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Day 80: Judges 9 - 11

Bible in a year reading for day 80.

Judges 9

  1. 22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel for three years,
  2. 23 God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
  3. 24 in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
  4. 25 The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
  5. 26 Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.
  6. 27 And after they had gone out into the fields, gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trodden them, they held a festival and went into the house of their god; and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
  7. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?
  8. 29 If only this people were under my authority, I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, ‘Muster your army and come out!’”
  9. 30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.
  10. 31 So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
  11. 32 Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.
  12. 33 And in the morning at sunrise, get up and advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do to them whatever you are able.”
  13. 34 So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
  14. 35 Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelech and his men came out from their hiding places.
  15. 36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountains!” But Zebul replied, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”
  16. 37 Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak.”
  17. 38 “Where is your gloating now?” Zebul replied. “You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the people you ridiculed? Go out now and fight them!”
  18. 39 So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought against Abimelech,
  19. 40 but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate.
  20. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
  21. 42 The next day the people of Shechem went out into the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech.
  22. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose up against them and attacked them.
  23. 44 Then Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all who were in the fields and struck them down.
  24. 45 And all that day Abimelech fought against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.
  25. 46 On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
  26. 47 And when Abimelech was told that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem were gathered there,
  27. 48 he and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”
  28. 49 So each man also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.
  29. 50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it.
  30. 51 But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.
  31. 52 When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire.
  32. 53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
  33. 54 He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died.
  34. 55 And when the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
  35. 56 In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.
  36. 57 And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

Judges 10

  1. 1 After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
  2. 2 Tola judged Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
  3. 3 Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
  4. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
  5. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
  6. 6 And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
  7. 7 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites,
  8. 8 who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.
  9. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.
  10. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
  11. 11 The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,
  12. 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their hands?
  13. 13 But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.
  14. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
  15. 15 “We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”
  16. 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
  17. 17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.
  18. 18 And the rulers of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all who live in Gilead.”

Judges 11

  1. 1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.
  2. 2 And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”
  3. 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.
  4. 4 Some time later, when the Ammonites fought against Israel
  5. 5 and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
  6. 6 “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
  7. 7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”
  8. 8 They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”
  9. 9 But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”
  10. 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
  11. 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
  12. 12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
  13. 13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
  14. 14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
  15. 15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.
  16. 16 But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
  17. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.
  18. 18 Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.
  19. 19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’
  20. 20 But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
  21. 21 Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,
  22. 22 seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
  23. 23 Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?
  24. 24 Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
  25. 25 Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?
  26. 26 For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them back during that time?
  27. 27 I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
  28. 28 But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
  29. 29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.
  30. 30 Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
  31. 31 then whatever comes out the door of my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

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