The Daily Audio Bible

¹⁰ All the people of that day died. The children who came after them did not know the Lord. They did not know about the things He had done for Israel.

Israel Is No Longer Faithful to the Lord

¹¹ Then the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, the gods of the Canaanites. ¹² They turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods of the nations around them, and worshiped them. So they made the Lord angry. ¹³ They turned away from the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ The Lord was angry with Israel. He gave them into the hands of angry men who robbed them. He sold them into the hands of those around them who hated them. The people of Israel could no longer stand in front of those who hated them. ¹⁵ The Lord punished them everywhere they went. The Lord did what He had told them and promised them He would do. The people were very troubled.

¹⁶ Then the Lord gave them special men to judge between what was right or wrong. These men saved them from those who robbed them. ¹⁷ But the people did not listen to those chosen to judge. The people were not faithful to the Lord and they worshiped other gods. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had walked in obeying the Laws of the Lord. They did not do as their fathers had done. ¹⁸ When the Lord gave them special men to judge them, the Lord was with the judge. And He saved them from those who hated them. For the Lord showed them pity because of their pain when others made it hard for them and hurt them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they would turn again and act worse than their fathers. They would follow other gods and serve them and worship them. They would not give up their sinful acts or their strong wills. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He said, “This nation has sinned against My agreement I made with their fathers. They have not listened to My voice. ²¹ I will stop driving away from them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test Israel. I will see if Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it like their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord let those nations stay. He was not quick to drive them out. And He did not give them into the power of Joshua.

The Nations That Are Still in the Land

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test Israel. They were left to test all those who had not fought in any of the wars in Canaan. ² So the children of the people of Israel who had not fought in wars might be taught about war. ³ These nations are: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were left to test Israel, to find out if Israel would obey the Laws the Lord gave their fathers through Moses. ⁵ The people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. ⁶ They married their daughters. They gave their own daughters to their sons, and they worshiped their gods. ⁷ The people of Israel did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. ⁸ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. The people of Israel worked for Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ But the people of Israel cried to the Lord. And the Lord gave the people of Israel someone who would save them. He gave them Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he led Israel. When he went out to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. He was stronger than Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ The land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab strength against Israel, because they had sinned in the eyes of the Lord. ¹³ Eglon gathered together with the people of Ammon and Amalek. They went and won the war against Israel. And they took the city of Jericho. ¹⁴ The people of Israel worked for Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the people of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord gave them someone to save them. He gave them Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent taxes by him to Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud made a sword for himself with two sharp sides, almost as long as an arm. He tied it to the top part of his right leg, under his coat. ¹⁷ Then he brought the taxes to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud had finished paying the taxes, he sent away the people who had carried the taxes. ¹⁹ But he himself turned around at the stone gods of Gilgal and returned to Eglon, saying, “I have secret news for you, O king.” Eglon said, “Keep quiet.” And all who stood by him went away from him. ²⁰ Ehud came to him while Eglon was sitting alone in his summer room. And Ehud said, “I have news from God for you.” The king got up from his seat. ²¹ Ehud put out his left hand, took the sword from his right leg, and pushed it into Eglon’s stomach. ²² The whole sword went into his stomach and the fat closed over it. For he did not pull the sword out of his stomach. The insides of Eglon’s stomach ran out. ²³ Then Ehud went out the back way. He closed the doors of the summer room behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When Ehud had gone out, Eglon’s servants came. They saw that the doors of the summer room were locked. So they said, “He is only resting in there away from the heat.” ²⁵ They waited until they were afraid because Eglon did not open the doors of the summer room. So they opened the lock and looked in the doors. And they found their owner lying dead on the floor.

