The One Year Bible TLB (96 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools.
8
The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts.
April 28Then Gideon asked King Zebah and King Zalmunna, “The men you killed at Tabor—what were they like?”
They replied, “They were dressed just like you—like sons of kings!”
19
“They must have been my brothers!” Gideon exclaimed. “I swear that if you hadn’t killed them I wouldn’t kill you.”
20
Then, turning to Jether, his oldest son, he instructed him to kill them. But the boy was only a lad and was afraid to.
21
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “You do it; we’d rather be killed by a man!”
*
So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments from their camels’ necks.
22
Now the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Be our king! You and your sons and all your descendants shall be our rulers, for you have saved us from Midian.”
23-24
But Gideon replied, “I will not be your king, nor shall my son; the Lord is your King! However, I have one request. Give me all the earrings collected from your fallen foes”—for the troops of Midian, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.
25
“Gladly!” they replied, and spread out a sheet for everyone to throw in the gold earrings he had gathered.
26
Their value was estimated at $25,000, not including the crescents and pendants, or the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the camels’ necks.
27
Gideon made an ephod
*
from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But all Israel soon began worshiping it, so it became an evil deed that Gideon and his family did.
28
That is the true account of how Midian was subdued by Israel. Midian never recovered, and the land was at peace for forty years—all during Gideon’s lifetime.
29
He returned home
30
and eventually had seventy sons, for he married many wives.
31
He also had a concubine in Shechem, who presented him with a son named Abimelech.
32
Gideon finally died, an old, old man, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father, Joash, in Ophrah, in the land of the Abiezrites.
33
But as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis began to worship the idols Baal and Baal-berith.
34
They no longer considered the Lord as their God, though he had rescued them from all their enemies on every side.
35
Nor did they show any kindness to the family of Gideon despite all he had done for them.
9:
1
One day Gideon’s son Abimelech visited his uncles—his mother’s brothers—in Shechem.
2
“Go and talk to the leaders of Shechem,” he requested, “and ask them whether they want to be ruled by seventy kings—Gideon’s seventy sons—or by one man—meaning me, your own flesh and blood!”
*
3
So his uncles went to the leaders of the city and proposed Abimelech’s scheme; and they decided that since his mother was a native of their town they would go along with it.
4
They gave him money from the temple offerings of the idol Baal-berith, which he used to hire some worthless loafers who agreed to do whatever he told them to.
5
He took them to his father’s home at Ophrah and there, upon one stone, they slaughtered all seventy of his half brothers, except for the youngest, Jotham, who escaped and hid.
6
Then the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the garrison at Shechem, and Abimelech was acclaimed king of Israel.
7
When Jotham heard about this, he stood at the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted across to the men of Shechem, “If you want God’s blessing, listen to me!
8
Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. First they asked the olive tree,
9
but it refused.
“‘Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses God and man, just to wave to and fro over the other trees?’ it asked.
10
“Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!’
11
“But the fig tree also refused. ‘Should I quit producing sweetness and fruit just to lift my head above all the other trees?’ it asked.
12
“Then they said to the grapevine, ‘You reign over us!’
13
“But the grapevine replied, ‘Shall I quit producing the wine that cheers both God and man, just to be mightier than all the other trees?’
14
“Then all the trees finally turned to the thorn bush. ‘You be our king!’ they explained.
15
“And the thorn bush replied, ‘If you really want me, come and humble yourselves beneath my shade! If you refuse, let fire flame forth from me and burn down the great cedars of Lebanon!’
16
“Now make sure that you have done the right thing in making Abimelech your king, that you have done right by Gideon and all of his descendants.
17
For my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the Midianites,
18
yet you have revolted against him and killed his seventy sons upon one stone. And now you have chosen his slave girl’s son, Abimelech, to be your king just because he is your relative.
19
If you are sure that you have done right by Gideon and his descendants, then may you and Abimelech have a long and happy life together.
20
But if you have not been fair to Gideon, then may Abimelech destroy the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may they destroy Abimelech!”
By now it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land
*
for three hours, until three o’clock.
45
The light from the sun was gone—and suddenly
*
the thick veil hanging in the Temple split apart.
46
Then Jesus shouted,
“Father, I commit my spirit to you,”
and with those words he died.
*
47
When the captain of the Roman military unit handling the executions saw what had happened, he was stricken with awe before God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.”
*
48
And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw that Jesus was dead, they went home in deep sorrow.
49
Meanwhile, Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him down from Galilee, stood in the distance watching.
50-52
Then a man named Joseph, a member of the Jewish Supreme Court, from the city of Arimathea in Judea, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He was a godly man who had been expecting the Messiah’s coming and had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other Jewish leaders.
53
So he took down Jesus’ body and wrapped it in a long linen cloth and laid it in a new, unused tomb hewn into the rock at the side of a hill.
*
54
This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation for the Sabbath.
