Daily Bible Reading from BibleStudyTools.com

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 6

Acts 17:16-34; Judges 7-8; Job 37 CJB

Acts 17:16-34

16 While Sha'ul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit within him was disturbed at the sight of the city full of idols.

17 So he began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the "God-fearers," and in the market square every day with the people who happened to be there.

18 Also a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers started meeting with him. Some asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others, because he proclaimed the Good News about Yeshua and the resurrection, said, "He sounds like a propagandist for foreign gods."

19 They took and brought him before the High Council, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20 Some of the things we are hearing from you strike us as strange, and we would like to know what they mean."

21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their spare time talking or hearing about the latest intellectual fads.)

22 Sha'ul stood up in the Council meeting and said, "Men of Athens: I see how very religious you are in every way!

23 For as I was walking around, looking at your shrines, I even found an altar which had been inscribed, 'To An Unknown God.' So, the one whom you are already worshipping in ignorance-this is the one I proclaim to you.

24 "The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-made temples;

25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

26 "From one man he made every nation living on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the limits of their territories and the periods when they would flourish.

27 God did this so that people would look for him and perhaps reach out and find him although in fact, he is not far from each one of us,

28 'for in him we live and move and exist.' Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, 'We are actually his children.'

29 So, since we are children of God, we shouldn't suppose that God's essence resembles gold, silver or stone shaped by human technique and imagination.

30 "In the past, God overlooked such ignorance; but now he is commanding all people everywhere to turn to him from their sins.

31 For he has set a Day when he will judge the inhabited world, and do it justly, by means of a man whom he has designated. And he has given public proof of it by resurrecting this man from the dead."

32 At the mention of a resurrection of dead people, some began to scoff; while others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."

33 So Sha'ul left the meeting.

34 But some men stayed with him and came to trust, including the High Council member Dionysius; there was also a woman named Damaris; and others came to trust along with them.

Judges 7

1 Then Yeruba'al, that is, Gid'on, and all the people with him, got up early and set up camp by 'Ein-Harod; the camp of Midyan was north of them, by Giv'at-Moreh, in the valley.

2 ADONAI said to Gid'on, "There are too many people with you for me to hand Midyan over to them, because I don't want Isra'el to be able to boast against me, 'We saved ourselves by our own strength.'

3 Therefore, proclaim to the people 'Anyone who is anxious or afraid should go back home, while we stay here on Mount Gil'ad.'" Twenty-two thousand returned, but ten thousand remained.

4 ADONAI said to Gid'on, "There are still too many people. Have them come down to the water, and there I will screen them for you. If I say of anyone, 'This one is for you,' he will go with you; and if I say, 'This one is not for you,' he won't go with you."

5 So he brought the people down to the water, and ADONAI said to Gid'on, "Put to one side everyone who laps up water with his tongue the way a dog does, and put to the other side everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."

6 Three hundred lapped, putting their hand to their mouth; all the rest of the men got down on their knees to drink water.

7 ADONAI said to Gid'on, "I will use the three hundred men who lapped the water to save you; I will hand Midyan over to you. Let all these others go back home."

8 So they took the provisions and the shofars of the people; then he sent all the men of Isra'el away, each to his tent. But the three hundred men he kept. The camp of Midyan was in the valley below him.

9 That night ADONAI said to him, "Get up and attack the camp, because I have handed it over to you.

10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down with your servant Purah;

11 and after you hear what they are saying, you will have the courage to attack the camp." So with his servant Purah he went down to the outposts of the camp.

12 Now Midyan, 'Amalek and all the others from the east had settled in the valley as thick as locusts; their camels too were beyond counting, like the sand on the seashore.

13 Gid'on got there just as a man was telling a comrade about a dream he had had: "I just now dreamt that a loaf of barley bread fell into the camp of Midyan, came to the tent and struck it so hard that it overturned the tent and knocked it flat."

14 His comrade answered, "This can only be the sword of Gid'on son of Yo'ash, a man of Isra'el. God has given Midyan and all its army into his hands."

15 When Gid'on heard the dream and its interpretation, he fell on his knees in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Isra'el and said, "Get up! because ADONAI has handed Midyan's army over to you."

16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He put in the hands of all of them shofars and empty pitchers with torches in them.

17 Then he said to them, "Watch me, and do what I do. When I get to the edge of the camp, whatever I do, you do the same.

18 When I and everyone with me blow the shofar, then you blow your shofars all around the whole camp, and shout, "For ADONAI and for Gid'on!"

19 Gid'on and the hundred men with him arrived at the edge of the camp a little before midnight, just after they had changed the guard. They blew the shofars and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.

20 All three companies blew the shofars, broke the pitchers and held the torches in their left hands, keeping their right hands free for the shofars they were blowing; and they shouted, "The sword for ADONAI and for Gid'on!"

21 Then, as every man stood still in place around the camp, the whole camp was thrown into panic, with everyone screaming and trying to escape.

22 Gid'on's men blew their 300 shofars, and ADONAI caused everyone in the camp to attack his comrades; and the enemy fled beyond Beit-Sheetah near Tz'rerah, as far as the border of Avel-M'cholah, by Tabat.

23 Then men of Isra'el were summoned from Naftali, Asher, and both regions of M'nasheh; and they pursued Midyan.

24 Gid'on sent messengers through all the hills of Efrayim, with the message, "Come down and attack Midyan; and capture the rivers before they get there, as far as Beit-Barah, and also the Yarden." So all the men of Efrayim came together and seized the rivers as far as Beit-Barah and the Yarden.

25 They also captured two chiefs of Midyan, 'Orev and Ze'ev. They put 'Orev to death at the Rock of 'Orev and Ze'ev at Ze'ev's Winepress; then, as they kept pursuing Midyan, they brought the heads of Orev and Ze'ev to Gid'on, who had crossed to the far side of the Yarden.

Judges 8

1 But the men of Efrayim complained to Gid'on, "Why didn't you call on us when you went to fight Midyan? Why did you treat us this way?" They were sharp in their criticism.

2 He answered by saying to them, "How can what I have done be compared with what you have done? Aren't the grapes Efrayim leaves on the vines better than the ones Avi'ezer harvests?

3 God handed over to you Midyan's chiefs, 'Orev and Ze'ev. What could I do that matches what you did?" By saying that, he appeased their anger at him.

4 By now Gid'on and his three hundred men had come to the Yarden and crossed over. They were exhausted but were still pursuing the enemy.

5 In Sukkot he asked the people there, "Please give some loaves of bread to the men following me, because they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zevach and Tzalmuna the kings of Midyan."

6 But the chiefs of Sukkot said, "You haven't captured Zevach and Tzalmuna yet, so why should we give bread to your army?"

7 Gid'on said: "If that's your answer, then after ADONAI has put Zevach and Tzalmuna in my hands, I will tear your flesh apart with desert thorns and thistles!"

8 From there he went up to P'nu'el and made the same request, and the people of P'nu'el gave the same answer as those of Sukkot.

9 So he answered the people of P'nu'el similarly, "When I return safe and sound, I will break down this tower!"

10 Now Zevach and Tzalmuna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all that remained of the entire army of the people from the east; since 120,000 arms-bearing soldiers had fallen.

11 Gid'on went up, using the route of the nomads east of Novach and Yogbehah, and struck down the army when they thought they were safe.

12 Zevach and Tzalmuna fled, but Gid'on pursued them. Thus he captured the two kings of Midyan, Zevach and Tzalmuna, and routed their whole army in panic.

13 When Gid'on the son of Yo'ash returned from the battle by way of the Heres Pass,

14 he captured a young man from Sukkot and asked him about the chiefs and leaders of Sukkot; he wrote down for him the names of seventy-seven of them.

15 Then he came to the people of Sukkot and said: "You insulted me when you said, 'You haven't captured Zevach and Tzalmuna yet, so why should we give bread to your exhausted men?' Well, here are Zevach and Tzalmuna!"

16 And he took the leaders of the city and desert thorns and thistles, and used them to teach the people of Sukkot a lesson!

17 He also broke down the tower of P'nu'el and put the men of the city to death.

18 Then he said to Zevach and Tzalmuna, "Tell me about the men you killed at Tavor." They answered, "They looked like you, like a king's sons."

19 Gid'on replied, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. As surely as ADONAI is alive, I swear that if you had spared them, I would not kill you."

20 Then he ordered his oldest son, Yeter, "Get up, and kill them!" But the boy didn't draw his sword; being still a boy, he was afraid.

21 Then Zevach and Tzalmuna said, "You, do it. You, kill us. Let a grown man do what takes a grown man's strength." So Gid'on got up and killed Zevach and Tzalmuna; then he took the ornamental crescents from around their camels' necks.

22 The men of Isra'el said to Gid'on: "Rule over us, you, your son and your grandson, because you saved us from the power of Midyan.

23 Gid'on replied, "Neither I nor my son will rule over you; ADONAI will rule over you."

24 Then he added, "But I have this request to make of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from the booty you have taken." For the enemy soldiers had worn gold earrings, like all the other tribes descended from Yishma'el.

25 They replied, "We're glad to give them to you." They spread out a robe, and each man threw in the earrings from his booty.

26 The gold earrings he requested weighed more than forty-two pounds; and this doesn't include the crescents, pendants and purple cloth worn by the kings of Midyan and the chains around their camels' necks.

27 Out of these things Gid'on made a ritual vest, which he located in his city, 'Ofrah. But all Isra'el turned it into an idol there, and it thus became a snare to Gid'on and his family.

28 This is how Midyan was defeated by Isra'el, so that they ceased to be a threat. The land had rest forty years during the lifetime of Gid'on;

29 Yeruba'al the son of Yo'ash returned to his home and stayed there.

30 Gid'on became the father of seventy sons, because he had many wives.

31 He also had a concubine in Sh'khem, and she too bore him a son, whom he called Avimelekh.

32 Gid'on the son of Yo'ash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Yo'ash, in 'Ofrah of the Avi'ezri.

33 But as soon as Gid'on was dead, the people of Isra'el again went astray after the ba'alim and made Ba'al-B'rit their god.

34 They forgot ADONAI their God, who had saved them from the power of all their enemies on every side;

35 and they showed no kindness toward the family of Yeruba'al, that is, Gid'on, to repay them for all the good he had done for Isra'el.

Job 37

1 "At this, my own heart trembles and leaps out of its place.

2 Just listen to the rumbling of his voice, to the thunder that comes from his mouth!

3 He sends it out under all of heaven, his lightning to the ends of the earth.

4 There follows a sound, a roar -he is thundering with his majestic voice, and he keeps releasing [the lightning] even while his voice is being heard.

5 "God thunders wonderfully with his voice, he does great things beyond our understanding.

6 He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth!'-likewise to the light rain, also to the downpour.

7 He brings all human activity to a stop, so that everyone he has made can know it.

8 Then the animals go into their lairs and hibernate in their dens.

9 "Out of its chamber comes the storm, with cold out of the north.

10 By the breath of God, ice is given, and the wide waters freeze over.

11 He weighs the clouds down with moisture, and they flash forth his lightning.

12 He, by his plans, turns them around, so they do what he commands them anywhere on earth;

13 he brings them forth on the earth sometimes to punish, sometimes to express his grace.

14 "Listen to this, Iyov! Stop, and consider God's wonders.

15 Do you know how God puts them in place, how he causes lightning to flash from his cloud?

16 Do you know how he balances the clouds? These are marvels of him who knows everything!

17 "You, sweltering in your clothing as the earth lies still under a sultry south wind,

18 can you, with him, spread out the sky, hard as a cast metal mirror?

19 Teach us what we should tell him, for the darkness keeps us from organizing our case.

20 Is he to be told that I will speak? Can a man speak at all when he is already swallowed up?

21 Now people don't see the light, which is bright in the sky; but then the wind blows and clears [the clouds] away.

22 Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God.

23 Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense, in his great righteousness does not pervert justice.

24 This is why people fear him; he does not consider those who think of themselves as wise."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 7

Acts 18; Judges 9; Job 38 CJB

Acts 18

1 After this, Sha'ul left Athens and went to Corinth,

2 where he met a Jewish man named Aquila, originally from Pontus but having recently come with his wife Priscilla from Italy, because Claudius had issued a decree expelling all the Jews from Rome. Sha'ul went to see them;

3 and because he had the same trade as they, making tents, he stayed on with them; and they worked together.

4 Sha'ul also began carrying on discussions every Shabbat in the synagogue, where he tried to convince both Jews and Greeks.

5 But after Sila and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Sha'ul felt pressed by the urgency of the message and testified in depth to the Jews that Yeshua is the Messiah.

6 However when they set themselves against him and began hurling insults, he shook out his clothes and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! For my part, I am clean; from now on, I will go to the Goyim!"

7 So he left them and went into the home of a "God-fearer" named Titius Justus, whose house was right next door to the synagogue.

8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, came to trust in the Lord, along with his whole household; also many of the Corinthians who heard trusted and were immersed.

9 One night, in a vision, the Lord said to Sha'ul, "Don't be afraid, but speak right up, and don't stop,

10 because I am with you. No one will succeed in harming you, for I have many people in this city."

11 So Sha'ul stayed there for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

12 But when Gallio became the Roman governor of Achaia, the unbelieving Jews made a concerted attack on Sha'ul and took him to court,

13 saying, "This man is trying to persuade people to worship God in ways that violate the Torah."

14 Sha'ul was just about to open his mouth, when Gallio said to the Jews, "Listen, you Jews, if this were a case of inflicted injury or a serious crime, I could reasonably be expected to hear you out patiently.

15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law, then you must deal with it yourselves. I flatly refuse to judge such matters."

16 And he had them ejected from the court.

17 They all grabbed Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and gave him a beating in full view of the bench; but Gallio showed no concern whatever.

18 Sha'ul remained for some time, then said good-bye to the brothers and sailed off to Syria, after having his hair cut short in Cenchrea, because he had taken a vow; with him were Priscilla and Aquila.

19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself went into the synagogue and held dialogue with the Jews.

20 When they asked him to stay with them longer, he declined;

21 however, in his farewell he said, "God willing, I will come back to you." Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22 After landing at Caesarea, he went up to Yerushalayim and greeted the Messianic community. Then he came down to Antioch,

23 spent some time there, and afterwards set out and passed systematically through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the talmidim.

24 Meanwhile, a Jewish man named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker with a thorough knowledge of the Tanakh.

25 This man had been informed about the Way of the Lord, and with great spiritual fervor he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Yeshua, but he knew only the immersion of Yochanan.

26 He began to speak out boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God in fuller detail.

27 When he made plans to cross over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote the talmidim there to welcome him. On arrival, he greatly helped those who through grace had come to trust;

28 for he powerfully and conclusively refuted the unbelieving Jews in public, demonstrating by the Tanakh that Yeshua is the Messiah.

Judges 9

1 Avimelekh the son of Yeruba'al went to Sh'khem, to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them and with the whole clan of his maternal grandfather. He said,

2 "Please ask all the men of Sh'khem, 'Which is better for you - that all seventy sons of Yeruba'al rule over you, or that one person rule over you? And remember that I am your blood relative.'"

3 His mother's brothers spoke to all the men of Sh'khem and said all this about him, so that they followed their feelings and supported Avimelekh, arguing, "After all, he's our brother."

4 They also gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Ba'al-B'rit; and he used these to pay good-for-nothing thugs to follow him.

5 He went back to his father's house in 'Ofrah and killed his brothers the sons of Yeruba'al, all seventy of them, on a single rock, except for Yotam Yeruba'al's youngest son, who stayed alive because he hid himself.

6 All the men of Sh'khem and all Beit-Millo got together and went and made Avimelekh king at the oak by the cult-pillar in Sh'khem.

7 When they told this to Yotam, he went and stood on top of Mount G'rizim and shouted, "Listen to me, you leaders of Sh'khem; then God will listen to you!

8 Once the trees went out to choose a king to rule them. They said to the olive tree, 'Rule over us!'

9 But the olive tree replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my oil, which is used to honor both God and humanity, just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

10 So the trees said to the fig tree, 'You, come and rule over us!'

11 But the fig tree replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my sweetness and my good fruit just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

12 So the trees said to the grapevine, 'You, come and rule over us!'

13 But the grapevine replied, 'Am I supposed to leave my wine, which gives cheer to God and humanity, just to go and hold sway over the trees?'

14 Finally, all the trees said to the thorn bush, 'You, come and rule over us!'

15 The thorn bush replied, 'If you really make me king over you, then come and take shelter in my shade. But if not, let fire come out of the thorn bush and burn down the cedars of the L'vanon!'

16 "Here's the point. Have you been honest and straightforward in making Avimelekh king? Have you been fair with Yeruba'al and his household and treated him as he deserves?

17 My father fought on your behalf, risking his life, and rescued you from the power of Midyan;

18 and now you are rebelling against my father's household. You've killed his seventy sons on a single stone and made Avimelekh, the son of his slave-girl, king over the men of Sh'khem, because he's your brother.

19 I say this: if you are dealing honestly and righteously with Yeruba'al and his household today, then may you enjoy Avimelekh and may he enjoy you!

20 But if not, let fire come out from Avimelekh and burn up the men of Sh'khem and Beit-Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Sh'khem and Beit-Millo and burn up Avimelekh!"

21 Then Yotam fled, making his way to Be'er, and he lived there for fear of Avimelekh his brother.

22 Avimelekh was chief over Isra'el for three years.

23 But God sent a spirit of discord between Avimelekh and the men of Sh'khem, so that the men of Sh'khem dealt treacherously with Avimelekh.

24 This came about so that the crime against the seventy sons of Yeruba'al might be avenged and the responsibility for their bloody death be placed on Avimelekh their brother, who murdered them, and on the men of Sh'khem, who helped him kill his brothers.

25 So the men of Sh'khem sent out men to ambush him on the mountaintops. They robbed everyone who went past them, and Avimelekh was told about it.

26 Ga'al the son of a slave came with his brothers and went on to Sh'khem, and the men of Sh'khem put their trust in him.

27 They went out into the field, gathered their grapes and pressed the juice out of them. Then they held a feast and went into the house of their god to eat and drink, and there they insulted Avimelekh.

28 Ga'al the son of a slave said, "Who is Avimelekh? Think of the contrast with Sh'khem! Why should we serve Avimelekh? Isn't he the son of Yeruba'al? Isn't Z'vul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Sh'khem! Why should we serve Avimelekh?

29 If I were in control of this people, I'd get rid of Avimelekh!" Then, addressing his words to Avimelekh, he said, "Come out and fight! I don't care if you make your army even larger!"

30 When Z'vul the ruler of the city heard the words of Ga'al the son of a slave, he was enraged.

31 He sent messengers to Avimelekh in Tormah with this message: "Ga'al the son of a slave and his brothers have come to Sh'khem, and they're inciting the city against you.

32 You and the men with you should come up now at night and lie in wait in the field.

33 In the morning, get up early, as soon as the sun rises; and attack the city. Then, when Ga'al and the men with him come out to fight you, do whatever you can to them."

34 Avimelekh and all the men with him came up by night and lay in wait against Sh'khem in four groups.

35 Ga'al the son of a slave went out and stationed himself at the entrance to the city gate. Then Avimelekh and his men rose from their ambush.

36 When Ga'al saw the men, he said to Z'vul, "Look, there are men coming down from the mountaintops." Z'vul answered, "You're seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men."

37 Ga'al said again, "Look, there are men coming down from the main hill in the land, and one group is coming on the road from the Fortuneteller's Oak.

38 Z'vul said to him, "Where's your mouth now? You said, 'Who is Avimelekh? Why should we serve him?' Aren't these the people you despise? Go on out and fight them!"

39 So Ga'al went out, leading the men of Sh'khem, and fought Avimelekh.

40 But Avimelekh gave chase, and Ga'al took to flight; many fell wounded, strewn all along the way to the city gate.

41 Then Avimelekh took up residence in Arumah, and Z'vul drove out Ga'al and his brothers, so that they could not live in Sh'khem.

42 But the very next day, the people went out into the field, and Avimelekh was told about it.

43 He took his men, divided them into three groups, and lay in wait in the field. When he saw the people going out of the city, he came out of hiding and slaughtered them.

44 Avimelekh and his group rushed forward and occupied the entrance to the city gate, while the other two groups attacked all those in the field and killed them.

45 Avimelekh fought against the city all that day; captured it, killed its people, destroyed its buildings and sowed its land with salt.

46 When all the men in the fortress at Sh'khem heard about this, they took refuge in the stronghold of the temple of El-B'rit.

47 Avimelekh was told that all the men from the Sh'khem fortress had gathered together;

48 so he led all his men up to Mount Tzalmon, where he took an axe in his hand, cut a branch off a tree, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to those with him, "Quick! Do just what you saw me do!"

49 They all did likewise, each man cutting off his branch; and they followed Avimelekh. They put the branches up against the stronghold, set them on fire, and burned down the stronghold; so that all the people from the Sh'khem fortress died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Avimelekh went to Tevetz, set up camp against Tevetz and captured it.

51 But there was a fortified tower inside the city; and all the men and women took refuge in it, everyone in the city. They shut themselves inside and went up onto the roof of the tower.

52 However, when Avimelekh approached the tower, attacked it, and then came up close to the tower's door in order to burn it down,

53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on Avimelekh's head, cracking his skull.

54 He quickly called out to the young man holding his armor, "Draw your sword, and finish me off, so that people won't say a woman killed me." So his attendant ran him through, and he died.

55 When the men of Isra'el saw that Avimelekh was dead, they all went back home.

56 This is how God paid back Avimelekh for the wrong he did to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.

57 God also repaid the men of Sh'khem for all the wrong they had done; on them came the curse of Yotam the son of Yeruba'al.

Job 38

1 Then ADONAI answered Iyov out of the storm:

2 "Who is this, darkening my plans with his ignorant words?

3 Stand up like a man, and brace yourself; I will ask questions; and you, give the answers!

4 "Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.

5 Do you know who determined its dimensions or who stretched the measuring line across it?

6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,

7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 "Who shut up the sea behind closed doors when it gushed forth from the womb,

9 when I made the clouds its blanket and dense fog its swaddling cloth,

10 when I made the breakers its boundary set its gates and bars,

11 and said, 'You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop'?

12 "Have you ever in your life called up the dawn and made the morning know its place,

13 so that it could take hold of the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it?

14 Then the earth is changed like clay under a seal, until its colors are fixed like those of a garment.

15 But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm raised [to strike] is broken.

16 "Have you gone down to the springs of the sea or explored the limits of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, the gates of death-like darkness?

18 Have you surveyed the full extent of the earth? Say so, if you know it all!

19 "Which way leads to where light has its home? and darkness, where does it dwell?

20 If you knew, you could take each to its place and set it on its homeward path.

21 You know, of course, because you were born then; by now you must be very old!

22 "Have you gone into the storehouses for snow or seen the storehouses for hail,

23 which I save for times of trouble, for days of battle and war?

24 "By what path is light dispersed, or the east wind poured out on the land?

25 Who cut a channel for the downpours, or a way for the lightning and thunder,

26 causing it to rain where no one is, in a desert without anyone there,

27 drenching the waste and desolate [ground], till the tender grass sprouts?

28 Does the rain have a father? Who is the father of dewdrops?

29 From whose womb does ice come? Who gives birth to the frost of heaven,

30 when water becomes as hard as stone, and the surface of the deep freezes solid?

31 "Can you tie up the cords of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion?

32 Can you lead out the constellations of the zodiac in their season or guide the Great Bear and its cubs?

33 Do you know the laws of the sky? Can you determine how they affect the earth?

34 "Can you raise your voice to the clouds and make them cover you with a flood of rain?

35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way? Will they say to you, 'Here we are'?

36 "Who put wisdom in people's inner parts? Who gave understanding to the mind?

37 Who, by wisdom, can number the clouds? Who can tilt the water-skins of heaven,

38 so that the dust becomes a mass [of mud], and its clods stick together?

39 "Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in ambush in their lairs?

41 Who provides food for the raven when his young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 8

Acts 19:1-20; Judges 10-11:33; Job 39 CJB

Acts 19:1-20

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Sha'ul completed his travels through the inland country and arrived at Ephesus, where he found a few talmidim.

2 He asked them, "Did you receive the Ruach HaKodesh when you came to trust?" "No," they said to him, "we have never even heard that there is such a thing as the Ruach HaKodesh."

3 "In that case," he said, "into what were you immersed?" "The immersion of Yochanan," they answered.

4 Sha'ul said, "Yochanan practiced an immersion in connection with turning from sin to God; but he told the people to put their trust in the one who would come after him, that is, in Yeshua."

5 On hearing this, they were immersed into the name of the Lord Yeshua;

6 and when Sha'ul placed his hands on them, the Ruach HaKodesh came upon them; so that they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

7 In all, there were about twelve of these men.

8 Sha'ul went into the synagogue; and for three months he spoke out boldly, engaging in dialogue and trying to persuade people about the Kingdom of God.

