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10 That entire generation passed away;[a] a new generation grew up[b] that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.[c]
A Monotonous Cycle
11 The Israelites did evil before[d] the Lord by worshiping[e] the Baals. 12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors[f] who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods—the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped[g] them and made the Lord angry. 13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.[h]
14 The Lord was furious with Israel[i] and handed them over to robbers who plundered them.[j] He turned them over to[k] their enemies who lived around them. They could no longer withstand their enemies’ attacks.[l] 15 Whenever they went out to fight,[m] the Lord did them harm,[n] just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do.[o] They suffered greatly.[p]
16 The Lord raised up leaders[q] who delivered them from these robbers.[r] 17 But they did not obey[s] their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped[t] them. They quickly turned aside from the path[u] their ancestors[v] had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not.[w] 18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people[x] from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them[y] when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.[z] 19 When a leader died, the next generation[aa] would again[ab] act more wickedly than the previous one.[ac] They would follow after other gods, worshiping them[ad] and bowing down to them. They did not give up[ae] their practices or their stubborn ways.
A Divine Decision
20 The Lord was furious with Israel.[af] He said, “This nation[ag] has violated the terms of the covenant I made with their ancestors[ah] by disobeying me.[ai] 21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died, 22 in order to test Israel.[aj] [ak] I want to see[al] whether or not the people[am] will carefully walk in the path[an] marked out by[ao] the Lord, as their ancestors[ap] were careful to do.” 23 This is why[aq] the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately;[ar] he did not hand them over to Joshua.
3 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel—he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites.[as] 2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war.[at] 3 These were the nations:[au] the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.[av] 4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.[aw]
5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites;[ax] they worshiped[ay] their gods as well.
Othniel: A Model Leader
7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight.[az] They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.[ba] 8 The Lord was furious with Israel[bb] and turned them over to[bc] King Cushan Rishathaim[bd] of Armon Haraim.[be] They were Cushan Rishathaim’s subjects[bf] for eight years. 9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he[bg] raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued[bh] them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.[bi] 10 The Lord’s Spirit empowered him[bj] and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan Rishathaim of Armon[bk] and he overpowered him.[bl] 11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Deceit, Assassination, and Deliverance
12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.[bm] The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel[bn] because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight. 13 Eglon formed alliances with[bo] the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the city of date palm trees.[bp] 14 The Israelites were subject to[bq] King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he[br] raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man.[bs] The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment.[bt] 16 Ehud made himself a sword—it had two edges and was 18 inches long.[bu] He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. 17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)
18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it.[bv] 19 But he went back[bw] once he reached[bx] the carved images[by] at Gilgal. He said to Eglon,[bz] “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon[ca] said, “Be quiet!”[cb] All his attendants left. 20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated[cc] upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God[cd] for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat,[ce] 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s[cf] belly. 22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud[cg] did not pull the sword out of his belly.[ch] 23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule,[ci] he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s[cj] servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, “He must be relieving himself[ck] in the well-ventilated inner room.”[cl] 25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors.[cm] Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor![cn] 26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah.
27 When he reached Seirah,[co] he blew a trumpet[cp] in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead.[cq] 28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!”[cr] They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River[cs] opposite Moab,[ct] and did not let anyone cross. 29 That day they killed about 10,000 Moabites[cu]—all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
31 After Ehud[cv] came[cw] Shamgar son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. So he also delivered Israel.
The Lord’s Supper
14 Now[a] when the hour came, Jesus[b] took his place at the table[c] and the apostles joined[d] him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired[e] to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again[f] until it is fulfilled[g] in the kingdom of God.”[h] 17 Then[i] he took a cup,[j] and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit[k] of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”[l] 19 Then[m] he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body[n] which is given for you.[o] Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And in the same way he took[p] the cup after they had eaten,[q] saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant[r] in my blood.
A Final Discourse
21 “But look, the hand of the one who betrays[s] me is with me on the table.[t] 22 For the Son of Man is to go just as it has been determined,[u] but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 So[v] they began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly be who would do this.
24 A dispute also started[w] among them over which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.[x] 25 So[y] Jesus[z] said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’[aa] 26 Not so with you;[ab] instead the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader[ac] like the one who serves.[ad] 27 For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table,[ae] or the one who serves? Is it not[af] the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one[ag] who serves.
28 “You are the ones who have remained[ah] with me in my trials. 29 Thus[ai] I grant[aj] to you a kingdom,[ak] just as my Father granted to me, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit[al] on thrones judging[am] the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon,[an] Simon, pay attention![ao] Satan has demanded to have you all,[ap] to sift you like wheat,[aq] 32 but I have prayed for you, Simon,[ar] that your faith may not fail.[as] When[at] you have turned back,[au] strengthen[av] your brothers.” 33 But Peter[aw] said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”[ax] 34 Jesus replied,[ay] “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow[az] today until you have denied[ba] three times that you know me.”
Psalm 92[a]
A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92 It is fitting[b] to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High.[c]
2 It is fitting[d] to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done.[e]
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate![f]
6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this.[g]
7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten,[h]
it is so that they may be annihilated.[i]
8 But you, O Lord, reign[j] forever.
9 Indeed,[k] look at your enemies, O Lord.
Indeed,[l] look at how your enemies perish.
All the evildoers are scattered.
10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.[m]
I am covered[n] with fresh oil.
11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;[o]
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.[p]
12 The godly[q] grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.[r]
13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.[s]
15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector,
is just and never unfair.[t]
Psalm 93[u]
93 The Lord reigns.
He is robed in majesty.
The Lord is robed;
he wears strength around his waist.[v]
Indeed, the world is established; it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king.[w]
3 The waves[x] roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash.[y]
4 Above the sound of the surging water,[z]
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.[aa]
5 The rules you set down[ab] are completely reliable.[ac]
Holiness[ad] aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.[ae]
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