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Judges 4

Deborah and Barak

    ²So the LORD let the Canaanite King Jabin of Hazor conquer Israel. Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, lived in Harosheth-Ha-Goiim.

    ³Jabin's army had nine hundred iron chariots, and for twenty years he made life miserable for the Israelites, until finally they begged the LORD for help.

    ⁴Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader ^[a] of Israel during those days.

    ⁵She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.

    ⁶One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said:

   I have a message for you from the LORD God of Israel! You are to get together an army of ten thousand men from the Naphtali and Zebulun tribes and lead them to Mount Tabor.

    ⁷The LORD will trick Sisera into coming out to fight you at the Kishon River. Sisera will be leading King Jabin's army as usual, and they will have their chariots, but the LORD has promised to help you defeat them.

    ⁸" I'm not going unless you go!" Barak told her.

    ⁹" All right, I'll go!" she replied. " But I'm warning you that the LORD is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honor you for winning the battle."

   Deborah and Barak left for Kedesh,

    ¹⁰where Barak called together the troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand soldiers gathered there, and Barak led them out from Kedesh. Deborah went too.

    ¹¹At this time, Heber of the Kenite clan was living near the village of Oak in Zaanannim, ^[b] not far from Kedesh. The Kenites were descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, but Heber had moved and had set up his tents away from the rest of the clan.

    ¹²When Sisera learned that Barak had led an army to Mount Tabor,

    ¹³he called his troops together and got all nine hundred iron chariots ready. Then he led his army away from Harosheth-Ha-Goiim to the Kishon River.

    ¹⁴Deborah shouted, " Barak, it's time to attack Sisera! Because today the LORD is going to help you defeat him. In fact, the LORD has already gone on ahead to fight for you."

   Barak led his ten thousand troops down from Mount Tabor.

    ¹⁵And during the battle, the LORD confused Sisera, his chariot drivers, and his whole army. Everyone was so afraid of Barak and his army, that even Sisera jumped down from his chariot and tried to escape.

    ¹⁶Barak's forces went after Sisera's chariots and army as far as Harosheth-Ha-Goiim.

   Sisera's entire army was wiped out.

    ¹⁷Only Sisera escaped. He ran to Heber's camp, because Heber and his family had a peace treaty with the king of Hazor. Sisera went to the tent that belonged to Jael, Heber's wife.

    ¹⁸She came out to greet him and said, " Come in, sir! Please come on in. Don't be afraid."

   After they had gone inside, Sisera lay down, and Jael covered him with a blanket.

    ¹⁹" Could I have a little water?" he asked. " I'm thirsty."

   Jael opened a leather bottle and poured him some milk, then she covered him back up.

    ²⁰" Stand at the entrance to the tent," Sisera told her. " If someone comes by and asks if anyone is inside, tell them `No.' "

    ²¹Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent-peg through his head into the ground, and he died.

    ²²Meanwhile, Barak had been following Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. " The man you're looking for is inside," she said. " Come in and I'll show him to you."

   They went inside, and there was Sisera--dead and stretched out with a tent-peg through his skull.

    ²³That same day the Israelites defeated the Canaanite King Jabin, and his army was no longer powerful enough to attack the Israelites.

    ²⁴Jabin grew weaker while the Israelites kept growing stronger, and at last the Israelites destroyed him.

Judges 5

Deborah and Barak Sing for the LORD

    ²We praise you, LORD!

   Our soldiers volunteered,

   ready to follow you.

    ³Listen, kings and rulers,

   while I sing for the LORD,

   the God of Israel.

    ⁴Our LORD, God of Israel,

   when you came from Seir,

   where the Edomites live,

    ⁵rain poured from the sky,

   the earth trembled,

   and mountains shook.

    ⁶In the time of Shamgar

   son of Anath,

   and now again in Jael's time,

   roads were too dangerous

   for caravans.

   Travelers had to take

   the back roads,

    ⁷and villagers couldn't work

   in their fields. ^[c] Then Deborah ^[d] took command, protecting Israel

   as a mother

   protects her children.

    ⁸The Israelites worshiped

   other gods,

   and the gates of their towns

   were then attacked. ^[e] But they had no shields

   or spears to fight with.

    ⁹I praise you, LORD,

   and I am grateful

   for those leaders and soldiers

   who volunteered.

    ¹⁰Listen, everyone!

