Judges 12; Acts 16; Jeremiah 25; Mark 11

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Judges 12

Jephthah’s Conflict with Ephraim

oThe men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire. And Jephthah said to them, I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. And when I saw that you would not save me, pI took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, qYou are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh. And the Gileadites captured rthe fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? When he said, No, they said to him, Then say Shibboleth, and he said, Sibboleth, for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at rthe fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.1

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty ssons and thirty grandsons, who trode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.


Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

Paul1 came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named zTimothy, athe son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by bthe brothers2 at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he ctook him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance dthe decisions ethat had been reached by fthe apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. gSo the churches were strengthened in hthe faith, and they increased in numbers idaily.

The Macedonian Call

And jthey went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but kthe Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down lto Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. 10 And when Paul3 had seen the vision, immediately mwe sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we nmade a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to oPhilippi, which is a leading city of the4 district of Macedonia and pa Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And qon the Sabbath day we went outside the gate rto the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we ssat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, twho was a worshiper of God. The Lord uopened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, vand her household as well, she urged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. And she wprevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 As we were going to xthe place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ya spirit of zdivination and abrought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, bcrying out, These men are cservants of dthe Most High God, who proclaim to you ethe way of salvation. 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, fI command you gin the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And hit came out that very hour.

19 But iwhen her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and jdragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They kadvocate customs that are not lawful for us las Romans to accept or practice. 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders mto beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner nprison and fastened their feet in othe stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

25 pAbout midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly qthere was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately rall the doors were opened, and severyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and twas about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here. 29 And the jailer5 called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he ufell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, vwhat must I do to be wsaved? 31 And they said, xBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you yand your household. 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them zthe same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he awas baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he brejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, Let those men go. 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace. 37 But Paul said to them, They have beaten us publicly, cuncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out. 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and cthey were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and dasked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited eLydia. And when they had seen fthe brothers, they encouraged them and departed.


Jeremiah 25

Seventy Years of Captivity

eThe word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: For twenty-three years, ffrom the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken gpersistently to you, hbut you have not listened. hYou have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord gpersistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, iTurn now, every one of you, jfrom his evil way and evil deeds, and kdwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. lDo not go after other gods to serve and worship them, mor provoke me to anger mwith the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm. mYet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, mthat you might provoke me to anger mwith the work of your hands to your own harm.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, nbehold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, omy servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, pand make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, qI will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, rthe grinding of the millstones and sthe light of the lamp. 11 pThis whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and tthese nations shall serve the king of Babylon useventy years. 12 Then after useventy years are completed, vI will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, vthe land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, vmaking the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written win this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 xFor many nations xand great kings shall make slaves even of them, yand I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: zTake from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of athe sword that I am sending among them.

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, band made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: 18 cJerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, dto make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; 19 ePharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, 20 and fall the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of gthe land of Uz and all the kings of hthe land of the Philistines (hAshkelon, hGaza, Ekron, and the remnant of iAshdod); 21 jEdom, kMoab, and the sons of lAmmon; 22 all the kings of mTyre, all the kings of mSidon, and the kings of the coastland across nthe sea; 23 oDedan, pTema, qBuz, and all who cut rthe corners of their hair; 24 all the skings of Arabia and all the kings of fthe mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of tElam, and all the kings of uMedia; 26 all the kings of vthe north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of wBabylon1 shall drink.

27 Then you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: xDrink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of ythe sword that I am sending among you.

28 And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: zYou must drink! 29 For behold, aI begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, yfor I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of hosts.

30 You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:

bThe Lord will roar from on high,

and from his holy habitation utter his voice;

he will roar mightily against his fold,

cand shout, like those who tread grapes,

against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31  The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,

for dthe Lord has an indictment against the nations;

ehe is entering into judgment with all flesh,

and the wicked he will put to the sword,

declares the Lord.

32  Thus says the Lord of hosts:

Behold, disaster is going forth

from nation to nation,

fand a great tempest is stirring

gfrom the farthest parts of the earth!

33 hAnd those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. iThey shall not be lamented, jor gathered, or buried; jthey shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

34  kWail, lyou shepherds, and cry out,

mand roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,

for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come,

and you shall fall like a choice vessel.

35  No refuge will remain nfor the shepherds,

nor escape for the lords of the flock.

36  A voicethe cry nof the shepherds,

oand the wail of the lords of the flock!

For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,

37  pand the peaceful folds are devastated

qbecause of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38  Like a lion rhe has left his lair,

for their land has become a waste

because of sthe sword of the oppressor,

qand because of his fierce anger.


Mark 11

The Triumphal Entry

iNow when they drew near to Jerusalem, to jBethphage and Bethany, at kthe Mount of Olives, Jesus1 sent ltwo of his disciples and said to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, mon which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? say, The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately. And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, What are you doing, untying the colt? And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many nspread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, oHosanna! pBlessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is qthe coming rkingdom of sour father rDavid! oHosanna tin the highest!

11 uAnd he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, vhe went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12 wOn the following day, when they came from Bethany, xhe was hungry. 13 yAnd seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for zit was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, May no one ever eat fruit from you again. And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

15 aAnd they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of bthe money-changers and the seats of those who sold cpigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, Is it not written, dMy house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But eyou have made it a den of robbers. 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and fwere seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because gall the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 hAnd when evening came they2 went out of the city.

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

20 iAs they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, jRabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered. 22 And Jesus answered them, Have kfaith in God. 23 lTruly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, mBe taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not ndoubt in his heart, but obelieves that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, pwhatever you ask in prayer, obelieve that you qhave received3 it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever ryou stand praying, sforgive, tif you have anything against anyone, so that uyour Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.4

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27 vAnd they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, wBy what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them? 29 Jesus said to them, I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John xfrom heaven or from man? Answer me. 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, If we say, From heaven, he will say, yWhy then did you not believe him? 32 But shall we say, From man?zthey were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was aa prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.