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18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What type were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” And they said, “They were like you;[a] each one of them had the appearance of the sons of the king.” 19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had kept them alive I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up, kill them.” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a boy. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up yourself, and strike us, for as is the man, so is his power.”[b] So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your sons, and your sons’ son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; Yahweh will rule over you.” 24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you,[c] that each of you give to me an ornamental ring from his plunder.” (They had ornamental rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We will gladly give them,” and they spread out a garment, and everyone threw there an ornamental ring of his plunder. 26 The weight of the ornamental rings of gold that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the crescents, pendants, and purple garments that were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the pendants that were on the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an ephod out of it, and he put it in his town in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. 28 And Midian was subdued before the Israelites,[d] and they did not again lift up their head, and the land rested for forty years in the days of Gideon.
The Death of Gideon
29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring,[e] for he had many wives. 31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore for him a son, and he named him[f] Abimelech. 32 And Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of Jehoash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.[g]
33 And it happened, as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites[h] returned and prostituted themselves after the Baals, and they made for themselves Baal-Berith as god. 34 The Israelites[i] did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hand of their enemies from all around, 35 nor did they show favor[j] to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he did for Israel.
Abimelech Attempts to Become King
9 And Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem, to the relatives of his mother, and he said to them and to the house of his mother’s father, 2 “Speak to[k] the lords of Shechem, ‘What is better for you, that seventy men all from the sons of Jerub-Baal rule over you, or that one man rules over you?’ Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words concerning him to[l] all the lords of Shechem; and they supported Abimelech,[m] for they said, “He is our relative.”[n] 4 And they gave to him seventy pieces of silver from the temple[o] of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hired with them[p] worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.[q] 5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerub-Baal survived, because he hid himself. 6 All the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo gathered, and they went and made Abimelech as king, near the oak[r] of the pillar that is at Shechem.
7 And they told Jotham, and he went up and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and he cried out loud[s] and said to them, “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
8 “The trees went certainly,
to anoint a king over themselves.
And they said to the olive tree,
‘Rule over us.’
9 And the olive tree replied,
‘Should I stop producing my oil,
which by me gods and men are honored,
to go sway over the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You, come rule over us.’
11 But the fig tree said to them,
‘Should I stop producing my sweetness,
and my good crop,
to go sway over the trees?’
12 And the trees said to the vine,
‘You, come rule over us.’
13 But the vine said to them,
‘Should I stop producing my wine
that makes the gods and men happy,
to go sway over the trees?’
14 So all the trees said to the thornbush,
‘You, come rule over us.’
15 And the thornbush said to the trees,
‘If in good faith[t] you are anointing
me as king over you,
then come and take refuge in my shade;
if not, may fire go out from the thornbush
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
16 “So then, if you have acted in good faith[u] and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerub-Baal and his house, and have dealt with him according to his accomplishments[v]— 17 for my father fought and risked his life[w] for you and delivered you from the hand of Midian; 18 but today you have risen against the house of my father and killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, a king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your relative[x]— 19 if you have acted in good faith[y] and sincerity with Jerub-Baal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let a fire come out from Abimelech and let it devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo; and let a fire come out from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-Millo, and let it devour Abimelech.” 21 And Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; he remained there because of Abimelech his brother.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
44 And by this time it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour 45 because[a] the light of the sun failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn apart down the middle. 46 And Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!”[b] And after he[c] said this, he expired.
47 Now when[d] the centurion saw what had happened, he began to praise[e] God, saying, “Certainly this man was righteous!” 48 And all the crowds that had come together for this spectacle, when they[f] saw the things that had happened, returned home[g] beating their[h] breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances, and the women who had followed him from Galilee who saw these things, stood at a distance.
Jesus Is Buried
50 And behold, a man named[i] Joseph, who was a member of the council,[j] a good[k] and righteous man 51 (this man was not consenting to their plan and deed), from Arimathea, a Judean town,[l] who was looking forward to the kingdom of God. 52 This man approached Pilate and[m] asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it[n] down and[o] wrapped it in a linen cloth and placed him in a tomb cut into the rock where no one had ever been placed. 54 And it was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near. 55 And the women who had been accompanying him from Galilee followed and[p] saw the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 And they returned and[q] prepared fragrant spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Jesus Is Raised
24 Now on the first day of the week, at very early dawn, they came back to the tomb bringing the fragrant spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they[r] went in, they did not find the body.[s] 4 And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men in gleaming clothing stood near them. 5 And as[t] they were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he spoke to you while he[u] was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of men who are sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise?” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and when they[v] returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the others with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they refused to believe them. 12 But Peter got up and[w] ran to the tomb, and bending over to look, he saw only the strips of linen cloth, and he went away to his home[x] wondering what had happened.
Yahweh Is a Holy King
99 Yahweh is king; let the peoples tremble.
He sits enthroned[a] between the cherubim. Let the earth shake.
2 Yahweh is great in Zion,
and he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and fearful name.
He is holy.
4 And the strength of the king loves justice.[b]
You have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt Yahweh our God,
and worship at his footstool.
He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They called to Yahweh, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud.
They kept his testimonies and the statute he gave to them.
8 O Yahweh our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrong deeds.
9 Exalt Yahweh our God,
and worship at his holy mountain,
for Yahweh our God is holy.
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