9 But some began hardening themselves and refusing to listen; and when these started defaming the Way before the whole synagogue, Sha'ul withdrew, took the talmidim with him, and commenced holding daily dialogues in Tyrannus's yeshivah.

10 This went on for two years; so that everyone, both Jews and Greeks, living in the province of Asia heard the message about the Lord.

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Sha'ul.

12 For instance, handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were brought to sick people; they would recover from their ailments; and the evil spirits would leave them.

13 Then some of the Jewish exorcists who traveled from place to place tried to make use of the name of the Lord Yeshua in connection with people who had evil spirits. They would say, "I exorcise you by the Yeshua that Sha'ul is proclaiming!"

14 One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this;

15 and the evil spirit answered them. It said, "Yeshua I know. And Sha'ul I recognize. But you? Who are you?"

16 Then the man with the evil spirit fell upon them, overpowered them and gave them such a beating that they ran from the house, naked and bleeding.

17 When all this became known to the residents of Ephesus, fear fell on all of them, Jews and Greeks alike; and the name of the Lord Yeshua came to be held in high regard.

18 Many of those who had earlier made professions of faith now came and admitted publicly their evil deeds;

19 and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, it came to fifty thousand drachmas.

20 Thus the message about the Lord continued in a powerful way to grow in influence.

Judges 10

1 After Avimelekh there arose to save Isra'el Tola the son of Pu'ah, the son of Dodo, from the tribe of Yissakhar. He lived in Shamir, in the hills of Efrayim.

2 He judged Isra'el twenty-three years, and when he died he was buried in Shamir.

3 After him arose Ya'ir, from Gil'ad. He judged Isra'el twenty-two years.

4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty young donkeys. They owned thirty cities which are called Havot-Ya'ir to this day; they are in the territory of Gil'ad.

5 When Ya'ir died, he was buried in Kamon.

6 Again the people of Isra'el did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective - they served the ba'alim, the 'ashtarot, the gods of Aram, the gods of Tzidon, the gods of Mo'av, the gods of the people of 'Amon and the gods of the P'lishtim. They abandoned ADONAI and did not serve him;

7 so the anger of ADONAI blazed against Isra'el, and he handed them over to the P'lishtim and the people of 'Amon.

8 For eighteen years, starting that year, they oppressed and persecuted all the people of Isra'el who lived beyond the Yarden, in the territory of the Emorim, in Gil'ad.

9 The people of 'Amon also crossed the Yarden to fight Y'hudah, Binyamin and the house of Efrayim; so that Isra'el was greatly distressed.

10 Then the people of Isra'el cried to ADONAI, "We have sinned against you by forsaking our God and serving the ba'alim."

11 ADONAI said to the people of Isra'el, "I saved you from the Egyptians, the Emorim, the people of 'Amon, and the P'lishtim, didn't I?

12 Likewise, when the people of Tzidon, 'Amalek and Ma'on oppressed you, you cried out to me; and I rescued you from their power.

13 Yet you abandoned me and served other gods; therefore I will not rescue you any more.

14 Go and cry to the gods you chose; let them rescue you when you're in trouble!"

15 The people of Isra'el said to ADONAI, "We have sinned! Treat us in whatever way seems good to you, but save us today, please!"

16 They got rid of their foreign gods and served ADONAI, and he became troubled by Isra'el's misery.

17 Then the people of 'Amon gathered together and set up camp in Gil'ad, while the people of Isra'el assembled and camped at Mitzpah.

18 The people, the chiefs of Gil'ad, said to each other, "Whoever leads the battle against the army of 'Amon will be head over everyone living in Gil'ad."

Judges 11:1-33

1 Now Yiftach, a brave soldier from Gil'ad, was the son of a prostitute. His father, Gil'ad,

2 had other sons by his wife; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Yiftach away and told him, "You will not inherit from our father, because you are another woman's son."

3 Then Yiftach fled from his brothers and lived in the territory of Tov, where he enlisted a gang of rowdies who would go out raiding with him.

4 After a while the people of 'Amon made war against Isra'el.

5 When the army of 'Amon attacked Isra'el, the leaders of Gil'ad went to fetch Yiftach from the territory of Tov

6 and said to him, "Come and be our chief, so that we can fight the army of 'Amon."

7 Yiftach answered the leaders of Gil'ad, "Didn't you hate me so much that you forced me out of my father's house? Why are you coming to me now, when you're in trouble?"

8 The leaders of Gil'ad replied, "Here is why we've come back to you now: if you lead us in war with the people of 'Amon, you will be head over everyone living in Gil'ad."

9 Yiftach answered them, "If you bring me back home to fight the army of 'Amon, and ADONAI defeats them for me, I will be your head."

10 The leaders of Gil'ad said to Yiftach, "ADONAI is witness that we promise to do what you have said."

11 Then Yiftach went with the leaders of Gil'ad, and the people made him head and chief over them. Yiftach repeated all these conditions at Mitzpah in the presence of ADONAI.

12 Yiftach sent messengers to the king of the people of 'Amon to say, "What's your problem with us? Why are you invading our territory?"

13 The king of 'Amon answered the messengers of Yiftach, "Because Isra'el took away my territory when they came up from Egypt. They took everything from the Arnon to the Yabok and the Yarden. Now, restore it peacefully."

14 Yiftach sent messengers again to the king of the people of 'Amon

15 with this response, "Here is what Yiftach has to say: 'Isra'el captured neither the territory of Mo'av nor the territory of the people of 'Amon.

16 But when Isra'el came up from Egypt, walked through the desert to the Red Sea and arrived at Kadesh,

17 then Isra'el sent messengers to the king of Edom, to say, "Please let us pass through your land." But the king of Edom wouldn't let them. He sent a similar message to the king of Mo'av, but neither would he, so Isra'el stayed at Kadesh.

18 Then they walked through the desert, around the territory of Edom and the territory of Mo'av, past the east border of the territory of Mo'av, and pitched camp on the other side of the Arnon; but they did not cross the border into Mo'av, for the Arnon was the border of Mo'av.

19 Isra'el sent messengers to Sichon king of the Emori and king of Heshbon with this message, "Please let us pass through your land to our own place."

20 But Sichon did not trust that Isra'el would only pass through his land, so he gathered all his people together, pitched camp in Yahatz and fought against Isra'el.

21 ADONAI the God of Isra'el handed Sichon and all his people over to Isra'el, and they killed them. Thus Isra'el possessed all the territory of the Emori who lived there.

22 They took possession of all the territory of the Emori from the Arnon to the Yabok and from the desert to the Yarden.

23 So now that ADONAI the God of Isra'el has expelled the Emori before his people Isra'el, do you think that you will expel us?

24 You should just keep the territory your god K'mosh has given you; while we, for our part, will hold onto whatever ADONAI our God has given us of the lands that belonged to others before us.

25 Really, are you better than Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo'av? Did he ever pick a quarrel with Isra'el or fight with us?

26 Isra'el lived in Heshbon and its villages, in 'Aro'er and its villages and in all the cities on the banks of the Arnon for three hundred years. Why didn't you take them back during that time?

27 No, I have done you no wrong. But you are doing me wrong to war against me. May ADONAI the Judge be judge today between the people of Isra'el and the people of 'Amon.'"

28 But the king of the people of 'Amon paid no attention to the message Yiftach sent him.

29 Then the spirit of ADONAI came upon Yiftach; and he passed through Gil'ad and M'nasheh, on through Mitzpeh of Gil'ad, and from there over to the people of 'Amon.

30 Yiftach made a vow to ADONAI: "If you will hand the people of 'Amon over to me,

31 then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of 'Amon will belong to ADONAI; I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

32 So Yiftach crossed over to fight the people of 'Amon, and ADONAI handed them over to him.

33 He killed them from 'Aro'er until you reach Minnit, twenty cities, all the way to Avel-K'ramim; it was a massacre. So the people of 'Amon were defeated before the people of Isra'el.

Job 39

1 "Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you seen deer in labor?

2 Can you tell how many months they carry their young? Do you know when they give birth,

3 when they crouch down and bring forth their young, when they deliver their fawns?

4 Their young become strong, growing up in the open; they leave and never return.

5 "Who lets the wild donkey roam freely? Who sets the wild donkey loose from its shackles?

6 I made the 'Aravah its home, the salty desert its place to live.

7 It scorns the noise of the city and hears no driver's shouts.

8 It ranges over the hills for its pasture, searching for anything green.

9 "Would a wild ox be willing to serve you? Would it stay by your stall?

10 Could you tie a rope around its neck and make it plow furrows for you?

11 Would you trust its great strength enough to let it do your heavy work,

12 or rely on it to bring home your seed and gather the grain from your threshing-floor?

13 "An ostrich's wings beat wildly, although its pinions lack plumage.

14 It leaves its eggs on the ground and lets them be warmed by the sand,

15 forgetting that a foot may crush them or a wild animal trample on them.

16 It treats its chicks heartlessly, as if they were not its own; even if her labor is in vain, it really doesn't care;

17 because God has deprived it of wisdom and given it no share in understanding.

18 When the time comes, it flaps its wings, scorning both horse and rider.

19 "Did you give the horse its strength? Did you clothe its neck with a mane?

20 Did you make him able to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is frightening!

21 It paws with force and exults with vigor, then charges into the battle;

22 mocking at fear, unafraid, it does not shy away from the sword.

23 The [rider's] quiver rattles over it, [his] gleaming spear and javelin.

24 Frenzied and eager, it devours the ground, scarcely believing the shofar has sounded.

25 At the sound of the shofar it whinnies; as from afar it scents the battle, the roar of the chiefs and the shouting.

26 "Is it your wisdom that sets the hawk soaring, spreading its wings toward the south?

27 Does the eagle fly up when you say so, to build its nest in the heights?

28 It lives and spends its nights on the cliffs; a rocky crag is its fortress.

29 From there it spots its prey, its eyes see it far off.

30 Its young ones suck up blood; wherever the slain are, there it is."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 9

Acts 19:21-41; Judges 11:34-12; Job 40 CJB

Acts 19:21-41

22 So he dispatched two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia; but he himself remained in the province of Asia for awhile.

23 It was at this time that a major furor arose concerning the Way.

24 There was a silversmith named Demetrius who manufactured from silver, objects connected with the worship of the goddess Artemis; and he provided no small amount of work for the craftsmen.

25 He called a meeting of them and of those engaged in similar trades, and said, "Men, you understand that this line of business provides us our living.

26 And you can see and hear for yourselves that not only here in Ephesus, but in practically the whole province of Asia, this Sha'ul has convinced and turned away a considerable crowd by saying that man-made gods aren't gods at all.

27 Now the danger is not only that the reputation of our trade will suffer, but that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will come to be taken lightly. It could end up with the goddess herself, who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and indeed throughout the whole world, being ignominiously brought down from her divine majesty!"

28 Hearing this, they were filled with rage and began bellowing, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. As one man, the mob rushed into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Sha'ul's traveling companions from Macedonia.

30 Sha'ul himself wanted to appear before the crowd, but the talmidim wouldn't let him.

31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of his, sent a message begging him not to risk entering the theater.

32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and others something else, because the assembly was in complete confusion, and the great majority didn't even know why they were there.

33 Some of the crowd explained the situation to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front. So Alexander motioned for silence, hoping to make a defense speech to the people.

34 But as soon as they recognized that he was a Jew, they began bellowing in unison, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" and they kept it up for about two hours.

35 At last, the city clerk was able to quiet the crowd. "Men of Ephesus!" he said, "Is there anyone who doesn't know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone which fell from the sky?

36 Since this is beyond dispute, you had better calm down and not do anything rash.

37 For you have brought these men here who have neither robbed the temple nor insulted your goddess.

38 So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and the judges are there - let them bring charges and counter-charges.

39 But if there is something more you want, it will have to be settled in a lawful assembly.

40 For we are in danger of being accused of rioting on account of what has happened today. There is no justification for it; and if we are asked, we will be unable to give any reasonable explanation for this disorderly gathering."

41 And with these words, he dismissed the assembly.

Judges 11:34-40

34 As Yiftach was returning to his house in Mitzpah, his daughter came dancing out to meet him with tambourines. She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter.

35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Oh, no, my daughter! You're breaking my heart! Why must you be the cause of such pain to me? I made a vow to ADONAI, and I can't go back on my word."

36 She said to him, "Father, you made a vow to ADONAI; so do whatever you said you would do to me; because ADONAI did take vengeance on your enemies the people of 'Amon."

37 Then she said to her father, "Just do this one thing for me - let me be alone for two months. I'll go away into the mountains with my friends and mourn, because I will die without getting married."

38 "You may go," he answered, and he sent her away for two months. She left, she and her friends, and mourned in the mountains that she would die unmarried.

39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did with her what he had vowed; she had remained a virgin. So it became a law in Isra'el

40 that the women of Isra'el would go every year for four days to lament the daughter of Yiftach from Gil'ad.

Judges 12

1 The men of Efrayim assembled, crossed into Tzafon and said to Yiftach, "Why didn't you call us to go with you when you went over to fight the people of 'Amon? We're ready to burn down your house with you in it!"

2 Yiftach answered, "When my people and I were in a serious dispute with the people of 'Amon, I called you; and you didn't rescue me from their power.

3 When I saw that you weren't rescuing me, I put my life in my own hands and went over to attack the people of 'Amon; and ADONAI gave them over into my power. So why have you come up today to fight me?"

4 Then Yiftach gathered together all the men of Gil'ad and fought with Efrayim, and the men of Gil'ad defeated Efrayim; because they were saying, "You Gil'ad men who live in Efrayim and M'nasheh have deserted Efrayim!"

5 The men of Gil'ad cut off Efrayim from the crossings over the Yarden, and whenever anyone from Efrayim tried to escape and said, "Let me go across," the men of Gil'ad would ask him, "Are you from Efrayim?" and if he said, "No,"

6 they would tell him to say "Shibbolet." If he said, "Sibbolet," because he could not make his mouth pronounce it right, they took hold of him and killed him on the spot at the Yarden crossing; at that time 42,000 men of Efrayim died.

7 Yiftach judged Isra'el for six years. Then Yiftach from Gil'ad died, and he was buried in one of the cities of Gil'ad.

8 After him Ibtzan of Beit-Lechem judged Isra'el.

9 He had thirty sons, and he had thirty daughters whom he sent abroad; he brought thirty women from abroad in to marry his sons. He judged Isra'el for seven years.

10 Then Ibtzan died and was buried at Beit-Lechem.

11 After him Elon from Z'vulun judged Isra'el; he judged Isra'el for ten years.

12 Then Elon from Z'vulun died and was buried at Ayalon, in the territory of Z'vulun.

13 After him Avdon the son of Hillel from Pir'aton judged Isra'el.

14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Isra'el for eight years.

15 Then Avdon the son of Hillel from Pir'aton died and was buried at Pir'aton in the territory of Efrayim, in the 'Amalek hills.

Job 40

1 Continuing to address Iyov, ADONAI said:

2 "Does the critic still want to dispute Shaddai? Let him who wants to correct God give an answer!"

3 Then Iyov replied to ADONAI:

4 "I am too ashamed; I have nothing to say. I lay my hand over my mouth.

5 Yes, I spoke once, but I won't answer more; all right, twice, but I won't go on."

6 ADONAI answered Iyov out of the storm:

7 "Stand up like a man, and brace yourself; I will ask questions; and you, give the answers!

8 "Are you impugning my justice? Putting me in the wrong to prove yourself right?

9 Do you have an arm like God's? Can you thunder with a voice like his?

10 Come on, deck yourself with majesty and dignity, robe yourself in glory and splendor.

11 Let loose your furious anger, look at all who are proud, and humble them.

12 Look at all who are proud, and bring them down; tread down the wicked where they stand.

13 Bury them in the ground together, bind their faces in the hidden world.

14 If you do this, then I will confess to you that your own power can save you.

15 "Now consider Behemot, whom I made along with you. He eats grass like an ox.

16 What strength he has in his loins! What power in his stomach muscles!

17 He can make his tail as stiff as a cedar, the muscles in his thighs are like cables,

18 his bones are like bronze pipes, his limbs like iron bars.

19 "He ranks first among God's works. Only his maker can approach him with his sword.

20 The mountains produce food for him there, where all the wild animals play.

21 He lies down under the thorny lotus bushes and is hidden by the reeds in the swamp;

22 the lotus bushes cover him with their shade, and the willows by the stream surround him.

23 If the river overflows, it doesn't worry him; he is confident even if the Yarden rushes by his mouth.

24 Can anyone catch him by his eyes or pierce his nose with a hook?

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 10

Acts 20:1-16; Judges 13; Job 41 CJB

Acts 20:1-16

1 After the furor died down, Sha'ul sent for the talmidim and encouraged them, then took his leave and set out on his way to Macedonia.

2 He went through that area, and, after saying much to encourage them, passed on to Greece,

3 where he spent three months. As he was preparing to set sail for Syria, he discovered a plot against him by the unbelieving Jews; so he changed his mind and decided to return by way of Macedonia.

4 Sopater from Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

5 These men went on and waited for us in Troas,

6 while we sailed from Philippi after the Days of Matzah. Five days later, we met them in Troas, where we spent a week.

7 On Motza'ei-Shabbat, when we were gathered to break bread, Sha'ul addressed them. Since he was going to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight.

8 Now there were many oil lamps burning in the upstairs room where we were meeting,

9 and there was a young fellow named Eutychus sitting on the window-sill. As Sha'ul's drash went on and on, Eutychus grew sleepier and sleepier; until finally he went sound asleep and fell from the third story to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead.

10 But Sha'ul went down, threw himself onto him, put his arms around him and said, "Don't be upset, he's alive!"

11 Then he went back upstairs, broke the bread and ate. He continued talking with them till daylight, then left.

12 So, greatly relieved, they brought the boy home alive.

13 We went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, where we were planning to take Sha'ul aboard - he had arranged this because he wanted to go there by land.

14 After he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.

15 The next day, we sailed from there and arrived off Chios; the following day, we crossed over to Samos; and the day after that, we reached Miletus.

16 For Sha'ul had decided to bypass Ephesus on his voyage, in order to avoid losing time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to get to Yerushalayim, if possible in time to celebrate Shavu'ot.

Judges 13

1 Again the people of Isra'el did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, and ADONAI handed them over to the P'lishtim for forty years.

2 There was a man from Tzor'ah from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoach; his wife was barren, childless.

3 The angel of ADONAI appeared to the woman and said to her, "Listen! You are barren, you haven't had a child, but you will conceive and bear a son.

4 Now, therefore, be careful not to drink any wine or other intoxicating liquor, and don't eat anything unclean.

5 For indeed you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, because the child will be a nazir for God from the womb. Moreover, he will begin to rescue Isra'el from the power of the P'lishtim."

6 The woman came and told her husband; she said, "A man of God came to me; his face was fearsome, like that of the angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.

7 But he said to me, 'Listen! You will conceive and bear a son, so now don't drink any wine or other intoxicating liquor, and don't eat anything unclean, because the child will be a nazir for God from the womb until the day he dies.'"

8 Then Manoach prayed to ADONAI, "Please, Adonai, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the child who will be born."

9 God paid attention to what Manoach said, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field, but her husband Manoach wasn't with her.

10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband, "Here! That man, the one who came to me the other day, he's come again!"

11 Manoach got up, followed his wife, went to the man and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" He answered, "I am."

12 Manoach asked, "Now, when what you said comes true, what are the guidelines for raising the child? What should be done for him?"

13 The angel of ADONAI said to Manoach, "The woman should take care to do everything I said to her.

14 She shouldn't eat anything that comes from a grapevine, she shouldn't drink wine or other intoxicating liquor, and she shouldn't eat anything unclean. She should do everything I ordered her to do."

15 Manoach said to the angel of ADONAI, "Please stay with us a bit longer, so that we can cook a young goat for you."

16 The angel of ADONAI said to Manoach, "Even if I do stay, I won't eat your food; and if you prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to ADONAI." For Manoach did not know that he was the angel of ADONAI.

17 Manoach said to the angel of ADONAI, "Tell us your name, so that when your words come true we can honor you."

18 The angel of ADONAI answered him, "Why are you asking about my name? It is wonderful."

19 Manoach took the kid and the grain offering and offered them on the rock to ADONAI. Then, with Manoach and his wife looking on, the angel did something wonderful -

20 as the flame went up toward the sky from the altar, the angel of ADONAI went up in the flame from the altar. When Manoach and his wife saw it, they fell to the ground on their faces.

21 But the angel of ADONAI did not appear again to Manoach or his wife. Then Manoach realized it had been the angel of ADONAI.

22 Manoach said to his wife, "We will surely die, because we have seen God!"

23 But his wife said to him, "If ADONAI had wanted to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from us, and he wouldn't have shown us all this or told us such things at this time."

24 The woman bore a son and called him Shimshon. The child grew, and ADONAI blessed him.

25 The Spirit of ADONAI began to stir him when he was in the Camp of Dan, between Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol.

Job 41

1 "And Livyatan! Can you catch him with a fishhook or hold his tongue down with a rope?

2 Can you put a ring in his nose or pierce his jaw with a barb?

3 Will he entreat you at length? Will he speak with you softly?

4 Will he agree with you to be your slave forever?

5 Will you play with him as you would with a bird or keep him on a string to amuse your little girls?

6 Will a group of fishermen turn him into a banquet? Will they divide him among the merchants?

7 Can you fill his skin with darts or his head with fish-spears?

8 If you lay your hand on him, you won't forget the fight, and you'll never do it again!

9 "Look, any hope [of capturing him] is futile -one would fall prostrate at the very sight of him.

10 No one is fierce enough to rouse him, so who can stand up to me?

11 Who has given me anything and made me pay it back? Everything belongs to me under all of heaven.

12 "I have more to say about his limbs, his strong talk, and his matchless strength.

13 Who can strip off his [scaly] garment? Who can enter his jaws?

14 Who can pry open the doors of his face, so close to his terrible teeth?

15 "His pride is his rows of scales, tightly sealed together -

16 one is so close to the next that no air can come between them;

17 they are stuck one to another, interlocked and impervious.

18 "When he sneezes, light flashes out; his eyes are like the shimmer of dawn.

19 From his mouth go fiery torches, and sparks come flying out.

20 His nostrils belch steam like a caldron boiling on the fire.

21 His breath sets coals ablaze; flames pour from his mouth.

22 "Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances ahead of him [as he goes].

23 The layers of his flesh stick together; they are firm on him, immovable.

24 His heart is as hard as a stone, yes, hard as a lower millstone.

25 When he rears himself up, the gods are afraid, beside themselves in despair.

26 "If a sword touches him, it won't stick; neither will a spear, or a dart, or a lance.

27 He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

28 An arrow can't make him flee; for him, slingstones are so much chaff.

29 Clubs count as hay, and he laughs at a quivering javelin.

30 His belly is as sharp as fragments of pottery, so he moves across the mud like a threshing-sledge.

31 "He makes the depths seethe like a pot, he makes the sea [boil] like a perfume kettle.

32 He leaves a shining wake behind him, making the deep seem to have white hair.

33 "On earth there is nothing like him, a creature without fear.

34 He looks straight at all high things. He is king over all proud beasts."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 11

Acts 20:17-38; Judges 14-15; Job 42 CJB

Acts 20:17-38

17 But he did send from Miletus to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Messianic community.

18 When they arrived, he said to them, "You yourselves know how, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, I was with you the whole time,

19 serving the Lord with much humility and with tears, in spite of the tests I had to undergo because of the plots of the unbelieving Jews.

20 You know that I held back nothing that could be helpful to you, and that I taught you both in public and from house to house,

21 declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and Greeks alike: turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.

22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Yerushalayim. I don't know what will happen to me there,

23 other than that in every city the Ruach HaKodesh keeps warning me that imprisonment and persecution await me.

24 But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Yeshua - to declare in depth the Good News of God's love and kindness.

25 "Now, listen! I know that none of you people among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom will ever see me again.

26 Therefore, I testify on this day that I am innocent of the blood of all.

27 For I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole plan of God.

28 "Watch out for yourselves, and for all the flock in which the Ruach HaKodesh has placed you as leaders, to shepherd God's Messianic community, which he won for himself at the cost of his own Son's blood.

29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you; and they won't spare the flock.

30 Even from among your own number, men will arise and teach perversions of the truth, in order to drag away the talmidim after themselves.

31 So stay alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, with tears in my eyes, I never stopped warning you!

32 "And now I entrust you to the care of the Lord and to the message of his love and kindness, for it can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who have been set apart for God.

33 "I have not wanted for myself anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided not only for my own needs, but for the needs of my co-workers as well.

