Judges 9-11
Christian Standard Bible
Abimelech Becomes King
9 Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem and spoke to his uncles and to his mother’s whole clan, saying, 2 “Please speak in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal,(A) rule over you or that one man rule over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”[a]
3 His mother’s relatives spoke all these words about him in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem, and they were favorable to Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 So they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith.[b] Abimelech used it to hire worthless and reckless men, and they followed him. 5 He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on top of a large stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid. 6 Then all the citizens of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar in Shechem.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim,(B) raised his voice, and called to them:
Listen to me, citizens of Shechem,
and may God listen to you:
8 The trees decided
to anoint a king over themselves.
They said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.”
9 But the olive tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving my oil
that people use to honor both God and men,
and rule[c] over the trees?”
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
“Come and reign over us.”
11 But the fig tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving
my sweetness and my good fruit,
and rule over trees?”
12 Later, the trees said to the grapevine,
“Come and reign over us.”
13 But the grapevine said to them,
“Should I stop giving my wine
that cheers both God and man,
and rule over trees?”
14 Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,
“Come and reign over us.”
15 The bramble said to the trees,
“If you really are anointing me
as king over you,
come and find refuge in my shade.
But if not,
may fire come out from the bramble
and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”
16 “Now if you have acted faithfully(C) and honestly(D) in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did— 17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from Midian, 18 and now you have attacked my father’s family today, killed his seventy sons on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the citizens of Shechem ‘because he is your brother’— 19 so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.” 21 Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and lived there because of his brother Abimelech.
Abimelech’s Punishment
22 When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23 God sent an evil spirit(E) between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully, 24 so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers. 25 The citizens of Shechem rebelled against him by putting men in ambush(F) on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem trusted him. 27 So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trampled the grapes and held a celebration.(G) Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal, and isn’t Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem.(H) Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If only these people were in my power, I would remove Abimelech.” So he said[d] to Abimelech, “Gather your army and come out.”
30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was angry. 31 So he secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Beware! Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.[e] 32 Now tonight, you and the troops with you, come and wait in ambush in the countryside. 33 Then get up early, and at sunrise attack the city. When he and the troops who are with him come out against you, do to him whatever you can.” 34 So Abimelech and all the troops with him got up at night and waited in ambush for Shechem in four units.
35 Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the troops who were with him got up from their ambush. 36 When Gaal saw the troops, he said to Zebul, “Look, troops are coming down from the mountaintops!” But Zebul said to him, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”
37 Then Gaal spoke again, “Look, troops are coming down from the central part of the land,(I) and one unit is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.” 38 Zebul replied, “What do you have to say now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Aren’t these the troops you despised? Now go and fight them!”
39 So Gaal went out leading the citizens of Shechem and fought against Abimelech, 40 but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. Numerous bodies were strewn(J) as far as the entrance of the city gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers from Shechem.
42 The next day when the people of Shechem[f] went into the countryside, this was reported to Abimelech. 43 He took the troops, divided them into three companies, and waited in ambush in the countryside. He looked, and the people were coming out of the city, so he arose against them and struck them down. 44 Then Abimelech and the units that were with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two units rushed against all who were in the countryside and struck them down. 45 So Abimelech fought against the city that entire day, captured it, and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.(K)
46 When all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem heard, they entered the inner chamber[g] of the temple of El-berith.[h] 47 Then it was reported to Abimelech that all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem had gathered. 48 So Abimelech and all the troops who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoulder, and said to the troops who were with him, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.” 49 Each of the troops also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire; about a thousand men and women died, including all the men of the Tower of Shechem.
50 Abimelech went to Thebez,(L) camped against it, and captured it. 51 There was a strong tower inside the city,(M) and all the men, women, and citizens of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. 52 When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. 53 But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head and fractured his skull. 54 He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
56 In this way, God brought back Abimelech’s evil—the evil that Abimelech had done to his father when he killed his seventy brothers. 57 God also brought back to the men of Shechem all their evil.(N) So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.(O)
Tola and Jair
10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo became judge and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 Tola judged Israel twenty-three years and when he died, was buried in Shamir.
