Daily Text and Bible Reading: Tuesday, March 17 [Press play below]

3.1 These are the nations that Jehovah allowed to remain so that they could test all those of Israel who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan
3.2 (this was so that succeeding generations of Israelites would experience war, those who had not experienced such things before):
3.3 the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites inhabiting Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
3.4 They served as a means of testing Israel to determine whether Israel would obey Jehovah’s commandments that he had given their fathers through Moses.
3.5 So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
3.6 They would take their daughters as wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they began serving their gods.
3.7 So the Israelites did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, and they forgot Jehovah their God and were serving the Baals and the sacred poles.
3.8 At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim the king of Mesopotamia. The Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.
3.9 When the Israelites called to Jehovah for help, Jehovah raised up a savior to rescue the Israelites, Othniel the son of Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb.
3.10 The spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he became the judge of Israel. When he went out to battle, Jehovah gave Cushan-rishathaim the king of Mesopotamia into his hand so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
3.11 After that the land had rest for 40 years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
3.12 And once again the Israelites began doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. So Jehovah let Eglon the king of Moab prevail over Israel, because they did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes.
3.13 Furthermore, he brought against them the Ammonites and the Amalekites. They attacked Israel and captured the city of palm trees.
3.14 The Israelites served Eglon the king of Moab for 18 years.
3.15 Then the Israelites called to Jehovah for help, so Jehovah raised up for them a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjaminite who was left-handed. In time the Israelites sent tribute through him to Eglon the king of Moab.
3.16 Meanwhile, Ehud made for himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, and he strapped it underneath his garment on his right thigh.
3.17 He then presented the tribute to Eglon the king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
3.18 When Ehud finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
3.19 But after reaching the carved images at Gilgal, he himself went back and said: “I have a secret message for you, O king.” So the king said: “Silence!” With that all his attendants left him.
3.20 So Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. Then Ehud said: “I have a message from God for you.” So he rose up from his throne.
3.21 Then Ehud drew the sword from his right thigh with his left hand and plunged it into his belly.
3.22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed in over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and the fecal matter came out.
3.23 Ehud went out through the porch, closing the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locking them.
3.24 After he left, the servants returned and saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked. So they said: “He must be relieving himself in the cool interior room.”
3.25 They kept waiting until they were embarrassed, but when they saw that he was still not opening the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them and saw their lord fallen to the floor dead!
3.26 Ehud escaped while they were lingering, and he passed by the carved images and made it safely to Seirah.
3.27 When he arrived, he sounded the horn in the mountainous region of Ephraim; and the Israelites went down out of the mountainous region, with him at their head.
3.28 Then he said to them: “Follow me, because Jehovah has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand.” So they followed him and captured the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and they did not allow anyone to cross.
3.29 At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong and valiant men; not a single one escaped.
3.30 So Moab was subdued on that day under Israel’s hand; and the land had rest for 80 years.
3.31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down 600 Philistine men with a cattle goad; he too saved Israel.
4.1 But after Ehud died, the Israelites again did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes.
4.2 So Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin the king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The chief of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the nations.
4.3 The Israelites cried out to Jehovah, because Jabin had 900 war chariots with iron scythes, and he harshly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years.
4.4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
4.5 She used to sit under Deborah’s palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the mountainous region of Ephraim; the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
4.6 She sent for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali and said to him: “Has not Jehovah the God of Israel given the command? ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take 10,000 men of Naphtali and Zebulun with you.
4.7 I will bring to you Sisera, the chief of Jabin’s army, along with his war chariots and his troops to the stream of Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’”
4.8 At this Barak said to her: “If you go with me, I will go, but if you do not go with me, I will not go.”
4.9 To this she said: “I will certainly go with you. However, the campaign you are going on will not bring you glory, for it will be into the hand of a woman that Jehovah will give Sisera.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
4.10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and 10,000 men followed his steps. Deborah also went up with him.
4.11 Incidentally, Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law, and his tent was pitched near the big tree in Zaanannim, which is at Kedesh.