35 In everything I have given you an example of how, by working hard like this, you must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua himself, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.'"

36 When he had finished speaking, Sha'ul kneeled down with them all and prayed.

37 They were all in tears as they threw their arms around his neck and kissed him farewell.

38 What saddened them the most was his remark that they would never see him again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Judges 14

1 Shimshon went down to Timnah, and in Timnah he saw a woman who was one of the P'lishtim.

2 He came up and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the P'lishtim. Now get her for me to be my wife."

3 His father and mother replied, "Isn't there any woman from the daughters of your kinsmen or among all my people? Must you go to the uncircumcised P'lishtim to find a wife?" Shimshon said to his father, "Get her for me. I like her."

4 His father and mother didn't know that all this came from ADONAI, who was seeking grounds for a quarrel with the P'lishtim. (At that time the P'lishtim were ruling Isra'el.)

5 Shimshon went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they came to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion roared at him.

6 The Spirit of ADONAI came powerfully upon Shimshon, and barehanded he tore the lion to pieces as easily as if it had been a young goat. But he didn't tell his father or mother what he had done.

7 Then he went down and talked with the woman and found he still liked her.

8 Awhile later, as he was returning to claim his bride, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion and saw that there was now a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey.

9 He scraped the honey out into his hands and went on, eating as he went; and when he came to his father and mother, he gave them some; and they ate too. But he didn't tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.

10 His father went down to the woman, and there Shimshon gave a banquet - this is what the young men used to do.

11 When the P'lishtim saw him, they provided thirty companions to be with him.

12 Shimshon said to them, "Let me present you with a riddle. If you can solve it within the seven days of the banquet and tell me the solution, I will give you thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of good clothes.

13 But if you can't solve it, you give me thirty linen shirts and thirty changes of good clothes." They answered, "Tell us the riddle, we want to hear it."

14 So he said to them, "Out of the eater came food; out of the strong came sweetness." Three days passed, and they couldn't solve the riddle.

15 On the seventh day, they said to Shimshon's wife, "Coax your husband into telling us the solution to the riddle. Otherwise we'll burn down your father's house and you with it. You two called us here to turn us into paupers, didn't you?"

16 Shimshon's wife went to him in tears and said, "You don't love me, you hate me! You told a riddle to my fellow countrymen, and you haven't told me the answer." He said to her, "Look, I haven't even told it to my father and mother! Should I tell you?"

17 But she had been crying throughout the seven days of the banquet; so on the seventh day, because she had kept pressing him, he told her the solution; and she passed it on to her people.

18 Then, before sundown on the seventh day, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?" Shimshon answered, "If you hadn't plowed with my young cow, you wouldn't have solved my riddle now."

19 Then the Spirit of ADONAI came over him powerfully. He went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their good clothes, and gave them to the men who had "solved" the riddle. He was boiling with rage, so he went straight up to his father's house,

20 and his wife was given to the companion who had been best man at the wedding.

Judges 15

1 But after a while, during the wheat-harvest season, Shimshon went to see his wife. He brought a young goat for her and said to her father, "I want to go to my wife in her room." But he wouldn't let him.

2 Her father said, "I really thought you hated her altogether, so I gave her to your best man. But her younger sister - isn't she even prettier? Why not take her instead?"

3 Shimshon said to them, "This time I'm through with the P'lishtim! I'm going to do something terrible to them!"

4 So Shimshon went and caught three hundred foxes. Then he took torches, tied pairs of foxes to each other by their tails, and put a torch in the knot of every pair of tails.

5 Then he set the torches on fire and let the foxes loose in wheat fields of the P'lishtim. In this way he burned up the harvested wheat along with the grain waiting to be harvested, and the olive orchards as well.

6 The P'lishtim asked, "Who did this?" They answered, "Shimshon the son-in-law of the man from Timnah, because he took Shimshon's wife and gave her to his best man." Then the P'lishtim came up and burned both her and her father to death.

7 Shimshon said to them, "I will certainly have my revenge on you for doing such a thing; but after I do, I'll stop."

8 Infuriated, he began killing them right and left; it was a massacre. Then he went down and stayed in the cave at the 'Eitam Rock.

9 The P'lishtim went up, pitched camp in Y'hudah and attacked Lechi.

10 The men of Y'hudah said, "Why are you attacking us?" They replied, "To arrest Shimshon, that's why - to treat him the way he treated us."

11 Then 3,000 men from Y'hudah went down to the cave at the Eitam Rock and said to Shimshon, "Don't you know that the P'lishtim are our rulers? What are you doing to us?" He answered, "I've only treated them the way they treated me."

12 They said to him, "We've come down to arrest you and hand you over to the P'lishtim." Shimshon replied, "Swear to me that you won't fall on me yourselves."

13 They said to him, "No, but we will tie you up and hand you over to them. However, we promise not to kill you." So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he got to Lechi, the P'lishtim came running and shouting at him; and the Spirit of ADONAI came on him powerfully. The ropes on his arms became as weak as burnt flax and fell from his arms.

15 He found a fresh donkey jawbone, took it in his hand, and with it he struck down a thousand men.

16 Shimshon said, "With the jawbone of a donkey I left heaps piled on heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey I killed a thousand men!"

17 After he finished speaking he threw the jawbone away, and the place came to be called Ramat-Lechi [jawbone heights].

18 Then he felt very thirsty, so he called on ADONAI, saying, "You accomplished this great rescue through your servant. But am I now to die from thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"

19 Then God made a gash in the crater at Lechi, and water came out. When he had drunk, his spirit came back; and he revived. This is why the place was called 'Ein-HaKorei [the spring of him who called], and it is there in Lechi until now.

20 He judged Isra'el in the period of the P'lishtim for twenty years.

Job 42

1 Then [at last,] Iyov gave ADONAI this answer:

2 "I know that you can do everything, that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 "[You asked,] 'Who is this, hiding counsel, without having knowledge?'Yes, I spoke, without understanding, of wonders far beyond me, which I didn't know.

4 "Please listen, and I will speak. [You said,] 'I will ask questions; and you, give me answers'-

5 I had heard about you with my ears, but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I detest [myself] and repent in dust and ashes."

7 After ADONAI had spoken these words to Iyov, ADONAI said to Elifaz the Teimani, "My anger is blazing against you and your two friends, because, unlike my servant Iyov, you have not spoken rightly about me.

8 So now, get yourselves seven young bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Iyov, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. My servant Iyov will pray for you - because him I will accept - so that I won't punish you as your boorishness deserves; because you have not spoken rightly about me, as my servant Iyov has."

9 So Elifaz the Teimani, Bildad the Shuchi and Tzofar the Na'amati went and did what ADONAI had ordered them to do, and ADONAI accepted Iyov['s prayer].

10 When Iyov prayed for his friends, ADONAI restored his fortunes; ADONAI gave Iyov twice as much as he had had before.

11 Then all his brothers and sisters came to him, also all who had known him before, and they ate a meal with him in his house. They consoled and comforted him for all the evils ADONAI had inflicted on him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12 ADONAI blessed Iyov's later situation even more than his earlier one - he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 pairs of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.

13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.

14 The first he named Y'mimah; the second, K'tzi'ah; and the third, Keren-Hapukh.

15 Nowhere in the land could women be found as beautiful as Iyov's daughters; and their father gave them inheritances along with their brothers.

16 After this, Iyov lived 140 years, long enough to see his sons and grandsons, four generations.

17 Then, old and full of days, Iyov died.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 12

Acts 21:1-36; Judges 16; Psalm 42 CJB

Acts 21:1-36

1 After we had torn ourselves away from the Ephesian elders, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

2 On finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we embarked and set sail.

3 After sighting Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria and landed at Tzor, because that was where the ship was unloading its cargo.

4 Having searched out the talmidim there, we remained for a week. Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha'ul not to go up to Yerushalayim;

5 but when the week was over, we left to continue our journey. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the town. Kneeling on the beach and praying,

6 we said good-bye to each other. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

7 When the voyage from Tzor was over, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them overnight.

8 The following day, we left and came to Caesarea, where we went to the home of Philip the proclaimer of the Good News, one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

9 He had four unmarried daughters with the gift of prophecy.

10 While we were staying there, a prophet named Agav came down from Y'hudah

11 to visit us. He took Sha'ul's belt, tied up his own hands and feet and said, "Here is what the Ruach HaKodesh says: the man who owns this belt - the Judeans in Yerushalayim will tie him up just like this and hand him over to the Goyim."

12 When we heard this, both we and the people there begged him not to go up to Yerushalayim;

13 but Sha'ul answered, "What are you doing, crying and trying to weaken my resolve? I am prepared not only to be tied up, but even to die in Yerushalayim for the name of the Lord Yeshua."

14 And when he would not be convinced, we said, "May the Lord's will be done," and kept quiet.

15 So at the end of our stay, we packed and went up to Yerushalayim;

16 and with us went some of the talmidim from Caesarea. They brought us to the home of the man with whom we were to stay, Mnason from Cyprus, who had been a talmid since the early days.

17 In Yerushalayim, the brothers received us warmly.

18 The next day Sha'ul and the rest of us went in to Ya'akov, and all the elders were present.

19 After greeting them, Sha'ul described in detail each of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his efforts.

20 On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah.

21 Now what they have been told about you is that you are teaching all the Jews living among the Goyim to apostatize from Moshe, telling them not to have a b'rit-milah for their sons and not to follow the traditions.

22 "What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow.

24 Take them with you, be purified with them, and pay the expenses connected with having their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to these rumors which they have heard about you; but that, on the contrary, you yourself stay in line and keep the Torah.

25 "However, in regard to the Goyim who have come to trust in Yeshua, we all joined in writing them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from what had been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled and from fornication."

26 The next day Sha'ul took the men, purified himself along with them and entered the Temple to give notice of when the period of purification would be finished and the offering would have to be made for each of them.

27 The seven days were almost up when some unbelieving Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the Temple, stirred up all the crowd and grabbed him.

28 "Men of Isra'el, help!" they shouted. "This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone things against the people, against the Torah and against this place! And now he has even brought some Goyim into the Temple and defiled this holy place!"

29 (They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus in the city with him and assumed that Sha'ul had brought him into the Temple.)

30 The whole city was aroused, and people came running from all over. They seized Sha'ul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut.

31 But while they were attempting to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman battalion that all Yerushalayim was in turmoil.

32 Immediately he took officers and soldiers and charged down upon them. As soon as they saw the commander, they quit beating Sha'ul.

33 Then the commander came up, arrested him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.

34 Everyone in the crowd shouted something different; so, since he couldn't find out what had happened because of the uproar, he ordered him brought to the barracks.

35 When Sha'ul got to the steps, he actually had to be carried by the soldiers, because the mob was so wild -

36 the crowd kept following and screaming, "Kill him!"

Judges 16

1 Shimshon went to 'Azah, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.

2 The people in 'Azah were told that Shimshon had come, so they surrounded the place where he was and also set an ambush for him all night at the city gate. Their plan was to do nothing at night, but to wait until morning and then kill him.

3 However, Shimshon stayed in bed until midnight; then he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts as well, pulled them up, bar and all, hoisted them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill overlooking Hevron.

4 After this, he fell in love with a woman who lived in the Sorek Valley, whose name was D'lilah.

5 The chiefs of the P'lishtim went up to her and said, "Coax him into telling you where his great strength comes from and how we can overcome him, so that we can tie him up and subdue him. If you do, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

6 D'lilah said to Shimshon, "Please tell me what it is that makes you so strong, and how someone could tie you up and subdue you."

7 Shimshon replied, "If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have never been dried, I will become as weak as any other man."

8 The chiefs of the P'lishtim brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.

9 Now she had people lying in wait in the inside room. So she said to him, "Shimshon! The P'lishtim have come for you!" But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of straw breaks when it touches fire, and the source of his strength remained unknown.

10 D'lilah said to Shimshon, "You're making fun of me, telling me lies. Now, come on, tell me what it takes to tie you up."

11 "All it takes," he answered, "is to tie me up with new ropes that haven't been used. Then I'll become weak and be like anyone else."

12 So D'lilah took new ropes, tied him up, and said to him, "Shimshon! The P'lishtim have come for you!" (The people lying in wait were in the inside room.) But he broke the ropes from off his arms like a thread.

13 D'lilah said to Shimshon, "Till now you've been making fun of me and telling me lies. Tell me what it takes to tie you up." He said, "If you weave the seven locks of my hair across thread on a loom."

14 So she fastened her cloth work in the loom with a pin and wove his hair in, then said to him, "Shimshon! The P'lishtim have come for you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled away the loom pin and the interwoven cloth.

15 She said to him, "How can you say you love me when your heart isn't with me? Three times you've made fun of me, and you haven't told me the source of your great strength."

16 Every day she kept nagging at him and pressing at him, till it bothered him to death,

17 so that he finally told her everything. He said to her, "No razor has ever touched my head, because I have been a nazir of God since I was born. If someone shaves me, then my strength will leave me; and I will be like any other man."

18 When D'lilah saw that he had really confided in her, she sent and summoned the chiefs of the P'lishtim with the message, "Come up this one last time, because he has finally told me the truth." The chiefs of the P'lishtim went up to her and brought the money with them.

19 She had him go to sleep in her lap and called for a man to shave off his seven locks of hair. Then she began tormenting him, but his strength had gone away.

20 She said, "Shimshon! The P'lishtim have come for you!" He awoke from his sleep and said, "I'll get out this time, just as I shook myself loose before." But he didn't know that ADONAI had left him.

21 So the P'lishtim seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to 'Azah. There they bound him with two bronze chains and put him to work grinding grain at the mill in the prison.

22 However, after the hair on his head had been cut off, it began growing back again.

23 The chiefs of the P'lishtim assembled to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. As they celebrated they sang, "Our god has handed over to us our enemy Shimshon."

24 Upon seeing him, the people praised their god: "Our god has handed over to us our enemy, who destroyed our land and killed so many of us."

25 When they were in high spirits they said, "Summon Shimshon to amuse us." So they called Shimshon out of the prison, and he amused them. When they put him between the columns,

26 Shimshon said to the boy holding him by the hand, "Let me feel the columns supporting the building, so that I can lean on them."

27 The building was full of men and women; and all the chiefs of the P'lishtim were there; in addition to them, there were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching, as Shimshon performed.

28 Shimshon called to ADONAI, "Adonai ELOHIM, just this once, please, think of me, and please, give me strength, so that I can take revenge on the P'lishtim for at least one of my two eyes."

29 Shimshon got a good hold on the two middle columns supporting the building and leaned on them, on one with his right hand and on the other with his left.

30 Then, crying, "Let me die with the P'lishtim!" he pushed with all his might; and the building collapsed on the chiefs and on all the people inside. So he killed more at his death than he had killed during his life.

31 His brothers and all his father's family came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol, in the tomb of his father Manoach. He had judged Isra'el twenty years.

Psalm 42

1 For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach: Just as a deer longs for running streams, God, I long for you.

2 I am thirsty for God, for the living God! When can I come and appear before God?

3 My tears are my food, day and night, while all day people ask me, "Where is your God?"

4 I recall, as my feelings well up within me, how I'd go with the crowd to the house of God, with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs observing the festival.

5 My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence.

6 My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.

7 Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me.

8 By day ADONAI commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy?

10 My adversaries' taunts make me feel as if my bones were crushed, as they ask me all day long, 'Where is your God?'"

11 My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and God.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 13

Acts 21:37-22:40; Judges 17-18; Psalm 43 CJB

Acts 21

37 As Sha'ul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "Is it all right if I say something to you?" The commander said, "You know Greek!

38 Say, aren't you that Egyptian who tried to start a revolution a while back, and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?"

39 Sha'ul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; and I ask your permission to let me speak to the people."

40 Having received permission, Sha'ul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When they finally became still, he addressed them in Hebrew:

Acts 22

1 "Brothers and fathers! Listen to me as I make my defense before you now!"

2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they settled down more; so he continued:

3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli'el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today.

4 I persecuted to death the followers of this Way, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.

5 The cohen hagadol and the whole Sanhedrin can also testify to this. Indeed, after receiving letters from them to their colleagues in Dammesek, I was on my way there in order to arrest the ones in that city too and bring them back to Yerushalayim for punishment.

6 "As I was traveling and approaching Dammesek, around noon, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven flashed all around me!

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Sha'ul! Sha'ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?'

8 I answered, 'Sir, who are you?' 'I am Yeshua from Natzeret,' he said to me, 'and you are persecuting me!'

9 Those who were with me did see the light, but they didn't hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

10 I said 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up, and go into Dammesek, and there you will be told about everything that has been laid out for you to do.'

11 I had been blinded by the brightness of the light, so my companions led me by the hand into Dammesek.

12 "A man named Hananyah, an observant follower of the Torah who was highly regarded by the entire Jewish community there,

13 came to me, stood by me and said, 'Brother Sha'ul, see again!' And at that very moment, I recovered my sight and saw him.

14 He said, 'The God of our fathersy determined in advance that you should know his will, see the Tzaddik and hear his voice;

15 because you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

16 So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, immerse yourself and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'

17 "After I had returned to Yerushalayim, it happened that as I was praying in the Temple, I went into a trance,

18 and I saw Yeshua. 'Hurry!' he said to me, 'Get out of Yerushalayim immediately, because they will not accept what you have to say about me.'

19 I said, 'Lord, they know themselves that in every synagogue I used to imprison and flog those who trusted in you;

20 also that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there too, in full agreement; I was even looking after the clothes of the ones who were killing him!'

21 But he said, 'Get going! For I am going to send you far away - to the Goyim!'"

22 They had been listening to him up to this point; but now they shouted at the top of their lungs, "Rid the earth of such a man! He's not fit to live!"

23 They were screaming, waving their clothes and throwing dust into the air;

24 so the commander ordered him brought into the barracks and directed that he be interrogated and whipped, in order to find out why they were yelling at him like this.

25 But as they were stretching him out with thongs to be flogged, Sha'ul said to the captain standing by, "Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and hasn't even had a trial?"

26 When the captain heard that, he went and reported it to the commander, "Do you realize what you're doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"

27 The commander came and said to Sha'ul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

28 The commander replied, "I bought this citizenship for a sizeable sum of money." "But I was born to it," Sha'ul said.

29 At once the men who had been about to interrogate him drew back from him; and the commander was afraid too, because he realized that he had put this man who was a Roman citizen in chains.

30 However, the next day, since he wanted to know the specific charge the Judeans were bringing against him, he released him and ordered the head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin to meet. Then he brought Sha'ul down and put him in front of them.

Judges 17

1 There was a man from the hills of Efrayim named Mikhay'hu.

2 He said to his mother, "You know the 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you - you pronounced a curse about it, and you told me about it? Well, the money is with me. I took it." His mother said, "May ADONAI bless my son,"

3 as he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. Then his mother said, "I solemnly dedicate this money of mine to ADONAI, in order for my son to make a carved image overlaid with silver. So now I'm giving it back to you."

4 But he returned the money to his mother, and she took 200 pieces of silver and gave them to the metalworker, who made a carved image overlaid with silver which was put in Mikhay'hu's house.

5 This man Mikhah owned a house of God; so he made a ritual vest and household gods and consecrated one of his sons, who became his cohen.

6 At that time there was no king in Isra'el; a man simply did whatever he thought was right.

7 There was a young man from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah, from the family of Y'hudah, who was a Levi. He had been staying

8 in Beit-Lechem, but he left there to find another place to live and came to the hills of Efrayim, where eventually he made his way to the house of Mikhah.

9 Mikhah asked him, "Where are you coming from?" He answered, "I am a Levi from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah, and I'm looking for a place to live."

10 Mikhah replied, "Stay with me, and be a father and cohen for me; I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, in addition to your clothing and food." So the Levi went in

11 and agreed to stay with the man; the young man became like one of his sons.

12 After Mikhah consecrated the Levi, the young man became his cohen and stayed there in Mikhah's house.

13 Mikhah said, "Now I know that ADONAI will treat me well, because I have a Levi for a cohen.

Judges 18

1 At that time there was no king in Isra'el, and it was also at that time that the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to claim ownership of and settle in, since they had not yet been given any land of their own among the tribes of Isra'el.

2 The people of Dan sent five leading men from Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol, representing their whole tribe, to spy out and explore the land. They instructed them, "Go, and explore the land." They came to the hills of Efrayim, to the house of Mikhah, and stayed there.

3 While they were at Mikhah's house they recognized the accent of the young man, the Levi, so they approached him and said, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is there for you here?"

4 He answered, "Here's the arrangement Mikhah has made with me: he pays me a wage, and I serve as his cohen."

5 They said to him, "Please ask God whether our journey will be successful."

6 The cohen replied, "Don't worry. ADONAI is with you on this journey."

7 The five men left, came to Layish and saw the people there living securely according to the customs of the Tzidonim, quietly and securely; since no one in the land was exercising authority that might shame them in any respect; moreover, they were far away from the Tzidonim and had no dealings with other peoples.

8 When they returned to their kinsmen in Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol, they asked them what they had to report.

9 They said, "Let's go up and attack them. We've seen the land, and it's excellent. Don't delay; start moving! Go in, and take the land!

10 When you go, you will come to a people who feel safe. There's plenty of land, the place lacks nothing, it has everything there is on earth, and God has given it to you."

11 So from the tribe of Dan 600 men equipped for war set out from there, from Tzor'ah and Eshta'ol.

12 They went up and camped at Kiryat-Ye'arim, in Y'hudah, which is why that place is called Machaneh-Dan [the camp of Dan] to this day (actually, it's behind Kiryat-Ye'arim).

13 From there they passed on into the hills of Efrayim and came to Mikhah's house.

14 The men who had gone to spy out the land of Layish then said to their kinsmen, "Are you aware that in these buildings there is a ritual vest, household gods and a carved image overlaid with silver? Decide what you ought to do."

15 They turned off the road and went to the house of the young Levi, that is, to Mikhah's house, and asked how he was doing.

16 The 600 soldiers from Dan stayed at the gate,

17 while the five who had spied out the land went in and took the idol overlaid with silver, the vest and the household gods. The cohen had stayed with the 600 soldiers by the gate.

18 But when they went into Mikhah's house and took the silver-covered image, the vest and the household gods, the cohen asked them, "What are you doing?"

19 They replied, "Be quiet, keep your mouth shut, and come with us. Be a father and a cohen for us. Which is better? To be a cohen in the house of one man or to be cohen to a whole tribe and family in Isra'el?"

20 This made the cohen feel very good; so he took the ritual vest, the household gods and the image and went off with the people.

21 So they turned and left, with their children, cattle and belongings going ahead of them.

22 When they were a good distance from Mikhah's house, the men who lived in the houses near his got together [with him], overtook the people from Dan

23 and began shouting at them. The people from Dan turned and said to Mikhah, "What's wrong with you, that you've gathered such a crowd?"

24 He answered, "You've taken away my god, which I made, and gone off with the cohen! What more have I got? How can you ask me, 'What's wrong with you?'"

25 The men from Dan replied, "You had best say no more to us, because some of us might get angry and attack you. You could lose your life, and so might the others in your household."

26 Then the people from Dan went their way; and when Mikhah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 So they took what Mikhah had made and his cohen. They came to Layish, to a quiet and trusting people. They attacked, killed them and burned down the city.

28 No one came to rescue them, because it was far from Tzidon, and they had no dealings with other peoples. This was in the valley near Beit-Rechov. Then the people of Dan rebuilt the city and settled there.

29 They named the city Dan, after Dan their ancestor, who was born to Isra'el; although the city had previously been called Layish.

30 The people of Dan set up the image for themselves. Y'honatan the son of Gershom, the son of M'nasheh, and his sons were cohanim for the tribe of the people of Dan until the day of the exile from the land.

31 Thus they erected for themselves Mikhah's idol which he had made, and it remained there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

Psalm 43

1 Judge me, God, and plead my cause against a faithless nation. Rescue me from those who deceive and from those who are unjust.

2 For you are the God of my strength; why have you thrust me aside? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy?

3 Send out your light and your truth; let them be my guide; let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the places where you live.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and delight; I will praise you on the lyre, God, my God.

5 My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and God.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 14

Acts 23:1-22; Judges 19; Psalm 44 CJB

Acts 23

1 Sha'ul looked straight at them and said, "Brothers, I have been discharging my obligations to God with a perfectly clear conscience, right up until today."

2 But the cohen hagadol, Hananyah, ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth.

3 Then Sha'ul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Will you sit there judging me according to the Torah, yet in violation of the Torah order me to be struck?"

4 The men nearby said, "This is the cohen hagadol of God that you're insulting!

5 Sha'ul said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was the cohen hagadol; for it says in the Torah, 'You are not to speak disparagingly of a ruler of your people.'"

