash^(T) then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.^{(U) 14} He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth,^(V) the elders^(W) of the town. ¹⁵ Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?^(X)’” ¹⁶ He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson^(Y) by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. ¹⁷ He also pulled down the tower of Peniel^(Z) and killed the men of the town.^(AA)

¹⁸ Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?^(AB)”

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”

¹⁹ Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives,^(AC) if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

²¹ Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments^(AD) off their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

²² The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule^(AE) over you.” ²⁴ And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring^(AF) from your share of the plunder.^(AG)” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites^(AH) to wear gold earrings.)

²⁵ They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. ²⁶ The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,^[b] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains^(AI) that were on their camels’ necks. ²⁷ Gideon made the gold into an ephod,^(AJ) which he placed in Ophrah,^(AK) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare^(AL) to Gideon and his family.^(AM)

Gideon’s Death

²⁸ Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head^(AN) again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace^(AO) forty years.

²⁹ Jerub-Baal^(AP) son of Joash^(AQ) went back home to live. ³⁰ He had seventy sons^(AR) of his own, for he had many wives. ³¹ His concubine,^(AS) who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.^{(AT) 32} Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age^(AU) and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³ No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals.^(AV) They set up Baal-Berith^(AW) as their god^{(AX) 34} and did not remember^(AY) the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. ³⁵ They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal^(AZ) (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.^(BA)