55
As the body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw it carried into the tomb.
56
Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to embalm him; but by the time they were finished it was the Sabbath, so they rested all that day as required by the Jewish law.
24:
1
But very early on Sunday morning they took the ointments to the tomb—
2
and found that the huge stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside.
3
So they went in—but the Lord Jesus’ body was gone.
4
They stood there puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly two men appeared before them, clothed in shining robes so bright their eyes were dazzled.
5
The women were terrified and bowed low before them.
Then the men asked, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive?
6-7
He isn’t here! He has come back to life again! Don’t you remember what he told you back in Galilee—that the Messiah
*
must be betrayed into the power of evil men and be crucified and that he would rise again the third day?”
8
Then they remembered
9
and rushed back to Jerusalem
*
to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.
10
(The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and several others.)
11
But the story sounded like a fairy tale to the men—they didn’t believe it.
12
However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; and then he went back home again, wondering what had happened.
Jehovah is King! Let the nations tremble! He is enthroned between the Guardian Angels. Let the whole earth shake.
2
Jehovah sits in majesty in Zion, supreme above all rulers of the earth.
3
Let them reverence your great and holy name.
4
This mighty King is determined to give justice. Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice throughout Israel.
5
Exalt the Lord our holy God! Bow low before his feet.
6
When Moses and Aaron and Samuel, his prophet, cried to him for help, he answered them.
7
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud, and they followed his instructions.
8
O Jehovah our God! You answered them and forgave their sins, yet punished them when they went wrong.
9
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for he is holy.
The common bond of rebels is their guilt.
*
The common bond of godly people is goodwill.
10
Only the person involved can know his own bitterness or joy—no one else can really share it.
April 29Then Jotham escaped and lived in Beer for fear of his brother, Abimelech.
22-23
Three years later God stirred up trouble between King Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and they revolted.
24
In the events that followed, both Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem who aided him in butchering Gideon’s seventy sons were given their just punishment for these murders.
25
For the men of Shechem set an ambush for Abimelech along the trail at the top of the mountain. (While they were waiting for him to come along, they robbed everyone else who passed that way.) But someone warned Abimelech about their plot.
26
At that time Gaal (the son of Ebed) moved to Shechem with his brothers, and he became one of the leading citizens.
27
During the harvest feast at Shechem that year, held in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely and everyone began cursing Abimelech.
28
“Who is Abimelech,” Gaal shouted, “and why should he be our king? Why should we be his servants? He and his friend Zebul should be
our
servants. Down with Abimelech!
29
Make me your king and you’ll soon see what happens to Abimelech! I’ll tell Abimelech, ‘Get up an army and come on out and fight!’”
30
But when Zebul, the mayor of the city, heard what Gaal was saying, he was furious.
31
He sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah telling him, “Gaal, son of Ebed, and his relatives have come to live in Shechem, and now they are arousing the city to rebellion against you.
32
Come by night with an army and hide out in the fields;
33
and in the morning, as soon as it is daylight, storm the city. When he and those who are with him come out against you, you can do with them as you wish!”
34
So Abimelech and his men marched through the night and split into four groups, stationing themselves around the city.
35
The next morning as Gaal sat at the city gates, discussing various issues with the local leaders, Abimelech and his men began their march upon the city.
36
When Gaal saw them, he exclaimed to Zebul, “Look over at that mountain! Doesn’t it look like people coming down?”
“No!” Zebul said. “You’re just seeing shadows that look like men!”
37
“No, look over there,” Gaal said. “I’m sure I see people coming toward us. And look! There are others coming along the road past the oak of Meonenim!”
38
Then Zebul turned on him triumphantly. “Now where is that big mouth of yours?” he demanded. “Who was it who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, and why should he be our king?’ The men you taunted and cursed are right outside the city! Go on out and fight!”
39
So Gaal led the men of Shechem into the battle and fought with Abimelech,
40
but was defeated, and many of the men of Shechem were left wounded all the way to the city gate.
41
Abimelech was living at Arumah at this time, and Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem and wouldn’t let them live there any longer.
42
The next day the men of Shechem went out to battle again. However, someone had told Abimelech about their plans,
43
so he had divided his men into three groups hiding in the fields. And when the men of the city went out to attack, he and his men jumped up from their hiding places and began killing them.
44
Abimelech stormed the city gate to keep the men of Shechem from getting back in, while his other two groups cut them down in the fields.
45
The battle went on all day before Abimelech finally captured the city, killed its people, and leveled it to the ground.
46
The people at the nearby town of Migdal saw what was happening and took refuge in the fort next to the temple of Baal-berith.
47-48
When Abimelech learned of this, he led his forces to Mount Zalmon where he began chopping a bundle of firewood, and placed it upon his shoulder. “Do as I have done,” he told his men.