6 But knowing that one part of the Sanhedrin consisted of Tz'dukim and the other of P'rushim, Sha'ul shouted, "Brothers, I myself am a Parush and the son of P'rushim; and it is concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being tried!"

7 When he said this, an argument arose between the P'rushim and the Tz'dukim, and the crowd was divided.

8 For the Tz'dukim deny the resurrection and the existence of angels and spirits; whereas the P'rushim acknowledge both.

9 So there was a great uproar, with some of the Torah-teachers who were on the side of the P'rushim standing up and joining in - "We don't find anything wrong with this man; and if a spirit or an angel spoke to him, what of it?"

10 The dispute became so violent that the commander, fearing that Sha'ul would be torn apart by them, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force and bring him back into the barracks.

11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage! For just as you have borne a faithful witness to me in Yerushalayim, so now you must bear witness in Rome."

12 The next day, some of the Judeans formed a conspiracy. They took an oath, saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Sha'ul;

13 more than forty were involved in this plot.

14 They went to the head cohanim and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Sha'ul

15 What you are to do is make it appear to the commander that you and the Sanhedrin want to get more accurate information about Sha'ul's case, so that he will bring him down to you; while we, for our part, are prepared to kill him before he ever gets here."

16 But the son of Sha'ul's sister got wind of the planned ambush, and he went into the barracks and told Sha'ul.

17 Sha'ul called one of the officers and said, "Take this man up to the commander; he has something to tell him."

18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, "The prisoner Sha'ul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you."

19 The commander took him by the hand, led him aside privately and asked, "What is it you have to tell me?

20 He said, "The Judeans have agreed to ask you tomorrow to bring Sha'ul down to the Sanhedrin on the pretext that they want to investigate his case more thoroughly.

21 But don't let yourself be talked into it, because more than forty men are lying in wait for him. They have taken an oath neither to eat nor to drink until they kill him; and they are ready now, only waiting for you to give your consent to their request.

22 The commander let the young man go, cautioning him, "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me."

Judges 19

1 In those days, when there was no king in Isra'el, there was a certain Levi living on the far side of the Efrayim hills who took a woman from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah to be his concubine.

2 But his concubine was unfaithful to him and left him to go to her father's house at Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah, where she stayed for some time, four months.

3 Then her husband went after her to persuade her to return; he had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father's house; and when the girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him.

4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, kept him there; so he remained with him three days; they ate, drank and stayed there.

5 On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to leave. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "You'll feel better if you have a bite of food before you leave."

6 So the two of them sat down and ate and drank together. Then the girl's father said to the man, "Please stay one more night, and have a good time."

7 The man rose to leave, but his father-in-law pressed him, so he stayed there again.

8 The morning of the fifth day, he got up early to leave; but the girl's father said, "Why don't you have something to eat, and leave this afternoon?" So the two men ate.

9 When the man got up to leave with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, it's almost evening. Please stay the night - you see that it's getting late. Stay on, enjoy yourself, and tomorrow get going early on your way home."

10 But the man wouldn't stay that night; so he got up and left with his concubine and his two saddled donkeys; and they arrived at Y'vus, also known as Yerushalayim.

11 By the time they arrived at Y'vus it was nearly evening; and the servant said to his master, "Why don't we go on into this city of the Y'vusi and stay there?"

12 But his master said to him, "We won't go into a city of foreigners which doesn't belong to the people of Isra'el. We'll go on across to Giv'ah."

13 He said to his servant, "Let's go, and we'll get to one of those places; we'll stay in Giv'ah or Ramah."

14 So they went on and kept traveling, until the sun set on them near Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin.

15 There they turned off the road to go and stay in Giv'ah. He went in and sat down in the city's open space, since no one had offered his home for them to spend the night.

16 In time, at nightfall, an old man came from his work in the field. He was from the Efrayim hills and was staying in Giv'ah, although the residents were of Binyamin.

17 The old man looked up, saw the traveler in the city's open space and said, "Where are you going, and where are you coming from?"

18 He replied, "We're crossing from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah to the far side of the Efrayim hills. That's where I'm from. I went to Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah, and now I'm going to the house of ADONAI; but there's no one here who will let me spend the night in his home.

19 We have straw and food for our donkeys, also bread and wine for me, my concubine and the boy there with your servants; we don't need anything else."

20 The old man said, "You're welcome to stay with me. I'll take care of anything you lack; just don't spend the night out in the open."

21 So he brought him home and gave food to the donkeys. Then they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

22 They were relaxing, when suddenly some men from the city, good-for-nothings, surrounded the house and began beating at the door. "Send out the man who came home with you!" they demanded of the old man whose house it was. "We want to have sex with him!"

23 The man whose house it was went out and said to them, "No, my brothers, please don't do anything as wrong as this. Look, he's just a guest in my house; don't do this degrading thing.

24 Here's my daughter, who's a virgin, and his concubine. I'll bring them out. Mistreat them, do what you want to them, but don't do such a degrading thing to this man."

25 However, the men wouldn't listen to him; so the man took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them. They raped her and abused her all night long; only at dawn did they let her go.

26 At daybreak the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her husband was, and she was still there when it grew light.

27 When her husband got up, opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his way, he saw the woman lying there with her hands stretched out toward the door.

28 He said to her, "Get up! Let's go!" But there was no answer. So he loaded her body on the donkey and began his trip home.

29 On arrival at his house, he got a knife, took hold of his concubine's body, cut her up into twelve pieces, and sent them to all the regions of Isra'el.

30 Everyone who saw it said, "From the day the people of Isra'el came up from Egypt until now, never has such a thing happened or been seen. What are we going to do about it? Talk it over and decide."

Psalm 44

1 For the leader. By the descendants of Korach. A maskil: God, we heard it with our ears; our fathers told us about it -a deed which you did in their days, back in days of old.

2 With your hand you drove out nations to plant them in [the land], you crushed peoples to make room for them.

3 For not by their own swords did they conquer the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; rather, it was your right hand, your arm and the light of your face; because you favored them.

4 God, you are my king; command complete victory for Ya'akov.

5 Through you we pushed away our foes, through your name we trampled down our assailants.

6 For I don't rely on my bow, nor can my sword give me victory.

7 No, you saved us from our adversaries; you put to shame those who hate us.

8 We will boast in our God all day and give thanks to your name forever. (Selah)

9 Yet now you have thrust us aside and disgraced us; you don't march out with our armies.

10 You make us retreat from the adversary, and those who hate us plunder us at will.

11 You have handed us over like sheep to be eaten and scattered us among the nations.

12 You sell your people for a pittance, you don't even profit on the sale.

13 You make us an object for our neighbors to mock, one of scorn and derision to those around us.

14 You make us a byword among the nations; the peoples jeer at us, shaking their heads.

15 All day long my disgrace is on my mind, and shame has covered my face

16 at the sound of those who revile and insult, at the sight of the enemy bent on revenge.

17 Though all this came on us, we did not forget you; we have not been false to your covenant;

18 Our hearts have not turned back, and our steps did not turn away from your path,

19 though you pressed us into a lair of jackals and covered us with death-dark gloom.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21 wouldn't God have discovered this, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

22 For your sake we are put to death all day long, we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Wake up, Adonai! Why are you asleep? Rouse yourself! Don't thrust us off forever.

24 Why are you turning your face away, forgetting our pain and misery?

25 For we are lying flat in the dust, our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Get up, and come to help us! For the sake of your grace, redeem us!

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 15

Acts 23:23-24:9; Judges 20; Psalm 45 CJB

Acts 23

23 Then he summoned two of the captains and said, "Get two hundred infantry soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight, and seventy mounted cavalry and two hundred spearmen;

24 also provide replacements for Sha'ul's horse when it gets tired; and bring him through safely to Felix the governor."

25 And the commander wrote the following letter:

26 From: Claudius Lysias To: His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings!

27 This man was seized by the Judeans and was about to be killed by them, when I came on the scene with my troops and rescued him. After learning that he was a Roman citizen,

28 I wanted to understand exactly what they were charging him with; so I brought him down to their "Sanhedrin."

29 I found that he was charged in connection with questions of their "Torah" but that there was no charge deserving death or prison.

30 But when I was informed of a plot against the man, I immediately sent him to you and also ordered his accusers to state their case against him before you.

31 So the soldiers, following their orders, took Sha'ul during the night and brought him to Antipatris,

32 then returned to the barracks after leaving the cavalry to go on with him.

33 The cavalry took him to Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and handed Sha'ul over to him.

34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. On learning he was from Cilicia,

35 he said, "I will give you a full hearing after your accusers have also arrived," and ordered him to be kept under guard in Herod's headquarters.

Acts 24:1-9

1 After five days, the cohen hagadol Hananyah came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Sha'ul to the governor.

2 Sha'ul was called, and Tertullus began to make the charges: "Felix, your Excellency, it is because of you that we enjoy unbroken peace, and it is your foresight that has brought to this nation

3 so many reforms in so many areas. It is with the utmost gratitude that we receive this.

4 But, in order not to take up too much of your time, I beg your indulgence to give us a brief hearing.

5 "We have found this man a pest. He is an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Natzratim.

6 He even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him.

7

8 By questioning this man yourself, you will be able to learn all about the things of which we are accusing him."

9 The Judeans also joined in the accusation and alleged that these were the facts.

Judges 20

1 All the people of Isra'el came out, from Dan to Be'er-sheva, including Gil'ad; the community assembled with one accord before ADONAI at Mitzpah.

2 The leaders of all the tribes of Isra'el presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers armed with swords.

3 Now the people of Binyamin heard that the people of Isra'el had gone up to Mitzpah. The people of Isra'el said, "Tell us, how was this crime committed?"

4 The Levi, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "I came to Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin, I and my concubine, to stay the night;

5 and the men in Giv'ah attacked me and surrounded the house I was staying in at night. They wanted to kill me, but instead they raped my concubine to death.

6 I took my concubine's body, cut it into pieces and sent them throughout all the territories belonging to Isra'el; because they committed a shockingly obscene and degrading crime in Isra'el.

7 Look, you are all people of Isra'el. So discuss what to do, and give your advice here and now."

8 All the people stood up in agreement and said, "None of us will go home to his tent or his house.

9 What we will do now to Giv'ah is this: we'll draw lots,

10 we'll take ten men out of each hundred throughout all the tribes of Isra'el, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to collect food for the others. When these come to Giv'ah in Binyamin, they will avenge the crime that was committed."

11 Thus all the men of Isra'el, joined together in complete agreement, assembled to attack the city.

12 The tribes of Isra'el sent men throughout all the tribe of Binyamin with this message: "What is this crime committed by some of your people?

13 Turn over these good-for-nothings who are in Giv'ah at once, so that we can execute them and rid Isra'el of such evil." But the people of Binyamin refused to obey the order of their kinsmen the people of Isra'el.

14 Instead the people of Binyamin gathered themselves together from their cities and went to Giv'ah to fight the people of Isra'el.

15 On that day there were 26,000 men from Binyamin armed with swords, besides the inhabitants of Giv'ah, who numbered 700 specially chosen men.

16 All of these 700 specially picked men were left-handed, and every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 The army of Isra'el, apart from Binyamin, numbered 400,000 men with swords; they were all experienced soldiers.

18 The army of Isra'el began by going up to Beit-El, where they asked God, "Who should go up first to attack the army of Binyamin?" ADONAI said, "Y'hudah first."

19 So the army of Isra'el got up in the morning and set up their camp near Giv'ah.

20 Then the army of Isra'el went out to attack Binyamin and set up their battle line in front of Giv'ah.

21 But the army of Binyamin came out of Giv'ah and slaughtered the army of Isra'el; on that day 22,000 men fell.

22 The people, the men of Isra'el, restored their morale and again positioned themselves for battle where they had been the first day.

23 Then the army of Isra'el went up and cried before ADONAI until evening. They asked ADONAI, "Should we attack our kinsmen the people of Binyamin again? ADONAI answered, "Attack them."

24 So the army of Isra'el went out to attack the army of Binyamin the second day.

25 But Binyamin went out against them from Giv'ah the second day and slaughtered the army of Isra'el; 18,000 men armed with swords fell.

26 Then the whole army of Isra'el, all the people, went up to Beit-El and cried and sat there in the presence of ADONAI. They fasted that day until evening, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to ADONAI,

27 and asked ADONAI what to do. The ark for the covenant of God was there at that time;

28 and Pinchas the son of El'azar, the son of Aharon, stood before it at that time. They asked, "Should we still go out to battle again against our kinsmen the people of Binyamin, or should we stop?" ADONAI answered, "Attack, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."

29 Isra'el hid some men around Giv'ah,

30 and on the third day Isra'el attacked the army of Binyamin and took a position against Giv'ah as they had the other times.

31 Again the army of Binyamin went out against the people. Lured away from the city, they began attacking and killing some of the people, as they had the other times - they killed about thirty men of Isra'el in the countryside and on the roads, one of which goes up to Beit-El and the other to Giv'ah.

32 The army of Binyamin said, "They're defeated, just as before." But the army of Isra'el said, "Let's run off and draw them away from the city onto the roads."

33 All the men of Isra'el left their places and took up a battle position at Ba'al-Tamar, while the other Isra'el men burst out of their hiding places at Ma'areh-Geva.

34 Ten thousand men chosen out of all Isra'el came over to attack Giv'ah, and the combat was intense. But the army of Binyamin didn't know that they were about to be defeated.

35 For ADONAI routed Binyamin in Isra'el's presence; that day the army of Isra'el destroyed 25,100 men of Binyamin, all of whom carried swords;

36 and the people of Binyamin realized that they had been beaten. The men of Isra'el, trusting the ones they had put in place to ambush Binyamin, gave ground to the men of Binyamin.

37 Then the men who had been lying in wait rushed in on Giv'ah, drew their swords and destroyed the city.

38 The army of Isra'el and the ambushers had agreed that as a signal they would make a huge cloud of smoke rise from the city,

39 at which time the men of Isra'el would turn back. When this happened, Binyamin began to attack. They killed about thirty of Isra'el's men and said, "Clearly we're defeating them again, as in the first battle."

40 But when the smoke signal began rising from the city, the men of Binyamin looked behind them and saw the whole city going up to the sky in smoke.

41 Then, as the men of Isra'el reversed direction, those of Binyamin were overcome with terror. When they saw that disaster had come upon them,

42 they turned their backs on the men of Isra'el and made for the road to the desert. But the battle followed them, and those who came out of the city destroyed them from the rear.

43 They surrounded the men of Binyamin, chased them and trampled them down across from Giv'ah on the east.

44 Eighteen thousand men of Binyamin fell, all of them experienced soldiers.

45 They turned and fled toward the desert to the Rock of Rimmon; and 5,000 of them were killed on the roads. They followed them to Gid'om and killed another 2,000.

46 Thus the total number from Binyamin who fell that day was 25,000 experienced, sword-bearing soldiers.

47 But 600 turned and fled toward the desert to the Rock of Rimmon, and lived there four months.

48 The men of Isra'el turned back on the people of Binyamin and killed them with the sword, the entire city, the cattle and everything they found. Moreover, they set on fire all the cities they encountered.

Psalm 45

1 For the leader. Set to "Lilies." By the descendants of Korach. A maskil. A lovesong: My heart is stirred by a noble theme; I address my verses to the king; My tongue is the pen of an expert scribe.

2 You are the most handsome of men; gracious speech flows from your lips. For God has blessed you forever.

3 Warrior, strap your sword at your thigh; [gird on] your splendor and majesty.

4 In your majesty, succeed, ride on in the cause of truth, meekness and righteousness. May your right hand teach you awesome things.

5 Your arrows are sharp. The people fall under you, as they penetrate the hearts of the king's enemies.

6 Your throne, God, will last forever and ever; you rule your kingdom with a scepter of equity.

7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy in preference to your companions.

8 Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia; from ivory palaces stringed instruments bring you joy.

9 Daughters of kings are among your favorites; at your right stands the queen in gold from Ofir.

10 Listen, daughter! Think, pay attention! Forget your own people and your father's house,

11 and the king will desire your beauty; for he is your lord, so honor him.

12 Then the daughter of Tzor, the richest of peoples, will court your favor with gifts.

13 Inside [the palace], the king's daughter looks splendid, attired in checker-work embroidered with gold.

14 In brocade, she will be led to the king, to you, with the virgins in her retinue.

15 They will be led in with gladness and joy, they will enter the king's palace.

16 You will have sons to succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes in all the land.

17 I will make your name known through all generations; thus the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 16

Acts 24:10-27; Judges 21; Psalm 46 CJB

Acts 24:10-27

10 When the governor motioned for Sha'ul to speak, he replied, "I know that you have been judge over this nation for a number of years, so I am glad to make my defense.

11 As you can verify for yourself, it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Yerushalayim;

12 and neither in the Temple nor in the synagogues nor anywhere else in the city did they find me either arguing with anyone or collecting a crowd.

13 Nor can they give any proof of the things of which they are accusing me.

14 "But this I do admit to you: I worship the God of our fathers in accordance with the Way (which they call a sect). I continue to believe everything that accords with the Torah and everything written in the Prophets.

15 And I continue to have a hope in God - which they too accept - that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

16 Indeed, it is because of this that I make a point of always having a clear conscience in the sight of both God and man.

17 "After an absence of several years, I came to Yerushalayim to bring a charitable gift to my nation and to offer sacrifices.

18 It was in connection with the latter that they found me in the Temple. I had been ceremonially purified, I was not with a crowd, and I was not causing a disturbance.

19 But some Jews from the province of Asia - they ought to be here before you to make a charge if they have anything against me!

20 Or else, let these men themselves say what crime they found me guilty of when I stood in front of the Sanhedrin,

21 other than this one thing which I shouted out when I was standing among them: 'I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!'"

22 But Felix, who had rather detailed knowledge of things connected with the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case."

23 He ordered the captain to keep Sha'ul in custody, but to let him have considerable liberty and not prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.

24 After some days, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Sha'ul and listened to him as he spoke about trusting in the Messiah Yeshua.

25 But when Sha'ul began to discuss righteousness, self-control and the coming Judgment, Felix became frightened and said, "For the time being, go away! I will send for you when I get a chance."

26 At the same time, he hoped that Sha'ul would offer him a bribe; so he sent for him rather often and kept talking with him.

27 After two years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; but because Felix wanted to grant the Judeans a favor, he left Sha'ul still a prisoner.

Judges 21

1 The men of Isra'el had sworn in Mitzpah that none of them would let his daughter marry a man from Binyamin.

2 The people came to Beit-El and stayed there before God till evening crying out and weeping.

3 They said: "ADONAI, why has this come about in Isra'el? Why should there be today in Isra'el one tribe missing?"

4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 The people of Isra'el asked, "Who among the tribes of Isra'el did not come up to assemble before ADONAI? For they had made a great oath to put to death whoever didn't come up to ADONAI at Mitzpah.

6 The people of Isra'el became sorry for Binyamin their brother and said, "Today one tribe has been cut off from Isra'el.

7 How are we going to obtain wives for those who remain alive, since we've sworn by ADONAI that we won't let our daughters marry them?"

8 Then they asked who from the tribes of Isra'el had not come up to ADONAI at Mitzpah and found that none had come from Yavesh-Gil'ad to the camp where the assembly was;

9 since when the people were counted, none of the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gil'ad were found there.

10 So the gathering sent 12,000 warriors there and ordered them, "Go, and put the people who live in Yavesh-Gil'ad to death with the sword, including women and children.

11 Completely destroy every man and every woman who has had sex with a man."

12 Among the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gil'ad they found 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Kena'an.

13 Then the whole gathering sent a message proclaiming peace to the people of Binyamin who were at the Rock of Rimmon.

14 So Binyamin returned at that time, and the people of Isra'el gave them the women they had kept alive of the women from Yavesh-Gil'ad. But those weren't enough for them.

15 The people were still sorry for Binyamin because ADONAI had made a division among the tribes of Isra'el.

16 The leaders of the assembly asked, "What are we to do for those who still don't have wives, inasmuch as all the women of Binyamin have been killed?"

17 They said, "There has to be a way to help the survivors preserve Binyamin's inheritance, so that a tribe will not be eliminated from Isra'el.

18 Yet we can't give them our daughters as wives." For the people of Isra'el had sworn, "Cursed be whoever gives a wife to Binyamin."

19 Then they said, "Look, each year there's a festival in honor of ADONAI in Shiloh, north of Beit-El, on the east side of the road that goes up from Beit-El to Sh'khem, and south of Levonah."

20 They ordered the men of Binyamin, "Go, hide in the vineyards,

21 and keep watch. If the girls of Shiloh come out to do their dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each of you catch for himself a wife from the Shiloh girls, and go on to the land of Binyamin.

22 When their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, 'Give them as a personal favor to us, because we didn't take wives for each of them in battle. You didn't give them to them; that would have made you guilty of breaking your oath.'"

23 So the men of Binyamin did this - they took wives for themselves from the girls who were dancing, as many as they needed. They carried them off, went back to the land of their inheritance, rebuilt the cities and lived in them.

24 The people of Isra'el then left that place, each man returned to his tribe and family, and each man went out from there to the land he had inherited.

25 At that time there was no king in Isra'el; a man simply did whatever he thought was right.

Psalm 46

1 For the leader. By the descendants of Korach. On 'alamot [high-pitched musical instruments?]. A song: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we are unafraid, even if the earth gives way, even if the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

3 even if its waters rage and foam, and mountains shake at its turbulence.

4 There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holy habitation of 'Elyon

5 God is in the city. It will not be moved when daybreak comes, God will help it.

6 Nations were in turmoil, kingdoms were moved; his voice thundered forth, and the earth melted away.

7 ADONAI-Tzva'ot is with us, our fortress, the God of Ya'akov. (Selah) (Selah)

8 Come and see the works of ADONAI, the astounding deeds he has done on the earth.

9 To the ends of the earth he makes wars cease he breaks the bow, snaps the spear, burns the shields in the fire.

10 "Desist, and learn that I am God, supreme over the nations, supreme over the earth."

11 ADONAI-Tzva'ot is with us, our fortress, the God of Ya'akov. (Selah)

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 17

Acts 25; Ruth 1-2; Psalm 47 CJB

Acts 25

1 Three days after Festus had entered the province, he went up from Caesarea to Yerushalayim.

2 There the head cohanim and the Judean leaders informed him of the case against Sha'ul, and they asked him

3 to do them the favor of having the man sent to Yerushalayim. (They had plotted to have him ambushed and killed en route.)

4 Festus replied that Sha'ul was being kept under guard in Caesarea, and that he was about to go there shortly himself.

5 "So," he said, "let competent men among you come down with me and press charges against the man, if he has done something wrong."

6 After staying with them at most eight or ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea; and on the following day, he took his seat in court and ordered Sha'ul to be brought in.

7 When he arrived, the Judeans who had come down from Yerushalayim stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him which they could not prove.

8 In reply, Sha'ul said, "I have committed no offense - not against the Torah to which the Jews hold, not against the Temple, and not against the Emperor."

9 But Festus, wanting to do the Judeans a favor, asked Sha'ul, "Would you be willing to go up to Yerushalayim and be tried before me there on these charges?"

10 Sha'ul replied, "I am standing right now in the court of the Emperor, and this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Judeans, as you very well know.

11 If I am a wrongdoer, if I have done something for which I deserve to die, then I am ready to die. But if there is nothing to these charges which they are bringing against me, no one can give me to them just to grant a favor! I appeal to the Emperor!"

12 Then Festus, after talking with his advisers, answered, "You have appealed to the Emperor; you will go to the Emperor!"

13 After some days, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.

14 Since they were staying on there for some time, Festus had the opportunity to acquaint the king with Sha'ul's situation. "There is a man here," he said, "who was left behind in custody by Felix.

15 When I was in Yerushalayim, the head cohanim and the elders of the Judeans informed me about him and asked me to pronounce judgment against him.

16 My answer to them was that it is not the custom with Romans to give up an accused man just to grant a favor, before he has met his accusers face to face and had the opportunity to defend himself against the charge.

17 So when they arrived here with me, I did not delay, but took my seat in court the next day and ordered the man brought in.

18 "When the accusers stood up, instead of charging him with some serious crime as I had expected,

19 they disputed with him about certain points of their own religion, and particularly about somebody called Yeshua, who had died, but who Sha'ul claimed was alive.

20 Being at a loss as to how to investigate such questions, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Yerushalayim and be tried on these matters there.

21 But since Sha'ul appealed to be kept in custody and have his case decided by His Imperial Majesty, I ordered him held until I could send him to the Emperor."

22 Agrippa said to Festus, "I myself have been wanting to hear the man." "Tomorrow," he replied, "You will hear him."

23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with much pageantry; they entered the audience room accompanied by military commanders and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Sha'ul was brought in.

