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Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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Judges 13-14

Birth of Samson, the Last Judge

13 The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,(A) so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines 40 years. There was a certain man from Zorah,(B) from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was unable to conceive and had no children. The Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are unable to conceive and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer,(C) or to eat anything unclean;(D) for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair,[a] because the boy will be a Nazirite(E) to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.”

Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring Angel of God. I didn’t ask Him where He came from, and He didn’t tell me His name. He said to me, ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.’”

Manoah prayed(F) to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born.”

God listened(G) to[b] Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field, and her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, “The man who came to me today has just come back!”

11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are You the man who spoke to my wife?”

“I am,” He said.

12 Then Manoah asked, “When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission[c] be?”

13 The Angel of the Lord answered Manoah, “Your wife needs to do everything I told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine or drink wine or beer. And she must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have commanded her.”

15 “Please stay here,” Manoah told Him, “and we will prepare a young goat(H) for You.”

16 The Angel of the Lord said to him, “If I stay, I won’t eat your food. But if you want to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.

17 Then Manoah said to Him, “What is Your name, so that we may honor You when Your words come true?”

18 “Why do you ask My name,” the Angel of the Lord asked him, “since it is wonderful.”(I)

19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord, and He did a wonderful thing[d] while Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown on the ground. 21 The Angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the Angel of the Lord.

22 “We’re going to die,” he said to his wife, “because we have seen God!”(J)

23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had intended to kill us, He wouldn’t have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and He would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us now like this.”

24 So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson.(K) The boy grew,(L) and the Lord blessed him. 25 Then the Spirit of the Lord began to direct him in the Camp of Dan,[e] between Zorah and Eshtaol.(M)

Samson’s Riddle

14 Samson went down to Timnah(N) and saw a young Philistine woman there. He went back and told his father and his mother: “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you find[f] a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, because I want her.”[g] Now his father and mother did not know this was from the Lord,(O) who was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. At that time, the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, the Spirit of the Lord took control of[h](P) him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. Then he went and spoke to the woman, because Samson wanted her.[i]

After some time, when he returned to get her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass. He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion’s carcass.(Q)

10 His father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as young men were accustomed to do. 11 When the Philistines saw him, they brought 30 men to accompany him.

12 “Let me tell you a riddle,”(R) Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes. 13 But if you can’t explain it to me, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they replied.[j] “Let’s hear it.”

14 So he said to them:

Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet.

After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle. 15 On the fourth[k] day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”

16 So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me!(S) You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.”

“Look,” he said,[l] “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”

17 She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people. 18 On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:

What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?

So he said to them:

If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow,
you wouldn’t know my riddle now!

19 The Spirit of the Lord took control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house, 20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.

John 1:29-51

The Lamb of God

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God,(A) who takes away the sin(B) of the world! 30 This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31 I didn’t know Him,(C) but I came baptizing with[a] water so He might be revealed(D) to Israel.”

32 And John testified, “I watched the Spirit(E) descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him.(F) 33 I didn’t know Him, but He[b] who sent me to baptize with[c] water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with[d] the Holy Spirit.’(G) 34 I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!”[e](H)

35 Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi”(I) (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying?”

39 “Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning.[f]

40 Andrew,(J) Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”[g](K) (which means “Anointed(L) One”), 42 and he brought Simon to Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, He said, “You are Simon, son of John.[h] You will be called Cephas”(M) (which means “Rock”).

Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day He[i] decided to leave for Galilee. Jesus found Philip(N) and told him, “Follow Me!”

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida,(O) the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael[j](P) and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets(Q)): Jesus the son of Joseph,(R) from Nazareth!”(S)

46 “Can anything good(T) come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said about him, “Here is a true Israelite;(U) no deceit is in him.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

49 “Rabbi,”(V) Nathanael replied, “You are the Son(W) of God! You are the King of Israel!”(X)

50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe only because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You[k] will see greater things than this.” 51 Then He said, “I assure you: You[l] will see heaven opened and the angels of God(Y) ascending and descending(Z) on the Son of Man.”(AA)

Psalm 102

Psalm 102

Affliction in Light of Eternity

A prayer of an afflicted person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.(A)

Lord, hear my prayer;
let my cry for help come before You.(B)
Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.(C)

For my days vanish like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.(D)
My heart is afflicted, withered like grass;(E)
I even forget to eat my food.(F)
Because of the sound of my groaning,
my flesh sticks to my bones.(G)
I am like a desert owl,[a]
like an owl among the ruins.(H)
I stay awake;(I)
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
My enemies taunt me all day long;
they ridicule and curse me.(J)
I eat ashes like bread
and mingle my drinks with tears(K)
10 because of Your indignation and wrath;
for You have picked me up and thrown me aside.(L)
11 My days are like a lengthening shadow,
and I wither away like grass.(M)

12 But You, Lord, are enthroned forever;(N)
Your fame endures to all generations.(O)
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her—
the appointed time has come.(P)
14 For Your servants take delight in its stones
and favor its dust.(Q)

15 Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory,(R)
16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion;
He will appear in His glory.(S)
17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.(T)

18 This will be written for a later generation,
and a newly created people will praise the Lord:(U)
19 He looked down from His holy heights—
the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth(V)
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning,
to set free those condemned to die,[b](W)
21 so that they might declare
the name of Yahweh in Zion
and His praise in Jerusalem,(X)
22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled
to serve the Lord.(Y)

23 He has broken my[c] strength in midcourse;
He has shortened my days.(Z)
24 I say: “My God, do not take me
in the middle of my life![d]
Your years continue through all generations.(AA)
25 Long ago You established the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.(AB)
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
all of them will wear out like clothing.
You will change them like a garment,
and they will pass away.(AC)
27 But You are the same,
and Your years will never end.(AD)
28 Your servants’ children will dwell securely,
and their offspring will be established before You.”(AE)

Proverbs 14:15-16

15 The inexperienced one believes anything,(A)
but the sensible one watches[a] his steps.

16 A wise man is cautious and turns from evil,(B)
but a fool is easily angered and is careless.[b]