The Daily Audio Bible
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22 So, Abimelech reigned for three years over Israel.
23 But God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. And the men of Shechem broke their promise to Abimelech,
24 so that the cruelty toward the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and their blood might come and be laid upon Abimelech, their brother who had killed them, and upon the men of Shechem who had aided him to kill his brethren.
25 So the men of Shechem set men in waiting for him, on the tops of the mountains, who robbed all who passed that way by them. And it was told to Abimelech.
26 Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brethren. And they went to Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 Therefore, they went out into the field and gathered in their grapes and trod them, and made merry, and went into the house of their gods, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28 Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelech? And who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal? And is not Zebul his officer? Serve rather the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. For why should we serve him?
29 “Now, I wish this people were under my hand. Then I would put away Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out.”
30 And when Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, his wrath was kindled.
31 Therefore, he sent messengers to Abimelech privately, saying, “Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brethren, have come to Shechem. And behold, they fortify the city against you.
32 “Now, therefore, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field,
33 “and rise early in the morning, as soon as the Sun is up, and assault the city. And when he and the people who are with him shall come out against you, do to him what you can.”
34 So Abimelech rose up by night, and all the people who were with him. And they lay in wait against Shechem, in four bands.
35 Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And Abimelech and the folk who were with him rose up from lying in wait.
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Behold, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.” And Zebul said to him, “The shadows of the mountains seem as men to you.”
37 And Gaal spoke again, and said, “See, people are coming down by the middle of the land, and another band comes by the way of the plain of Meonenim.”
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where, now, is your mouth that said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Is not this the people that you have despised? Please go out, now, and fight with them.”
39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.
40 But Abimelech pursued him; and he fled before him. And many were overthrown and wounded, up to the entrance of the gate.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah. And Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.
42 And the next day, the people went out into the field, which was told to Abimelech.
43 And he took the people and divided them into three bands, and laid wait in the fields, and watched. And behold, the people had come out of the city. And he rose up against them and struck them.
44 And Abimelech, and the bands who were with him, rushed forward and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And the two other bands ran upon all the people who were in the field and killed them.
45 And when Abimelech had fought against the city all that day, he took the city and killed the people who were in it, and destroyed the city, and sowed salt in it.
46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard it, they entered into a stronghold of the house of the god Berith.
47 And it was told to Abimelech, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48 And Abimelech got up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took axes with him and cut down boughs of trees, and took them, and bore them on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise!”
49 Then, each of all the people also cut down his own bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire with them. So, all the men of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.
50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and besieged Thebez, and took it.
51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women had fled there, and all the chiefs of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the top of the tower.
52 And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and went hard to the door of the tower to set it on fire.
53 But a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head and broke his skull.
54 Then Abimelech hastily called his page who bore his harness and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that men do not say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ And his page thrust him through, and he died.
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each man departed to his own home.
56 Thus, God reckoned for the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in slaying his seventy brethren.
57 Also, God brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem upon their heads. So, upon them came the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal.
10 After Abimelech, Tola—the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, who dwelt in Shamir on Mount Ephraim—arose to defend Israel.
2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty-two years.
4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth Jair to this day and are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.
6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtoreth and the gods of Aram and the gods of Sidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
7 Therefore, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon,
8 who, from that year on, shattered and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years, all the children of Israel who were beyond Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 Moreover, the children of Ammon went over Jordan to fight against Judah and against Benjamin and against the House of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely tormented.
10 Then, the children of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have forsaken our own God and have served Baal.
11 And the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines?
12 “The Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites also oppressed you, and you cried to Me; and I saved you out of their hands.
13 “Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore, I will no longer deliver you.
14 “Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your tribulation.”
15 And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever pleases You. Only, please deliver us this day!”
16 Then they put away the strange gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then, the children of Ammon gathered themselves together and pitched in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves and pitched in Mizpah.
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever will begin the battle against the children of Ammon, the same shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
13 And behold, that same day two of them went to a town called Emmaus, which was about sixty furlongs from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things that had happened.
15 And it happened that as they talked together, and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversations are these that you are having as you walk and are sad?”
18 And the one named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You only a stranger in Jerusalem, and have not known the things which have happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “Of Jesus of Nazareth, Who was a Prophet, mighty in deed and in word before God and all people.
20 “And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and have crucified Him.
21 “But we had hoped that it was He Who would deliver Israel. And today is the third day since all these things happened.
22 “Indeed, and some women among us (who came early to the sepulcher) astonished us.
23 “And when they did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels. Who said that He was alive.
24 “Therefore, some of them who were with us went to the sepulcher and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see Him.”
25 Then He said to them, “O fools! And slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken!
26 “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His Glory?”
27 And He began at Moses, and at all the Prophets, and interpreted for them the things which were written of Him in all the Scriptures.
28 And they drew near to the town where they were going. And He pretended like He was going further.
29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us! For it is towards evening, and the day is far spent!” So, He went in to stay with them.
30 And it happened that as He sat at table with them, He took the bread, and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened. And they knew Him. And He vanished.
32 And they said among themselves, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us along the way and when He opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 And they rose up that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 who said, “The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then they told them what had happened along the way, and how He was known by them in the breaking of bread.
36 And as they spoke these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, “Peace to you.”
37 But they were terrified and full of fear, thinking that they had seen a spirit.
38 Then He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 “Look at My hands and My feet. For it is I, Myself. Touch Me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet.
41 And while they still did not believe for joy, and wondered, He said to them, “Do you have any food here?”
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate before them.
44 And He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you - that all which is written of Me in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, must be fulfilled.
45 Then He opened their minds, so that they might understand the Scriptures.
46 And said to them, “Thus is it written. And thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 “Now, you are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are filled with power from on high.”
50 Afterward, He led them out into Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 And it happened that, as He blessed them, He departed from them and was carried up into Heaven.
52 And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the Temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
100 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the Earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before Him with joyfulness!
3 Know that the LORD is God. He has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with rejoicing. Give Him thanks. Praise Him; and bless His Name.
5 For the LORD is good. His mercy is everlasting; and His truth is from generation to generation. A Psalm of David
11 The house of the wicked shall be destroyed. But the tabernacle of the righteous shall flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man. But the ends thereof are the ways of death.
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