24 Festus said, "King Agrippa and all of you here with us, do you see this man? The whole Judean community has complained to me about him both in Yerushalayim and here, crying that he shouldn't be allowed to remain alive.

25 But I discovered that he had done nothing that deserves a death sentence. Now when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

26 However, I have nothing specific to write to His Majesty about him. This is why I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa - so that after we have examined him, I might have something to write.

27 It seems irrational to me to send a prisoner without also indicating what the charges against him are."

Ruth 1

1 Back in the days when the judges were judging, at a time when there was a famine in the land, a certain man from Beit-Lechem went to live in the territory of Mo'av - he, his wife and his two sons.

2 The man's name was Elimelekh, his wife's name was Na'omi, and his two sons were named Machlon and Kilyon; they were Efratim from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah. They arrived in the plain of Mo'av and settled there.

3 Elimelekh, Na'omi's husband, died; and she was left, she and her two sons.

4 They took wives for themselves from the women of Mo'av; the name of the one was 'Orpah; and the name of the other was Rut. They lived there for about ten years.

5 Then Machlon and Kilyon died, both of them; and the woman was left with neither her two sons nor her husband.

6 So she prepared to return with her daughters-in-law from the plain of Mo'av; for in the plain of Mo'av she had heard how ADONAI had paid attention to his people by giving them food.

7 She left the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law and took the road leading back to Y'hudah.

8 Na'omi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Each of you, go back to your mother's house. May ADONAI show grace to you, as you did to those who died and to me.

9 May ADONAI grant you security in the home of a new husband."Then she kissed them, but they began weeping aloud.

10 They said to her, "No; we want to return with you to your people."

11 Na'omi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb who could become your husbands?

12 Go back, my daughters; go your way; for I'm too old to have a husband. Even if I were to say, 'I still have hope'; even if I had a husband tonight and bore sons;

13 would you wait for them until they grew up? Would you refuse to marry, just for them? No, my daughters. On your behalf I feel very bitter that the hand of ADONAI has gone out against me."

14 Again they wept aloud. Then 'Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Rut stuck with her.

15 She said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god; go back, after your sister-in-law."

16 But Rut said, "Don't press me to leave you and stop following you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.

17 Where you die, I will die; and there I will be buried. May ADONAI bring terrible curses on me, and worse ones as well, if anything but death separates you and me."

18 When Na'omi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

19 So the two of them went on until they came to Beit-Lechem. When they arrived in Beit-Lechem, the whole city was stirred with excitement over them. The women asked, "Can this be Na'omi?"

20 "Don't call me Na'omi [pleasant]," she answered them; "call me Marah [bitter], because Shaddai has made my life very bitter.

21 I went out full, and ADONAI has brought me back empty. Why call me Na'omi? ADONAI has testified against me, Shaddai has afflicted me."

22 This is how Na'omi returned, with Rut the woman from Mo'av, her daughter-in-law, accompanying her from the plain of Mo'av. They arrived in Beit-Lechem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Ruth 2

1 Na'omi had a relative on her husband's side, a prominent and wealthy member of Elimelekh's clan, whose name was Bo'az.

2 Rut the woman from Mo'av said to Na'omi, "Let me go into the field and glean ears of grain behind anyone who will allow me to." She answered her, "Go, my daughter."

3 So she set out, arrived at the field and gleaned behind the reapers. She happened to be in the part of the field that belonged to Bo'az from Elimelekh's clan,

4 when Bo'az arrived from Beit-Lechem. He said to the reapers, "ADONAI be with you"; and they answered him, "ADONAI bless you."

5 Then Bo'az asked his servant supervising the reapers, "Whose girl is this?"

6 The servant supervising the reapers answered, "She's a girl from Mo'av who returned with Na'omi from the plain of Mo'av.

7 She said, 'Please, let me glean and gather what falls from the sheaves behind the reapers.' So she went and has kept at it from morning until now, except for a little rest in the shelter."

8 Bo'az said to Rut, "Did you hear that, my daughter? Don't go to glean in another field, don't leave this place, but stick here with my working girls.

9 Keep your eyes on whichever field the reapers are working in, and follow the girls. I've ordered the young men not to bother you. Whenever you get thirsty, go and drink from the water jars the young men have filled."

10 She fell on her face, prostrating herself, and said to him, "Why are you showing me such favor? Why are you paying attention to me? After all, I'm only a foreigner."

11 Bo'az answered her, "I've heard the whole story, everything you've done for your mother-in-law since your husband died, including how you left your father and mother and the land you were born in to come to a people about whom you knew nothing beforehand.

12 May ADONAI reward you for what you've done; may you be rewarded in full by ADONAI the God of Isra'el, under whose wings you have come for refuge."

13 She said, "My lord, I hope I continue pleasing you. You have comforted and encouraged me, even though I'm not one of your servants."

14 When meal-time came, Bo'az said to her, "Come here, have something to eat, and dip your piece of bread in the [olive oil and] vinegar." She sat by the reapers, and they passed her some roasted grain. She ate till she was full, and she had some left over.

15 When she got up to glean, Bo'az ordered his young men, "Let her glean even among the sheaves themselves, without making her feel ashamed.

16 In fact, pull some ears of grain out from the sheaves on purpose. Leave them for her to glean, and don't rebuke her."

17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. When she beat out what she had gathered, it came to about a bushel of barley.

18 She picked it up and went back to the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and Rut brought out and gave her what she had left over after eating her fill.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where were you working? Blessed be the one who took such good care of you!" She told her mother-in-law with whom she had been working; she said, "The name of the man with whom I was working today is Bo'az."

20 Na'omi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by ADONAI, who has never stopped showing grace, neither to the living nor to the dead." Na'omi also told her, "The man is closely related to us; he's one of our redeeming kinsmen."

21 Rut the woman from Mo'av said, "Moreover, he even said to me, 'Stay close to my young men until they've finished my harvest.'"

22 Na'omi said to Rut her daughter-in-law, "It's good, my daughter, for you to keep going out with his girls; so that you won't encounter hostility in some other field."

23 So she stayed close to Bo'az's girls to glean, until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

Psalm 47

1 For the leader. A psalm of the descendants of Korach: Clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with cries of joy!

2 For ADONAI 'Elyon is awesome, a great king over all the earth.

3 He makes peoples subject to us, puts nations under our feet.

4 He chooses our heritage for us, the pride of Ya'akov, whom he loves. (Selah)

5 God goes up to shouts of acclaim, ADONAI to a blast on the shofar.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our king, sing praises!

7 For God is king of all the earth; sing praises in a maskil.

8 God rules the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

9 The leaders of the people gather together, the people of the God of Avraham; for the rulers of the earth belong to God, who is exalted on high.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 18

Acts 26:1-18; Ruth 3-4; Psalm 48 CJB

Acts 26:1-18

1 Agrippa said to Sha'ul, "You have permission to speak on your own behalf." Then Sha'ul motioned with his hand and began his defense:

2 "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that it is before you today that I am defending myself against all the charges made against me by Jews,

3 because you are so well informed about all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 "So then! All Jews know how I lived my life from my youth on, both in my own country and in Yerushalayim.

5 They have known me for a long time; and if they are willing, they can testify that I have followed the strictest party in our religion - that is, I have lived as a Parush.

6 How ironic it is that I stand on trial here because of my hope in the promise made to our fathers!

7 It is the fulfillment of this very promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they resolutely carry on their acts of worship night and day; yet it is in connection with this hope, your Majesty, that I am being accused by Jews!

8 Why do you people consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

9 "I used to think it was my duty to do all I could to combat the name of Yeshua from Natzeret;

10 and in Yerushalayim I did so. After receiving authority from the head cohanim, I myself threw many of God's people in prison; when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

11 Often I went from one synagogue to another, punishing them and trying to make them blaspheme; and in my wild fury against them, I even went so far as to persecute them in cities outside the country.

12 "On one such occasion, I was traveling to Dammesek with the full authority and power of the head cohanim.

13 I was on the road, and it was noon, your Majesty, when I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions.

14 We all fell to the ground; and then I heard a voice saying to me, in Hebrew, 'Sha'ul! Sha'ul! Why do you keep persecuting me? It's hard on you to be kicking against the ox-goads!'

15 I said, 'Who are you, sir?' and the Lord answered, 'I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me!

16 But get up, and stand on your feet! I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve and bear witness to what you have already seen of me, and to what you will see when I appear to you in the future.

17 I will deliver you from the People and from the Goyim. I am sending you

18 to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me.'

Ruth 3

1 Na'omi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I should be seeking security for you; so that things will go well with you.

2 Now there's Bo'az our relative -you were with his girls. He's going to be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing-floor.

3 So bathe, anoint yourself, put on your good clothes, and go down to the threshing-floor; but don't reveal your presence to the man until he's finished eating and drinking.

4 Then, when he lies down, take note of where he's lying; later, go in, uncover his feet, and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

5 She responded, "I will do everything you tell me."

6 She went down to the threshing-floor and did everything as her mother-in-law had instructed her.

7 After Bo'az was through eating and drinking and was feeling good, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. She stole in, uncovered his feet and lay down.

8 In the middle of the night the man was startled and turned over, and - there was a woman lying at his feet!

9 He asked, "Who are you?" and she answered, "I'm your handmaid Rut. Spread your robe over your handmaid, because you are a redeeming kinsman."

10 He said, "May ADONAI bless you, my daughter. Your latest kindness is even greater than your first, in that you didn't go after the young men, neither the rich ones nor the poor.

11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you everything you say, for all the city leaders among my people know that you are a woman of good character.

12 Now, it is true that I am a redeeming kinsman; but there is a redeemer who is a closer relative than I am.

13 Stay tonight. If, in the morning, he will redeem you, fine! - let him redeem you. But if he doesn't want to redeem you, then, as ADONAI lives, I will redeem you. Now, lie down until morning."

14 She lay at his feet until morning; then, before [it was light enough that] people could recognize each other, she got up; because he said, "No one should know that the woman came to the threshing-floor."

15 He also said, "Bring the shawl you are wearing, and take hold of it." She held it while he put six measures of barley into it; then he went into the city.

16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she asked, "Who are you? My daughter?"She told her everything the man had done for her.

17 Then she added, "He gave me these six measures of barley; because he said to me, "You shouldn't return to your mother-in-law with nothing."

18 Na'omi said, "My daughter, just stay where you are, until you learn how the matter comes out; for the man won't rest unless he resolves the matter today."

Ruth 4

1 Meanwhile, Bo'az had gone up to the gate and had sat down there, when the redeemer of whom Bo'az had spoken passed by. "Such-and-such," he said, "come over, and sit down"; so he came over and sat down.

2 He took ten of the city's leaders and said, "Sit down here"; and they sat down.

3 Then he said to the redeeming kinsman, "The parcel of land which used to belong to our relative Elimelekh is being offered for sale by Na'omi, who has returned from the plain of Mo'av.

4 I thought I should tell you about it and say, 'Buy it in the presence of the people sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of my people. If you want to redeem it, redeem it. But if it is not to be redeemed, then tell me, so that I can know, because there is no one else in line to redeem it, and I'm after you." He said, "I want to redeem it."

5 Then Bo'az said, "The same day you buy the field from Na'omi, you must also buy Rut the woman from Mo'av, the wife of the deceased [son], in order to raise up in the name of the deceased an heir for his property."

6 The redeemer said, "Then I can't redeem it for myself, because I might put my own inheritance at risk. You, take my right of redemption on yourself; because I can't redeem it."

7 In the past, this is what was done in Isra'el to validate all transactions involving redemption and exchange: a man took off his shoe and gave it to the other party; this was the form of attestation in Isra'el.

8 So the redeemer said to Bo'az, "Buy it for yourself," and took off his shoe.

9 Bo'az addressed the leaders and all the people: "You are witnesses today that I am purchasing from Na'omi all that belonged to Elimelekh and all that belonged to Kilyon and Machlon.

10 Also I am acquiring as my wife Rut the woman from Mo'av, the wife of Machlon, in order to raise up in the name of the deceased an heir for his property; so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his kinsmen and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today."

11 All the people at the gate and the leaders said, "We are witnesses. May ADONAI make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Le'ah, who between them built up the house of Isra'el. Do worthy deeds in Efrat; become renowned in Beit-Lechem.

12 May your house, because of the seed ADONAI will give you from this young woman, become like the house of Peretz, whom Tamar bore to Y'hudah."

13 So Bo'az took Rut, and she became his wife. He had sexual relations with her, ADONAI enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the women said to Na'omi, "Blessed be ADONAI, who today has provided you a redeemer! May his name be renowned in Isra'el.

15 May he restore your life and provide for your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."

16 Na'omi took the child, laid it on her breast and became its nurse.

17 The women who were her neighbors gave it a name; they said, "A son has been born to Na'omi," and called it 'Oved. He was the father of Yishai the father of David.

18 Here is the genealogy of Peretz. Peretz was the father of Hetzron,

19 Hetzron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of 'Amminadav,

20 'Amminadav was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmon,

21 Salmon was the father of Bo'az, Bo'az was the father of 'Oved,

22 'Oved was the father of Yishai, and Yishai was the father of David.

Psalm 48

1 A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korach: Great is ADONAI and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, his holy mountain,

2 beautiful in its elevation, the joy of all the earth, Mount Tziyon, in the far north, the city of the great king.

3 In its citadels God has been revealed as a strong defense.

4 For the kings met by agreement; together they advanced.

5 They saw and were filled with consternation; terrified, they took to flight.

6 Trembling took hold of them, pains like those of a woman in labor,

7 as when the wind out of the east wrecks the "Tarshish" ships.

8 We heard it, and now we see for ourselves in the city of ADONAI-Tzva'ot, in the city of our God. May God establish it forever. (Selah)

9 God, within your temple we meditate on your grace.

10 God, your praise, like your name, extends to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11 Let Mount Tziyon rejoice, let the daughters of Y'hudah be glad, because of your judgment [on the enemy].

12 Walk through Tziyon, go all around it; count how many towers it has.

13 Note its ramparts, pass through its citadels, so that you can tell generations to come

14 that such is God, our God forever; he will guide us eternally.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 19

Acts 26:19-32; 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10; Psalm 49 NIV

Acts 26:19-32

19 "So, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision from heaven!

20 On the contrary, I announced first in Dammesek, then in Yerushalayim and throughout Y'hudah, and also to the Goyim, that they should turn from their sins to God and then do deeds consistent with that repentance.

21 It was because of these things that Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me.

22 However, I have had God's help; so to this day, I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what both the prophets and Moshe said would happen -

23 that the Messiah would die, and that he, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to both the People and the Goyim."

24 But just as he reached this point in his defense, Festus shouted at the top of his voice, "Sha'ul, you're out of your mind! So much learning is driving you crazy!"

25 But Sha'ul said, "No, I am not 'crazy,' Festus, your Excellency; on the contrary, I am speaking words of truth and sanity.

26 For the king understands these matters, so to him I express myself freely, because I am sure that none of these things have been hidden from him. After all, they didn't happen in some back alley.

27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe!"

28 Agrippa said to Sha'ul, "In this short time, you're trying to convince me to become Messianic?"

29 Sha'ul replied, "Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I wish to God that not only you, but also everyone hearing me today, might become just like me except for these chains!"

30 Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and the others sitting with them.

31 After they had left, they said to one another, "This man is doing nothing that deserves either death or prison."

32 And Agrippa said to Festus, "If he hadn't appealed to the Emperor, he could have been released."

1 Samuel 1

1 There was a man from Ramatayim-Tzofim, in the hills of Efrayim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Yerocham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tochu, the son of Tzuf, from Efrat.

2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other P'ninah. P'ninah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 This man went up from his city every year to worship and sacrifice to ADONAI-Tzva'ot in Shiloh. The two sons of 'Eli, Hofni and Pinchas, were cohanim of ADONAI there.

4 One day, when Elkanah was sacrificing, he gave a portion of the sacrifice to his wife P'ninah and portions to each of her sons and daughters;

5 but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, even though ADONAI had kept her from having children.

6 Her rival taunted her and made her feel bad, because ADONAI had kept her from having children.

7 He did the same every year; and each time she went up to the house of ADONAI, she taunted her so much that she would cry and not eat.

8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Hannah, why are you crying, and why aren't you eating? Why be so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

9 So Hannah got up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. 'Eli the cohen was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of ADONAI.

10 In deep depression she prayed to ADONAI and cried.

11 Then she took a vow; she said, "ADONAI-Tzva'ot, if you will notice how humiliated your servant is, if you will remember me and not forget your servant but will give your servant a male child, then I will give him to ADONAI for as long as he lives; and no razor will ever come on his head."

12 She prayed for a long time before ADONAI; and as she did so, 'Eli was watching her mouth.

13 Hannah was speaking in her heart - her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard -so 'Eli thought she was drunk.

14 'Eli said to her, "How long are you going to stay drunk? Stop drinking your wine!"

15 But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a very unhappy woman. I have not drunk either wine or other strong liquor; rather, I've been pouring out my soul before ADONAI.

16 Don't think of your servant as a worthless woman; because I have been speaking from the depth of my distress and anger."

17 Then 'Eli replied, "Go in peace. May the God of Isra'el grant what you have asked of him."

18 She replied, "May your servant find favor in your sight." So the woman went on her way, and she ate, and her face was no longer sad.

19 They got up early in the morning and worshipped before ADONAI, then returned and came to their house in Ramah. Elkanah had sexual relations with Hannah his wife, and ADONAI remembered her.

20 She conceived; and in due time she gave birth to a son, whom she named Sh'mu'el, "because I asked ADONAI for him." "Sh'mu'el" is derived from shem El, "name of God," but sounds like sha'ul me'el, "asked from God."

21 The husband, Elkanah, went up with all his household to offer the yearly sacrifice to ADONAI and fulfill his vow.

22 But Hannah did not go up, explaining to her husband, "Not till the child has been weaned. Then I will bring him, so that he can appear before ADONAI and live there forever."

23 Her husband Elkanah answered her, "Do what seems good to you; stay here until you have weaned him. Only may ADONAI bring about what he said." So the woman stayed behind and nursed the child, until she weaned him.

24 After weaning him, she took him up with her, along with three young bulls, a bushel of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of ADONAI in Shiloh, even though he was just a child.

25 After the bull had been slaughtered, the child was brought to 'Eli;

26 and she said, "My lord, as sure as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you, praying to ADONAI.

27 I prayed for this child, and ADONAI has granted the request I asked of him.

28 Therefore, I too have loaned him to ADONAI - as long as he lives, he is on loan to ADONAI."And he prostrated himself there before ADONAI.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

1 Then Hannah prayed; she said: "My heart exults in ADONAI! My dignity has been restored by ADONAI! I can gloat over my enemies, because of my joy at your saving me.

2 "No one is as holy as ADONAI, because there is none to compare with you, no rock like our God.

3 "Stop your proud boasting! Don't let arrogance come from your mouth! For ADONAI is a God of knowledge, and he appraises actions.

4 The bows of the mighty are broken, while the feeble are armed with strength.

5 The well-fed hire themselves for bread, while those who were hungry hunger no more. The barren woman has borne seven, while the mother of many wastes away.

6 "ADONAI kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and he brings up.

7 ADONAI makes poor, and he makes rich; he humbles, and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the trash pile; he gives them a place with leaders and assigns them seats of honor. "For the earth's pillars belong to ADONAI; on them he has placed the world.

9 He will guard the steps of his faithful, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. For it is not by strength that a person prevails -

10 those who fight ADONAI will be shattered; he will thunder against them in heaven ADONAI will judge the ends of the earth. He will strengthen his king and enhance the power of his anointed."

Psalm 49

1 For the leader. A psalm of the descendants of Korach: Hear this, all you peoples! Listen, everyone living on earth,

2 regardless of whether low or high, regardless of whether rich or poor!

3 My mouth is about to speak wisdom; my heart's deepest thoughts will give understanding.

4 I will listen with care to [God's] parable, I will set my enigma to the music of the lyre.

5 Why should I fear when the days bring trouble, when the evil of my pursuers surrounds me,

6 the evil of those who rely on their wealth and boast how rich they are?

7 No one can ever redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him,

8 because the price for him is too high (leave the idea completely alone!)

9 to have him live on eternally and never see the pit.

10 For he can see that wise men will die, likewise the fool and the brute will perish and leave their wealth to others.

11 They think their homes will last forever, their dwellings through all generations; they give their own names to their estates.

12 But people, even rich ones, will live only briefly; then, like animals, they will die.

13 This is the manner of life of the foolish and those who come after, approving their words. (Selah)

14 Like sheep, they are destined for Sh'ol; death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning; and their forms will waste away in Sh'ol, until they need no dwelling.

15 But God will redeem me from Sh'ol's control, because he will receive me. (Selah)

16 Don't be afraid when someone gets rich, when the wealth of his family grows.

17 For when he dies, he won't take it with him; his wealth will not go down after him.

18 True, while he lived, he thought himself happy people praise you when you do well for yourself

19 but he will join his ancestors' generations and never again see light.

20 People, even rich ones, can fail to grasp that, like animals, they will die.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 20

Acts 27:1-12; 1 Samuel 2:11-36; Psalm 50 CJB

Acts 27:1-12

1 Once it had been decided that we should set sail for Italy, they handed Sha'ul and some other prisoners over to an officer of the Emperor's Regiment named Julius.

2 We embarked in a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

3 The next day, we landed at Tzidon; and Julius considerately allowed Sha'ul to go visit his friends and receive what he needed.

4 Putting to sea from there, we sailed close to the sheltered side of Cyprus because the winds were against us,

5 then across the open sea along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia; and so we reached Myra in Lycia.

6 There the Roman officer found an Alexandrian vessel sailing to Italy and put us aboard.

7 For a number of days we made little headway, and we arrived off Cnidus only with difficulty. The wind would not let us continue any farther along the direct route; so we ran down along the sheltered side of Crete from Cape Salmone;

8 and, continuing to struggle on, hugging the coast, we reached a place called Pleasant Harbor, near the town of Lasea.

9 Since much time had been lost, and continuing the voyage was risky, because it was already past Yom-Kippur, Sha'ul advised them,

10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be a catastrophe, not only with huge losses to the cargo and the ship but with loss of our lives as well."

11 However, the officer paid more attention to the pilot and the ship's owner than to what Sha'ul said.

12 Moreover, since the harbor was not well suited to sitting out the winter, the majority reached the decision to sail on from there in the hope of reaching Phoenix, another harbor in Crete, and wintering there, where it is protected from the southwest and northwest winds.

1 Samuel 2

11 Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the child began ministering to ADONAI under the direction of 'Eli the cohen.

12 'Eli's sons were scoundrels who had no regard for ADONAI.

13 The rule these cohanim followed in dealing with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the cohen's servant would come, while the meat was stewing, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.

14 He would stick it in the pan, kettle, caldron or pot; and the cohen would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they dealt with all the people of Isra'el who came there to Shiloh.

15 The cohen's servant would actually come before the fat had burned to smoke and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the cohen meat he can roast; because he doesn't want your meat stewed, but raw."

16 If the man answered, "First let the fat burn to smoke, then take as much as you want," he would say, "No, give it to me now, or I'll take it by force."

17 The sin of these young men was very serious in ADONAI's view, because they treated offerings made to ADONAI with contempt.

18 But Sh'mu'el ministered in the presence of ADONAI, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child.

19 Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

20 'Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May ADONAI give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to ADONAI"; then they would go home.

21 So ADONAI took notice of Hannah, and she conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Sh'mu'el grew in the presence of ADONAI.

22 When 'Eli was very old, he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Isra'el, and that they were having sex with the women doing service at the door of the tent of meeting.

23 He asked them, "Why are you doing things like this? I am hearing bad reports about you from all these people.

24 No, my sons, I don't hear ADONAI's people spreading a single good report!

25 If a person commits a sin against another person, the judges can mediate between them. But if a person commits a sin against ADONAI, who can intercede for him?" However, they wouldn't pay attention to what their father said, because ADONAI had decided to kill them.

26 The child Sh'mu'el kept growing and gaining favor both with ADONAI and with people.

27 A man of God came to 'Eli and told him, "Here is what ADONAI says: 'Didn't I reveal myself to your ancestor's clan when they were in Egypt, serving as slaves in Pharaoh's household?

28 Didn't I choose him out of all the tribes of Isra'el to be my cohen, go up to my altar, burn incense and wear a ritual vest in my presence? Didn't I assign to your ancestor's clan all the offerings of the people of Isra'el made by fire?

29 So why are you showing such disrespect for my sacrifices and offerings, which I ordered to be made at my dwelling? Why do you show more honor to your sons than to me, making yourselves fat with the choicest parts of all the offerings of Isra'el my people?'

30 "Therefore ADONAI the God of Isra'el says, 'I did indeed say that your family and your father's family would walk in my presence forever.' But now ADONAI says, 'Forget it! I respect those who respect me, but those who despise me will meet with contempt.

