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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJDG">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="JDG.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">The Israelites Punish the Benjamites</div><div class="p"> 1Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah. 2The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God&#8217;s people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords. 3(The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, &#8220;Tell us how this awful thing happened.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, &#8220;I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. 6I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel&#8217;s inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel. 7Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8All the men rose up together as one, saying, &#8220;None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 9But now this is what we&#8217;ll do to Gibeah: We&#8217;ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots. 10We&#8217;ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah#20:10 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.&#8221; 11So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.</div><div class="p"> 12The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, &#8220;What about this awful crime that was committed among you? 13Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. 15At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. 16Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.</div><div class="p"> 17Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.</div><div class="p"> 18The Israelites went up to Bethel#20:18 Or to the house of God; also in verse 26 and inquired of God. They said, &#8220;Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord replied, &#8220;Judah shall go first.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. 22But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, &#8220;Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord answered, &#8220;Go up against them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.</div><div class="p"> 26Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. 27And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, &#8220;Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord responded, &#8220;Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. 30They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads&#8212;the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. 32While the Benjamites were saying, &#8220;We are defeating them as before,&#8221; the Israelites were saying, &#8220;Let&#8217;s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west#20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. of Gibeah.#20:33 Hebrew Geba, a variant of Gibeah 34Then ten thousand of Israel&#8217;s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. 35The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.</div><div class="p">Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. 37Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. 38The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39and then the Israelites would counterattack.</div><div class="p">The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, &#8220;We are defeating them as in the first battle.&#8221; 40But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke. 41Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them. 42So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. 43They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily#20:43 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. 45As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.</div><div class="p"> 46On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.</div>
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 <div class="label">21</div><div class="s1">Wives for the Benjamites</div><div class="p"> 1The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: &#8220;Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2The people went to Bethel,#21:2 Or to the house of God where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3&#8220;Lord, God of Israel,&#8221; they cried, &#8220;why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.</div><div class="p"> 5Then the Israelites asked, &#8220;Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the Lord?&#8221; For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.</div><div class="p"> 6Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. &#8220;Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,&#8221; they said. 7&#8220;How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?&#8221; 8Then they asked, &#8220;Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?&#8221; They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.</div><div class="p"> 10So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11&#8220;This is what you are to do,&#8221; they said. &#8220;Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.&#8221; 12They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.</div><div class="p"> 13Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. 14So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.</div><div class="p"> 15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16And the elders of the assembly said, &#8220;With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,&#8221; they said, &#8220;so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18We can&#8217;t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: &#8216;Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.&#8217; 19But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, &#8220;Go and hide in the vineyards 21and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, &#8216;Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.</div><div class="p"> 24At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.</div><div class="p"> 25In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.</div>
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New International Version

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 <div class="book bkPSA">
