NKJV Bible in 365 Days
Dark, Tumultuous Leadership & Foolish Vows — March 10
Judges 9-12
Judges 9
1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 365N 69.1
2 “Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.” 365N 69.2
3 And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 365N 69.3
4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him. 365N 69.4
5 Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself. 365N 69.5
6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem. 365N 69.6
7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, That God may listen to you! 365N 69.7
8 “The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ 365N 69.8
9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?’ 365N 69.9
10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 365N 69.10
11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, And go to sway over trees?’ 365N 69.11
12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 365N 69.12
13 But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both God and men, And go to sway over trees?’ 365N 69.13
14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 365N 69.14
15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you, Then come and take shelter in my shade; But if not, let fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’ 365N 69.15
16 “Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as [a] he deserves— 365N 69.16
17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 365N 69.17
18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— 365N 69.18
19 if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 365N 69.19
20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!” 365N 69.20
21 And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. 365N 69.21
22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, 365N 69.22
23 God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 365N 69.23
24 that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers. 365N 69.24
25 And the men of Shechem set [b] men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech. 365N 69.25
26 Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 365N 69.26
27 So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and [c] made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. 365N 69.27
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 the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 365N 69.28
29 If only this people were under my [d] authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So [e] he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!” 365N 69.29
30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused. 365N 69.30
31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you. 365N 69.31
32 Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and [f] lie in wait in the field. 365N 69.32
33 And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them [g] as you find opportunity.” 365N 69.33
34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and [h] lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 365N 69.34
35 When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait. 365N 69.35
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!” But Zebul said to him, “You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.” 365N 69.36
37 So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the [i] Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.” 365N 69.37
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.” 365N 69.38
39 So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 365N 69.39
40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate. 365N 69.40
41 Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul [j] drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem. 365N 69.41
42 And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. 365N 69.42
43 So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and [k] attacked them. 365N 69.43
44 Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them. 365N 69.44
45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt. 365N 69.45
46 Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the [l] stronghold of the temple of the god Berith. 365N 69.46
47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 365N 69.47
48 Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done. ” 365N 69.48
49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the [m] stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women. 365N 69.49
50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he [n] encamped against Thebez and took it. 365N 69.50
51 But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower. 365N 69.51
52 So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 365N 69.52
53 But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 365N 69.53
54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man thrust him through, and he died. 365N 69.54
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his [o] place. 365N 69.55
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 365N 69.56
57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 365N 69.57
Judges 10
1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 365N 69.58
2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir. 365N 69.59
3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 365N 69.60
4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called [a] “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 365N 69.61
5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon. 365N 69.62
6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord , and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. 365N 69.63
7 So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 365N 69.64
8 From that year they [b] harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead. 365N 69.65
9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. 365N 69.66
10 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord , saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!” 365N 69.67
11 So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “ Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? 365N 69.68
12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and [c] Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 365N 69.69
13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 365N 69.70
14 “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” 365N 69.71
15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord , “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” 365N 69.72
16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord . And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. 365N 69.73
17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 365N 69.74
18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 365N 69.75
Judges 11
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 365N 69.76
2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 365N 69.77
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him. 365N 69.78
4 It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. 365N 69.79
5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 365N 69.80
6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.” 365N 69.81
7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in [a] distress?” 365N 69.82
8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned [b] again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 365N 69.83
9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?” 365N 69.84
10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” 365N 69.85
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. 365N 69.86
12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?” 365N 69.87
13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.” 365N 69.88
14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 365N 69.89
15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; 365N 69.90
16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 365N 69.91
17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh. 365N 69.92
18 And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 365N 69.93
19 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land into our place.” 365N 69.94
20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 365N 69.95
21 And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated [c] them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 365N 69.96
22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 365N 69.97
23 ‘And now the Lord God of Israel has [d] dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? 365N 69.98
24 Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. 365N 69.99
25 And now, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? 365N 69.100
26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? 365N 69.101
27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord , the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ” 365N 69.102
28 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him. 365N 69.103
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 365N 69.104
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord , and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 365N 69.105
31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord ’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 365N 69.106
32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 365N 69.107
33 And he [e] defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to [f] Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 365N 69.108
34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 365N 69.109
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have [g] given my word to the Lord , and I cannot [h] go back on it.” 365N 69.110
36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord , do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 365N 69.111
37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and [i] bewail my virginity, my [j] friends and I.” 365N 69.112
38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 365N 69.113
39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She [k] knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 365N 69.114
40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to [l] lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. 365N 69.115
Judges 12
1 Then the men of Ephraim [a] gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!” 365N 69.116
2 And Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands. 365N 69.117
3 So when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 365N 69.118
4 Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.” 365N 69.119
5 The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “ Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 365N 69.120
6 then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” [b] And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not [c] pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites. 365N 69.121
7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried among the cities of Gilead. 365N 69.122
8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 365N 69.123
9 He had thirty sons. And he gave away thirty daughters in marriage, and brought in thirty daughters from elsewhere for his sons. He judged Israel seven years. 365N 69.124
10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem. 365N 69.125
11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. He judged Israel ten years. 365N 69.126
12 And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. 365N 69.127
13 After him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 365N 69.128
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Israel eight years. 365N 69.129
15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mountains of the Amalekites. 365N 69.130