31 The day is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's family, so that no one in your family will live to old age.

32 At a time when Isra'el is prospering, you will see a rival in my Dwelling; and never will anyone in your family live to old age.

33 Still, I won't cut off every one of your men from my altar; because that would make your eyes grow dim, and you would waste away. Nevertheless, all your descendants will die young.

34 Your sign that this will occur will be what happens to your two sons Hofni and Pinchas - they will both die on the same day.

35 I will raise up for myself a faithful cohen who will do what I want and what I intend. I will make his family faithful, and he will serve in the presence of my anointed one forever.

36 Everyone left in your family will come, prostrate himself before him for a silver coin or a loaf of bread, and say, "Please, won't you give me some work as a cohen, so I can have a scrap of bread to eat?"'"

Psalm 50

1 A psalm of Asaf: The Mighty One, God, ADONAI, is speaking, summoning the world from east to west.

2 Out of Tziyon, the perfection of beauty, God is shining forth.

3 Our God is coming and not staying silent. With a fire devouring ahead of him and a great storm raging around him,

4 he calls to the heavens above and to earth, in order to judge his people.

5 "Gather to me my faithful, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Selah)

7 "Listen, my people, I am speaking: Isra'el, I am testifying against you, I, God, your God.

8 I am not rebuking you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are always before me.

9 I have no need for a bull from your farm or for male goats from your pens;

10 for all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills;

11 I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine, and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer thanksgiving as your sacrifice to God, pay your vows to the Most High,

15 and call on me when you are in trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

16 But to the wicked God says: "What right do you have to proclaim my laws or take my covenant on your lips,

17 when you so hate to receive instruction and fling my words behind you?

18 When you see a thief, you join up with him, you throw in your lot with adulterers,

19 you give your mouth free rein for evil and harness your tongue to deceit;

20 you sit and speak against your kinsman, you slander your own mother's son.

21 When you do such things, should I stay silent? You may have thought I was just like you; but I will rebuke and indict you to your face.

22 Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to save you.

23 "Whoever offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me; and to him who goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 21

Acts 27:13-44; 1 Samuel 3; Psalm 51 CJB

Acts 27:13-44

13 When a gentle southerly breeze began to blow, they thought that they had their goal within grasp; so they raised the anchor and started coasting by Crete close to shore.

14 But before long there struck us from land a full gale from the northeast, the kind they call an Evrakilon.

15 The ship was caught up and unable to face the wind, so we gave way to it and were driven along.

16 As we passed into the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with strenuous effort to get control of the lifeboat.

17 They hoisted it aboard, then fastened cables tightly around the ship itself to reinforce it. Fearing they might run aground on the Syrtis sandbars, they lowered the topsails and thus continued drifting.

18 But because we were fighting such heavy weather, the next day they began to jettison nonessentials;

19 and the third day, they threw the ship's sailing equipment overboard with their own hands.

20 For many days neither the sun nor the stars appeared, while the storm continued to rage, until gradually all hope of survival vanished.

21 It was then, when they had gone a long time without eating, that Sha'ul stood up in front of them and said, "You should have listened to me and not set out from Crete; if you had, you would have escaped this disastrous loss.

22 But now, my advice to you is to take heart; because not one of you will lose his life - only the ship will be lost.

23 For this very night, there stood next to me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.

24 He said, 'Don't be afraid, Sha'ul! you have to stand before the Emperor. Look! God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.'

25 So, men, take heart! For I trust God and believe that what I have been told will come true.

26 Nevertheless, we have to run aground on some island."

27 It was the fourteenth night, and we were still being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when around midnight the sailors sensed that we were nearing land.

28 So they dropped a plumbline and found the water one hundred and twenty feet deep. A little farther on, they took another sounding and found it ninety feet.

29 Fearing we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come.

30 At this point, the crew made an attempt to abandon ship - they lowered the lifeboat into the sea, pretending that they were about to let out some anchors from the bow.

31 Sha'ul said to the officer and the soldiers, "Unless these men remain aboard the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved."

32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the lifeboat and let it go.

33 Just before daybreak, Sha'ul urged them all to eat, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense, going hungry, eating nothing.

34 Therefore I advise you to take some food; you need it for your own survival. For not one of you will lose so much as a hair from his head."

35 When he had said this, he took bread, said the b'rakhah to God in front of everyone, broke it and began to eat.

36 With courage restored, they all ate some food themselves.

37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board the ship.

38 After they had eaten all they wanted, they lightened the ship by dumping the grain into the sea.

39 When day broke, they didn't recognize the land; but they noticed a bay with a sand beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

40 So they cut away the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time, they loosened the ropes that held the rudders out of the water. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach.

41 But they encountered a place where two currents meet, and ran the vessel aground on the sandbar there. The bow stuck and would not move, while the pounding of the surf began to break up the stern.

42 At this point the soldiers' thought was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim off and escape.

43 But the officer, wanting to save Sha'ul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and head for shore,

44 and the rest to use planks or whatever they could find from the ship. Thus it was that everyone reached land safely.

1 Samuel 3

1 The child Sh'mu'el continued ministering to ADONAI under 'Eli's direction. Now, in those days ADONAI rarely spoke, and visions were few.

2 Once, during that period, 'Eli had gone to bed - his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that it was hard for him to see.

3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out; and Sh'mu'el had lain down to sleep in the sanctuary of ADONAI, where the ark of God was.

4 ADONAI called, "Sh'mu'el!" and he answered, "Here I am."

5 Then he ran to 'Eli and said, "Here I am - you called me?" But he said, "I didn't call you; go back, and lie down." So he went and lay down.

6 ADONAI called a second time, "Sh'mu'el!"Sh'mu'el got up, went to 'Eli and said, "Here I am - you called me." He answered, "I didn't call, my son; lie down again."

7 Now Sh'mu'el didn't yet know ADONAI; the word of ADONAI had not yet been revealed to him.

8 ADONAI called, "Sh'mu'el!" again, a third time. He got up, went to 'Eli and said, "Here I am - you called me." At last 'Eli realized it was ADONAI calling the child.

9 So 'Eli said to Sh'mu'el, "Go, and lie down. If you are called again, say, 'Speak, ADONAI; your servant is listening.' Sh'mu'el went and lay down in his place.

10 ADONAI came and stood, then spoke as at the other times: "Sh'mu'el! Sh'mu'el!"Then Sh'mu'el said, "Speak; your servant is listening."

11 ADONAI said to Sh'mu'el, "Look! I am going to do something in Isra'el that will make both ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

12 On that day I will do against 'Eli everything I have said with regard to his family, from beginning to end.

13 For I have told him that I will execute judgment against his family forever, because of his wickedness in not rebuking his sons, even though he knew that they had brought a curse on themselves.

14 Therefore I have sworn to the family of 'Eli that the wickedness of 'Eli's family will never be atoned for by any sacrifice or offering."

15 Sh'mu'el lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of ADONAI. But Sh'mu'el was afraid to tell 'Eli the vision.

16 Then 'Eli called Sh'mu'el: "Sh'mu'el, my son!" He answered, "Here I am."

17 'Eli said, "What did he say to you? Please, don't hide it from me; may God do to you whatever he said and worse, if you hide from me anything he said to you."

18 So Sh'mu'el told him every word and hid nothing. 'Eli replied, "It is ADONAI; let him do what seems good to him."

19 Sh'mu'el kept growing, ADONAI was with him, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.

20 All Isra'el from Dan to Be'er-Sheva became aware that Sh'mu'el had been confirmed as a prophet of ADONAI.

21 ADONAI continued appearing in Shiloh, for ADONAI revealed himself to Sh'mu'el in Shiloh by the word of ADONAI.

Psalm 51

1 For the leader. A psalm of David, when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva: God, in your grace, have mercy on me; in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.

2 Wash me completely from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my crimes, my sin confronts me all the time.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil from your perspective; so that you are right in accusing me and justified in passing sentence.

5 True, I was born guilty, was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.

6 Still, you want truth in the inner person; so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.

7 Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness, so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.

9 Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my crimes.

10 Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit.

11 Don't thrust me away from your presence, don't take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.

12 Restore my joy in your salvation, and let a willing spirit uphold me.

13 Then I will teach the wicked your ways, and sinners will return to you.

14 Rescue me from the guilt of shedding blood, God, God of my salvation! Then my tongue will sing about your righteousness

15 Adonai, open my lips; then my mouth will praise you.

16 For you don't want sacrifices, or I would give them; you don't take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God, you won't spurn a broken, chastened heart.

18 In your good pleasure, make Tziyon prosper; rebuild the walls of Yerushalayim.

19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then they will offer bulls on your altar.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 22

Acts 28:1-16; 1 Samuel 4-5; Psalm 52 NIV

Acts 28:1-16

1 After our escape, we learned that the island was called Malta.

2 Its people showed extraordinary kindness - it was cold and it had started to rain, so they lit a bonfire and welcomed us all.

3 Sha'ul had gathered a bundle of sticks and was adding them to the fire, when a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand.

4 The islanders saw the creature hanging from Sha'ul's hand and said to one another, "This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."

5 But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.

6 They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing that nothing amiss was happening to him, they reversed their opinion and said he was a god.

7 Nearby were lands belonging to the governor of the island, whose name was Publius. He received us in a friendly manner and put us up for three days.

8 Now it so happened that Publius' father was lying in bed, sick with fever attacks and dysentery. Sha'ul went in to him, prayed, placed his hands on him and healed him.

9 After this happened, the rest of those on the island who had ailments came and were healed.

10 They heaped honors on us; and when the time came for us to sail, they provided the supplies we needed.

11 After three months, we sailed away on a ship from Alexandria called "Twin Gods," which had passed the winter at the island.

12 We landed at Syracuse and stayed three days.

13 From there, we arrived at Rhegium by tacking; but after one day, a south wind sprang up; so we made it to Puteoli the second day.

14 There we found brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we went on toward Rome.

15 The brothers there had heard about us and came as far as Appian Market and Three Inns to meet us. When Sha'ul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

16 And when we arrived at Rome, the officer allowed Sha'ul to stay by himself, though guarded by a soldier.

1 Samuel 4

1 So the word of Sh'mu'el came to all Isra'el. Isra'el went out to fight against the P'lishtim, setting up camp at Even-'Ezer, while the P'lishtim camped at Afek.

2 The P'lishtim drew up in battle formation against Isra'el. The battle was fierce, and Isra'el was beaten by the P'lishtim - they killed about four thousand soldiers on the battlefield.

3 When the army had returned to camp, the leaders of Isra'el asked, "Why has ADONAI defeated us today before the P'lishtim? Let's bring the ark for the covenant of ADONAI from Shiloh to us, so that he will come among us and save us from our enemies."

4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark for the covenant of ADONAI-Tzva'ot, who is present above the k'ruvim. The two sons of 'Eli, Hofni and Pinchas, were there with the ark for the covenant of God.

5 When the ark for the covenant of ADONAI entered the camp, all Isra'el gave a mighty shout that resounded through the land.

6 On hearing the shout, the P'lishtim asked, "What does this great shout in the Hebrews' camp mean?"Then they realized that the ark of ADONAI had arrived in the camp,

7 and the P'lishtim became afraid. They said, "God has entered the camp! We're lost! There was no such thing yesterday or the day before.

8 We're lost! Who will rescue us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods that completely overthrew the Egyptians in the desert.

9 Be strong; and behave like men, you P'lishtim; so that you won't become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Behave like men, and fight!"

10 The P'lishtim fought, Isra'el was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. It was a terrible slaughter - 30,000 of Isra'el's foot soldiers fell.

11 Moreover, the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of 'Eli, Hofni and Pinchas, died.

12 One of the soldiers, a man from Binyamin, ran and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and earth on his head [as a sign of mourning].

13 As he arrived, 'Eli was sitting on his seat by the road, watching; because he was trembling with anxiety over the ark of God. When the man entered the city and told the news, the whole city began crying out.

14 On hearing the cries, 'Eli asked, "What does this uproar mean?" So the man hurried, came to 'Eli and told him.

15 'Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed, because he was blind.

16 The man said to 'Eli, "I'm the soldier that came; I escaped today from the battlefield." He asked, "How did things go, my son?"

17 The one who had come with the news answered, "Isra'el fled before the P'lishtim, and there was a terrible slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hofni and Pinchas, also are dead; and the ark of God was captured.

18 As soon as he mentioned what had happened to the ark of God, 'Eli fell backward off his seat next to the gate, broke his neck and died; for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Isra'el forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, Pinchas's wife, was pregnant and near delivery-time. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into abnormal labor, bent over and gave birth.

20 As she was dying, the women standing by her said to her, "Don't be afraid, because you have given birth to a son." But she didn't answer or show any sign of recognition.

21 She named the child I-Khavod [without glory], saying, "The glory has departed from Isra'el"; because the ark of God had been captured, and because of her father-in-law and husband.

22 She said, "The glory of Isra'el has gone into exile, because the ark of God has been captured."

1 Samuel 5

1 The P'lishtim had captured the ark of God and brought it from Even-'Ezer to Ashdod.

2 Then the P'lishtim took the ark of God, brought it to the temple of Dagon and set it next to Dagon.

3 But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod got up, there was Dagon, fallen down with his face to the ground before the ark of ADONAI. They took Dagon and set him in his place again;

4 but early the following morning, when they got up, Dagon was again fallen down with his face to the ground before the ark of ADONAI; this time, the head of Dagon and both hands lay there, severed, on the threshold; all that was left of Dagon was his torso.

5 This is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and those entering his temple never walk on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.

6 ADONAI began oppressing the people of Ashdod; he ravaged them, striking Ashdod and its surrounding area with tumors.

7 When the people of Ashdod came to understand what was happening, they said, "The ark of the God of Isra'el can't remain with us, because he is oppressing us and our god Dagon."

8 They summoned all the leaders of the P'lishtim and asked, "What are we to do with the ark of the God of Isra'el?" They answered, "Have the ark of the God of Isra'el carried to Gat." So they carried the ark of the God of Isra'el to Gat.

9 But after it arrived there, ADONAI oppressed that city, causing terrible panic. He struck the people of the city, great and small alike; tumors broke out on them.

10 Next they sent the ark of God to 'Ekron; but when the ark of God arrived in 'Ekron the 'Ekronim shouted, "Now they've brought the ark of the God of Isra'el to us, to kill us and our people!"

11 So they summoned all the leaders of the P'lishtim and said, "Send the ark of the God of Isra'el away! Let it go back to its own place, so that it won't kill us and our people!"- because death and panic pervaded the whole city; God's oppression was very heavy there.

12 The people who didn't die were struck with the tumors; and the city's cries for help reached the skies.

Psalm 52

1 For the leader. A maskil of David, when Do'eg from Edom came and told Sha'ul, "David has arrived at the house of Achimelekh": Why do you boast of your evil, you tyrant, when God's mercy is present every day?

2 Your tongue, as sharp as a razor, plots destruction and works deception.

3 You love evil more than good, lies rather than speaking uprightly. (Selah)

4 You love all words that eat people up, you deceitful tongue!

5 This is why God will strike you down, seize you, pluck you from your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. (Selah)

6 The righteous will see and be awestruck; they will jeer at him, saying,

7 "This fellow would not make God his refuge, but trusted in his own great wealth, relying on his evil plots."

8 But I am like a leafy olive tree in the house of God; I put my trust in the grace of God forever and ever.

9 I will praise you forever for what you have done, and I will put my hope in your name; for this is what is good in the presence of your faithful.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 23

Acts 28:17-31; 1 Samuel 6-7; Psalm 53 CJB

Acts 28:17-31

17 After three days Sha'ul called a meeting of the local Jewish leaders. When they had gathered, he said to them: "Brothers, although I have done nothing against either our people or the traditions of our fathers, I was made a prisoner in Yerushalayim and handed over to the Romans.

18 They examined me and were ready to release me, because I had done nothing to justify a death sentence.

19 But when the Judeans objected, I was forced to appeal to the Emperor - not that I had any charge to make against my own people.

20 This is why I have asked to see you and speak with you, for it is because of the hope of Isra'el that I have this chain around me."

21 They said to him, "We have not received any letters about you from Y'hudah, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.

22 But we do think it would be appropriate to hear your views from you, yourself; for all we know about this sect is that people everywhere speak against it."

23 So they arranged a day with him and came to his quarters in large numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, giving a thorough witness about the Kingdom of God and making use of both the Torah of Moshe and the Prophets to persuade them about Yeshua.

24 Some were convinced by what he said,

25 while others refused to believe. So they left, disagreeing among themselves, after Sha'ul had made one final statement: "The Ruach HaKodesh spoke well in saying to your fathers through Yesha'yahu the prophet,

26 'Go to this people and say, "You will keep on hearing but never understand, and you will keep on seeing but never perceive,

27 because the heart of this people has grown thick with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, for fear that they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t'shuvah, so that I could heal them."'

28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Goyim, and they will listen!"

29

30 Sha'ul remained two whole years in a place he rented for himself; and he continued receiving all who came to see him,

31 openly and without hindrance proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

1 Samuel 6

1 The ark of ADONAI was in the country of the P'lishtim for seven months.

2 The P'lishtim summoned the priests and soothsayers and asked them, "What are we to do with the ark of ADONAI? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs."

3 They said, "If you do send off the ark of the God of Isra'el, don't send it back empty, but return it with some sort of guilt offering for him. Then you will be cured, and you will learn why he has not stopped oppressing you."

4 They asked, "What kind of guilt offering should we send him?" and they replied, "Five gold models of tumors and five gold rats, because that's how many leaders the P'lishtim have, and you and your leaders all had the same illness.

5 So make models of your tumors and models of your rats that are infesting your land, and show respect to the God of Isra'el. Maybe he will stop oppressing you, your gods and your land.

6 Why be obstinate like the Egyptians and Pharaoh were? When he had done his work among them, didn't they let the people go? - and they left.

7 Now take and prepare yourselves a new cart and two milk-cows that have never been under a yoke. Harness the cows to the cart, but put their calves back in the shed.

8 Then take the ark of ADONAI and lay it on the cart. In a box next to it, put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Then send it away to go off by itself,

9 but watch to see if it goes up the road to Beit-Shemesh in its own territory. If it does, he is responsible for this great tragedy; if not, we will know that it is not his oppression which has been over us, but that what has been happening to us has been only by chance."

10 The men did it. They took two milk-cows, harnessed them to the cart and confined their calves to the shed.

11 Then they put the ark on the cart, along with the box containing the gold rats and the models of their tumors.

12 The cows made straight for the road to Beit-Shemesh and took that route, mooing as they went and turning off neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the P'lishtim followed them as far as the border of Beit-Shemesh.

13 The people of Beit-Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley when they looked up and saw the ark. They were so happy to see it!

14 The cart entered the field of Y'hoshua the Beit-Shimshi and stood there by a big rock. They cut up the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a burnt offering to ADONAI.

15 Then the L'vi'im removed the ark of ADONAI and the box that was with it, which contained the gold objects, and put them on the big rock. That same day the men of Beit-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to ADONAI.

16 Upon seeing this, the five leaders of the P'lishtim returned that day to 'Ekron.

17 The gold tumors which the P'lishtim sent back as a guilt offering for ADONAI were one each for Ashdod, 'Azah, Ashkelon, Gat and 'Ekron;

18 and the gold rats also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the P'lishtim that belonged to the five leaders - fortified cities and country villages. [The rock] is a witness to this day of the great mourning [which resulted from] putting the ark of ADONAI on it in the field of Y'hoshua the Beit-Shimshi;

19 for [ADONAI] struck the people of Beit-Shemesh for looking at the ark of ADONAI. He killed 50,070 of the people; the people mourned because ADONAI had struck them with such a terrible slaughter.

20 The people of Beit-Shemesh asked, "Who can stand before ADONAI, this holy God? To whom can we send it, to get it away from us?"

21 They sent messengers to the people living in Kiryat-Ye'arim with this message: "The P'lishtim have returned the ark of ADONAI. Come down and bring it back up with you."

1 Samuel 7

1 So the men of Kiryat-Ye'arim came and brought back the ark of ADONAI. They took it to the home of Avinadav on the hill and appointed his son El'azar to guard the ark of ADONAI.

2 From the day that the ark arrived in Kiryat-Ye'arim a long time elapsed, twenty years; and all the people of Isra'el yearned for ADONAI.

3 Sh'mu'el addressed all the people of Isra'el; he said: "If you are returning to ADONAI with all your heart, then be done with the foreign gods and 'ashtarot that you have with you, and direct your hearts to ADONAI. If you will serve only him, he will rescue you from the power of the P'lishtim."

4 So the people of Isra'el banished the ba'alim and the 'ashtarot and served only ADONAI.

5 Sh'mu'el said, "Gather all Isra'el to Mitzpah, and I will pray for you to ADONAI."

6 So they gathered together at Mitzpah, drew water and poured it out before ADONAI, fasted that day, and said there, "We have sinned against ADONAI." Sh'mu'el began serving as judge over the people of Isra'el at Mitzpah.

7 When the P'lishtim heard that the people of Isra'el had gathered together at Mitzpah, the leaders of the P'lishtim marched up against Isra'el; and when the people of Isra'el heard about this, they were afraid of the P'lishtim.

8 The people of Isra'el said to Sh'mu'el, "Don't stop crying out to ADONAI our God for us, to save us from the power of the P'lishtim."

9 Sh'mu'el took a baby lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to ADONAI. Then Sh'mu'el cried to ADONAI for Isra'el, and ADONAI answered him.

10 As Sh'mu'el was presenting the burnt offering, the P'lishtim advanced to attack Isra'el. But this time, ADONAI thundered violently over the P'lishtim, throwing them into such confusion that they were struck down before Isra'el.

11 The men of Isra'el went out from Mitzpah, pursuing the P'lishtim and attacking them all the way to Beit-Kar.

12 Sh'mu'el took a stone, placed it between Mitzpah and Shen, and gave it the name Even-'Ezer [stone of help], explaining, "ADONAI has helped us until now."

13 Thus the P'lishtim were humbled, so that they no longer entered Isra'el's territory; and the hand of ADONAI was against the P'lishtim as long as Sh'mu'el lived.

14 The cities between 'Ekron and Gat which the P'lishtim had captured from Isra'el were restored to Isra'el, and Isra'el rescued all this territory from the power of the P'lishtim. There was also peace between Isra'el and the Emori.

15 Sh'mu'el continued in office as judge of Isra'el as long as he lived.

16 Year by year he would travel in a circuit that included Beit-El, Gilgal and Mitzpah; and in all these places he served as judge over Isra'el.

17 Then he would return to Ramah, because that's where his home was, and he would judge Isra'el there too. He also built an altar there to ADONAI.

Psalm 53

1 For the leader. On machalat. A maskil of David: A brutish fool tells himself, "There isn't any God."Such people are depraved, all their deeds are vile, not one of them does what is good.

2 God looks out from heaven upon the human race to see if even one is wise, if even one seeks God.

3 Every one of them is unclean, altogether corrupt; not one of them does what is good, not a single one.

4 Won't these evildoers ever learn? They devour my people as if they were eating bread, and they never call on God!

5 They will be gripped with terror, even though now they are not afraid; for God will scatter the bones of him who is besieging you. You are putting them to shame, because God has rejected them.

6 If only salvation for Isra'el would come out of Tziyon! When God restores his people's fortunes, what joy for Ya'akov! what gladness for Isra'el!

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 24

Romans 1:1-15; 1 Samuel 8; Psalm 54 CJB

Romans 1:1-15

1 From: Sha'ul, a slave of the Messiah Yeshua, an emissary because I was called and set apart for the Good News of God.

2 God promised this Good News in advance through his prophets in the Tanakh.

3 It concerns his Son - he is descended from David physically;

4 he was powerfully demonstrated to be Son of God spiritually, set apart by his having been resurrected from the dead; he is Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.

5 Through him we received grace and were given the work of being an emissary on his behalf promoting trust-grounded obedience among all the Gentiles,

6 including you, who have been called by Yeshua the Messiah.

7 To: All those in Rome whom God loves, who have been called, who have been set apart for him: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

8 First, I thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah for all of you, because the report of your trust is spreading throughout the whole world.

9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by spreading the Good News about his Son, is my witness that I regularly remember you

10 in my prayers; and I always pray that somehow, now or in the future, I might, by God's will, succeed in coming to visit you.

11 For I long to see you, so that I might share with you some spiritual gift that can make you stronger -

12 or, to put it another way, so that by my being with you, we might, through the faith we share, encourage one another.

13 Brothers, I want you to know that although I have been prevented from visiting you until now, I have often planned to do so, in order that I might have some fruit among you, just as I have among the other Gentiles.

