Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from Judges 8 -10.
Chapter 8 Now the men of Ephraim said to him,
Why have you done this to us by not calling us
when you went to fight with the Midianites? And
they reprimanded him sharply. So he said to them,
What have I done now in comparison with you?
Is not the cleaning of the grapes of Ephraim
better than the vintage of Abiezar? God has delivered
into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and
Zeb, and what was I able to do in comparison
with you? Then their anger toward him subsided
when he said that. When Gideon came to the Jordan,
he and the three hundred men who were with him
crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
Then he said to the men of Sukkoth, Please give
loaves of bread to the people who follow me,
for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zeba
and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. And the leaders
of Sukkoth said, Are the hands of Ziba and Zalmunna
now in your hand, that we should give bread to
your army? So Gideon said, For this cause, when
the Lord has delivered Ziba and Zalmunna into
my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the
thorns of the wilderness and with briars. Then
he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to
them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered
him as the men of Sukkoth had answered. So he
also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, When
I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower.
Now Zeba and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their
armies with them, about 15 ,000, all who were
left of the army of the people of the east, for
120 ,000 men who drew the sword had fallen. Then
Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell
in tents, on the east of Noba and Jugbeha, and
he attacked the army while the camp felt secure.
When Zeba and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them,
and he took the two kings of Midian, Zeba and
Zalmunna, and routed the whole army. Then Gideon
the son of Joash returned from battle, from the
ascent of Heres. And he caught a young man of
the men of Sukkoth and interrogated him. And
he wrote down for him the leaders of Sukkoth
and its elders, seventy -seven men. Then he came
to the men of Sukkoth and said, Here are Zeba
and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying,
Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna now in your
hand, that we should give bread to your weary
men? And he took the elders of the city and the
thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with
them he taught the men of Sukkoth. Then he tore
down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of
the city. And he said to Zeba and Zalmunna, What
kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?
So they answered, As you are, so were they. Each
one resembled the son of a king. Then he said,
They were my brothers, the sons of my mother.
As the Lord lives, if you had let them live,
I would not kill you. And he said to Jezer, his
firstborn, Rise, kill them. But the youth would
not draw his sword, for he was afraid because
he was still a youth. So Ziba and Zalmunna said,
Rise yourself and kill us, for as a man is, so
is his strength. So Gideon arose and killed Ziba
and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments
that were on their camels' necks. Then the men
of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both
you and your son, and your grandson also, for
you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.
But Gideon said to them, I will not rule over
you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord
shall rule over you. Then Gideon said to them,
I would like to make a request of you, that each
of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.
For they had golden earrings, because they were
Ishmaelites. So they answered, We will gladly
give them. And they spread out a garment, and
each man threw into it the earrings from his
plunder. Now the weight of the gold earrings
that he requested was one thousand seven hundred
shekels of gold. besides the crescent ornaments,
pendants, and purple robes which were on the
kings of Midian, and besides the chains that
were around their camels' necks. Then Gideon
made it into an ephod, and set it up in his city,
Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with
it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to
his house. Thus Midian was subdued before the
children of Israel, so that they lifted their
heads no more. And the country was quiet for
forty years in the days of Gideon. Then Jeroboam
the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring,
for he had many wives. And his concubine who
was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name
he called Abimelech. Now Gideon the son of Joash
died at a good old age, and was buried in the
tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
So it was as soon as Gideon was dead that the
children of Israel again played the harlot with
the Baals and made Baal their god. Thus the children
of Israel did not remember the Lord their God,
who had delivered them from the hands of all
their enemies on every side, nor did they show
kindness to the house of Jeroboam, Gideon, in
accordance with the good he had done for Israel.
Chapter 9 Then Abimelech the son of Jeroboam
went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and
spoke with them and with all the family of the
house of his mother's father, saying, Please
speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem.
Which is better for you, that all seventy of
the sons of Jeroboam reign over you, or that
one reign over you? Remember that I am your own
flesh and bone. And his mother's brothers spoke
all these words concerning him in the hearing
of all the men of Shechem. And their heart was
inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said,
He is our brother. So they gave him seventy shekels
of silver from the temple of Baal -Berith, with
which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless
men, and they followed him. Then he went to his
father's house at Uphra and killed his brothers,
the seventy sons of Jeroboam, on one stone. But
Jotham, the youngest son of Jeroboam, was left,
because he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem
gathered together, all of Beit Milo, and they
went and made Abimelech king beside the turbaned
tree at the pillar that was in Shechem. Now when
they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of
Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried
out. And he said to them, Listen to me, you men
of Shechem. that god may listen to you the trees
once went forth to anoint the king over them
and they said to the olive tree reign over us
but the olive tree said to them should i cease
giving my oil with which they honor god and men
and go to sway over trees then the trees said
to the fig tree you come and reign over us but
the fig tree said to them should i cease my sweetness
and my good fruit and go to sway over trees Then
the trees said to the vine, You come and reign
over us. But the vine said to them, Should I
cease my new wine, which cheers both God and
men, and go to sway over trees? Then all the
trees said to the bramble, You come and reign
over us. And the bramble said to the trees, If
in truth you anoint me as king over you, then
come and take shelter in my shade. But if not,
let fire come out of the bramble and devour the
cedars of Lebanon. Now therefore, if you have
acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech
king, and if you have dealt well with Jeroboam
and his house, and have done to him as he deserves,
for my father fought for you, risked his life,
and delivered you out of the hand of Midian,
but you have risen up against my father's house
this day and killed his seventy sons on one stone,
and made Abimelech the son of his female servant
king over the men of Shechem, because he is your
brother. If then you have acted in truth and
sincerity with Jeroboam and with his house this
day, then rejoice in Abimelech and let him also
rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come from
Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beit
Milo, and let fire come from the men of Shechem
and from Beit Milo and devour Abimelech. And
Jotham ran away and fled, and he went to Bir
and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three
years, God sent a spirit of ill will between
Abimelech and the men of Shechem. And the men
of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jeroboam
might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech
their brother. who killed them, and on the men
of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his
brothers. And the men of Shechem set men in ambush
against him on the tops of the mountains, and
they robbed all who passed by them along that
way, and it was told Abimelech. Now Gael the
son of Abed came with his brothers and went over
to Shechem, and the men of Shechem put their
confidence in him. So they went out into the
fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards,
and trod them, and made merry. And they went
into the house of their god, and ate and drank,
and cursed Abimelech. Then Gael the son of Abed
said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that
we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jeroboam,
and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of
Hamor the father of Shechem. But why should we
serve him, if only these people were under my
authority? Then I would remove Abimelech. So
he said to Abimelech, increase your army and
come out. When Zebul, the ruler of the city,
heard the words of Gael, the son of Abed, his
anger was aroused. And he sent messengers to
Abimelech secretly, saying, Take note, Gael,
the son of Abed, and his brothers have come to
Shechem. And here they are, fortifying the city
against you. Now therefore get up by night, you
and the people who are with you, and lie in wait
in the field. And it shall be as soon as the
sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise
early and rush upon the city. And when he and
the people who are with him come out against
you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity.
