May 2nd

And the land was quiet for forty years.

Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.

And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

And it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would go up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go up against them.

So they would camp against them and ruin the produce of the earth as far as Gaza and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

For they would go up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to make it a ruin.

So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.

Now it happened when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian,

that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery.

I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors and drove them out before you and gave you their land,

and I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not listened to My voice.” ’ ”

Then the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to preserve it from the Midianites.

And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wondrous deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”

But he said to Him, “O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

But Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midian as one man.”

So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then do a sign for me that it is You who speak with me.

Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and I bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.

And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock and pour out the broth.” And he did so.

Then the angel of Yahweh put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away from before his eyes.

And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh, so he said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.”

And Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”

So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and named it Yahweh is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Now it happened on the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it,

and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”

So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as Yahweh had spoken to him; and now it happened that because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

Then the men of the city arose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.

And they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched about and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.”

Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.”

But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.”

Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

But the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.

And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

Then Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken,

behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.”

And it was so. Indeed he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece. And he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.”

And God did so that night. So it was dry only on the fleece, but dew was on all the ground.

Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees;

as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, know that summer is now near.

So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

“But be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth.

Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but during the night He would go out and spend it on the mount called “of Olives.”

And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was drawing near.

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, who belonged to the number of the twelve.

And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them.

And they were glad and agreed to give him money.

So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”

And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”

And He said to them, “Behold, after you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.

And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’

And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.”

And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.

For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table.

For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

And they began to argue among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.