14 I owe a debt to both civilized Greeks and uncivilized people, to both the educated and the ignorant;

15 therefore I am eager to proclaim the Good News also to you who live in Rome.

1 Samuel 8

1 When Sh'mu'el grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Isra'el.

2 His firstborn was named Yo'el, while his second son was named Aviyah; they were judges in Be'er-Sheva.

3 However, his sons did not follow his way of life; they turned off it to pursue riches, so that they would take bribes to distort justice.

4 All the leaders of Isra'el gathered themselves together, approached Sh'mu'el in Ramah

5 and said to him, "Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

6 Sh'mu'el was not pleased to hear them say, "Give us a king to judge us"; so he prayed to ADONAI.

7 ADONAI said to Sh'mu'el, "Listen to the people, to everything they say to you; for it is not you they are rejecting; they are rejecting me; they don't want me to be king over them.

8 They are doing to you exactly what they have been doing to me, from the day I brought them out of Egypt until today, by abandoning me and serving other gods.

9 So do what they say, but give them a sober warning, telling them what kinds of rulings their king will make."

10 Sh'mu'el reported everything ADONAI had said to the people asking him for a king.

11 He said, "Here is the kind of rulings your king will make: he will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots.

12 He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

13 He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks and bakers.

14 He will expropriate your fields, vineyards and olive groves - the very best of them! - and hand them over to his servants.

15 He will take the ten-percent tax of your crops and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants.

16 He will take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him.

17 He will take the ten-percent tax of your flocks, and you will become his servants.

18 When that happens, you will cry out on account of your king, whom you yourselves chose. But when that happens, ADONAI will not answer you!"

19 However, the people refused to listen to what Sh'mu'el told them, and they said, "No! We want a king over us,

20 so that we can be like all the nations, with our king to judge us, lead us and fight our battles."

21 Sh'mu'el heard everything the people said and repeated them for ADONAI to hear.

22 ADONAI said to Sh'mu'el, "Do what they ask, and set up a king for them." So Sh'mu'el told the men of Isra'el, "Each of you, return to his city."

Psalm 54

1 For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David, when the Zifim came and told Sha'ul, "David is hiding with us": God, deliver me by your name; in your power, vindicate me.

2 God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth.

3 For foreigners are rising against me, violent men are seeking my life; they give no thought to God. (Selah)

4 But God is helping me; Adonai is my support.

5 May he repay the evil to those who are lying in wait for me. In your faithfulness, destroy them!

6 Then I will generously sacrifice to you; I will praise your name, ADONAI, because it is good,

7 because he rescued me from all trouble, and my eyes look with triumph at my enemies.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading May 25 Romans 1:16-32; 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16; Psalm 55 CJB Romans 1:16-32 16 For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is God's powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile. 17 For in it is revealed how God makes people righteous in his sight; and from beginning to end it is through trust - as the Tanakh puts it, "But the person who is righteous will live his life by trust." 18 What is revealed is God's anger from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth; 19 because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them. 20 For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities - both his eternal power and his divine nature - have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; 21 because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! 23 In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles! 24 This is why God has given them up to the vileness of their hearts' lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other's bodies. 25 They have exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, by worshipping and serving created things, rather than the Creator - praised be he for ever. Amen. 26 This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; 27 and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion. 28 In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things. 29 They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarrelling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; 31 they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. 32 They know well enough God's righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die; yet not only do they keep doing them, but they applaud others who do the same. 1 Samuel 9 1 There was a man from Binyamin named Kish the son of Avi'el, the son of Tz'ror, the son of B'khorat, the son of Afiach, the son of a man from Binyamin. He was a man of substance and brave as well. 2 He had a son named Sha'ul who was young and good-looking; among the people of Isra'el there was no one better-looking than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else in Isra'el. 3 Once the donkeys belonging to Kish Sha'ul's father got lost. Kish said to his son Sha'ul, "Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys." 4 He went through the hills of Efrayim and the territory of Shalishah, but they didn't find them. Then they went through the territory of Sha'alim, but they weren't there. They went through the territory of Binyamin but didn't find them there either. 5 On reaching the territory of Tzuf, Sha'ul said to his servant with him, "Come, let's go back; otherwise my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us." 6 His servant replied, "Here now, there's a man of God in this city, a man who is highly respected, and everything he says proves true. Let's go to him; maybe he can tell us something about where we should go." 7 "But look," Sha'ul said to his servant, "if we go to the man, what can we bring him? We've used up all the bread in our packs, and there's nothing for us to give the man of God - what do we have left?" 8 The servant replied again to Sha'ul: "See, I have here in my hand a silver quarter-shekel [one-tenth of an ounce]. I will give it to the man of God to tell us which way to go." 9 (In Isra'el, back in the old days, when someone went to consult God, he would say, "Come, let's go to the seer"; because a person now called a prophet used to be called a seer.) 10 "Well said," Sha'ul answered his servant. "Come on, let's go." So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 Ascending the slope to the town they found girls going out to draw water and asked them, "Is the seer here?" 12 The girls answered them, "He's here, he's right ahead of you. Hurry now, he just came into the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at the high place. 13 Find him as soon as you enter the city, before he goes up to the high place to eat; because the people won't eat until he comes and blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards, the ones invited will eat. So go on up, because this is when you will find him." 14 They went up to the city; and as they entered the city, there was Sh'mu'el coming out toward them to go up to the high place. 15 The day before Sha'ul arrived, ADONAI had given Sh'mu'el a revelation: 16 "Tomorrow at about this time I will send you a man from the territory of Binyamin. You are to anoint him prince over my people Isra'el. He will save my people from the power of the P'lishtim, because I have seen my people's situation, and their cry of distress has come to me." 17 When Sh'mu'el saw Sha'ul, ADONAI said to him, "Here is the man I told you about, the one who is going to govern my people." 18 Sha'ul approached Sh'mu'el in the gateway and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." 19 Sh'mu'el answered Sha'ul, "I'm the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, because you are going to dine with me today. In the morning, I will let you leave; and I will tell you everything that is on your heart. 20 As for your donkeys that got lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they've been found. Now, who is it that all Isra'el wants? Isn't it you, and all your father's household?" 21 Sha'ul replied, "I'm only a man from Binyamin, the smallest tribe in Isra'el; and my family is the least important of all the families in the tribe of Binyamin! Why are you saying such a thing to me?" 22 Sh'mu'el took Sha'ul and his servant, brought them into the room and had them sit in the place reserved for the most important of the invited guests, who numbered about thirty persons. 23 Sh'mu'el instructed the cook, "Serve the portion I gave you and told you to set aside." 24 The cook took the thigh and the adjoining meat and served it to Sha'ul. Sh'mu'el said, "Here, this is what remains! Put it in front of you and eat - it was kept especially for you until the right time; because I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Sha'ul dined with Sh'mu'el that day. 25 On coming down from the high place to the city, he spoke with Sha'ul on the roof. 26 They got up early. About daybreak, Sh'mu'el called out to Sha'ul on the roof, "Get up, so I can send you on your way." Sha'ul got up, and both of them -he and Sh'mu'el - went out. 27 As they were going down, at the edge of the city, Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead"; so the servant went on. "But you, stand still now, because I want you to hear what God has said." 1 Samuel 10:1-16 1 Then Sh'mu'el took a flask of oil he had prepared and poured it on Sha'ul's head. He kissed him and said, "ADONAI has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance. 2 After you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel's Tomb, in the territory of Binyamin at Tzeltzah. They will tell you that the donkeys you were searching for have been found, and that your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is anxious over you and asking, 'What am I to do about my son?'" 3 Go on from there, and you will come to the Oak of Tavor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to God at Beit-El. One of them will be carrying three kids, another three loaves of bread and the third a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you are to accept from them. 5 After that, you will come to Giv'ah of God, where the P'lishtim are garrisoned. On arrival at the city there, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lutes, tambourines, flutes and lyres; and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you; you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man! 7 When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you. 8 Then you are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, and there I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and present sacrifices as peace offerings. Wait there seven days, until I come to you and tell you what to do." 9 As it happened, as soon as he had turned his back to leave Sh'mu'el, God gave him another heart; and all those signs took place that day. 10 When they arrived at the hill, and there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on him and he prophesied along with them. 11 When those who knew him from before saw him there, prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What's happened to Kish's son? Is Sha'ul a prophet, too?" 12 Someone in the crowd answered, "Must prophets' fathers be special?" So it became an expression -"Is Sha'ul a prophet, too?" 13 When he had finished prophesying, he arrived at the high place. 14 Sha'ul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" He answered, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they hadn't been found, we went to Sh'mu'el." 15 "Tell me, please," said Sha'ul's uncle, "what Sh'mu'el said to you." 16 Sha'ul answered his uncle, "He told us that the donkeys had been found," but said nothing to him about the matter of his being made king. Psalm 55 1 For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David: Listen, God, to my prayer! Don't hide yourself from my plea! 2 Pay attention to me, and answer me! I am panic-stricken as I make my complaint, I shudder 3 at how the enemy shouts, at how the wicked oppress; for they keep heaping trouble on me and angrily tormenting me. 4 My heart within me is pounding in anguish, the terrors of death press down on me, 5 fear and trembling overwhelm me, horror covers me. 6 I said, "I wish I had wings like a dove! Then I could fly away and be at rest. 7 Yes, I would flee to a place far off, I would stay in the desert. (Selah) 8 I would quickly find me a shelter from the raging wind and storm." 9 Confuse, Adonai, confound their speech! For I see violence and fighting in the city. 10 Day and night they go about its walls; within are malice and mischief. 11 Ruin is rife within it, oppression and fraud never leave its streets. 12 For it was not an enemy who insulted me; if it had been, I could have borne it. It was not my adversary who treated me with scorn; if it had been, I could have hidden myself. 13 But it was you, a man of my own kind, my companion, whom I knew well. 14 We used to share our hearts with each other; in the house of God we walked with the crowd. 15 May he put death on them; let them go down alive to Sh'ol; for evil is in their homes and also in their hearts. 16 But I will call on God, and ADONAI will save me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I complain and moan; but he hears my voice. 18 He redeems me and gives me peace, so that no one can come near me. For there were many who fought me. 19 God will hear and will humble them, yes, he who has sat on his throne from the start. (Selah) For they never change, and they don't fear God. 20 [My companion] attacked those who were at peace with him; he broke his solemn word. 21 What he said sounded smoother than butter, but his heart was at war. His words seemed more soothing than oil, but in fact they were sharp swords. 22 Unload your burden on ADONAI, and he will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But you will bring them down, God, into the deepest pit. Those men, so bloodthirsty and treacherous, will not live out half their days. But for my part, [ADONAI,] I put my trust in you.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 26

Romans 2:1-3:8; 1 Samuel 10:17-11:15; Psalm 56 CJB

Romans 2

1 Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, passing judgment; for when you judge someone else, you are passing judgment against yourself; since you who are judging do the same things he does.

2 We know that God's judgment lands impartially on those who do such things;

3 do you think that you, a mere man passing judgment on others who do such things, yet doing them yourself, will escape the judgment of God?

4 Or perhaps you despise the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience; because you don't realize that God's kindness is intended to lead you to turn from your sins.

5 But by your stubbornness, by your unrepentant heart, you are storing up anger for yourself on the Day of Anger, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed;

6 for he will pay back each one according to his deeds.

7 To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life.

8 But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger.

9 Yes, he will pay back misery and anguish to every human being who does evil, to the Jew first, then to the Gentile;

10 but glory and honor and shalom to everyone who keeps doing what is good, to the Jew first, then to the Gentile.

11 For God does not show favoritism.

12 All who have sinned outside the framework of Torah will die outside the framework of Torah; and all who have sinned within the framework of Torah will be judged by Torah.

13 For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom God considers righteous; rather, it is the doers of what Torah says who will be made righteous in God's sight.

14 For whenever Gentiles, who have no Torah, do naturally what the Torah requires, then these, even though they don't have Torah, for themselves are Torah!

15 For their lives show that the conduct the Torah dictates is written in their hearts. Their consciences also bear witness to this, for their conflicting thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them

16 on a day when God passes judgment on people's inmost secrets. (According to the Good News as I proclaim it, he does this through the Messiah Yeshua.)

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rest on Torah and boast about God

18 and know his will and give your approval to what is right, because you have been instructed from the Torah;

19 and if you have persuaded yourself that you are a guide to the blind, a light in the darkness,

20 an instructor for the spiritually unaware and a teacher of children, since in the Torah you have the embodiment of knowledge and truth;

21 then, you who teach others, don't you teach yourself? Preaching, "Thou shalt not steal," do you steal?

22 Saying, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? Detesting idols, do you commit idolatrous acts?

23 You who take such pride in Torah, do you, by disobeying the Torah, dishonor God? -

24 as it says in the Tanakh, "For it is because of you that God's name is blasphemed by the Goyim."

25 For circumcision is indeed of value if you do what Torah says. But if you are a transgressor of Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision!

26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the Torah, won't his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?

27 Indeed, the man who is physically uncircumcised but obeys the Torah will stand as a judgment on you who have had a b'rit-milah and have Torah written out but violate it!

28 For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical.

29 On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.

Romans 3:1-8

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? What is the value of being circumcised?

2 Much in every way! In the first place, the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God.

3 If some of them were unfaithful, so what? Does their faithlessness cancel God's faithfulness?

4 Heaven forbid! God would be true even if everyone were a liar! - as the Tanakh says, "so that you, God, may be proved right in your words and win the verdict when you are put on trial."g

5 Now if our unrighteousness highlights God's righteousness, what should we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict his anger on us? (I am speaking here the way people commonly do.)

6 Heaven forbid! Else, how could God judge the world?

7 "But," you say, "if, through my lie, God's truth is enhanced and brings him greater glory, why am I still judged merely for being a sinner?"

8 Indeed! Why not say (as some people slander us by claiming we do say), "Let us do evil, so that good may come of it"? Against them the judgment is a just one!

1 Samuel 10

1 Then Sh'mu'el took a flask of oil he had prepared and poured it on Sha'ul's head. He kissed him and said, "ADONAI has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance.

2 After you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel's Tomb, in the territory of Binyamin at Tzeltzah. They will tell you that the donkeys you were searching for have been found, and that your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is anxious over you and asking, 'What am I to do about my son?'"

3 Go on from there, and you will come to the Oak of Tavor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to God at Beit-El. One of them will be carrying three kids, another three loaves of bread and the third a skin of wine.

4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you are to accept from them.

5 After that, you will come to Giv'ah of God, where the P'lishtim are garrisoned. On arrival at the city there, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lutes, tambourines, flutes and lyres; and they will be prophesying.

6 Then the Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you; you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man!

7 When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you.

8 Then you are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, and there I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and present sacrifices as peace offerings. Wait there seven days, until I come to you and tell you what to do."

9 As it happened, as soon as he had turned his back to leave Sh'mu'el, God gave him another heart; and all those signs took place that day.

10 When they arrived at the hill, and there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on him and he prophesied along with them.

11 When those who knew him from before saw him there, prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What's happened to Kish's son? Is Sha'ul a prophet, too?"

12 Someone in the crowd answered, "Must prophets' fathers be special?" So it became an expression -"Is Sha'ul a prophet, too?"

13 When he had finished prophesying, he arrived at the high place.

14 Sha'ul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" He answered, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they hadn't been found, we went to Sh'mu'el."

15 "Tell me, please," said Sha'ul's uncle, "what Sh'mu'el said to you."

16 Sha'ul answered his uncle, "He told us that the donkeys had been found," but said nothing to him about the matter of his being made king.

17 Sh'mu'el summoned the people to ADONAI in Mitzpah.

18 He said to the people of Isra'el, "Here is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'I brought Isra'el up from Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

19 But today you have rejected your God, who himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to him, 'No! Put a king over us!' So now, present yourselves before ADONAI by your tribes and families."

20 So Sh'mu'el had all the tribes come forward, and the tribe of Binyamin was chosen.

21 He had the tribe of Binyamin come forward by families, and the family of the Matri was chosen, and Sha'ul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he couldn't be found.

22 They asked ADONAI, "Has the man come here?"ADONAI answered, "There he is, hiding, in among the equipment."

23 They ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people he was head and shoulders taller than anyone around.

24 Sh'mu'el said to all the people, "Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?"Then all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

25 Sh'mu'el told the people what kinds of rulings should be made in the kingdom, then wrote it on a scroll and set it down before ADONAI. After that, he sent all the people away, everyone to his own home.

26 Sha'ul too went home to Giv'ah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts God had touched.

27 True, there were some scoundrels who said, "How can this man save us?"They showed him no respect and brought him no gift, but he held his peace.

1 Samuel 11

1 Then Nachash the 'Amoni came up and set up camp to fight Yavesh-Gil'ad. All the men of Yavesh said to Nachash, "If you will make a treaty with us, we will be your subjects."

2 Nachash the 'Amoni replied, "I'll do it on this condition: that all your right eyes be gouged out and thus bring disgrace on all of Isra'el."

3 The leaders of Yavesh answered him, "Give us seven days' grace to send messengers throughout Isra'el's territory; then, if no one will rescue us, we will surrender to you."

4 The messengers came to Giv'ah, where Sha'ul lived, and said these words in the hearing of the people; and all the people cried out and wept.

5 As this was going on, Sha'ul came, following the oxen out of the field. Sha'ul asked, "What's wrong with the people to make them cry like that?"They told him what the men from Yavesh had said.

6 The Spirit of God fell on Sha'ul when he heard this; blazing furiously with anger,

7 he seized a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces; then he sent them throughout the territory of Isra'el with messengers saying, "Anyone who doesn't come and follow Sha'ul and Sh'mu'el, this is what will be done to his oxen!"The fear of ADONAI fell on the people, and they came out with united hearts.

8 He reviewed them in Bezek; there were 300,000 from the people of Isra'el; the men of Y'hudah numbered 30,000.

9 To the messengers that had come they said, "Tell the men of Yavesh-Gil'ad, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have been rescued.'"The messengers returned and told the men of Yavesh; they were overjoyed.

10 Then the men of Yavesh said [to Nachash], "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do with us whatever you like."

11 The next day Sha'ul divided the people into three companies. Then they entered the camp of the 'Amoni during the morning watch and kept attacking until the heat of the day, until those who remained were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

12 The people said to Sh'mu'el, "Who are the men who said, 'Is Sha'ul to rule over us?' Hand them over to us, so we can put them to death."

13 But Sha'ul said, "No one will be put to death today, because today ADONAI has rescued Isra'el."

14 Then Sh'mu'el said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal and inaugurate the kingship there.

15 So all the people went to Gilgal; and there in Gilgal, before ADONAI, they made Sha'ul king. They presented sacrifices as peace offerings before ADONAI there, and there Sha'ul and all the people of Isra'el celebrated with great joy.

Psalm 56

1 For the leader. Set to "The Silent Dove in the Distance." By David; a mikhtam, when the P'lishtim captured him in Gat: Show me favor, God; for people are trampling me down -all day they fight and press on me.

2 Those who are lying in wait for me would trample on me all day. For those fighting against me are many. Most High,

3 when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

4 In God - I praise his word -in God I trust; I have no fear; what can human power do to me?

5 All day long they twist my words; their only thought is to harm me.

6 They gather together and hide themselves, spying on my movements, hoping to kill me.

7 Because of their crime, they cannot escape; in anger, God, strike down the peoples.

8 You have kept count of my wanderings; store my tears in your water-skin -aren't they already recorded in your book?

9 Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; this I know: that God is for me.

10 In God - I praise his word -in ADONAI - I praise his word -

11 in God I trust; I have no fear; what can mere humans do to me?

12 God, I have made vows to you; I will fulfill them with thank offerings to you.

13 For you rescued me from death, you kept my feet from stumbling, so that I can walk in God's presence, in the light of life.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 27

Romans 3:9-31; 1 Samuel 12; Psalm 57 CJB

Romans 3:9-31

9 So are we Jews better off? Not entirely; for I have already made the charge that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are controlled by sin.

10 As the Tanakh puts it, "There is no one righteous, not even one! No one understands,

11 no one seeks God,

12 all have turned away and at the same time become useless; there is no one who shows kindness, not a single one!

13 "Their throats are open graves, they use their tongues to deceive. Vipers' venom is under their lips.

14 Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.

15 "Their feet rush to shed blood,

16 in their ways are ruin and misery,

17 and the way of shalom they do not know.

18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

19 Moreover, we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those living within the framework of the Torah, in order that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be shown to deserve God's adverse judgment.

20 For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteousn on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are.

21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well -

22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile,

23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise.

24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua.

25 God put Yeshua forward as the kapparah for sin through his faithfulness in respect to his bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God's righteousness; because, in his forbearance, he had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past;

26 and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua's faithfulness.

27 So what room is left for boasting? None at all! What kind of Torah excludes it? One that has to do with legalistic observance of rules? No, rather, a Torah that has to do with trusting.

28 Therefore, we hold the view that a person comes to be considered righteous by God on the ground of trusting, which has nothing to do with legalistic observance of Torah commands.

29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is indeed the God of the Gentiles;

30 because, as you will admit, God is one. Therefore, he will consider righteous the circumcised on the ground of trusting and the uncircumcised through that same trusting.

31 Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, we confirm Torah.

1 Samuel 12

1 Sh'mu'el said to all Isra'el, "Here, I have done everything you asked me to do -I have made a king over you.

2 There is the king, walking ahead of you; but I am old and gray-headed. There are my sons with you, and I have walked at your head from when I was a boy until today.

3 So here I am; now is the time to witness against me before ADONAI and before his anointed king. Does any of you think I have taken your ox or donkey, defrauded or oppressed you, or accepted a bribe to deprive you of justice? Tell me, and I will restore it to you."

4 They answered, "You haven't defrauded or oppressed us, and you have accepted nothing from anyone."

5 He said, "ADONAI is witness against you, and his anointed king is witness against you today, that you have found nothing in my hands?" They replied, "He is witness."

6 Sh'mu'el said to the people, "It was ADONAI who appointed Moshe and Aharon and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.

7 Now, hold still; because I am going to enter into judgment with you before ADONAI regarding all the righteous acts of ADONAI that he did for you and your ancestors.

8 "After Ya'akov had entered Egypt, your ancestors cried to ADONAI; and ADONAI sent Moshe and Aharon, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and had them live here in this place.

9 But they forgot ADONAI their God; so he handed them over to Sisra, commander of the army of Hatzor, and to the P'lishtim, and to the king of Mo'av; and they fought against them.

10 But they cried to ADONAI and said, 'We sinned by abandoning ADONAI and serving the ba'alim and 'ashtarot. But now, if you rescue us from the power of our enemies, we will serve you.'

11 So ADONAI sent Yeruba'al, B'dan, Yiftach and Sh'mu'el and rescued you from the power of our enemies on every side, and you lived securely.

12 When you saw that Nachash the king of the people of 'Amon was attacking you, you said to me, "No, we want a king to rule over us"- when ADONAI your God was your king.

13 Now, here's the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. See, ADONAI has put a king over you.

14 If you will fear ADONAI, serve him, obey what he says and not rebel against ADONAI's orders - if both you and the king ruling you remain followers of ADONAI your God - [then things will go well for you.]

15 But if you refuse to obey what ADONAI says and rebel against ADONAI's orders, then ADONAI will oppress both you and your leaders.

16 "Now therefore, hold still; and see the great deed which ADONAI will perform before your very eyes.

17 Now is wheat harvest time, isn't it? I am going to call on ADONAI to send thunder and rain. Then you will understand and see how wicked from

18 Sh'mu'elADONAI's viewpoint is the thing you have done in asking for a king."called to ADONAI, and ADONAI sent thunder and rain that day. Then all the people became very much afraid of ADONAI and Sh'mu'el.

19 All the people said to Sh'mu'el, "Pray to ADONAI your God for your servants, so that we won't die; because to all our other sins now we've added this evil as well, asking for a king over us."

20 Sh'mu'el answered the people, "Don't be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet now, just don't turn away from following ADONAI; but serve ADONAI with all your heart.

21 Don't turn to the side; because then you would go after useless things that can neither help nor rescue, they are so futile.

22 For the sake of his great reputation, ADONAI will not abandon his people; because it has pleased ADONAI to make you a people for himself.

23 As for me, far be it from me to sin against ADONAI by ceasing to pray for you! Rather, I will continue instructing you in the good and right way.

24 Only fear ADONAI, and serve him faithfully with all your heart; for think what great things he has done for you!

25 However, if you insist on doing wicked things, you will be swept away - both you and your king!"

Psalm 57

1 For the leader. Set to "Do Not Destroy." By David, a mikhtam, when he fled from Sha'ul into the cave: Show me favor, God, show me favor; for in you I have taken refuge. Yes, I will find refuge in the shadow of your wings until the storms have passed.

