Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Confident in Prayer

Walking in God’s Path

At Home in God’s Land

¹² Meanwhile, the Midianites and Amalekites and the whole army of the eastern peoples were spread out in the valley, thick as locusts, and their camels were more than could be counted, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore.

¹³ When Gideon went down, he arrived just as a man was telling his fellow soldier about a dream. He said, “Listen! I had a dream. I dreamed that a round loaf of barley bread came tumbling over and over into the Midianite camp. It crashed into a tent and struck it so that the tent fell down. It overturned the tent, and the tent collapsed!”

¹⁴ His companion responded, “What can that be but the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the man of Israel. God has given Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”

¹⁵ So when Gideon heard the retelling of the dream and its meaning, he bowed down in worship and returned to the camp of Israel. He said, “Get up, because the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hand.” ¹⁶ He divided the three hundred men into three groups. He placed a ram’s horn into the hand of each one of them, as well as empty jars with torches inside them. ¹⁷ Then he said to them, “Watch me and do whatever I do. When you see me arrive at the edge of the camp, do whatever I do. ¹⁸ When I and all the men who are with me blow our ram’s horns, the rest of you, who are around the whole camp, also blow your ram’s horns and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

¹⁹ Gideon and the one hundred men with him went to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the Midianites had posted the guards. Gideon and his men blew their ram’s horns and shattered the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ All three groups blew their ram’s horns and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands, and in their right hands they held the ram’s horns that they were to blow. They shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ Each man stood at his station around the camp. The whole Midianite camp started running, raised the alarm, and fled.^[a]

²² When the Israelites blew the three hundred ram’s horns,^[b] the Lord turned the sword of each Midianite against the person next to him throughout the whole camp.

The Midianite army fled up to Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, up to the border of Abel Meholah, as far as Tabbath.

Lights in the World

¹² So then, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you, but also now much more in my absence, continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³ In fact, it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish among a crooked and perverted generation. You shine among them like lights in the world, ¹⁶ as you hold on to^[a] the word of life. Then I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I continue to be glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ In the same way, also be glad and rejoice with me.