²⁶ Ehud got away while they were waiting. He passed the stone gods and got away to Seirah. ²⁷ When he got there, he blew the horn in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country. Ehud went in front of them. ²⁸ He said to them, “Go after them. For the Lord has given into your hands the Moabites who hate you.” So they went down after him. They took over the crossing places of the Jordan beside Moab. And they did not let anyone cross. ²⁹ At that time they killed about 10,000 Moabites, all strong men with strength of heart. No one got away. ³⁰ So Moab was crushed under the power of Israel that day. And the land had rest for eighty years.

³¹ After Ehud, Shamgar the son of Anath became the leader. He killed 600 Philistines with a stick used to push cattle, and he also saved Israel.

The First Lord’s Supper ^(A)

¹⁴ When the time came, Jesus sat down with the twelve followers. ¹⁵ He said to them, “I have wanted very much to eat this special supper with you to remember how the Jews left Egypt. I have wanted to eat this with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ I say to you, I will not eat this special supper again until its true meaning is completed in the holy nation of God.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus took the cup and gave thanks. He said, “Take this and pass it to each one. ¹⁸ I say to you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the holy nation of God comes.”

¹⁹ Then Jesus took bread and gave thanks and broke it in pieces. He gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after they had finished the bread, He took the cup. He said, “This cup is My blood of the New Way of Worship which is given for you.

Jesus Tells of the One Who Will Hand Him Over

²¹ “See, the hand of the one who will give Me over to the leaders of the country is on the table with Me. ²² The Son of Man will be taken this way because it has been in God’s plan. But it is bad for that man who hands Him over!” ²³ They began to ask each other which of them would do this.

Arguing about Who Is the Greatest

²⁴ They started to argue among themselves about who was thought to be the greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the nations show their power to the people. Those who have power over the people are given names of honor. ²⁶ But you will not be like that. Let the greatest among you be as the least. Let the leader be as the one who cares for others. ²⁷ Who is greater, the one who is eating at the table, or the one who is caring for him? Is it not the one who is eating at the table? But I am here with you as One Who cares for you.

The Followers Will Be Honored

²⁸ “You have stayed with Me through all the hard things that have come to Me. ²⁹ As My Father has given Me a holy nation, I will give you the right ³⁰ to eat and drink at My table in My holy nation. You will sit on thrones and judge the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation.”

Jesus Tells How Peter Will Lie about Him ^(B)

³¹ The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has wanted to have you. He will divide you as wheat is divided from that which is no good. ³² But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will be strong and that you will not give up. When you return, you must help to make your brothers strong.” ³³ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison and to die with You!” ³⁴ Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today before you will say three times that you do not know Me.”

A Song of Praise

92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. ² It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, ³ with harps, and with music of praise. ⁴ For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

⁵ How great are Your works, O Lord! How deep are Your thoughts! ⁶ A man who cannot reason does not have much learning. A fool does not understand this. ⁷ Even if the sinful grow up like grass and all goes well with wrong-doers, they will be destroyed forever. ⁸ But You, O Lord, rule from Your high place forever. ⁹ For, look, those who hate You will be lost from You forever, O Lord. All those who do wrong will be destroyed.

¹⁰ But You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild bull. New oil has been poured upon me. ¹¹ My eyes have seen those who wait to hurt me. My ears hear the bad men who rise up against me. ¹² The man who is right and good will grow like the palm tree. He will grow like a tall tree in Lebanon. ¹³ Planted in the house of the Lord, they will grow well in the home of our God. ¹⁴ They will still give fruit when they are old. They will be full of life and strength. ¹⁵ And they will show that the Lord is faithful. He is my rock. There is nothing in Him that is not right and good.

God Is King

93 The Lord rules. He is dressed with great power. The Lord has dressed Himself with strength. For sure, the world is built to last. It will not be moved. ² Your throne is set up from long ago. You have always been. ³ The floods have lifted up, O Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their beating waves. ⁴ The Lord on high is more powerful than the sound of many waters and the strong waves of the sea. ⁵ Your Word is very sure. O Lord, Your house is holy forever.

14 The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

² He who walks in honor fears the Lord, but he who is sinful in his ways hates Him.