Mark 8:22-30
[22]
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man
and begged him to touch him. [23] And he took the blind man by the hand
and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and
laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” [24] And he
looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
[25] Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his
eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. [26] And he
sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
[27]
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea
Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that
I am?” [28] And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say,
Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” [29] And he asked them, “But
who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
[30] And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
[26]
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a
lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be
done for building up. [27] If any speak in a tongue, let there be only
two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. [28]
But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in
church and speak to himself and to God. [29] Let two or three prophets
speak, and let the others weigh what is said. [30] If a revelation is
made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. [31] For you can
all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,
[32] and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. [33] For God
is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As
in all the churches of the saints, [34] the women should keep silent
in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in
submission, as the Law also says. [35] If there is anything they desire
to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a
woman to speak in church.
[36]
Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones
it has reached? [37] If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or
spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are
a command of the Lord. [38] If anyone does not recognize this, he is
not recognized. [39] So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and
do not forbid speaking in tongues. [40] But all things should be done
decently and in order.
Psalm 91
[1] He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
[2] I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
[3] For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
[4] He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
[5] You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
[6] nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
[7] A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
[8] You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
[9] Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
[10] no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
[11] For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
[12] On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
[13] You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
[14] “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
[15] When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
[16] With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Judges 20
[1]
Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba,
including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man
to the LORD at Mizpah. [2] And the chiefs of all the people, of all the
tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of
God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword. [3] (Now the people of
Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the
people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?” [4] And the
Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said,
“I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend
the night. [5] And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded
the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated
my concubine, and she is dead. [6] So I took hold of my concubine and
cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the
inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage
in Israel. [7] Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your
advice and counsel here.”
[8]
And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his
tent, and none of us will return to his house. [9] But now this is what
we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, [10] and we will
take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a
hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring
provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of
Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.” [11]
So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.
[12]
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin,
saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you? [13] Now
therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may
put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites
would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.
[14] Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to
Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel. [15] And the
people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men
who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700
chosen men. [16] Among all these were 700 chosen men who were
left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. [17]
And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who
drew the sword; all these were men of war.
[18]
The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God,
“Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?”
And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”
[19]
Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against
Gibeah. [20] And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin,
and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.
[21] The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day
22,000 men of the Israelites. [22] But the people, the men of Israel,
took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where
they had formed it on the first day. [23] And the people of Israel went
up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the
LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the
people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”
[24]
So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the
second day. [25] And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second
day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were
men who drew the sword. [26] Then all the people of Israel, the whole
army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the
LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings before the LORD. [27] And the people of Israel inquired
of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
[28] and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before
it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against
our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the LORD
said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
[29]
So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. [30] And the people of
Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set
themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. [31] And the
people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from
the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of
the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other
to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel. [32]
And the people of Benjamin said, “They are routed before us, as at the
first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away
from the city to the highways.” [33] And all the men of Israel rose up
out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the
men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from
Maareh-geba. [34] And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of
all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know
that disaster was close upon them. [35] And the LORD defeated Benjamin
before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin
that day. All these were men who drew the sword. [36] So the people of
Benjamin saw that they were defeated.
The
men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in
ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. [37] Then the men in ambush
hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and
struck all the city with the edge of the sword. [38] Now the appointed
signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that
when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city [39] the
men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike
and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are
defeated before us, as in the first battle.” [40] But when the signal
began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites
looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke
to heaven. [41] Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin
were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them. [42]
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the
direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. And those who
came out of the cities were destroying them in their midst. [43]
Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from
Nohah as far as opposite Gibeah on the east. [44] Eighteen thousand men
of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor. [45] And they turned and
fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. Five thousand men of
them were cut down in the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom,
and 2,000 men of them were struck down. [46] So all who fell that day
of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of
valor. [47] But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the
rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. [48] And
the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck
them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that
they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
Judges 21
[1]
Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his
daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” [2] And the people came to Bethel
and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices
and wept bitterly. [3] And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why
has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe
lacking in Israel?” [4] And the next day the people rose early and built
there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. [5] And
the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not
come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had taken a great oath
concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He
shall surely be put to death.” [6] And the people of Israel had
compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off
from Israel this day. [7] What shall we do for wives for those who are
left, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of
our daughters for wives?”
[8]
And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not
come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp
from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. [9] For when the people were
mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.
[10] So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and
commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the
edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. [11] This is
what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male
you shall devote to destruction.” [12] And they found among the
inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man
by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is
in the land of Canaan.
[13]
Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who
were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. [14] And
Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they
had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough
for them. [15] And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the
LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
[16]
Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives
for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
[17] And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of
Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. [18] Yet we
cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had
sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.” [19] So they said,
“Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north
of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to
Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” [20] And they commanded the people of
Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards [21] and watch.
If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come
out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of
Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. [22] And when their fathers or
their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them
graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife
in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be
guilty.’” [23] And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives,
according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then
they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and
lived in them. [24] And the people of Israel departed from there at that
time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there
every man to his inheritance.
[25] In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
