Judges 15

• 1. Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife. He intended to sleep with her, but her father wouldn't let him in.
• 2. "I really thought you hated her," her father explained, "so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her sister is more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead."
• 3. Samson said, "This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines."
• 4. Then he went out and caught three hundred foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails.
• 5. Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the grain still in piles and all that had been bundled. He also destroyed their grapevines and olive trees.
• 6. "Who did this?" the Philistines demanded. "Samson," was the reply, "because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson's wife to be married to his best man." So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.
• 7. "Because you did this," Samson vowed, "I will take my revenge on you, and I won't stop until I'm satisfied!"
• 8. So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.
• 9. The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and raiding the town of Lehi.
• 10. The men of Judah asked the Philistines, "Why have you attacked us?" The Philistines replied, "We've come to capture Samson. We have come to pay him back for what he did to us."
• 11. So three thousand men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, "Don't you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?" But Samson replied, "I only paid them back for what they did to me."
• 12. But the men of Judah told him, "We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.All right," Samson said. "But promise that you won't kill me yourselves."
• 13. "We will tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines," they replied. "We won't kill you." So they tied him up with two new ropes and led him away from the rock.
• 14. As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.
• 15. Then he picked up a donkey's jawbone that was lying on the ground and killed a thousand Philistines with it.
• 16. And Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, I've made heaps on heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I've killed a thousand men!"
• 17. When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.
• 18. Now Samson was very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, "You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagan people?"
• 19. So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place "The Spring of the One Who Cried Out," and it is still in Lehi to this day.
• 20. Samson was Israel's judge for twenty years, while the Philistines ruled the land.

Acts 19

• 1. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers.
• 2. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No," they replied, "we don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
• 3. "Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, "The baptism of John."
• 4. Paul said, "John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later."
• 5. As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
• 6. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
• 7. There were about twelve men in all.
• 8. Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.
• 9. But some rejected his message and publicly spoke against the Way, so Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he began preaching daily at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
• 10. This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia--both Jews and Greeks--heard the Lord's message.
• 11. God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles,
• 12. so that even when handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and any evil spirits within them came out.
• 13. A team of Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they used was this: "I command you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!"
• 14. Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
• 15. But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?"
• 16. And he leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and badly injured.
• 17. The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored.
• 18. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.
• 19. A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.
• 20. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.
• 21. Afterward Paul felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before returning to Jerusalem. "And after that," he said, "I must go on to Rome!"
• 22. He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, on ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
• 23. But about that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way.
• 24. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.
• 25. He called the craftsmen together, along with others employed in related trades, and addressed them as follows: "Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
• 26. As you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren't gods at all. And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!
• 27. Of course, I'm not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I'm also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis--this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world--will be robbed of her prestige!"
• 28. At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
• 29. A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia.
• 30. Paul wanted to go in, but the believers wouldn't let him.
• 31. Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.
• 32. Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn't even know why they were there.
• 33. Alexander was thrust forward by some of the Jews, who encouraged him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak in defense.
• 34. But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
• 35. At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. "Citizens of Ephesus," he said. "Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven.
• 36. Since this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn't be disturbed, no matter what is said. Don't do anything rash.
• 37. You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
• 38. If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the judges can take the case at once. Let them go through legal channels.
• 39. And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly.
• 40. I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won't know what to say."
• 41. Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

Jeremiah 28

• 1. One day in late summer of that same year--the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah--Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, addressed me publicly in the Temple while all the priests and people listened. He said,
• 2. "The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will remove the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks.
• 3. Within two years, I will bring back all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon.
• 4. And I will bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the other captives that were taken to Babylon. I will surely break the yoke that the king of Babylon has put on your necks. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
• 5. Jeremiah responded to Hananiah as they stood in front of all the priests and people at the Temple.
• 6. He said, "Amen! May your prophecies come true! I hope the LORD does everything you say. I hope he does bring back from Babylon the treasures of this Temple and all our loved ones.
• 7. But listen now to the solemn words I speak to you in the presence of all these people.
• 8. The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, famine, and disease.
• 9. So a prophet who predicts peace must carry the burden of proof. Only when his predictions come true can it be known that he is really from the LORD."
• 10. Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah's neck and broke it.
• 11. And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had gathered, "The LORD has promised that within two years he will break the yoke of oppression from all the nations now subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon." At that, Jeremiah left the Temple area.
• 12. Soon afterward the LORD gave this message to Jeremiah:
• 13. "Go and tell Hananiah, `This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but you have replaced it with a yoke of iron.
• 14. The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations, forcing them into slavery under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.'"
• 15. Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, but the people believe your lies.
• 16. Therefore, the LORD says you must die. Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the LORD."
• 17. Two months later, Hananiah died.

New Living Translation: 213 of 365 days.