Judges 20

• 1. Then all the Israelites, from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead, came together in one large assembly and stood in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
• 2. The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel--400,000 warriors armed with swords--took their positions in the assembly of the people of God.
• 3. (Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened.
• 4. The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, "My concubine and I came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, to spend the night.
• 5. That night some of the leaders of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead.
• 6. So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel, for these men have committed this terrible and shameful crime.
• 7. Now then, the entire community of Israel must decide what should be done about this!"
• 8. And all the people stood up together and replied, "Not one of us will return home.
• 9. Instead, we will draw lots to decide who will attack Gibeah.
• 10. One tenth of the men from each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibeah for this shameful thing they have done in Israel."
• 11. So all the Israelites were united, and they gathered together to attack the town.
• 12. The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What a terrible thing has been done among you!
• 13. Give up these evil men from Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil." But the people of Benjamin would not listen.
• 14. Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.
• 15. Twenty-six thousand of their warriors armed with swords arrived in Gibeah to join the seven hundred warriors who lived there.
• 16. Seven hundred of Benjamin's warriors were left-handed, each of whom could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth, without missing.
• 17. Israel had 400,000 warriors armed with swords, not counting Benjamin's warriors.
• 18. Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, "Which tribe should lead the attack against the people of Benjamin?" The LORD answered, "Judah is to go first."
• 19. So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah.
• 20. Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin.
• 21. But Benjamin's warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed twenty-two thousand Israelites in the field that day.
• 22. But the Israelites took courage and assembled at the same place they had fought the previous day.
• 23. (For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD until evening. Then they asked the LORD, "Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?" And the LORD said, "Go out and fight against them.")
• 24. So they went out to fight against the warriors of Benjamin,
• 25. but the men of Benjamin killed another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of whom were experienced with a sword.
• 26. Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
• 27. And the Israelites went up seeking direction from the LORD. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel,
• 28. and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the LORD, "Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again or should we stop?" The LORD said, "Go! Tomorrow I will give you victory over them."
• 29. So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.
• 30. They went out on the third day and assembled at the same place as before.
• 31. When the warriors of Benjamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Israelites. About thirty Israelites died in the open fields and along the roads leading to Bethel and Gibeah.
• 32. Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, "We're defeating them as we did in the first battle!" But the Israelites had agreed in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.
• 33. When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and prepared to attack. Then the Israelites hiding in ambush west of Gibeah jumped up from where they were
• 34. and advanced against Benjamin from behind. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn't realize the impending disaster.
• 35. So the LORD helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin's warriors, all of whom were experienced with a sword.
• 36. Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin's warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver.
• 37. Then those who were in hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town.
• 38. They sent up a large cloud of smoke from the town,
• 39. which was the signal for the Israelites to turn and attack Benjamin's warriors. By that time Benjamin's warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, "We're defeating them as we did in the first battle!"
• 40. But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town,
• 41. the Israelites turned and attacked. At this point Benjamin's warriors realized disaster was near and became terrified.
• 42. So they ran toward the wilderness, but the Israelites chased after them and killed them.
• 43. The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and were relentless in chasing them down, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah.
• 44. Eighteen thousand of Benjamin's greatest warriors died in that day's battle.
• 45. The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed five thousand of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another two thousand near Gidom.
• 46. So the tribe of Benjamin lost twenty-five thousand brave warriors that day,
• 47. leaving only six hundred men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months.
• 48. Then the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns--the people, the cattle--everything. They also burned down every town they came to.

Acts 24

• 1. Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish leaders and the lawyer Tertullus, to press charges against Paul.
• 2. When Paul was called in, Tertullus laid charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: "Your Excellency, you have given peace to us Jews and have enacted reforms for us.
• 3. And for all of this we are very grateful to you.
• 4. But lest I bore you, kindly give me your attention for only a moment as I briefly outline our case against this man.
• 5. For we have found him to be a troublemaker, a man who is constantly inciting the Jews throughout the world to riots and rebellions against the Roman government. He is a ringleader of the sect known as the Nazarenes.
• 6. Moreover he was trying to defile the Temple when we arrested him.
• 7. See Footnote
• 8. You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself."
• 9. Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
• 10. Now it was Paul's turn. The governor motioned for him to rise and speak. Paul said, "I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, and this gives me confidence as I make my defense.
• 11. You can quickly discover that it was no more than twelve days ago that I arrived in Jerusalem to worship at the Temple.
• 12. I didn't argue with anyone in the Temple, nor did I incite a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.
• 13. These men certainly cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.
• 14. "But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a sect. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the books of prophecy.
• 15. I have hope in God, just as these men do, that he will raise both the righteous and the ungodly.
• 16. Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and everyone else.
• 17. "After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.
• 18. My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ritual. There was no crowd around me and no rioting.
• 19. But some Jews from the province of Asia were there--and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!
• 20. Ask these men here what wrongdoing the Jewish high council found in me,
• 21. except for one thing I said when I shouted out, 'I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!'"
• 22. Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, "Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case."
• 23. He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.
• 24. A few days later Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.
• 25. As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified. "Go away for now," he replied. "When it is more convenient, I'll call for you again."
• 26. He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.
• 27. Two years went by in this way; then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish leaders, he left Paul in prison.

Jeremiah 34

• 1. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all the armies from the kingdoms he ruled, and he fought against Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. At that time this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
• 2. "Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it.
• 3. You will not escape his grasp but will be taken into captivity. You will stand before the king of Babylon to be judged and sentenced. Then you will be exiled to Babylon.'
• 4. "But listen to this promise from the LORD, O Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the LORD says: `You will not be killed in war
• 5. but will die peacefully among your people. They will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors. They will weep for you and say, "Alas, our king is dead!" This I have decreed, says the LORD.'"
• 6. So Jeremiah the prophet delivered the message to King Zedekiah of Judah.
• 7. At this time the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah--the only cities of Judah with their walls still standing.
• 8. This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves.
• 9. He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves--both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage.
• 10. The officials and all the people had obeyed the king's command,
• 11. but later they changed their minds. They took back the people they had freed, making them slaves again.
• 12. So the LORD gave them this message through Jeremiah:
• 13. "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt.
• 14. I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But this was never done.
• 15. Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in my Temple.
• 16. But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, making them slaves once again.
• 17. "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, famine, and disease. You will be considered a disgrace by all the nations of the earth.
• 18. Because you have refused the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows.
• 19. Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people--for you have broken your oath.
• 20. I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.
• 21. I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And though Babylon's king has left this city for a while,
• 22. I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture and burn it. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed and left completely empty."

New Living Translation: 218 of 365 days.