The Daily Audio Bible
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18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about[a] the men you killed at Tabor?”
They said, “They were just like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.”
19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon answered, “the sons of my mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 Then he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them right now.” But the young man did not draw his sword because he was afraid, because he was still just a youth.
21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “You get up and strike us down yourself, for a man’s strength shows what kind of man he is.” Gideon stepped up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he collected the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and also your grandson—because you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Only the Lord will rule over you.” 24 But Gideon also said to them, “Let me ask you for one thing: that each man give me an earring from his plunder.” (The enemy wore gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 They answered, “All right, we will give them to you.” Then they spread out a garment, and each man among them threw in an earring from his plunder. 26 The weight of the gold earrings that he had requested was seventeen hundred shekels.[b] This was in addition to the crescents, the pendants, and the purple clothing that had been worn by the kings of Midian, and the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made the gold into a sacred breastplate.[c] He set it up in his town of Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 In this way Midian was humbled before the people of Israel, and they did not raise their heads again.
The land was quiet for forty years during the days of Gideon.
29 Jerubbaal son of Joash returned and lived in his own house. 30 Gideon had seventy sons, who were his direct descendants from his own body, because he had many wives. 31 Also his concubine at Shechem bore him a son, and he named him Abimelek.[d]
32 Finally Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 After Gideon died, the people of Israel again prostituted themselves to the Baals, and they set up Baal of the Covenant as their god. 34 The people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who saved them from the hand of all their enemies around them. 35 They were not loyal to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
The Rise of Abimelek
9 Abimelek son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to visit his mother’s brothers. He spoke to them and to the entire clan of his mother’s household, saying, 2 “Please announce this in the hearing of all the citizens[e] of Shechem: What is better for you? If seventy men—all of the sons of Jerubbaal—rule over you, or if one man rules over you? Also remember this—I am your own flesh and blood.”
3 His mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem. So their hearts were inclined toward Abimelek, because they said, “He is our brother.”
4 They gave him seventy pieces[f] of silver from the house of Baal of the Covenant. With the money, Abimelek hired worthless, reckless men, who traveled with him. 5 He came to his father’s household at Ophrah, and he murdered his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal—seventy men slaughtered on one stone. Only one remained alive, Jotham son of Jerubbaal, the youngest, for he had hidden himself. 6 Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered together, and they went and crowned Abimelek as king by the oak tree next to the memorial pillar that was in Shechem.
7 When Jotham was told, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim and called out with a loud voice, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, and God will listen to you.”
Jotham’s Parable
8 One day the trees went to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, “Be king over us.” 9 But the olive tree said to them, “Should I stop producing my rich oil, with which both God and men are honored, to go and sway over the other trees?”
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, “Come, you be king over us.” 11 But the fig tree said to them, “Should I stop producing my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the other trees?”
12 Then the trees said to the grape vine, “Come, you be king over us.” 13 But the vine said to them, “Should I stop producing my new wine, which gladdens both God and men, to go and sway over the other trees?”
14 Finally all the trees said to the bramble, “Come, you be king over us.”
15 So the bramble said to the trees, “If you are sincere about anointing me to be king over you, come, seek refuge in my shade. But if you are not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”
16 Jotham said, “So now, if you acted in truth and integrity when you made Abimelek king, and if you have treated Jerubbaal and his household well, and if you have dealt with him as his hands dealt with you— 17 My father waged war for you and put his life at grave risk and delivered you from the hand of Midian. 18 Yet you have risen up against the house of my father today, and you have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and you have crowned Abimelek, son of his concubine, as king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your relative. 19 If you have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his household this day, rejoice in Abimelek, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, may fire come out from Abimelek and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and may fire come out from the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelek.”
21 With that, Jotham fled and escaped to Be’er,[g] where he remained because of Abimelek his brother.
Jesus’ Death
44 It was now about the sixth hour,[a] and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,[b] 45 while the sun was darkened. Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”[c] When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 When the centurion saw what had happened, he began to glorify God, saying, “This man really was righteous.” 48 When all the groups of people who had gathered to see this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their chests. 49 All those who knew Jesus, and the women who followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Jesus’ Burial
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man. 51 He had not agreed with their plan and action. He was looking forward to the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 He took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb that was cut out of rock, where no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed after Joseph, and they observed the tomb and how his body was laid there. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
The Resurrection
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women[d] went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 3 When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothing. 5 The women were terrified and bowed down with their faces to the ground.
The men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 Yet these words seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over to look in, he saw only the strips of linen cloth. He went home, amazed at what had happened.
Psalm 99
The Holy One Rules in Israel
Admonition to the Nations
1 The Lord reigns. Let the peoples tremble.
He is seated above the cherubim. Let the earth quake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion. He is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your name, great and awesome.
Refrain
He is holy!
Assurance to Israel
4 The King is mighty. He loves justice.
You, Lord,[a] have established fairness.
In Jacob you carried out justice and righteousness.
5 Exalt the Lord our God and bow down before his footstool.
Refrain
He is holy!
Examples From History
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests.
Samuel was among those who call on his name.
They called on the Lord, and he answered them.
7 From within the pillar of cloud he spoke to them.
They kept his testimonies and the order that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who removes sin,
but you repaid them for their deeds.
Concluding Refrain
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and bow down before his holy mountain,
because the Lord our God is holy.
9 Fools scoff at the idea of guilt,[a]
but favor is found among the upright.
10 A heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger can share its joy.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.