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Oppression and Confrontation
6 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight,[a] so the Lord turned them over to[b] Midian for seven years. 2 The Midianites[c] overwhelmed Israel.[d] Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters[e] for themselves in the hills, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops,[f] the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them.[g] 4 They invaded the land[h] and devoured[i] its crops[j] all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat,[k] and they took away[l] the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 5 When they invaded[m] with their cattle and tents, they were as thick[n] as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted.[o] They came to devour[p] the land. 6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet[q] to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘I brought you up from Egypt[r] and took you out of that place of slavery.[s] 9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power[t] and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship[u] the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living.” But you have disobeyed me.’”[v]
Gideon Meets Some Visitors
11 The angel of the Lord[w] came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon[x] was threshing[y] wheat in a winepress[z] so he could hide it from the Midianites.[aa] 12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me,[ab] but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster[ac] overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said,[ad] ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself[ae] turned to him and said, “You have the strength.[af] Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites![ag] Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon[ah] said to him, “But Lord,[ai] how[aj] can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”[ak] 16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but[al] I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”[am] 17 Gideon[an] said to him, “If you really are pleased with me,[ao] then give me[ap] a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back[aq] with a gift[ar] and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”
19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat,[as] along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food[at] to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s angel said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,[au] and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.[av] 21 The angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.[aw] Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The angel of the Lord then disappeared.[ax]
22 When Gideon realized[ay] that it was the angel of the Lord, he[az] said, “Oh no![ba] Sovereign Lord![bb] I have seen the angel of the Lord face-to-face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe![bc] Do not be afraid. You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”[bd] To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Gideon Destroys the Altar
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.[be] Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.[bf] Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants[bg] and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family[bh] and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.[bi]
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw[bj] the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,[bk] “Who did this?”[bl] They investigated the matter thoroughly[bm] and concluded[bn] that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him![bo] He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,[bp] “Must you fight Baal’s battles?[bq] Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause[br] will die by morning![bs] If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles![bt] After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”[bu] 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub Baal,[bv] because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east[bw] assembled. They crossed the Jordan River[bx] and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s Spirit took control of[by] Gideon. He blew a trumpet,[bz] summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.[ca] 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well.[cb] He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel,[cc] as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.[cd] 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it[ce] is dry, then I will be sure[cf] that you will use me to deliver Israel,[cg] as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked.[ch] When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.[ci] 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign.[cj] Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”[ck] 40 That night God did as he asked.[cl] Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.
Jesus’ Condemnation and Peter’s Denials
54 Then[a] they arrested[b] Jesus,[c] led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house.[d] But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had made a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a slave girl,[e] seeing him as he sat in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man was with him too!” 57 But Peter[f] denied it: “Woman,[g] I don’t know[h] him!” 58 Then[i] a little later someone else[j] saw him and said, “You are one of them too.” But Peter said, “Man,[k] I am not!” 59 And after about an hour still another insisted,[l] “Certainly this man was with him, because he too is a Galilean.”[m] 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” At that moment,[n] while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.[o] 61 Then[p] the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord,[q] how he had said to him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.[r]
63 Now[s] the men who were holding Jesus[t] under guard began to mock him and beat him. 64 They[u] blindfolded him and asked him repeatedly,[v] “Prophesy! Who hit you?”[w] 65 They also said many other things against him, reviling[x] him.
66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law.[y] Then[z] they led Jesus[aa] away to their council[ab] 67 and said, “If[ac] you are the Christ,[ad] tell us.” But he said to them, “If[ae] I tell you, you will not[af] believe, 68 and if[ag] I ask you, you will not[ah] answer. 69 But from now on[ai] the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand[aj] of the power[ak] of God.” 70 So[al] they all said, “Are you the Son of God,[am] then?” He answered[an] them, “You say[ao] that I am.” 71 Then[ap] they said, “Why do we need further testimony? We have heard it ourselves[aq] from his own lips!”[ar]
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
23 Then[as] the whole group of them rose up and brought Jesus[at] before Pilate.[au] 2 They[av] began to accuse[aw] him, saying, “We found this man subverting[ax] our nation, forbidding[ay] us to pay the tribute tax[az] to Caesar[ba] and claiming that he himself is Christ,[bb] a king.” 3 So[bc] Pilate asked Jesus,[bd] “Are you the king[be] of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.”[bf] 4 Then[bg] Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation[bh] against this man.” 5 But they persisted[bi] in saying, “He incites[bj] the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!”[bk]
Jesus Brought Before Herod
6 Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 When[bl] he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction,[bm] he sent him over to Herod,[bn] who also happened to be in Jerusalem[bo] at that time. 8 When[bp] Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform[bq] some miraculous sign.[br] 9 So[bs] Herod[bt] questioned him at considerable length; Jesus[bu] gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the experts in the law[bv] were there, vehemently accusing him.[bw] 11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then,[bx] dressing him in elegant clothes,[by] Herod[bz] sent him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other,[ca] for prior to this they had been enemies.[cb]
Psalm 95[a]
95 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.
Let us shout out praises to our Protector who delivers us.[b]
2 Let us enter his presence[c] with thanksgiving.
Let us shout out to him in celebration.[d]
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to[e] all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand,[f]
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down and worship.[g]
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Creator.
7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns.[h]
Today, if only you would obey him.[i]
8 He says,[j] “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah,[k]
like they were that day at Massah[l] in the wilderness,[m]
9 where your ancestors challenged my authority,[n]
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I was continually disgusted[o] with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray;[p]
they do not obey my commands.’[q]
11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’”[r]
Psalm 96[s]
96 Sing to the Lord a new song.[t]
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise his name.
Announce every day how he delivers.[u]
3 Tell the nations about his splendor.
Tell[v] all the nations about his amazing deeds.
4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.[w]
5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,[x]
but the Lord made the sky.
6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;[y]
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.[z]
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves.[aa]
Bring an offering and enter his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire.[ab]
Tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established; it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy.
Let the sea and everything in it shout.
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[ac]
and the nations in accordance with his justice.[ad]
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