From: "FamilyNet Direct"
Bible Reading for March 19
Judges 1
[1] Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel
asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first,
to fight against them?
[2] And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land
into his hand.
[3] And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that
we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy
lot. So Simeon went with him. [4] And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered
the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in
Bezek ten thousand men. [5] And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they
fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. [6] But
Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his
thumbs and his great toes. [7] And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings,
having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my
table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to
Jerusalem, and there he died.
[8] Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it,
and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. [9] And
afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites,
that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. [10] And
Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of
Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
[11] And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of
Debir before was Kirjath-sepher: [12] And Caleb said, He that smiteth
Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
[13] And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he
gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. [14] And it came to pass, when she came
to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from
off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
[15] And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south
land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and
the nether springs.
[16] And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the
city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah,
which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
[17] And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that
inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was
called Hormah.
[18] Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast
thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. [19] And the LORD was with Judah;
and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the
inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
[20] And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence
the three sons of Anak.
[21] And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that
inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in
Jerusalem unto this day.
[22] And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD
was with them.
[23] And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city
before was Luz.)
[24] And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto
him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee
mercy.
[25] And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city
with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. [26]
And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called
the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day. [27] Neither
did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor
Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the
inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her
towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. [28] And it came to pass,
when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not
utterly drive them out. [29] Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. [30] Neither did
Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol;
but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
[31] Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants
of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of
Rehob:
[32] But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the
land: for they did not drive them out. [33] Neither did Naphtali drive out the
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt
among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them.
[34] And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they
would not suffer them to come down to the valley: [35] But the Amorites would
dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of
Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
[36] And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the
rock, and upward.
Judges 2
[1] And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made
you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware
unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. [2]
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw
down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
[3] Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they
shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
[4] And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all
the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. [5]
And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto
the LORD.
[6] And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every
man unto his inheritance to possess the land. [7] And the people served the
LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived
Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
[8] And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred
and ten years old.
[9] And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in
the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. [10] And also all
that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another
generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had
done for Israel. [11] And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and served Baalim:
[12] And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of
the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that
were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD
to anger.
[13] And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. [14] And the
anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands
of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their
enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their
enemies.
[15] Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for
evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were
greatly distressed.
[16] Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the
hand of those that spoiled them.
[17] And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring
after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of
the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD;
but they did not so. [18] And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the
LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies
all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings
by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. [19] And it came to
pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves
more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow
down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn
way. [20] And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said,
Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their
fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; [21] I also will not henceforth
drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
[22] That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of
the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. [23] Therefore
the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither
delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
Judges 3
[1] Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them,
even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; [2] Only that
the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at
the least such as before knew nothing thereof; [3] Namely, five lords of the
Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that
dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
[4] And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken
unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the
hand of Moses.
[5] And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and
Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: [6] And they took their
daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and
served their gods. [7] And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. [8]
Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into
the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel
served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. [9] And when the children of Israel
cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel,
who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
[10] And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went
out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into
his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.
[11] And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
[12] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and
the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had
done evil in the sight of the LORD. [13] And he gathered unto him the children
of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm
trees. [14] So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen
years. [15] But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD
raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man
lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the
king of Moab.
[16] But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he
did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. [17] And he brought the
present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
[18] And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people
that bare the present.
[19] But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and
said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And
all that stood by him went out from him. [20] And Ehud came unto him; and he
was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud
said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. [21]
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh,
and thrust it into his belly: [22] And the haft also went in after the blade;
and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of
his belly; and the dirt came out.
[23] Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour
upon him, and locked them.
[24] When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold,
the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet
in his summer chamber.
[25] And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the
doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold,
their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. [26] And Ehud escaped while they
tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
[27] And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the
mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the
mount, and he before them.
[28] And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your
enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took
the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. [29] And
they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men
of valour; and there escaped not a man. [30] So Moab was subdued that day
under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
[31] And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines
six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
Judges 4
[1] And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when
Ehud was dead.
[2] And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned
in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of
the Gentiles.
[3] And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred
chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of
Israel.
[4] And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that
time.
[5] And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in
mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. [6] And
she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said
unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw
toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of
Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? [7] And I will draw unto thee to the
river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his
multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
[8] And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if
thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. [9] And she said, I will surely
go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for
thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And
Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
[10] And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten
thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. [11] Now Heber the
Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had
severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of
Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. [12] And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of
Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
[13] And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots
of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles
unto the river of Kishon. [14] And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is
the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the
LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten
thousand men after him. [15] And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his
chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that
Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. [16] But Barak
pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the
Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and
there was not a man left. [17] Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the
tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin
the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
[18] And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord,
turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she
covered him with a mantle.
[19] And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for
I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered
him.
[20] Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be,
when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here?
that thou shalt say, No.
[21] Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her
hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and
fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
[22] And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said
unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he
came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
[23] So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children
of Israel.
[24] And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against
Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
-+-
http://www.familynet-international.net - G Rated BBS
http://www.baptist-ministries.net - Independent Fundamental Baptist Banner
Exchange
http://www.s-f-i.biz - Looking for Christian Partners to build a business
--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
* Origin: FamilyNet Sponsored by http://www.christian-wellness.net (8:8/2)
|