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 <div class="q1">1Praise the Lord, my soul.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> Lord my God, you are very great;</div><div class="q2">you are clothed with splendor and majesty.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 2The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;</div><div class="q2">he stretches out the heavens like a tent</div><div class="q2"> 3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.</div><div class="q1">He makes the clouds his chariot</div><div class="q2">and rides on the wings of the wind.</div><div class="q1"> 4He makes winds his messengers,#104:4 Or angels</div><div class="q2">flames of fire his servants.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5He set the earth on its foundations;</div><div class="q2">it can never be moved.</div><div class="q1"> 6You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;</div><div class="q2">the waters stood above the mountains.</div><div class="q1"> 7But at your rebuke the waters fled,</div><div class="q2">at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;</div><div class="q1"> 8they flowed over the mountains,</div><div class="q2">they went down into the valleys,</div><div class="q2">to the place you assigned for them.</div><div class="q1"> 9You set a boundary they cannot cross;</div><div class="q2">never again will they cover the earth.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10He makes springs pour water into the ravines;</div><div class="q2">it flows between the mountains.</div><div class="q1"> 11They give water to all the beasts of the field;</div><div class="q2">the wild donkeys quench their thirst.</div><div class="q1"> 12The birds of the sky nest by the waters;</div><div class="q2">they sing among the branches.</div><div class="q1"> 13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;</div><div class="q2">the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.</div><div class="q1"> 14He makes grass grow for the cattle,</div><div class="q2">and plants for people to cultivate&#8212;</div><div class="q2">bringing forth food from the earth:</div><div class="q1"> 15wine that gladdens human hearts,</div><div class="q2">oil to make their faces shine,</div><div class="q2">and bread that sustains their hearts.</div><div class="q1"> 16The trees of the Lord are well watered,</div><div class="q2">the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.</div><div class="q1"> 17There the birds make their nests;</div><div class="q2">the stork has its home in the junipers.</div><div class="q1"> </div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">Moral Benefits of Wisdom</div><div class="q1"> 1My son, if you accept my words</div><div class="q2">and store up my commands within you,</div><div class="q1"> 2turning your ear to wisdom</div><div class="q2">and applying your heart to understanding&#8212;</div><div class="q1"> 3indeed, if you call out for insight</div><div class="q2">and cry aloud for understanding,</div><div class="q1"> 4and if you look for it as for silver</div><div class="q2">and search for it as for hidden treasure,</div><div class="q1"> 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord</div><div class="q2">and find the knowledge of God.</div><div class="q1"> 6For the Lord gives wisdom;</div><div class="q2">from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.</div><div class="q1"> 7He holds success in store for the upright,</div><div class="q2">he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,</div><div class="q1"> 8for he guards the course of the just</div><div class="q2">and protects the way of his faithful ones.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9Then you will understand what is right and just</div><div class="q2">and fair&#8212;every good path.</div><div class="q1"> 10For wisdom will enter your heart,</div><div class="q2">and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.</div><div class="q1"> 11Discretion will protect you,</div><div class="q2">and understanding will guard you.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,</div><div class="q2">from men whose words are perverse,</div><div class="q1"> 13who have left the straight paths</div><div class="q2">to walk in dark ways,</div><div class="q1"> 14who delight in doing wrong</div><div class="q2">and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,</div><div class="q1"> 15whose paths are crooked</div><div class="q2">and who are devious in their ways.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,</div><div class="q2">from the wayward woman with her seductive words,</div><div class="q1"> 17who has left the partner of her youth</div><div class="q2">and ignored the covenant she made before God.#2:17 Or covenant of her God</div><div class="q1"> 18Surely her house leads down to death</div><div class="q2">and her paths to the spirits of the dead.</div><div class="q1"> 19None who go to her return</div><div class="q2">or attain the paths of life.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20Thus you will walk in the ways of the good</div><div class="q2">and keep to the paths of the righteous.</div><div class="q1"> 21For the upright will live in the land,</div><div class="q2">and the blameless will remain in it;</div><div class="q1"> 22but the wicked will be cut off from the land,</div><div class="q2">and the unfaithful will be torn from it.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals on the Sabbath</div><div class="p"> 1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, &#8220;Stand up in front of everyone.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Then Jesus asked them, &#8220;Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?&#8221; But they remained silent.</div><div class="p"> 5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, &#8220;Stretch out your hand.&#8221; He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Crowds Follow Jesus</div><div class="p"> 7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, &#8220;You are the Son of God.&#8221; 12But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Appoints the Twelve</div><div class="p"> 13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve#3:14 Some manuscripts twelve&#8212;designating them apostles&#8212; that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means &#8220;sons of thunder&#8221;), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law</div><div class="p"> 20Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21When his family#3:21 Or his associates heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, &#8220;He is out of his mind.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, &#8220;He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: &#8220;How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27In fact, no one can enter a strong man&#8217;s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man&#8217;s house. 28Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30He said this because they were saying, &#8220;He has an impure spirit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Then Jesus&#8217; mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, &#8220;Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33 &#8220;Who are my mother and my brothers?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p"> 34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, &#8220;Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God&#8217;s will is my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="p">1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ&#8212;their Lord and ours:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="s1">Thanksgiving</div><div class="p"> 4I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way&#8212;with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge&#8212; 6God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.</div>
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 <div class="p">25Jesus said to her, &#8220;I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; </div>
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