   Whether you ride a donkey

   with a padded saddle

   or have to walk.

    ¹¹Even those who carry water ^[f] to the animals will tell you,

   " The LORD has won victories,

   and so has Israel."

   Then the LORD's people marched

   down to the town gates

    ¹²and said, " Deborah, let's go!

   Let's sing as we march.

   Barak, capture our enemies."

    ¹³The LORD's people who were left

   joined with their leaders

   and fought at my side. ^[g]

    ¹⁴Troops came from Ephraim,

   where Amalekites once lived.

   Others came from Benjamin;

   officers and leaders

   came

   from Machir and Zebulun.

    ¹⁵The rulers of Issachar

   came along with Deborah,

   and Issachar followed Barak

   into the valley.

   But the tribe of Reuben

   was no help at all! ^[h]

    ¹⁶Reuben, why did you stay

   among your sheep pens? ^[i] Was it to listen to shepherds

   whistling for their sheep?

   No one could figure out

   why Reuben wouldn't come. ^[j]

    ¹⁷The people of Gilead stayed

   across the Jordan.

   Why did the tribe of Dan

   remain on their ships

   and the tribe of Asher

   stay along the coast

   near the harbors?

    ¹⁸But soldiers of Zebulun

   and Naphtali

   risked their lives

   to attack the enemy. ^[k]

    ¹⁹Canaanite kings fought us

   at Taanach by the stream

   near Megiddo ^[l] -- but they couldn't rob us

   of our silver. ^[m]

    ²⁰From their pathways in the sky

   the stars ^[n] fought Sisera,

    ²¹and his soldiers were swept away

   by the ancient Kishon River.

   I will march on and be brave.

    ²²Sisera's horses galloped off,

   their hoofs thundering

   in retreat.

    ²³The LORD's angel said,

   " Put a curse on Meroz Town!

   Its people refused

   to help the LORD fight

   his powerful enemies."

    ²⁴But honor Jael,

   the wife of Heber

   from the Kenite clan.

   Give more honor to her

   than to any other woman

   who lives in tents.

   Yes, give more honor to her

   than to any other woman.

    ²⁵Sisera asked for water,

   but Jael gave him milk--

   cream in a fancy cup.

    ²⁶She reached for a tent-peg

   and held a hammer

   in her right hand.

   And with a blow to the head,

   she crushed his skull.

    ²⁷Sisera sank to his knees

   and fell dead at her feet.

    ²⁸Sisera's mother looked out

   through her window.

   " Why is he taking so long?"

   she asked.

   " Why haven't we heard

   his chariots coming?"

    ²⁹She and her wisest women

   gave the same answer:

    ³⁰" Sisera and his troops

   are finding treasures

   to bring back--

   a woman, or maybe two,

   for each man,

   and beautiful dresses

   for those women to wear." ^[o]

    ³¹Our LORD, we pray

   that all your enemies

   will die like Sisera.

   But let everyone who loves you

   shine brightly

   like the sun

   at dawn.

   There was peace in Israel for about forty years.

Judges 6

Midian Steals Everything from Israel

    ²The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves.

    ³Every time the Israelites would plant crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations.

    ^4-5They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts, ^[p] they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went.

    ^6-7The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the LORD for help.

    ^8-9Then the LORD sent a prophet to them with this message:

   I am the LORD God of Israel, so listen to what I say. You were slaves in Egypt, but I set you free and led you out of Egypt into this land. And when nations here made life miserable for you, I rescued you and helped you get rid of them and take their land.

    ¹⁰I am your God, and I told you not to worship Amorite gods, even though you are living in the land of the Amorites. But you refused to listen.

The LORD Chooses Gideon

    ¹²The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, " The LORD is helping you, and you are a strong warrior."

    ¹³Gideon answered, " Please don't take this wrong, but if the LORD is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened? We've heard how the LORD performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the LORD has abandoned us to the Midianites."

    ¹⁴Then the LORD himself said, " Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites."

    ¹⁵Gideon replied, " But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am."

    ¹⁶" Gideon," the LORD answered, " you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man."

    ¹⁷Gideon said, " It's hard to believe that I'm actually talking to the LORD. Please do something so I'll know that you really are the LORD.

    ¹⁸And wait here until I bring you an offering."

   " All right, I'll wait," the LORD answered.