3 After him came Jair the Gileadite,(P) who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. They had thirty towns[i] in Gilead, which are still called Jair’s Villages[j] today. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Israel’s Rebellion and Repentance
6 Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.(Q) They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines.(R) They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.(S) 7 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites.(T) 8 They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for eighteen years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan(U) in the land of the Amorites(V) in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed, 10 so they cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you.(W) We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”
11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “When the Egyptians,(X) Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites[k](Y) oppressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not deliver you from them? 13 But you have abandoned me and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.(Z) Let them deliver you whenever you are oppressed.”
15 But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us(AA) today!” 16 So they got rid of the foreign gods(AB) among them and worshiped the Lord,(AC) and he became weary(AD) of Israel’s misery.
17 The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.(AE) 18 The rulers[l] of Gilead said to one another, “Which man will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
Jephthah Becomes Israel’s Leader
11 Jephthah(AF) the Gileadite was a valiant warrior,(AG) but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father. 2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s family, because you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob.(AH) Then some worthless men joined Jephthah and went on raids with him.
4 Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel. 5 When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight the Ammonites.”
7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me out of my father’s family? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trouble?”
8 They answered Jephthah, “That’s true. But now we turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9 So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.”
10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is our witness if we don’t do as you say.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah.
Jephthah Rejects Ammonite Claims
12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight me in my land?”
13 The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok(AI) and the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably.”
14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. 16 But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.(AJ)
18 “Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.
19 “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon.(AK) Israel said to him, ‘Please let us travel through your land to our country,’ 20 but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his troops, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 21 Then the Lord God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his troops to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession(AL) of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country. 22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 “The Lord God of Israel has now driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, and will you now force us out? 24 Isn’t it true that you can have whatever your god Chemosh conquers for you, and we can have whatever the Lord our God conquers for us? 25 Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them? 26 While Israel lived three hundred years in Heshbon and Aroer and their surrounding villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, why didn’t you take them back at that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by fighting against me. Let the Lord who is the judge(AM) decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites would not listen to Jephthah’s message that he sent him.
Jephthah’s Vow and Sacrifice
29 The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead. 30 Jephthah made this vow(AN) to the Lord: “If you in fact hand over the Ammonites to me, 31 whoever comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I return safely from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer that person as a burnt offering.”(AO)
32 Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord handed them over(AP) to him. 33 He defeated twenty of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued(AQ) before the Israelites.
34 When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing!(AR) She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me.[m] I have given my word to the Lord and cannot take it back.”
36 Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”
38 “Go,” he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity as she wandered through the mountains. 39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel 40 that four days each year the young women of Israel would commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Footnotes
- 9:2 Lit your bone and your flesh
- 9:4 Lit Baal of the Covenant, or Lord of the Covenant
- 9:9 Lit and go to sway, also in vv. 11,13
- 9:29 DSS read They said; LXX reads I would say
- 9:31 Hb obscure
- 9:42 of Shechem supplied for clarity
- 9:46 Or the crypt, or the vault
- 9:46 = God of the Covenant
- 10:4 LXX; MT reads donkeys
- 10:4 Or called Havvoth-jair
- 10:12 LXX reads Midianites
- 10:18 Lit The people, rulers
- 11:35 Lit have been among those who trouble me
Psalm 17
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 17
A Prayer for Protection
A prayer of David.
1 Lord, hear a just cause;(A)
pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer—
from lips free of deceit.(B)
2 Let my vindication come from you,
for you see what is right.(C)
3 You have tested my heart;(D)
you have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;(E)
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.[a]
4 Concerning what people do:
by the words from your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(F)
5 My steps are on your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(G)
6 I call on you, God,
because you will answer me;(H)
listen closely to me; hear what I say.
