Judges 5 - 6 - Legacy Standard Bible

Judges 5 - 6

The Song of Deborah and Barak

Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, 2

“When the leaders led in Israel,

When the people volunteered,

Bless Yahweh!

Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers!

As for me, to Yahweh, I will sing;

I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

O Yahweh, when You went out from Seir,

When You marched from the field of Edom,

The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,

Even the clouds dripped water.

The mountains flowed at the presence of Yahweh,

This Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,

In the days of Jael, the paths had ceased,

So travelers went by roundabout paths.

The peasantry ceased; they ceased in Israel,

Until I, Deborah, arose,

Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

God chose new leaders;

Then war was in the gates.

Not a shield or a spear was seen

Among forty thousand in Israel.

My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,

The volunteers among the people;

Bless Yahweh!

You who ride on white donkeys,

You who sit on rich carpets,

And you who travel on the road—muse aloud!

At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places,

There they shall commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh,

The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel.

Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.

“Awake, awake, Deborah;

Awake, awake, utter a song!

Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

Then survivors came down to the mighty ones;

The people of Yahweh came down to me as warriors.

From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down,

Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples;

From Machir commanders came down,

And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of a scribe.

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;

As was Issachar, so was Barak;

Into the valley they rushed at his heels;

Among the divisions of Reuben

There was great persistence of the heart.

Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,

To hear the whistling for the flocks?

Among the divisions of Reuben

There were great probings of the heart.

Gilead dwelt across the Jordan;

And why did Dan stay in ships?

Asher sat at the seashore,

And dwelt by its landings.

Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death,

And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

“The kings came and fought;

Then fought the kings of Canaan

At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;

They took no gain of silver.

The stars fought from heaven;

From their courses they fought against Sisera.

The river of Kishon swept them away,

The ancient river, the river Kishon.

O my soul, march on with strength.

Then the horses’ hoofs beat

From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of Yahweh,

‘Utterly curse its inhabitants,

Because they did not come to the help of Yahweh,

To the help of Yahweh against the warriors.’

“Most blessed of women is Jael,

The wife of Heber the Kenite;

Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

He asked for water, and she gave him milk;

In a mighty bowl she brought him curds.

She sent forth her hand for the tent peg,

And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.

Then she beat Sisera; she smashed his head,

And she crushed and pierced his temple.

Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;

Between her feet he bowed, he fell;

Where he bowed, there he fell violently devastated.

“Out of the window she looked and lamented,

The mother of Sisera through the lattice,

‘Why does his chariot delay in coming?

Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’

Her wise princesses would answer her,

Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

‘Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil?

A maiden, two maidens for every mighty man;

To Sisera a spoil of dyed work,

A spoil of dyed work embroidered,

Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoil?’

Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Yahweh;

But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”

And the land was quiet for forty years.

Midian Prevails Against Israel

Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. 2 And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 And it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would go up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go up against them. 4 So they would camp against them and ruin the produce of the earth as far as Gaza and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would go up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to make it a ruin. 6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh. 7 Now it happened when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian, 8 that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors and drove them out before you and gave you their land, 10 and I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not listened to My voice.”’”

Yahweh Sends Gideon to Save Israel

11 Then the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to preserve it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wondrous deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 But he said to Him, “O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 But Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midian as one man.” 17 So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then do a sign for me that it is You who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and I bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.” 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of Yahweh put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away from before his eyes. 22 And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh, so he said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” 23 And Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and named it Yahweh is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 25 Now it happened on the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it, 26 and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as Yahweh had spoken to him; and now it happened that because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

Gideon Tears Down the Altar of Baal

28 Then the men of the city arose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched about and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.” 32 Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar. 33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

The Test of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. Indeed he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece. And he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 And God did so that night. So it was dry only on the fleece, but dew was on all the ground.

1 Thessalonians 1 - 3

Thanksgiving

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father, 4 knowing, brothers beloved by God, your election, 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

Entrusted with the Gospel

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our entrance to you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much struggle. 3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with a flattering word, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— 6 nor seeking glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 In this way, having fond affection for you, we were pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become beloved to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and bearing witness to each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 13 And for this reason we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also suffered the same things at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and do not please God, and are hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. 17 But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short while—in face but not in heart—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

Timothy’s Good Report

Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we were pleased to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions, for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction, just as it happened and as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to know about your faith, lest somehow the tempter has tempted you, and our labor be in vain. 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always remember us kindly, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God because of you, 10 as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you, 13 so that He may strengthen your hearts blameless in holiness, before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

Psalm 147

He Heals the Brokenhearted

Praise Yah!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.

Yahweh builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He is the One who heals the brokenhearted

And who binds up their wounds,

Who counts the number of the stars;

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in power;

His discernment is infinite.

Yahweh helps up the afflicted;

He brings down the wicked to the ground.

Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving;

Sing praises to our God on the lyre.

He is the One who covers the heavens with clouds,

The One who provides rain for the earth,

The One who makes grass to sprout on the mountains,

Who gives to the animal its food,

And to the young ravens which call out.

He does not delight in the might of the horse;

He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

Yahweh is pleased with those who fear Him,

Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

For He strengthened the bars of your gates;

He blessed your sons within you.

He is the One who sets peace in your borders,

He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat,

The One who sends forth His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly,

The One who gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes,

Who casts forth His ice as fragments;

Who can stand before His cold?

He sends forth His word and melts them;

He causes His wind to blow and so the waters flow,

Who declares His words to Jacob,

His statutes and His judgments to Israel.

He has not done so with any nation;

So as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise Yah!