So Abimelech and all the people who were with
him rose by night and lay in wait against Shechem
in four companies. When Gael the son of Abed
went out and stood in the entrance to the city
gate, Abimelech and the people who were with
him rose from lying in wait. And when Gael saw
the people, he said to Zebul, Look, people are
coming down from the tops of the mountains. But
Zebul said to him, You see the shadows of the
mountains as if they were men. So Gael spoke
again and said, See, people are coming down from
the center of the land, and another company is
coming from the diviner's turban's tree. Then
Zebul said to him, Where indeed is your mouth
now, with which you said, Who is Abimelech that
we should serve him? Are not these people whom
you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight
with them now. So Gael went out, leading the
men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And
Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him. and
many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the
gate. Then Abimelech dwelt at Aruma, and Zebul
drove out Gael and his brothers, so that they
would not dwell in Shechem. And it came about
on the next day that the people went out into
the field, and they told Abimelech. So he took
his people, divided them into three companies,
and lay in wait in the field. And he looked,
and there were the people, coming out of the
city, and he rose against them and attacked them.
Then Abimelech and the company that was with
him rushed forward and stood at the entrance
of the gate of the city. And the other two companies
rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed
them. So Abimelech fought against the city all
that day. He took the city and killed the people
who were in it, and he demolished the city and
sowed it with salt. Now when all the men of the
tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered
the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of
the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and
all the people who were with him. And Abimelech
took an axe in his hand and cut down a bough
from the trees, and took it and laid it on his
shoulder. Then he said to the people who were
with him, What you have seen me do, make haste
and do as I have done. So each of the people
likewise cut down his own bough and followed
Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and
set the stronghold on fire above them, so that
all the people of the tower of Shechem died,
about a thousand men and women. Then Abi Malik
went to Tebets, and he encamped against Tebets
and took it. But there was a strong tower in
the city, and all the men and women, all the
people of the city, fled there and shut themselves
in. Then they went up to the top of the tower.
So Abi Malik came as far as the tower and fought
against it, and he drew near the door of the
tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman
dropped an upper millstone on Abi Malik's head
and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly
to the young man, his armor -bearer, and said
to him, Draw your sword and kill me, lest men
say of me a woman killed him. So his young man
thrust him through, and he died. And when the
men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they
departed, every man to his place. Thus God repaid
the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done
to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned
on their own heads, and on them came the curse
of Jotham the son of Jeroboam. Chapter 10 After
Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the
son of Pua, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar,
and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.
He judged Israel 23 years, and he died and was
buried in Shamir. After him arose Jair a Gileadite,
and he judged Israel 22 years. Now he had 30
sons who rode on 30 donkeys. They also had 30
towns, which are called Havos Jair to this day.
which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died,
and was buried in Camon. Then the children of
Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord,
and served the Baals and the Ashtarothes, the
gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of
Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the
gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the
Lord, and did not serve him. So the anger of
the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold
them into the hands of the Philistines, and into
the hands of the people of Ammon. From that year,
they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel
for 18 years. All the children of Israel were
on the other side of the Jordan in the land of
the Amorites in Gilead. Moreover, the people
of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against
Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the
house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely
distressed. And the children of Israel cried
out to the Lord, saying, We have sinned against
you, because we have forsaken our God and served
the Baals. So the Lord said to the children of
Israel, Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians
and from the Amorites and from the people of
Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians
and the Amalekites and Manoites oppressed you,
and you cried out to me, and I delivered you
from their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and
served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you
no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you
have chosen. Let them deliver you in your time
of distress. And the children of Israel said
to the Lord, We have sinned. Do to us whatever
seems best to you. Only deliver us this day,
we pray. So they put away the foreign gods from
among them and served the Lord, and his soul
could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
Then the people of Ammon gathered together and
encamped in Gilead, and the children of Israel
assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. And
the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one
another, Who is the man who will begin the fight
against the people of Ammon? He shall be head
over all the inhabitants of Gilead. I hope you
enjoyed today's reading as much as I did and
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to
continue on our journey. God bless you and have
a great day.