Through the Bible – Day 84

₇The Israelites sinned against the LORD by forgetting him and worshipping idols of Baal and Astarte. ₈This made the LORD angry, so he let Israel be defeated by King Cushan Rishathaim of northern Syria, who ruled Israel eight years and made everyone pay taxes. ₉The Israelites begged the LORD for help, and he chose Othniel to rescue them. Othniel was the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. ₁₀The Spirit of the LORD took control of Othniel, and he led Israel in a war against Cushan Rishathaim. The LORD gave Othniel victory, ₁₁and Israel was at peace until Othniel died about forty years later.

₁₂Once more the Israelites started disobeying the LORD. So he let them be defeated by King Eglon of Moab, ₁₃who had joined forces with the Ammonites and the Amalekites to attack Israel. Eglon and his army captured Jericho. ₁₄Then he ruled Israel for eighteen years and forced the Israelites to pay heavy taxes.

_15-16The Israelites begged the LORD for help, and the LORD chose Ehud from the Benjamin tribe to rescue them. They put Ehud in charge of taking the taxes to King Eglon, but before Ehud went, he made a double-edged dagger. Ehud was left-handed, so he strapped the dagger to his right thigh, where it would be hidden under his robes.

_17-18Ehud and some other Israelites took the taxes to Eglon, who was a very fat man. As soon as they gave the taxes to Eglon, Ehud said it was time to go home.

_19-20Ehud went with the other Israelites as far as the statues at Gilgal. Then he turned back and went upstairs to the cool room where Eglon had his throne. Ehud said, “Your Majesty, I need to talk with you in private.”

Eglon replied, “Don't say anything yet!” His officials left the room, and Eglon stood up as Ehud came closer.

“Yes,” Ehud said, “I have a message for you from God!” ₂₁Ehud pulled out the dagger with his left hand and shoved it so far into Eglon's stomach _22-23that even the handle was buried in his fat. Ehud left the dagger there. Then after closing and locking the doors to the room, he climbed through a window on to the porch ₂₄and left.

When the king's officials came back and saw that the doors were locked, they said, “The king is probably inside relieving himself.” ₂₅They stood there waiting until they felt foolish, but Eglon never opened the doors. Finally, they unlocked the doors and found King Eglon lying dead on the floor. ₂₆But by that time, Ehud had already escaped past the statues.

Ehud went to the town of Seirah _27-28in the hill country of Ephraim and started blowing a signal on a trumpet. The Israelites came together, and he shouted, “Follow me! The LORD will help us defeat the Moabites.”

The Israelites followed Ehud down to the Jordan valley, and they captured the places where people cross the river on the way to Moab. They would not let anyone go across, ₂₉and before the fighting was over, they killed about ten thousand Moabite warriors—not one escaped alive.

₃₀Moab was so badly defeated that it was a long time before they were strong enough to attack Israel again. And Israel was at peace for eighty years.

₃₁Shamgar the son of Anath was the next to rescue Israel. In one battle, he used a sharp wooden pole to kill six hundred Philistines.

₁After the death of Ehud, the Israelites again started disobeying the LORD. ₂So the LORD let the Canaanite King Jabin of Hazor conquer Israel. Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, lived in Harosheth-Ha-Goiim. ₃Jabin's army had nine hundred iron chariots, and for twenty years he made life miserable for the Israelites, until finally they begged the LORD for help.

₄Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader of Israel during those days. ₅She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.

₆One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said:

₈“I'm not going unless you go!” Barak told her.

₉“All right, I'll go!” she replied. “But I'm warning you that the LORD is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honour you for winning the battle.”

Deborah and Barak left for Kedesh, ₁₀where Barak called together the troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand soldiers gathered there, and Barak led them out from Kedesh. Deborah went too.

₁₁At this time, Heber of the Kenite clan was living near the village of Oak in Zaanannim, not far from Kedesh. The Kenites were descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, but Heber had moved and had set up his tents away from the rest of the clan.

₁₂When Sisera learnt that Barak had led an army to Mount Tabor, ₁₃he called his troops together and got all nine hundred iron chariots ready. Then he led his army away from Harosheth-Ha-Goiim to the River Kishon.

₁₄Deborah shouted, “Barak, it's time to attack Sisera! Because today the LORD is going to help you defeat him. In fact, the LORD has already gone on ahead to fight for you.”

Barak led his ten thousand troops down from Mount Tabor. ₁₅And during the battle, the LORD confused Sisera, his chariot drivers, and his whole army. Everyone was so afraid of Barak and his army, that even Sisera jumped down from his chariot and tried to escape. ₁₆Barak's forces went after Sisera's chariots and army as far as Harosheth-Ha-Goiim.

Sisera's entire army was wiped out. ₁₇Only Sisera escaped. He ran to Heber's camp, because Heber and his family had a peace treaty with the king of Hazor. Sisera went to the tent that belonged to Jael, Heber's wife. ₁₈She came out to greet him and said, “Come in, sir! Please come on in. Don't be afraid.”

After they had gone inside, Sisera lay down, and Jael covered him with a blanket. ₁₉“Could I have a little water?” he asked. “I'm thirsty.”

Jael opened a leather bottle and poured him some milk, then she covered him up again.

₂₀“Stand at the entrance to the tent,” Sisera told her. “If someone comes by and asks if anyone is inside, tell them ‘No.’ ”

₂₁Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent peg through his head into the ground, and he died.

₂₂Meanwhile, Barak had been following Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “The man you're looking for is inside,” she said. “Come in and I'll show him to you.”

They went inside, and there was Sisera—dead and stretched out with a tent peg through his skull.

₂₃That same day the Israelites defeated the Canaanite King Jabin, and his army was no longer powerful enough to attack the Israelites. ₂₄Jabin grew weaker while the Israelites kept growing stronger, and at last the Israelites destroyed him.

₁After the battle was over that day, Deborah and Barak sang this song:

There was peace in Israel for about forty years. ₁Then once again the Israelites started disobeying the LORD, so he let the nation of Midian control Israel for seven years. ₂The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves.

₃Every time the Israelites would plant crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations. _4-5They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts, they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went.

_6-7The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the LORD for help. _8-9Then the LORD sent a prophet to them with this message:

₂₂The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born.

They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord, ₂₃just as the Law of the Lord says, “Each firstborn baby boy belongs to the Lord.” ₂₄The Law of the Lord also says that parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.

₂₅At this time a man named Simeon was living in Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God and was waiting for God to save the people of Israel. God's Spirit came to him ₂₆and told him that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Lord.

₂₇When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to do what the Law of Moses says should be done for a new baby, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple. ₂₈Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God,

₃₃Jesus' parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. ₃₄Then he blessed them and told Mary, “This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, ₃₅and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking.”

₃₆The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband had died. ₃₇And now she was eighty-four years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.

₃₈At that time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.

₃₉After Joseph and Mary had done everything that the Law of the Lord commands, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ₄₀The child Jesus grew. He became strong and wise, and God blessed him.