Judges 6

New International Version

Gideon

6 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,^(A) and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.^(B) ²Because the power of Midian was so oppressive,^(C) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves^(D) and strongholds.^(E) ³Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites^(F) and other eastern peoples^(G) invaded the country. ⁴They camped on the land and ruined the crops^(H) all the way to Gaza^(I) and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. ⁵They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts.^(J) It was impossible to count them or their camels;^(K) they invaded the land to ravage it. ⁶Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out^(L) to the Lord for help.

⁷When the Israelites cried out^(M) to the Lord because of Midian, ⁸he sent them a prophet,^(N) who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt,^(O) out of the land of slavery.^(P) ⁹I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors;^(Q) I drove them out before you and gave you their land.^(R) ¹⁰I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship^(S) the gods of the Amorites,^(T) in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

¹¹The angel of the Lord^(U) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah^(V) that belonged to Joash^(W) the Abiezrite,^(X) where his son Gideon^(Y) was threshing^(Z) wheat in a winepress^(AA) to keep it from the Midianites. ¹²When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,^(AB) mighty warrior.^(AC)”

¹³“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders^(AD) that our ancestors told^(AE) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned^(AF) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have^(AG) and save^(AH) Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

¹⁵“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan^(AI) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.^(AJ)”

¹⁶The Lord answered, “I will be with you^(AK), and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

¹⁷Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign^(AL) that it is really you talking to me. ¹⁸Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

¹⁹Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat,^(AM) and from an ephah^[a]^(AN) of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.^(AO)

²⁰The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock,^(AP) and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. ²¹Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread^(AQ) with the tip of the staff^(AR) that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. ²²When Gideon realized^(AS) that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”^(AT)

²³But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid.^(AU) You are not going to die.”^(AV)

²⁴So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called^(AW) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah^(AX) of the Abiezrites.

²⁵That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.^[b] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole^[c]^(AY) beside it. ²⁶Then build a proper kind of^[d] altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second^[e] bull as a burnt offering.^(AZ)”

²⁷So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

²⁸In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar,^(BA) demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

²⁹They asked each other, “Who did this?”

When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash^(BB) did it.”

³⁰The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar^(BC) and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

³¹But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause?^(BD) Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” ³²So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal^[f]^(BE) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

³³Now all the Midianites, Amalekites^(BF) and other eastern peoples^(BG) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.^(BH) ³⁴Then the Spirit of the Lord came on^(BI) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,^(BJ) summoning the Abiezrites^(BK) to follow him. ³⁵He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,^(BL) Zebulun and Naphtali,^(BM) so that they too went up to meet them.^(BN)

³⁶Gideon said to God, “If you will save^(BO) Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷look, I will place a wool fleece^(BP) on the threshing floor.^(BQ) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know^(BR) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

³⁹Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.^(BS) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.^(BT)

Footnotes

Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd
Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
Judges 6:26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28
Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.

Proverbs 16

New International Version

16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.^(A)

²All a person’s ways seem pure to them,^(B)
but motives are weighed^(C) by the Lord.^(D)

³Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.^(E)

⁴The Lord works out everything to its proper end^(F)—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.^(G)

⁵The Lord detests all the proud of heart.^(H)
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.^(I)

⁶Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord^(J) evil is avoided.^(K)

⁷When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace^(L) with them.^(M)

⁸Better a little with righteousness
than much gain^(N) with injustice.^(O)

⁹In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.^(P)

¹⁰The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth does not betray justice.^(Q)

¹¹Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.^(R)

¹²Kings detest wrongdoing,
for a throne is established through righteousness.^(S)

¹³Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value the one who speaks what is right.^(T)

¹⁴A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,^(U)
but the wise will appease it.^(V)

¹⁵When a king’s face brightens, it means life;^(W)
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.^(X)

¹⁶How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight^(Y) rather than silver!^(Z)

¹⁷The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.^(AA)

¹⁸Pride^(AB) goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit^(AC) before a fall.^(AD)

¹⁹Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,^[a]^(AE)
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.^(AF)

²¹The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.^[b]^(AG)

²²Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,^(AH)
but folly brings punishment to fools.

²³The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,^(AI)
and their lips promote instruction.^[c]^(AJ)

²⁴Gracious words are a honeycomb,^(AK)
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.^(AL)

²⁵There is a way that appears to be right,^(AM)
but in the end it leads to death.^(AN)

²⁶The appetite of laborers works for them;
their hunger drives them on.

²⁷A scoundrel^(AO) plots evil,
and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.^(AP)

²⁸A perverse person stirs up conflict,^(AQ)
and a gossip separates close friends.^(AR)

²⁹A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.^(AS)

³⁰Whoever winks^(AT) with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of splendor;^(AU)
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³²Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast^(AV) into the lap,
but its every decision^(AW) is from the Lord.^(AX)

Footnotes

Proverbs 16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good
Proverbs 16:21 Or words make a person persuasive
Proverbs 16:23 Or prudent / and make their lips persuasive

Revelation 7-8

New International Version

144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners^(A) of the earth, holding back the four winds^(B) of the earth to prevent^(C) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal^(D) of the living God.^(E) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:^(F) ³“Do not harm^(G) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads^(H) of the servants of our God.” ⁴Then I heard the number^(I) of those who were sealed: 144,000^(J) from all the tribes of Israel.

⁵From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

⁶from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

⁷from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

⁸from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,^(K) standing before the throne^(L) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes^(M) and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,^(N)
who sits on the throne,^(O)
and to the Lamb.”

¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders^(P) and the four living creatures.^(Q) They fell down on their faces^(R) before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”^(S)

¹³Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes^(T)—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes^(U) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^(V) ¹⁵Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God^(W)
    and serve him^(X) day and night in his temple;^(Y)
and he who sits on the throne^(Z)
    will shelter them with his presence.^(AA)
¹⁶‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.^(AB)
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]
    nor any scorching heat.^(AC)
¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;^(AD)
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[b]^(AE)
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[c]”^(AF)

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,^(AG) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

²And I saw the seven angels^(AH) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(AI)

³Another angel,^(AJ) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,^(AK) on the golden altar^(AL) in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God^(AM) from the angel’s hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,^(AN) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,^(AO) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.^(AP)

The Trumpets

⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets^(AQ) prepared to sound them.

⁷The first angel^(AR) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire^(AS) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third^(AT) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(AU)

⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,^(AV) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third^(AW) of the sea turned into blood,^(AX) ⁹a third^(AY) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky^(AZ) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(BA)— ¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood.^[d] A third^(BB) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.^(BC)

¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third^(BD) of them turned dark.^(BE) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.^(BF)

¹³As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair^(BG) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe^(BH) to the inhabitants of the earth,^(BI) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”