JUDGES 9:22-10:18
LUKE 24:13-53
PSALM 100:1-5
PROVERBS 14:11-12
JUDGES 9:22-10:18
After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, 23 God stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the people of Shechem, and they revolted. 24 In the events that followed, God punished Abimelech and the men of Shechem for murdering Gideon's seventy sons. 25 The people of Shechem set an ambush for Abimelech on the hilltops and robbed everyone who passed that way. But someone warned Abimelech about their plot. 26 At that time Gaal son of Ebed moved to Shechem with his brothers and gained the confidence of the people of Shechem. 27 During the annual harvest festival at Shechem, held in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely, and everyone began cursing Abimelech. 28 " Who is Abimelech?" Gaal shouted. " He's not a true descendant of Shechem! Why should we be Abimelech's servants? He's merely the son of Gideon, and Zebul is his administrator. Serve the men of Hamor, who are Shechem's true descendants. Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If I were in charge, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, ` Get some more soldiers, and come out and fight!' " 30 But when Zebul, the leader 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 brothers have come to live in Shechem, and now they are inciting the city to rebel against you. 32 Come by night with an army and hide out in the fields. 33 In the morning, as soon as it is daylight, storm the city. When Gaal and those who are with him come out against you, you can do with them as you wish."34 So Abimelech and his men went by night and split into four groups, stationing themselves around Shechem. 35 Gaal was standing at the city gates when Abimelech and his army came out of hiding. 36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, " Look, there are people coming down from the hilltops!" Zebul replied, " It's just the shadows of the hills that look like men." 37 But again Gaal said, " No, people are coming down from the hills. And another group is coming down the road past the Diviners' Oak." 38 Then Zebul turned on him triumphantly. " Now where is that big mouth of yours?" he demanded. " Wasn't it you that said, ` Who is Abimelech, and why should we be his servants?' The men you mocked are right outside the city! Go out and fight them!" 39 Gaal then led the men of Shechem into battle against Abimelech, 40 but he was defeated and ran away. Many of Shechem's warriors were killed, and the ground was covered with dead bodies all the way to the city gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 42 The next day the people of Shechem went out into the fields to battle. When Abimelech heard about it, 43 he divided his men into three groups and set an ambush in the fields. When Abimelech saw the people coming out of the city, he and his men jumped up from their hiding places and attacked them. 44 Abimelech and his group stormed the city gate to keep the men of Shechem from getting back in, while Abimelech's other two groups cut them down in the fields. 45 The battle went on all day before Abimelech finally captured the city. He killed the people, leveled the city, and scattered salt all over the ground. 46 When the people who lived in the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they took refuge within the walls of the temple of Baal-berith. 47 Someone reported to Abimelech that the people were gathered together in the temple, 48 so he led his forces to Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and chopped some branches from a tree, and he put them on his shoulder. " Quick, do as I have done!" he told his men. 49 So each of them cut down some branches, following Abimelech's example. They piled the branches against the walls of the temple and set them on fire. So all the people who had lived in the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women. 50 Then Abimelech attacked the city of Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower inside the city, and the entire population fled to it. They barricaded themselves in and climbed up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech followed them to attack the tower. But as he prepared to set fire to the entrance, 53 a woman on the roof threw down a millstone that landed on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. 54 He said to his young armor bearer, " Draw your sword and kill me! Don't let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!" So the young man stabbed him with his sword, and he died. 55 When Abimelech's men saw that he was dead, they disbanded and returned to their homes. 56 Thus, God punished Abimelech for the evil he had done against his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also punished the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Gideon came true.10:1 AFTER Abimelech's death, Tola, the son of Puah and descendant of Dodo, came to rescue Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar but lived in the town 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 After Tola died, a man from Gilead named Jair judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4 His thirty sons rode around on thirty donkeys, and they owned thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are still called the Towns of Jair. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon. 6 Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They worshiped images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. Not only this, but they abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all. 7 So the LORD burned with anger against Israel, and he handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who began to oppress them that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead). 9 The Ammonites also crossed to the west side of the Jordan and attacked Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. The Israelites were in great distress. 10 Finally, they cried out to the LORD, saying, " We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal." 11 The LORD replied, " Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I rescued you. 13 Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!" 15 But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, " We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies." 16 Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the LORD. And he was grieved by their misery. 17 At that time the armies of Ammon had gathered for war and were camped in Gilead, preparing to attack Israel's army at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of Gilead said to each other, " Whoever attacks the Ammonites first will become ruler over all the people of Gilead."
LUKE 24:13-53
That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 Suddenly, Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. 16 But they didn't know who he was, because God kept them from recognizing him. 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 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, " You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days." 19 " What things?" Jesus asked. " The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth," they said. " He was a prophet who did wonderful miracles. He was a mighty teacher, highly regarded by both God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had thought he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. That all happened three days ago. 22 Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels 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 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 passages from the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the Scriptures 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, since it was getting late. So he went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, he took a small loaf of bread, asked God's blessing on it, broke it, then gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! 32 They said to each other, " Didn't our hearts feel strangely warm as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?" 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus were gathered. When they arrived, they were greeted with the report, 34 " 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. He said, " Peace be with you." 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 who I am? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!" 40 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his feet.41 Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder. 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, I told 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 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 With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: `There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.' 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 " And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
PSALM 100:1-5
A psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
PROVERBS 14:11-12
The house of the wicked will perish, but the tent of the godly will flourish. There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