49
So each of them quickly cut a bundle and carried it back to the town where, following Abimelech’s example, the bundles were piled against the walls of the fort and set on fire. So all the people inside died, about a thousand men and women.
50
Abimelech next attacked the city of Thebez, and captured it.
51
However, there was a fort inside the city and the entire population fled into it, barricaded the gates, and climbed to the top of the roof to watch.
52
But as Abimelech was preparing to burn it,
53
a woman on the roof threw down a millstone. It landed on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
54
“Kill me!” he groaned to his youthful armor bearer. “Never let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!”
So the young man pierced him with his sword, and he died.
55
When his men saw that he was dead, they disbanded and returned to their homes.
56-57
Thus God punished both Abimelech and the men of Shechem for their sin of murdering Gideon’s seventy sons. So the curse of Jotham, Gideon’s son, came true.
10:
1
After Abimelech’s death, the next judge of Israel was Tola (son of Puah and grandson of Dodo). He was from the tribe of Issachar, but lived in the city of Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
2
He was Israel’s judge for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir,
3
and was succeeded by Jair, a man from Gilead, who judged Israel for twenty-two years.
4
His thirty sons rode around together on thirty donkeys, and they owned thirty cities in the land of Gilead which are still called “The Cities of Jair.”
5
When Jair died he was buried in Kamon.
6
Then the people of Israel turned away from the Lord again and worshiped the heathen gods Baal and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. Not only this, but they no longer worshiped Jehovah at all.
7-8
This made Jehovah very angry with his people, so he immediately permitted the Philistines and the Ammonites to begin tormenting them. These attacks took place east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead),
9
and also in Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. For the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to attack the Israelis. This went on for eighteen years.
10
Finally the Israelis turned to Jehovah again and begged him to save them.
“We have sinned against you and have forsaken you as our God and have worshiped idols,” they confessed.
11
But the Lord replied, “Didn’t I save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,
12
the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? Has there ever been a time when you cried out to me that I haven’t rescued you?
13
Yet you continue to abandon me and to worship other gods. So go away; I won’t save you anymore.
14
Go and cry to the new gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your hour of distress!”
15
But they pleaded with him again and said, “We have sinned. Punish us in any way you think best, only save us once more from our enemies.”
16
Then they destroyed their foreign gods and worshiped only the Lord; and he was grieved by their misery.
17
The armies of Ammon were mobilized in Gilead at that time, preparing to attack Israel’s army at Mizpah.
18
“Who will lead our forces against the Ammonites?” the leaders of Gilead asked each other. “Whoever volunteers shall be our king!”
That same day, Sunday, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem.
14
As they walked along they were talking of Jesus’ death,
15
when suddenly Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them.
16
But they didn’t recognize him, for God kept them from it.
17
“You seem to be in a deep discussion about something,”
he said.
“What are you so concerned about?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.
18
And one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about the terrible things that happened there last week.”
*
19
“What things?”
Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a Prophet who did incredible miracles and was a mighty Teacher, highly regarded by both God and man.
20
But the chief priests and our religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to the Roman government to be condemned to death, and they crucified him.
21
We had thought he was the glorious Messiah and that he had come to rescue Israel.
“And now, besides all this—which happened three days ago—
22-23
some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report that his body was missing, and that they had seen some angels there who told them Jesus is alive!
24
Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, Jesus’ body was gone, just as the women had said.”
25
Then Jesus said to them,
“You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures!
26
Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?”
27
Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about himself.
28
By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus would have gone on,
29
but they begged him to stay the night with them, as it was getting late. So he went home with them.
30
As they sat down to eat, he asked God’s blessing on the food and then took a small loaf of bread and broke it and was passing it over to them,
31
when suddenly—it was as though their eyes were opened—they recognized him! And at that moment he disappeared!
32
They began telling each other how their hearts had felt strangely warm as he talked with them and explained the Scriptures during the walk down the road.
33-34
Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus greeted them with these words, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!”
35
Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.
36
And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them, and greeted them.
37
But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38
“Why are you frightened?”
he asked.
“Why do you doubt that it is really I?
39
Look at my hands! Look at my feet! You can see that it is I, myself! Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost! For ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do!”
40
As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see the marks of the nails,
*
and showed them the wounds in his feet.
41
Still they stood there undecided, filled with joy and doubt.
Then he asked them,
“Do you have anything here to eat?”
42
They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43
and he ate it as they watched!
44
Then he said,
“When I was with you before, don’t you remember my telling you that everything written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true?”
45
Then he opened their minds to understand at last these many Scriptures!
46
And he said,
“Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day;
47
and that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations:
There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.
48
You have seen these prophecies come true.
49
“And now I will send the Holy Spirit
*
upon you, just as my Father promised. Don’t begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
50
Then Jesus led them out along the road to Bethany,
*
and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them,
51
and then began rising into the sky, and went on to heaven.
52
And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem filled with mighty joy,
53
and were continually in the Temple, praising God.