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Judges 12-14
English Standard Version
Judges 12-14
English Standard Version
Jephthah's Conflict with Ephraim
12 (A)The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” 2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. 3 And when I saw that you would not save me, (B)I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, (C)“You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” 5 And the Gileadites captured (D)the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,” 6 they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at (E)the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.[a]
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.
11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty (F)sons and thirty grandsons, who (G)rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
The Birth of Samson
13 And the people of Israel again (H)did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them (I)into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2 There was a certain man of (J)Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. (K)And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 (L)And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful (M)and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. (N)No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be (O)a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall (P)begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, (Q)“A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. (R)I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, (S)‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” 11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, (T)what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?” 13 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, (U)neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and (V)prepare a young goat for you.” 16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) 17 And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, (W)“What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” 18 And the angel of the Lord said to him, (X)“Why do you ask my name, seeing (Y)it is wonderful?” 19 So (Z)Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works[b] wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, (AA)and they fell on their faces to the ground.
21 The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. (AB)Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, (AC)“We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.” 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. (AD)And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 (AE)And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between (AF)Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson's Marriage
14 (AG)Samson went down to (AH)Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. (AI)Now get her for me as my wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters (AJ)of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the (AK)uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
4 His father and mother did not know that it was (AL)from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. (AM)At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
5 Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. 6 (AN)Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson's eyes.
8 After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9 He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.
10 His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 11 As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 And Samson said to them, (AO)“Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within (AP)the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty (AQ)changes of clothes, 13 but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14 And he said to them,
“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
15 On the fourth[c] day they said to Samson's wife, (AR)“Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, (AS)lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” 16 And Samson's wife wept over him and said, (AT)“You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” 17 She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because (AU)she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
19 (AV)And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to (AW)Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to (AX)his companion, (AY)who had been his best man.
Footnotes
- Judges 12:7 Septuagint; Hebrew in the cities of Gilead
- Judges 13:19 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew Lord, and working
- Judges 14:15 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew seventh
Judges 12-14
New International Version
Judges 12-14
New International Version
Jephthah and Ephraim
12 The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon.(A) They said to Jephthah,(B) “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you?(C) We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”
2 Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands. 3 When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands(D) and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory(E) over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?”
4 Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead(F) and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.(G)” 5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan(H) leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” 6 they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.
7 Jephthah led[a] Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in a town in Gilead.
Ibzan, Elon and Abdon
8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem(I) led Israel. 9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon died and was buried in Aijalon(J) in the land of Zebulun.
13 After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon,(K) led Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons,(L) who rode on seventy donkeys.(M) He led Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.(N)
The Birth of Samson
13 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines(O) for forty years.(P)
2 A certain man of Zorah,(Q) named Manoah,(R) from the clan of the Danites,(S) had a wife who was childless,(T) unable to give birth. 3 The angel of the Lord(U) appeared to her(V) and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.(W) 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink(X) and that you do not eat anything unclean.(Y) 5 You will become pregnant and have a son(Z) whose head is never to be touched by a razor(AA) because the boy is to be a Nazirite,(AB) dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead(AC) in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God(AD) came to me. He looked like an angel of God,(AE) very awesome.(AF) I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine(AG) or other fermented drink(AH) and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.(AI)’”
8 Then Manoah(AJ) prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God(AK) you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”
9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me(AL) the other day!”
11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”
“I am,” he said.
12 So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”
13 The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink(AM) nor eat anything unclean.(AN) She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat(AO) for you.”
16 The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering,(AP) offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize(AQ) that it was the angel of the Lord.)
17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name,(AR) so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name?(AS) It is beyond understanding.[b]” 19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock(AT) to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame(AU) blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.(AV) 21 When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized(AW) that it was the angel of the Lord.
22 “We are doomed(AX) to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen(AY) God!”
23 But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”(AZ)
24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.(BA) He grew(BB) and the Lord blessed him,(BC) 25 and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir(BD) him while he was in Mahaneh Dan,(BE) between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson’s Marriage
14 Samson(BF) went down to Timnah(BG) and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”(BH)
3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people?(BI) Must you go to the uncircumcised(BJ) Philistines to get a wife?(BK)”
But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord,(BL) who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines;(BM) for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)(BN)
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him(BO) so that he tore the lion apart(BP) with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.
8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And there Samson held a feast,(BQ) as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
12 “Let me tell you a riddle,(BR)” Samson said to them. “If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast,(BS) I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.(BT) 13 If you can’t tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they said. “Let’s hear it.”
14 He replied,
“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.”(BU)
For three days they could not give the answer.
15 On the fourth[c] day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Coax(BV) your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death.(BW) Did you invite us here to steal our property?”
16 Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me.(BX) You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”
“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” 17 She cried the whole seven days(BY) of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”(BZ)
Samson said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.”
19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.(CA) He went down to Ashkelon,(CB) struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger,(CC) he returned to his father’s home. 20 And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions(CD) who had attended him at the feast.
Footnotes
- Judges 12:7 Traditionally judged; also in verses 8-14
- Judges 13:18 Or is wonderful
- Judges 14:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew seventh
Luke 9:37-62
English Standard Version
Luke 9:37-62
English Standard Version
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
37 (A)On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for (B)he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but (C)they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O (D)faithless and twisted generation, (E)how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus (F)rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and (G)gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at (H)the majesty of God.
Jesus Again Foretells His Death
(I)But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus[a] said (J)to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: (K)The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 (L)But they did not understand this saying, and (M)it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 (N)An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, (O)“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and (P)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For (Q)he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us
49 (R)John answered, “Master, we saw someone (S)casting out demons in your name, and (T)we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, (U)for the one who is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus
51 When the days drew near for (V)him to be taken up, (W)he set his face (X)to go to Jerusalem. 52 And (Y)he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of (Z)the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But (AA)the people did not receive him, because (AB)his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell (AC)fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[b] 55 But he turned and rebuked them.[c] 56 And they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were going (AD)along the road, (AE)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[d] said to him, “Leave (AF)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and (AG)proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, (AH)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, (AI)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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Luke 9:37-62
New International Version
Luke 9:37-62
New International Version
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy(A)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”
41 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,”(B) Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”(C) 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,(D) and they were afraid to ask him about it.
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.(E) 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts,(F) took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.(G) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”(H)
49 “Master,”(I) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”(J)
Samaritan Opposition
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,(K) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.(L) 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan(M) village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John(N) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?”(O) 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus(P)
57 As they were walking along the road,(Q) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(R) has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(S)
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(T)
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(U)
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Footnotes
- Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts them, just as Elijah did
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