Book of Common Prayer

Yahweh Reigns Forevermore

Ascribe to Yahweh Glory and Strength

Taste and See That Yahweh Is Good

Of David. When he feigned madness before ^[a]Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed.

Aleph

Beth

Gimel

Daleth

He / Vav

Zayin

Heth

Teth

Yodh

Kaph

Lamedh

Mem

Nun

Samekh

Ayin

Pe

Tsadhe

Qoph

Resh

Shin

Tav

Midian Prevails Against Israel

6 Then the sons of Israel ^(A)did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of ^(B)Midian seven years. ² And the ^[a]power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves ^(C)the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. ³ And it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would go up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go up against them. ⁴ So they would camp against them and ^(D)ruin the produce of the earth ^[b]as far as Gaza and ^(E)leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. ⁵ For they would go up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in ^(F)like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to make it a ruin. ⁶ So Israel was brought ^(G)very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.

⁷ Now it happened when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian, ⁸ that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and ^(H)he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. ⁹ I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors and drove them out before you and gave you their land, ¹⁰ and I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; you ^(I)shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not listened to My voice.”’”

Yahweh Sends Gideon to Save Israel

¹¹ Then ^(J)the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the ^[c]oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the ^(K)Abiezrite as his son ^(L)Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to ^[d]preserve it from the Midianites. ¹² And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, O mighty man of valor.” ¹³ Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wondrous deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But ^(M)now Yahweh has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” ¹⁴ Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “^(N)Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” ^15 (O)But he said to Him, “O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the least in ^(P)Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” ^16 (Q)But Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midian as one man.” ¹⁷ So ^[e]Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then do ^(R)a sign for me that it is You who speak with me. ¹⁸ Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and I bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

¹⁹ So Gideon went in and ^(S)prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ^[f]ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket ^[g]and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the ^[h]oak and presented them. ²⁰ And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock and pour out the broth.” And he did so. ²¹ Then the angel of Yahweh put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and ^(T)fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away from before his eyes. ^22 (U)And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh, so ^[i]he said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” ²³ And Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” ²⁴ So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and named it ^[j]Yahweh is Peace. To this day it is still ^(V)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

⁶ Now this I say, ^(A)he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing. ⁷ Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not ^(B)grudgingly or under compulsion, for ^(C)God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And ^(D)God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹ as it is written,

¹⁰ Now He who supplies ^(F)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and ^(G)increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹ you will be ^(H)enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about ^(I)thanksgiving to God. ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying ^(J)the needs of the ^[b]saints, but is also abounding ^(K)through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proven character given by this ^(L)ministry, they will ^(M)glorify God for your obedience to your ^(N)confession of the ^(O)gospel of Christ and for the ^[c]generosity of your ^[d]fellowship toward them and toward all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, long for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you. ^15 [e](P)Thanks be to God for His indescribable ^(Q)gift!

²⁰ And He *came ^[a](A)home, and the ^(B)crowd *gathered again, ^(C)so that they could not even eat ^[b]a meal. ²¹ And when ^(D)His own ^[c]people heard this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “^(E)He has lost His senses.” ²² And the scribes who came down ^(F)from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by ^[d](G)Beelzebul,” and “^(H)He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” ^23 (I)And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in ^(J)parables, “How can ^(K)Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶ And if ^(L)Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but ^[e]he is finished! ^27 (M)But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

²⁸ “^(N)Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; ²⁹ but ^(O)whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰ because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”