Book of Common Prayer

Book IV: Psalms 90–106

²² Avimelekh was chief over Isra’el for three years. ²³ But God sent a spirit of discord between Avimelekh and the men of Sh’khem, so that the men of Sh’khem dealt treacherously with Avimelekh. ²⁴ This came about so that the crime against the seventy sons of Yeruba‘al might be avenged and the responsibility for their bloody death be placed on Avimelekh their brother, who murdered them, and on the men of Sh’khem, who helped him kill his brothers. ²⁵ So the men of Sh’khem sent out men to ambush him on the mountaintops. They robbed everyone who went past them, and Avimelekh was told about it.

⁵⁰ Then Avimelekh went to Tevetz, set up camp against Tevetz and captured it. ⁵¹ But there was a fortified tower inside the city; and all the men and women took refuge in it, everyone in the city. They shut themselves inside and went up onto the roof of the tower. ⁵² However, when Avimelekh approached the tower, attacked it, and then came up close to the tower’s door in order to burn it down, ⁵³ a woman dropped an upper millstone on Avimelekh’s head, cracking his skull. ⁵⁴ He quickly called out to the young man holding his armor, “Draw your sword, and finish me off, so that people won’t say a woman killed me.” So his attendant ran him through, and he died. ⁵⁵ When the men of Isra’el saw that Avimelekh was dead, they all went back home.

⁵⁶ This is how God paid back Avimelekh for the wrong he did to his father in murdering his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ God also repaid the men of Sh’khem for all the wrong they had done; on them came the curse of Yotam the son of Yeruba‘al.

³² All the many believers were one in heart and soul, and no one claimed any of his possessions for himself, but everyone shared everything he had. ³³ With great power the emissaries continued testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Yeshua, and they were all held in high regard. ³⁴ No one among them was poor, since those who owned lands or houses sold them and turned over the proceeds ³⁵ to the emissaries to distribute to each according to his need. ³⁶ Thus Yosef, whom the emissaries called Bar-Nabba (which means “the Exhorter”), a Levi and a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field which belonged to him and brought the money to the emissaries.

5 But there was a man named Hananyah who, with his wife Shappirah, sold some property ² and, with his wife’s knowledge, withheld some of the proceeds for himself; although he did bring the rest to the emissaries. ³ Then Kefa said, “Why has the Adversary so filled your heart that you lie to the Ruach HaKodesh and keep back some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Before you sold it, the property was yours; and after you sold it, the money was yours to use as you pleased. So what made you decide to do such a thing? You have lied not to human beings but to God!”

⁵ On hearing these words, Hananyah fell down dead; and everyone who heard about it was terrified. ⁶ The young men got up, wrapped his body in a shroud, carried him out and buried him.

⁷ Some three hours later, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. ⁸ Kefa challenged her: “Tell me, is it true that you sold the land for such-and-such a price?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is what we were paid for it.” ⁹ But Kefa came back at her, “Then why did you people plot to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out too!” ¹⁰ Instantly she collapsed at his feet and died. The young men entered, found her there dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ As a result of this, great fear came over the whole Messianic community, and indeed over everyone who heard about it.

¹³ It was almost time for the festival of Pesach in Y’hudah, so Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. ¹⁴ In the Temple grounds he found those who were selling cattle, sheep and pigeons, and others who were sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ He made a whip from cords and drove them all out of the Temple grounds, the sheep and cattle as well. He knocked over the money-changers’ tables, scattering their coins; ¹⁶ and to the pigeon-sellers he said, “Get these things out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?” ¹⁷ (His talmidim later recalled that the Tanakh says, “Zeal for your house will devour me.” )^{[a] 18} So the Judeans confronted him by asking him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove you have the right to do all this?” ¹⁹ Yeshua answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” ²⁰ The Judeans said, “It took 46 years to build this Temple, and you’re going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the “temple” he had spoken of was his body. ²² Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his talmidim remembered that he had said this, and they trusted in the Tanakh and in what Yeshua had said.

²³ Now while Yeshua was in Yerushalayim at the Pesach festival, there were many people who “believed in his name” when they saw the miracles he performed. ²⁴ But he did not commit himself to them, for he knew what people are like — ²⁵ that is, he didn’t need anyone to inform him about a person, because he knew what was in the person’s heart.