Judges 8

• 1. Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us this way? Why didn't you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?" And they argued heatedly with Gideon.
• 2. But Gideon replied, "What have I done compared to you? Aren't the last grapes of Ephraim's harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer?
• 3. God gave you victory over Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the Midianite army. What have I done compared to that?" When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon's answer, they were no longer angry.
• 4. Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his three hundred men, and though they were exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.
• 5. When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, "Will you please give my warriors some food? They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
• 6. But the leaders of Succoth replied, "You haven't caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Catch them first, and then we will feed your warriors."
• 7. So Gideon said, "After the LORD gives me victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness."
• 8. From there Gideon went up to Peniel and asked for food, but he got the same answer.
• 9. So he said to the people of Peniel, "After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower."
• 10. By this time Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a remnant of 15,000 warriors--all that remained of the allied armies of the east--for 120,000 had already been killed.
• 11. Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, taking the Midianite army by surprise.
• 12. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings, fled, but Gideon chased them down and captured all their warriors.
• 13. After this, Gideon returned by way of Heres Pass.
• 14. There he captured a young man from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven rulers and leaders in the town.
• 15. Gideon then returned to Succoth and said to the leaders, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you taunted me, saying, `You haven't caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Catch them first, and then we will feed your exhausted warriors.'"
• 16. Then Gideon took the leaders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.
• 17. He also knocked down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.
• 18. Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "The men you killed at Tabor--what were they like?Like you," they replied. "They all had the look of a king's son."
• 19. "They were my brothers!" Gideon exclaimed. "As surely as the LORD lives, I wouldn't kill you if you hadn't killed them."
• 20. Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, for he was only a boy and was afraid.
• 21. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Don't ask a boy to do a man's job! Do it yourself!" So Gideon killed them both and took the royal ornaments from the necks of their camels.
• 22. Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian."
• 23. But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you!
• 24. However, I have one request. Each of you can give me an earring out of the treasures you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)
• 25. "Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered.
• 26. The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the crescents and pendants, the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the necks of their camels.
• 27. Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
• 28. That is the story of how Israel subdued Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon's lifetime--about forty years--the land was at peace.
• 29. Then Gideon son of Joash returned home.
• 30. He had seventy sons, for he had many wives.
• 31. He also had a concubine in Shechem, who bore him a son named Abimelech.
• 32. Gideon died when he was very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer.
• 33. As soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god.
• 34. They forgot the LORD their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.
• 35. Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.

Acts 12

• 1. About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.
• 2. He had the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a sword.
• 3. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover celebration
• 4. and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod's intention was to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.
• 5. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
• 6. The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, chained between two soldiers, with others standing guard at the prison gate.
• 7. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel tapped him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists.
• 8. Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered.
• 9. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't realize it was really happening.
• 10. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate to the street, and this opened to them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
• 11. Peter finally realized what had happened. "It's really true!" he said to himself. "The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jews were hoping to do to me!"
• 12. After a little thought, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.
• 13. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.
• 14. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!"
• 15. "You're out of your mind," they said. When she insisted, they decided, "It must be his angel."
• 16. Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally went out and opened the door, they were amazed.
• 17. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them what had happened and how the Lord had led him out of jail. "Tell James and the other brothers what happened," he said. And then he went to another place.
• 18. At dawn, there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter.
• 19. Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn't be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
• 20. Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod's country for their food. They made friends with Blastus, Herod's personal assistant,
• 21. and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them.
• 22. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, "It is the voice of a god, not of a man!"
• 23. Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people's worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
• 24. But God's Good News was spreading rapidly, and there were many new believers.
• 25. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch, taking John Mark with them.

Jeremiah 21

• 1. The LORD spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah,
• 2. "Please ask the LORD to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has begun his attack on Judah. Perhaps the LORD will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies."
• 3. Jeremiah replied, "Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him,
• 4. `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are attacking you. Yes, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city.
• 5. I myself will fight against you with great power, for I am very angry. You have made me furious!
• 6. I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die.
• 7. And then, says the LORD, even after King Zedekiah, his officials, and everyone else in the city have survived war, famine, and disease, I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will slaughter them all without mercy, pity, or compassion.'
• 8. "Tell all the people, `This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death!
• 9. Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live.
• 10. For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the LORD. It will be captured by the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.'
• 11. "Say to the royal family of Judah, `Listen to this message from the LORD!
• 12. This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: Give justice to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Do what is right, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.
• 13. I will fight against this city of Jerusalem that boasts, "We are safe on our mountain! No one can touch us here."
• 14. And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the LORD. I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.'"

New Living Translation: 206 of 365 days.