2 I call to God, the Most High, to God, who is accomplishing his purpose for me.

3 He will send from heaven and save me when those who would trample me down mock me. (Selah) God will send his grace and his truth.

4 I am surrounded by lions, I am lying down among people breathing fire, men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongues sharp-edged swords.

5 Be exalted, God, above heaven! May your glory be over all the earth!

6 They prepared a snare for my feet, but I am bending over [to avoid it]. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it themselves. (Selah)

7 My heart is steadfast, God, steadfast. I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my glory! Awake, lyre and lute! I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will thank you, Adonai, among the peoples; I will make music to you among the nations.

10 For your grace is great, all the way to heaven, and your truth, all the way to the skies.

11 Be exalted, God, above heaven! May your glory be over all the earth!

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 28

Romans 4; 1 Samuel 13; Psalm 58 CJB

Romans 4

1 Then what should we say Avraham, our forefather, obtained by his own efforts?

2 For if Avraham came to be considered righteous by God because of legalistic observances, then he has something to boast about. But this is not how it is before God!

3 For what does the Tanakh say? "Avraham put his trust in God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness."p

4 Now the account of someone who is working is credited not on the ground of grace but on the ground of what is owed him.

5 However, in the case of one who is not working but rather is trusting in him who makes ungodly people righteous, his trust is credited to him as righteousness.

6 In the same way, the blessing which David pronounces is on those whom God credits with righteousness apart from legalistic observances:

7 "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered over;

8 Blessed is the man whose sin ADONAI will not reckon against his account."

9 Now is this blessing for the circumcised only? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say that Avraham's trust was credited to his account as righteousness;

10 but what state was he in when it was so credited - circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision!

11 In fact, he received circumcision as a sign, as a seal of the righteousness he had been credited with on the ground of the trust he had while he was still uncircumcised. This happened so that he could be the father of every uncircumcised person who trusts and thus has righteousness credited to him,

12 and at the same time be the father of every circumcised person who not only has had a b'rit-milah, but also follows in the footsteps of the trust which Avraham avinu had when he was still uncircumcised.

13 For the promise to Avraham and his seedr that he would inherit the world did not come through legalism but through the righteousness that trust produces.

14 For if the heirs are produced by legalism, then trust is pointless and the promise worthless.

15 For what law brings is punishment. But where there is no law, there is also no violation.

16 The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God's free gift, a promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with the kind of trust Avraham had - Avraham avinu for all of us.

17 This accords with the Tanakh, where it says, "I have appointed you to be a father to many nations." Avraham is our father in God's sight because he trusted God as the one who gives life to the dead and calls nonexistent things into existence.

18 For he was past hope, yet in hope he trusted that he would indeed become a father to many nations, in keeping with what he had been told, "So many will your seed be."

19 His trust did not waver when he considered his own body - which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old - or when he considered that Sarah's womb was dead too.

20 He did not by lack of trust decide against God's promises. On the contrary, by trust he was given power as he gave glory to God,

21 for he was fully convinced that what God had promised he could also accomplish.

22 This is why it was credited to his account as righteousness.

23 But the words, "it was credited to his account . . . ," were not written for him only.

24 They were written also for us, who will certainly have our account credited too, because we have trusted in him who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead -

25 Yeshua, who was delivered over to death because of our offences and raised to life in order to make us righteous.

1 Samuel 13

1 Sha'ul was - years old when he began his reign, and he had ruled Isra'el for two years,

2 when he chose three thousand of Isra'el's men. Two thousand of them were with Sha'ul in Mikhmas and in the hills of Beit-El, and a thousand were with Y'honatan in Giv'at-Binyamin. The rest of the people he sent back to their respective tents.

3 Y'honatan assassinated the governor of the P'lishtim in Geva. The P'lishtim heard of it; so Sha'ul had the shofar sounded throughout the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

4 All Isra'el heard that Sha'ul had assassinated the governor of the P'lishtim and thus made Isra'el a stench in the nostrils of the P'lishtim. So the people rallied behind Sha'ul in Gilgal;

5 while the P'lishtim assembled themselves together to make war on Isra'el - 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and an army as large as the number of sand grains on the seashore. They came up and pitched camp at Mikhmas, east of Beit-Aven.

6 The men of Isra'el saw that their options were limited and that the people felt so hard pressed that they were hiding themselves in caves, thickets, crevices, watchtowers and cisterns;

7 while some of the Hebrews crossed the Yarden to the territory of Gad and Gil'ad. But Sha'ul was still in Gilgal, where all the people were eager to follow him.

8 He waited seven days, as Sh'mu'el had instructed; but Sh'mu'el didn't come to Gilgal; so the army began to drift away from him.

9 Sha'ul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings," and he offered the burnt offering.

10 As soon as he had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there was Sh'mu'el -he had come, and Sha'ul went out to meet and greet him.

11 Sh'mu'el said, "What have you done?" Sha'ul answered, "I saw that the army was drifting away from me, that you hadn't come during the time appointed The Hebrew text lacks the number. and that the P'lishtim had assembled at Mikhmas.

12 I said, 'Now the P'lishtim will fall on me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the favor of ADONAI,' so I forced myself and offered the burnt offering."

13 Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "You did a foolish thing. You didn't observe the mitzvah of ADONAI, which he gave you. If you had, ADONAI would have set up your kingship over Isra'el forever.

14 But as it is, your kingship will not be established. ADONAI has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and ADONAI has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you did not observe what ADONAI ordered you to do."

15 Then Sh'mu'el left Gilgal and went up to Giv'at-Binyamin. Sha'ul counted how many were still there with him, about 600 men.

16 Sha'ul, Y'honatan his son and the men with him took up quarters at Giv'at-Binyamin, while the P'lishtim remained in camp at Mikhmas.

17 Then raiding parties began coming out from the camp of the P'lishtim, three of them: one group turned toward the road leading to 'Ofrah in the territory of Shu'al;

18 another group took the road toward Beit-Horon; and another company took the road toward the desert through the territory overlooking Vadi Tzvo'im.

19 Now there was no metalsmith to be found anywhere in all the land of Isra'el, because the P'lishtim had said, "We don't want the Hebrews making themselves swords or spears."

20 So whenever any of the people of Isra'el wanted to sharpen his hoe, plowshare, axe or pick, he had to go down to the P'lishtim,

21 where the exorbitant prices were two-thirds of a shekel for filing a pick or plowshare and one-third of a shekel for filing an axe or setting an oxgoad in its handle.

22 Thus when the time came to fight, no one in the army of Sha'ul and Y'honatan was equipped with either sword or spear; although Sha'ul and Y'honatan his son did have them.

23 A garrison of the P'lishtim had gone out to the pass of Mikhmas.

Psalm 58

1 For the leader. Set to "Do Not Destroy." By David, a mikhtam: [Rulers,] does your silence really speak justice? Are you judging people fairly?

2 [No!] In your hearts you devise wrongs, your hands dispense violence in the land.

3 From the womb, the wicked are estranged, liars on the wrong path since birth.

4 Their venom is like snake's venom; they are like a serpent that stops its ears,

5 so as not to hear the voice of the charmer, no matter how well he plays.

6 God, break their teeth in their mouth! Shatter the fangs of these lions, ADONAI!

7 May they vanish like water that drains away. May their arrows be blunted when they aim their bows.

8 May they be like a slug that melts as it moves, like a stillborn baby that never sees the sun.

9 Before your cook-pots feel the heat of the burning thorns, may he blow them away, green and blazing alike.

10 The righteous will rejoice to see vengeance done, they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked;

11 and people will say, "Yes, the righteous are rewarded; there is, after all, a God who judges the earth."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading May 29 Romans 5; 1 Samuel 14; Psalm 59 CJB Romans 5 1 So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 2 Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God's glory. 3 But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and this hope does not let us down, because God's love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people. 7 Now it is a rare event when someone gives up his life even for the sake of somebody righteous, although possibly for a truly good person one might have the courage to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. 9 Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God's judgment! 10 For if we were reconciled with God through his Son's death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by his life, now that we are reconciled! 11 And not only will we be delivered in the future, but we are boasting about God right now, because he has acted through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have already received that reconciliation. 12 Here is how it works: it was through one individual that sin entered the world, and through sin, death; and in this way death passed through to the whole human race, inasmuch as everyone sinned. 13 Sin was indeed present in the world before Torah was given, but sin is not counted as such when there is no Torah. 14 Nevertheless death ruled from Adam until Moshe, even over those whose sinning was not exactly like Adam's violation of a direct command. In this, Adam prefigured the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offence. For if, because of one man's offence, many died, then how much more has God's grace, that is, the gracious gift of one man, Yeshua the Messiah, overflowed to many! 16 No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man's sinning; for from one sinner came judgment that brought condemnation; but the free gift came after many offences and brought acquittal. 17 For if, because of the offence of one man, death ruled through that one man; how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah! 18 In other words, just as it was through one offence that all people came under condemnation, so also it is through one righteous act that all people come to be considered righteous. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous. 20 And the Torah came into the picture so that the offence would proliferate; but where sin proliferated, grace proliferated even more. 21 All this happened so that just as sin ruled by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord. 1 Samuel 14 1 One day Y'honatan the son of Sha'ul said to the young man carrying his armor, "Come, let's go across to the garrison of the P'lishtim on the other side. But he didn't tell his father. 2 Sha'ul was waiting at the far edge of Giv'ah under the pomegranate tree in Migron; the force with him numbered about 600 men. 3 Achiyah the son of Achituv, I-Khavod's brother, the son of Pinchas the son of 'Eli, the cohen of ADONAI in Shiloh, was carrying a ritual vest. No one knew that Y'honatan had gone. 4 Between the passes by which Y'honatan was trying to cross to the garrison of the P'lishtim, there was a rocky spur on one side and another rocky spur on the other side; the name of the one was Botzetz, and of the other, Seneh. 5 The one spur rose up on the north, in front of Mikhmas, and the other on the south, in front of Geva. 6 Y'honatan said to his armor-bearer, "Come on, let's go across to the garrison of these uncircumcised people. Maybe ADONAI will do something for us, since ADONAI can rescue with a few people as easily as with many." 7 His armor-bearer replied, "Do everything you think you should; I'm with you, whatever you decide." 8 Y'honatan said, "Here, we'll cross over to those men and let them know we're there. 9 If they say, 'Wait till we come to you,' we'll stand still where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say,'Come up to us,' we'll go on up; and that will be the sign that ADONAI has given us victory over them." 11 So both of them let their presence be known to the garrison of the P'lishtim; and the P'lishtim said, "Look, some Hebrews coming out of the holes they've been hiding in!" 12 Then the men of the garrison said to Y'honatan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us; we want to show you something." Y'honatan told his armor-bearer, "Come on up after me, for ADONAI has handed them over to Isra'el." 13 Y'honatan climbed up, using his hands as well as his feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. The P'lishtim fell before Y'honatan, and his armor-bearer following him finished them off. 14 That first slaughter, of about twenty men, was accomplished by Y'honatan and his armor bearer in a space only half as long as one side of the area a pair of oxen could plow in a day [about 200 yards]. 15 There was panic in the field camp among all the P'lishtim; likewise, the garrison and the raiding party panicked. Besides all this, there was an earthquake; thus it grew into panic caused by God. 16 Sha'ul's men on watch in Giv'at-Binyamin could see the enemy camp scattering and running in all directions. 17 Sha'ul ordered the forces with him to call the roll and see who was missing. So they called the roll, and found Y'honatan and his armor-bearer not present. 18 Sha'ul told Achiyah, "Bring the ark of God here"; for at that time the ark of God was with the people of Isra'el. 19 But while Sha'ul was talking to the cohen, the uproar in the camp of the P'lishtim continued and kept getting louder. Sha'ul said to the cohen, "Put your hand down." 20 Sha'ul and the entire force with him assembled and went to battle, but they found the P'lishtim all fighting each other in utter confusion. 21 The Hebrews from the surrounding countryside who had previously been with the P'lishtim and had gone up with them into the camp deserted and went over to Isra'el with Sha'ul and Y'honatan. 22 Likewise, on hearing that the P'lishtim were fleeing, all the men of Isra'el who had hidden themselves in the hills of Efrayim pursued them in battle. 23 So ADONAI saved Isra'el that day, and the battle spread as far as Beit-Aven. 24 Isra'el's soldiers had been driven to exhaustion that day; but Sha'ul issued this warning to the people: "A curse on any man who eats any food until evening, when I will have finished taking vengeance on my enemies." So none of the people even tasted food. 25 Now the people came to a forest where there was a honeycomb on the ground. 26 When the people had entered the forest, they saw there the honeycomb with honey dripping out; but no one put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath. 27 But Y'honatan hadn't heard his father charging the people with the oath, so he put out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it in the honeycomb and raised it to his mouth; whereupon his eyes lit up. 28 But one of the people said in response, "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, 'A curse on any man who eats any food today'; even though the people are fainting with hunger." 29 Y'honatan answered, "My father has brought trouble to the land. Just look how my eyes have lit up because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much greater would the slaughter of the P'lishtim have been today, then, if the people had eaten freely of the spoil they found with their enemies!" 31 That day they had attacked the P'lishtim from Mikhmas to Ayalon; but the people were very exhausted. 32 So the people rushed at the spoil, seizing sheep, cows and calves, slaughtering them on the ground, and eating the flesh with the blood. 33 Sha'ul was told, "Look how the people are sinning against ADONAI, eating with the blood." He said, "You have not kept faith! Roll a big stone to me immediately! 34 Now," Sha'ul said, "go around among the people and tell them, 'Each of you is to bring his cow and his sheep and slaughter them here. Then eat. Don't sin against ADONAI by eating with the blood." So each person brought his animal with him that evening and killed it there. 35 Sha'ul erected an altar to ADONAI; it was the first altar that he erected to ADONAI. 36 Sha'ul said, "Let's go after the P'lishtim by night. We'll plunder them until dawn; we won't leave one of them alive." They answered, "Do whatever seems good to you." But the cohen said, "Let's approach God here." 37 Sha'ul consulted God: "Should I go down in pursuit of the P'lishtim? Will you hand them over to Isra'el?" But he didn't answer him that day. 38 Sha'ul said, "Come here, all you heads of the people. Think carefully: who has committed this sin today? 39 For, as ADONAI Isra'el's deliverer lives, even if it proves to be Y'honatan my son, he must be put to death." But no one among all the people answered him. 40 Then he said to all Isra'el, "You be on one side, and I and Y'honatan my son will be on the other side." The people replied to Sha'ul, "Do what seems good to you." 41 Sha'ul said to ADONAI the God of Isra'el, "Who is right?" Y'honatan and Sha'ul were chosen by lot, and the people went free. 42 Sha'ul said, "Cast lots between me and Y'honatan my son."Y'honatan was chosen. 43 Then Sha'ul said to Y'honatan, "Tell me what you did."Y'honatan told him, "Yes, I tasted a little honey with the end of the staff in my hand. Here I am; I'm ready to die." 44 Sha'ul said, "May God do the same to me and more also if you are not put to death, Y'honatan!" 45 But the people said to Sha'ul, "Must Y'honatan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Isra'el? Heaven forbid! As ADONAI lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground; because he worked with God today!" In this way the people rescued Y'honatan, so that he didn't die. 46 Then Sha'ul stopped pursuing the P'lishtim, and the P'lishtim returned to their own territory. 47 So Sha'ul took over the rulership of Isra'el. He fought against all his enemies on every side - against Mo'av, the people of 'Amon, Edom, the kings of Tzovah and the P'lishtim. No matter which way he turned, he defeated them. 48 He demonstrated his strength by attacking 'Amalek, and he saved Isra'el from the power of those who were plundering them. 49 The sons of Sha'ul were Y'honatan, Yishvi and Malkishua, while the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the older, Merav, and of the younger, Mikhal. 50 Sha'ul's wife was named Achino'am the daughter of Achima'atz; the commander of his army was named Avner the son of Ner, Sha'ul's uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Sha'ul, and Ner the father of Avner was the son of Avi'el. 52 As long as Sha'ul lived there was bitter war against the P'lishtim. Whenever Sha'ul saw any strong or courageous man, he recruited him into his service. Psalm 59 1 For the leader. Set to "Do Not Destroy." By David; a mikhtam, when Sha'ul sent men to keep watch on David's house in order to kill him: My God, rescue me from my enemies! Lift me up, out of reach of my foes! 2 Rescue me from evildoers, save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For there they are, lying in wait to kill me. Openly they gather themselves against me, and not because I committed a crime or sinned, ADONAI. 4 For no fault of mine, they run and prepare. Awaken to help me, and see! 5 You, ADONAI Elohei-Tzva'ot, God of Isra'el, arouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those wicked traitors. (Selah) 6 They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs as they go around the city. 7 Look what pours out of their mouth, what swords are on their lips, [as they say to themselves,] "No one is listening, anyway." 8 But you, ADONAI, laugh at them, you mock all the nations. 9 My Strength, I will watch for you, for God is my fortress. 10 God, who gives me grace, will come to me; God will let me gaze in triumph at my foes. 11 Don't kill them, or my people will forget; instead, by your power, make them wander to and fro; but bring them down, Adonai our Shield, 12 for the sins their mouths make with each word from their lips. Let them be trapped by their pride for the curses and falsehoods they utter. 13 Finish them off in wrath, finish them off, put an end to them, and let them know to the ends of the earth that God is Ruler in Ya'akov. (Selah) 14 They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs as they go around the city. 15 They roam about, looking for food, prowling all night if they don't get their fill. 16 But as for me, I will sing of your strength; in the morning I will sing aloud of your grace. For you are my fortress, a refuge when I am in trouble. 17 My Strength, I will sing praises to you, for God is my fortress, God, who gives me grace.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

May 30

Romans 6; 1 Samuel 15; Psalm 60 CJB

Romans 6

1 So then, are we to say, "Let's keep on sinning, so that there can be more grace"?

2 Heaven forbid! How can we, who have died to sin, still live in it?

3 Don't you know that those of us who have been immersed into the Messiah Yeshua have been immersed into his death?

4 Through immersion into his death we were buried with him; so that just as, through the glory of the Father, the Messiah was raised from the dead, likewise we too might live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

6 We know that our old self was put to death on the execution-stake with him, so that the entire body of our sinful propensities might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

7 For someone who has died has been cleared from sin.

8 Now since we died with the Messiah, we trust that we will also live with him.

9 We know that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, never to die again; death has no authority over him.

10 For his death was a unique event that need not be repeated; but his life, he keeps on living for God.

11 In the same way, consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God, by your union with the Messiah Yeshua.

12 Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal bodies, so that it makes you obey its desires;

13 and do not offer any part of yourselves to sin as an instrument for wickedness. On the contrary, offer yourselves to God as people alive from the dead, and your various parts to God as instruments for righteousness.

14 For sin will not have authority over you; because you are not under legalism but under grace.

15 Therefore, what conclusion should we reach? "Let's go on sinning, because we're not under legalism but under grace"? Heaven forbid!

16 Don't you know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, then, of the one whom you are obeying, you are slaves - whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to being made righteous?

17 By God's grace, you, who were once slaves to sin, obeyed from your heart the pattern of teaching to which you were exposed;

18 and after you had been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

19 (I am using popular language because your human nature is so weak.) For just as you used to offer your various parts as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led to more lawlessness; so now offer your various parts as slaves to righteousness, which leads to being made holy, set apart for God.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relationship to righteousness;

21 but what benefit did you derive from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end result of those things was death.

22 However, now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you do get the benefit - it consists in being made holy, set apart for God, and its end result is eternal life.

23 For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.

1 Samuel 15

1 Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "ADONAI sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Isra'el. Now listen to what ADONAI has to say.

2 Here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot says: 'I remember what 'Amalek did to Isra'el, how they fought against Isra'el when they were coming up from Egypt.

3 Now go and attack 'Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have. Don't spare them, but kill men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"

4 Sha'ul summoned the people and reviewed them in T'la'im - 200,000 foot soldiers, with another 10,000 men from Y'hudah.

5 Sha'ul arrived at the city of 'Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

6 Sha'ul said to the Keni, "Go away, withdraw, leave your homes there with the 'Amaleki. Otherwise, I might destroy you along with them, even though you were kind to all the people of Isra'el when they came out of Egypt. So the Keni went away from among the 'Amaleki.

7 Then Sha'ul attacked 'Amalek, starting at Havilah and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt.

8 He took Agag the king of 'Amalek alive; but he completely destroyed the people, putting them to the sword.

9 However, Sha'ul and the people spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, and even the second best, also the lambs, and everything that was good - they weren't inclined to destroy these things. But everything that was worthless or weak they completely destroyed.

10 Then the word of ADONAI came to Sh'mu'el:

11 "I regret setting up Sha'ul as king, because he has turned back from following me and hasn't obeyed my orders."This made Sh'mu'el very sad, so that he cried to ADONAI all night.

12 Sh'mu'el got up early in the morning to meet Sha'ul; however, Sh'mu'el was told, "Sha'ul came to Karmel to set up a monument for himself there, but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal."

13 Sh'mu'el went to Sha'ul; Sha'ul said to him, "May ADONAI bless you! I have done what ADONAI ordered."

14 But Sh'mu'el answered, "If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?"

15 Sha'ul said, "They brought them from the 'Amaleki, because the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to ADONAI your God. But we completely destroyed the rest."

16 Then Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "Stop! I'm going to tell you what ADONAI said to me last night." He said, "Speak."

17 Sh'mu'el then said, "You may be small in your own sight, but you are head of the tribes of Isra'el -ADONAI anointed you king over Isra'el!

18 Now ADONAI sent you on a mission and told you, 'Go and completely destroy 'Amalek, those sinners; keep making war on them until they have been exterminated.

19 Why did you seize the spoil instead of paying attention to what ADONAI said? From ADONAI's viewpoint, you have done an evil thing."

20 Sha'ul said to Sh'mu'el, "I did too pay attention to what ADONAI said, and I carried out the mission on which ADONAI sent me. I brought back Agag the king of 'Amalek, and I completely destroyed 'Amalek.

21 But the people took some of the spoil, the best of the sheep and cattle set aside for destruction, to sacrifice to ADONAI your God in Gilgal."

22 Sh'mu'el said, "Does ADONAI take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying what ADONAI says? Surely obeying is better than sacrifice, and heeding orders than the fat of rams.

23 "For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, stubbornness like the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, he too has rejected you as king."

24 Sha'ul said to Sh'mu'el, "I have sinned. I violated the order of ADONAI and your words too, because I was afraid of the people and listened to what they said.

25 Now, please, pardon my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI."

26 But Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, and ADONAI has rejected you as king over Isra'el."

27 As Sh'mu'el was turning around to leave, he took hold of the hem of his cloak, and it tore.

28 Sh'mu'el said to him, "ADONAI has torn the kingdom of Isra'el away from you today and given it to a fellow countryman of yours who is better than you.

29 Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra'el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn't a mere human being subject to changing his mind."

30 Then Sha'ul said, "I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra'el by coming back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI your God."

31 So Sh'mu'el followed Sha'ul back, and Sha'ul worshipped ADONAI.

32 Then Sh'mu'el said, "Bring Agag the king of 'Amalek here to me. Agag came to him in chains and said, "Without doubt, mine will be a bitter death."

33 Sh'mu'el said, "Just as your sword has left women childless, so will your mother be left childless among women." Then Sh'mu'el cut Agag in pieces before ADONAI in Gilgal.

34 Sh'mu'el returned to Ramah, and Sha'ul went up to his house in Giv'at-Sha'ul.

35 Never again did Sh'mu'el see Sha'ul, until the day he died. But Sh'mu'el grieved over Sha'ul, and ADONAI regretted that he had made Sha'ul king over Isra'el.

Psalm 60

1 For the leader. Set to "Lily of Testimony."A mikhtam of David for teaching about when he fought with Aram-Naharayim and with Aram-Tzovah, and Yo'av returned and killed 12,000 from Edom in the Salt Valley: God, you rejected us; you crushed us; you were angry; but now revive us.

2 You made the land shake, split it apart; now repair the rifts, for it is collapsing.

3 You made your people suffer hard times, had us drink a wine that made us stagger.

4 To those who fear you because of the truth you gave a banner to rally around, (Selah)

5 so that those you love could be rescued; so save with your right hand, and answer us!

6 God in his holiness spoke, and I took joy [in his promise]: "I will divide Sh'khem and determine the shares in the Sukkot Valley.

7 Gil'ad is mine and M'nasheh mine, Efrayim my helmet, Y'hudah my scepter.

8 Mo'av is my washpot; on Edom I throw my shoe; P'leshet, be crushed because of me!"

9 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

10 God, have you rejected us? You don't go out with our armies, God.

11 Help us against our enemy, for human help is worthless.

12 With God's help we will fight valiantly, for he will trample our enemies.