    ¹⁹Gideon went home and killed a young goat, then started boiling the meat. Next, he opened a big sack of flour and made it into thin bread. ^[q] When the meat was done, he put it in a basket and poured the broth into a clay cooking pot. He took the meat, the broth, and the bread and placed them under the big tree.

    ²⁰God's angel said, " Gideon, put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them." Gideon did as he was told.

    ²¹The angel was holding a walking stick, and he touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick. Flames jumped from the rock and burned up the meat and the bread.

   When Gideon looked, the angel was gone.

    ²²Gideon realized that he had seen one of the LORD's angels. " Oh!" he moaned. " Now I'm going to die." ^[r]

    ²³" Calm down!" the LORD told Gideon. " There's nothing to be afraid of. You're not going to die."

    ²⁴Gideon built an altar for worshiping the LORD and called it " The LORD Calms Our Fears." It still stands there in Ophrah, a town in the territory of the Abiezer clan.

Gideon Tears Down Baal's Altar

   Get your father's second-best bull, the one that's seven years old. Use it to pull down the altar where your father worships Baal and cut down the sacred pole ^[s] next to the altar.

    ²⁶Then build an altar for worshiping me on the highest part of the hill where your town is built. Use layers of stones for my altar, not just a pile of rocks. Cut up the wood from the pole, make a fire, kill the bull, and burn it as a sacrifice to me.

    ²⁷Gideon chose ten of his servants to help him, and they did everything God had said. But since Gideon was afraid of his family and the other people in town, he did it all at night.

    ²⁸When the people of the town got up the next morning, they saw that Baal's altar had been knocked over, and the sacred pole next to it had been cut down. Then they noticed the new altar covered with the remains of the sacrificed bull.

    ²⁹" Who could have done such a thing?" they asked. And they kept on asking, until finally someone told them, " Gideon the son of Joash did it."

    ³⁰The men of the town went to Joash and said, " Your son Gideon knocked over Baal's altar and cut down the sacred pole next to it. Hand him over, so we can kill him!"

    ³¹The crowd pushed closer and closer, but Joash replied, " Are you trying to take revenge for Baal? Are you trying to rescue Baal? If you are, you will be the ones who are put to death, and it will happen before another day dawns. If Baal really is a god, let him take his own revenge on someone who tears down his altar."

    ³²That same day, Joash changed Gideon's name to Jerubbaal, explaining, " He tore down Baal's altar, so let Baal take revenge himself." ^[t]

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

    ³⁴The LORD's Spirit took control of Gideon, and Gideon blew a signal on a trumpet to tell the men in the Abiezer clan to follow him.

    ³⁵He also sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, telling the men of these tribes to come and join his army. Then they set out toward the enemy camp.

    ^36-37Gideon prayed to God, " I know that you promised to help me rescue Israel, but I need proof. Tonight I'll put some wool on the stone floor of that threshing-place over there. If you really will help me rescue Israel, then tomorrow morning let there be dew on the wool, but let the stone floor be dry."

    ³⁸And that's just what happened. Early the next morning, Gideon got up and checked the wool. He squeezed out enough water to fill a bowl.

    ³⁹But Gideon prayed to God again. " Don't be angry at me," Gideon said. " Let me try this just one more time, so I'll really be sure you'll help me. Only this time, let the wool be dry and the stone floor be wet with dew."

    ⁴⁰That night, God made the stone floor wet with dew, but he kept the wool dry.

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A Man with an Evil Spirit

(Mark 1.21-28)

    ³⁵Jesus ordered the evil spirit to be quiet and come out. The demon threw the man to the ground in front of everyone and left without harming him.

    ³⁶They all were amazed and kept saying to each other, "What kind of teaching is this? He has power to order evil spirits out of people!" ³⁷News about Jesus spread all over that part of the country.

Jesus Heals Many People

(Matthew 8.14-17; Mark 1.29-34)

    ⁴⁰After the sun had set, people with all kinds of diseases were brought to Jesus. He put his hands on each one of them and healed them. ⁴¹Demons went out of many people and shouted, "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus ordered the demons not to speak because they knew he was the Messiah.

    ⁴²The next morning Jesus went out to a place where he could be alone, and crowds came looking for him. When they found him, they tried to stop him from leaving. ⁴³But Jesus said, "People in other towns must hear the good news about God's kingdom. That's why I was sent." ⁴⁴So he kept on preaching in the Jewish meeting places in Judea. ^[a]