7 Display the wonders of your faithful love,(I)
Savior of all who seek refuge(J)
from those who rebel against your right hand.[b]
8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye;(K)
hide me in the shadow of your wings(L)
9 from[c] the wicked who treat me violently,[d]
my deadly enemies who surround me.(M)
10 They are uncaring;[e](N)
their mouths speak arrogantly.(O)
11 They advance against me;[f] now they surround me.(P)
They are determined[g]
to throw me to the ground.(Q)
12 They are[h] like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.(R)
13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him; bring him down.(S)
With your sword, save me from the wicked.(T)
14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men,
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what you have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.(U)
15 But I will see your face in righteousness;(V)
when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence.[i](W)
Footnotes
Luke 23
Christian Standard Bible
Jesus Faces Pilate
23 Then(A) their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes(B) to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him,(C) “Are you the king of the Jews?” (D)
He answered him, “You say so.”[a]
4 Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds(E) for charging this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people,(F) teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee(G) where he started even to here.”
Jesus Faces Herod Antipas
6 When Pilate(H) heard this,[b] he asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 Finding that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,(I) who was also in Jerusalem during those days. 8 Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle[c] performed by him. 9 So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him.(J) 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked(K) him, dressed him in bright clothing,(L) and sent him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends.[d](M) Previously, they had been enemies.
Jesus or Barabbas
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,(N) 14 and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people.(O) But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds(P) to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. 15 Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will have him whipped[e](Q) and then release him.”[f]
18 Then(R) they all cried out together, “Take this man away!(S) Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus,(T) Pilate addressed them again, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong?(U) I have found in him no grounds(V) for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”
23 But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices[g] won out. 24 So(W) Pilate decided to grant their demand(X) 25 and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.(Y)
The Way to the Cross
26 As(Z) they led him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian,(AA) who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross(AB) on him to carry behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him, including women who were mourning and lamenting him.(AC) 28 But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem,(AD) do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. 29 Look, the days are coming(AE) when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women without children, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’(AF) 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ [h](AG) 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”(AH)
Crucified Between Two Criminals
32 Two others—criminals(AI)—were also led away to be executed with him. 33 When(AJ) they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father,(AK) forgive(AL) them, because they do not know what they are doing.”[i](AM) And they divided his clothes and cast lots.(AN)
35 The(AO) people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing:(AP) “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” (AQ) 36 The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine(AR) 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews,(AS) save yourself!”
38 An inscription was above him:[j] This Is the King of the Jews.
39 Then(AT) one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at[k] him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God,(AU) since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.”(AV) 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me[l](AW) when you come into your kingdom.”(AX)
43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”(AY)
The Death of Jesus
44 It(AZ) was now about noon,[m] and darkness came over the whole land[n] until three,[o] 45 because the sun’s light failed.[p] The curtain(BA) of the sanctuary was split down the middle. 46 And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”[q](BB) Saying this, he breathed his last.
47 When the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify(BC) God, saying, “This man really was righteous!” [r] 48 All the crowds that had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, went home, striking their chests.(BD) 49 But(BE) all who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance,(BF) watching these things.
The Burial of Jesus
50 There(BG) was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, 51 who had not agreed with their plan(BH) and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God.(BI) 52 He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. 53 Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed.[s](BJ) 54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.[t] 55 The women(BK) who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.(BL) And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.(BM)
Footnotes
- 23:3 Or “That is true.”
- 23:6 Other mss read heard “Galilee”
- 23:8 Or sign
- 23:12 Lit friends with one another
- 23:16 Gk paideuo; to discipline or “teach a lesson”
- 23:16 Some mss include v. 17: For according to the festival he had to release someone to them.
- 23:23 Other mss add and those of the chief priests
- 23:30 Hs 10:8
- 23:34 Other mss omit Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”
- 23:38 Other mss add written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew letters
- 23:39 Or began to blaspheme
- 23:42 Other mss add Lord
- 23:44 Lit about the sixth hour
- 23:44 Or whole earth
- 23:44 Lit the ninth hour
- 23:45 Other mss read three, and the sun was darkened
- 23:46 Ps 31:5
- 23:47 Or innocent
- 23:53 Or interred, or laid
- 23:54 Lit was dawning
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