Book of Common Prayer

By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

6 The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. ² The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. ³ So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. ⁴ They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. ⁵ For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. ⁶ Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.

⁷ When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian, ⁸ Yahweh sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. ⁹ I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. ¹⁰ I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not listened to my voice.’”

¹¹ Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

¹³ Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴ Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”

¹⁵ He said to him, “O Lord,^[a] how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

¹⁶ Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

¹⁷ He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. ¹⁸ Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”

He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

¹⁹ Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah^[b] of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.

²⁰ The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”

He did so. ²¹ Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out of his sight.

²² Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”

²³ Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”

²⁴ Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.”^[c] To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

⁶ Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. ⁹ As it is written,

¹⁰ Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. ¹² For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through much giving of thanks to God, ¹³ seeing that through the proof given by this service, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Good News of Christ and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, yearn for you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Now thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!

²⁰ The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹ When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.” ²² The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

²³ He summoned them and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. ²⁷ But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder unless he first binds the strong man; then he will plunder his house.

²⁸ “Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; ²⁹ but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”^{[a] 30} —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”