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18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me[a] the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.”[b] 19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear,[c] as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on![d] Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword,[e] because he was still young. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon,[f] “Come on,[g] you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.”[h] So Gideon killed[i] Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
Gideon Rejects a Crown but Makes an Ephod
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.”[j] 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 Gideon continued,[k] “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.”[l] (The Midianites[m] had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.”[n] So they[o] spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to 1,700 gold shekels.[p] This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry,[q] purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels.[r] 27 Gideon used all this to make[s] an ephod,[t] which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites[u] prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it[v] there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
Gideon’s Story Ends
28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken.[w] The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time.[x] 29 Then Jerub Baal son of Joash went home and settled down.[y] 30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives.[z] 31 His concubine,[aa] who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech.[ab] 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very[ac] old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Israel Returns to Baal Worship
33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal Berith[ad] their god. 34 The Israelites did not remain true[ae] to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 35 They did not treat[af] the family of Jerub Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
Abimelech Murders His Brothers
9 Now Abimelech son of Jerub Baal[ag] went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives.[ah] He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family,[ai] 2 “Tell[aj] all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want[ak] to have seventy men, all Jerub Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’”[al] 3 His mother’s relatives[am] spoke on his behalf to[an] all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal.[ao] The leaders were drawn to Abimelech;[ap] they said, “He is our close relative.”[aq] 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous[ar] men as his followers.[as] 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half brothers,[at] the seventy legitimate[au] sons of Jerub Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub Baal’s youngest son, escaped,[av] because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar[aw] in Shechem.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When Jotham heard the news,[ax] he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,[ay] “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
8 “The trees were determined to go out[az] and choose a king for themselves.[ba] They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’[bb] 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’[bc]
10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’[bd] 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’[be]
12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’[bf] 13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’[bg]
14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’[bh] 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose[bi] me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches.[bj] Otherwise[bk] may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub Baal and his family,[bl] if you have properly repaid him[bm]— 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life[bn] and delivered you from Midian’s power.[bo] 18 But you have attacked[bp] my father’s family[bq] today. You murdered his seventy legitimate[br] sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative.[bs] 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub Baal and his family[bt] today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness![bu] 20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 21 Then Jotham ran away[bv] to Beer and lived there to escape from[bw] Abimelech his half-brother.[bx]
44 It was now[a] about noon,[b] and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,[c] 45 because the sun’s light failed.[d] The temple curtain[e] was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”[f] And after he said this he breathed his last.
47 Now when the centurion[g] saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent!”[h] 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.[i] 49 And all those who knew Jesus[j] stood at a distance, and the women who had followed him from Galilee saw[k] these things.
Jesus’ Burial
50 Now[l] there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council,[m] a good and righteous man. 51 (He[n] had not consented[o] to their plan and action.) He[p] was from the Judean town[q] of Arimathea, and was looking forward to[r] the kingdom of God.[s] 52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body[t] of Jesus. 53 Then[u] he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth,[v] and placed it[w] in a tomb cut out of the rock,[x] where no one had yet been buried.[y] 54 It was the day of preparation[z] and the Sabbath was beginning.[aa] 55 The[ab] women who had accompanied Jesus[ac] from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then[ad] they returned and prepared aromatic spices[ae] and perfumes.[af]
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.[ag]
The Resurrection
24 Now on the first day[ah] of the week, at early dawn, the women[ai] went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices[aj] they had prepared. 2 They[ak] found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb,[al] 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.[am] 4 While[an] they were perplexed[ao] about this, suddenly[ap] two men stood beside them in dazzling[aq] attire. 5 The[ar] women[as] were terribly frightened[at] and bowed[au] their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living[av] among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has been raised![aw] Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,[ax] 7 that[ay] the Son of Man must be delivered[az] into the hands of sinful men,[ba] and be crucified,[bb] and on the third day rise again.”[bc] 8 Then[bd] the women remembered his words,[be] 9 and when they returned from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven[bf] and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene,[bg] Joanna,[bh] Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed like pure nonsense[bi] to them, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb.[bj] He bent down[bk] and saw only the strips of linen cloth;[bl] then he went home,[bm] wondering[bn] what had happened.[bo]
Psalm 99[a]
99 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble.[b]
He sits enthroned above the cherubim;[c]
the earth shakes.[d]
2 The Lord is elevated[e] in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He[f] is holy!
4 The king is strong;
he loves justice.[g]
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;[h]
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
5 Praise[i] the Lord our God.
Worship[j] before his footstool.
He is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.[k]
They[l] prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;[m]
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds.[n]
9 Praise[o] the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.
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