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

“As you are, so they were,” they answered. “Each one looked like the children of a king.”

¹⁹ “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother,” he said. “As Adonai lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ Then he said to Jeter his first-born, “Arise, kill them!” But the boy could not draw his sword, for he was afraid, since he was still a youth.

²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise up yourself and fall on us—for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson as well. For you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon replied to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Adonai alone will rule over you.” ^{[a] 24} Yet Gideon said to them, “I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man an earring from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

²⁵ “We’ll certainly give them!” they replied. So they spread out a robe, and each one of them threw an earring from his spoil. ²⁶ So the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold—besides the crescent ornaments, the pendants and the purple robes that were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were on their camels’ necks. ²⁷ Gideon made it into an ephod, and put it in his town Ophrah. But all Israel prostituted themselves after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

²⁸ So Midian was subdued before Bnei-Yisrael, and they lifted up their heads no more. The land had tranquility for 40 years in the days of Gideon. ²⁹ Jerubbaal son of Joash went and lived in his own house. ³⁰ Now Gideon had 70 sons of his own issue, for he had many wives. ³¹ Also his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son—he called his name Abimelech.

³² Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ³³ But it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that Bnei-Yisrael again prostituted themselves after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ So Bnei-Yisrael did not remember Adonai their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side. ³⁵ Nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal, namely Gideon, in accord with all the goodness which he had done for Israel.

Bloodshed of Abimelech and Shechem

9 Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and spoke to them and the whole clan of his mother’s father’s household saying, ² “Speak now, in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem: Which is better for you, that 70 men—all the sons of Jerubbaal—rule over you, or that a single man rules over you? Remember also that I am your flesh and bone.”

³ When his mother’s brothers discussed all these words of his in the ears of all Shechem’s leaders, their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” ⁴ So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith^[b]. Abimelech then hired idle and reckless fellows, who followed him. ⁵ Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and slew his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, 70 men, on top of one stone. But Jotam, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, for he hid himself. ⁶ Then all the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled themselves together and went and made Abimelech king at the terebinth of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ Now when they told Jotam, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, lifted up his voice, called out and said to them, “Listen to me, O lords of Shechem, that God may listen to you! ⁸ Once the trees set out to anoint a king over them. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I stop yielding my oil, that honors God and man, and go wave over the trees?’ ¹⁰ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I stop yielding my sweetness and my delicious fruit, and go wave over the trees?’ ¹² So the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹³ But the vine said to them, ‘Should I stop yielding my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go wave over the trees?’ ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹⁵ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you truly are going to anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shadow; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

¹⁶ “So now, if you have acted in truth and integrity by making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt kindly with Jerubbaal and his household, and have done for him as he deserved— ¹⁷ for my father fought for you, and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, ¹⁸ but you have risen up against my father’s household today and have slain his sons—70 men on one stone—and have made Abimelech, son of his maidservant, king over the lords of Shechem just because he is your brother— ¹⁹ if you then have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his household today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech!”

²¹ Then Jotam ran away and fled, and went to Beer and remained there because of his brother Abimelech.

Temple Curtain Torn in Two

⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, ^{[a] 45} for the sun died out. And the curtain^[b] of the Temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶ And Yeshua, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I entrust My spirit.’”^[c] When He had said this, He breathed His last.

⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began glorifying God, saying, “Truly this was a righteous Man.”

⁴⁸ And all the crowds assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to turn back, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ But all Yeshua’s acquaintances, and the women who were following Him from the Galilee, were standing at a distance, watching these things.

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

⁵⁰ Now there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and righteous man. ⁵¹ (He had not been in agreement with the council and their action.) He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. ⁵³ And he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb^[d] cut out of the rock, where no one had ever yet been laid.

⁵⁴ Now it was the Day of Preparation, and Shabbat was approaching. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with Him from the Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. But on Shabbat they rested according to the commandment.

Women Visit the Garden Tomb

24 Now on the first day of the week, at daybreak, the women came to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb; ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua.

⁴ And while they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵ The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you search for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but He is risen! Remember what He told you when He was still in the Galilee, ⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be executed, and on the third day rise up.”

⁸ And they were reminded of His words. ⁹ And when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to everyone else. ¹⁰ Now it was Miriam from Magdala, Joanna, the Miriam of Jacob and others together with them who were telling these things to the emissaries. ¹¹ But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Leaning in, he sees only the linen cloths. And he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Worship at His Holy Hill

Psalm 99