4.12 They reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.
4.13 At once Sisera assembled all his war chariots—900 chariots with iron scythes—and all the troops that were with him from Harosheth of the nations to go to the stream of Kishon.
4.14 Deborah now said to Barak: “Rise up, for this is the day that Jehovah will give Sisera into your hand. Is Jehovah not going out before you?” And Barak descended from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
4.15 Then Jehovah threw Sisera and all his war chariots and all the army into confusion before the sword of Barak. Finally Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
4.16 Barak chased after the war chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the nations. So Sisera’s whole army fell by the sword; not even one remained.
4.17 But Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
4.18 Then Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him: “Come in, my lord, come in here. Do not be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
4.19 Then he said to her: “Give me, please, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin bottle of milk and gave him a drink, after which she again covered him.
4.20 He told her: “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No!’”
4.21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent pin and a hammer in her hand. Then while he was fast asleep and exhausted, she stealthily approached him and drove the pin through his temples and beat it into the ground, and he died.
4.22 Barak went there in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael now came out to meet him and said: “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” He went in with her and saw Sisera lying dead, with the tent pin through his temples.
4.23 So on that day, God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the Israelites.
4.24 The hand of the Israelites came down harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.
5.1 On that day Deborah along with Barak the son of Abinoam sang this song:
5.2 “Because of the unbound hair in Israel, Because of the people’s volunteering, Praise Jehovah!
5.3 Listen, you kings! Give ear, you rulers! To Jehovah I will sing. I will sing praises to Jehovah, Israel’s God.
5.4 Jehovah, when you went out from Seir, When you marched out of the territory of Edom, The earth shook, and the heavens poured, The clouds poured down water.
5.5 Mountains melted before the face of Jehovah, Even Sinai before the face of Jehovah, Israel’s God.
5.6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the roads were deserted; Travelers kept to the back roads.
5.7 The villagers in Israel were no more; They were no more until I, Deborah, rose up, Until I arose as a mother in Israel.
5.8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates. A shield could not be seen, nor a lance, Among 40,000 in Israel.
5.9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel, Who went as volunteers with the people. Praise Jehovah!
5.10 You riders on tawny donkeys, You who sit on fine carpets, And you who walk on the road, Consider!
5.11 The voices of the water distributors were heard at the watering places; There they were recounting the righteous acts of Jehovah, The righteous acts of his villagers in Israel. Then Jehovah’s people went down to the gates.
5.12 Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Rise up, Barak! Lead your captives away, you son of Abinoam!
5.13 Then those who were left came down to the nobles; Jehovah’s people came down to me against the mighty.
5.14 Out of Ephraim was their origin, those in the valley; They are following you, O Benjamin, among your peoples. From Machir the commanders went down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.
5.15 The princes in Issachar were with Deborah, As was Issachar, so was Barak. Into the valley plain he was sent on foot. Among the divisions of Reuben there was intense heart-searching.
5.16 Why did you sit down between the two saddlebags, Listening to them playing their pipes for the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben, there was intense heart-searching.
5.17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan; And Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat idle at the seashore, And by his harbors he remained.
5.18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives to the point of death; Naphtali also, on the open heights.
5.19 Kings came, they fought; The kings of Canaan then fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo. No spoil of silver did they take.
5.20 From heaven the stars fought; From their orbits they fought against Sisera.
5.21 The torrent of Kishon washed them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. You trampled down the powerful, O my soul.
5.22 Then the hooves of horses pounded As his stallions galloped furiously.
5.23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of Jehovah, ‘Yes, curse its inhabitants, For they did not come to the assistance of Jehovah, To the assistance of Jehovah with the mighty ones.’
5.24 Most blessed of women is Jael The wife of Heber the Kenite; She is most blessed of women living in tents.
5.25 He asked for water; she gave him milk. In a majestic banquet bowl she offered curdled milk.
5.26 With her hand she reached for the tent pin, Her right hand for the workman’s mallet. And she hammered Sisera, she crushed his head, And she smashed and pierced his temples.
5.27 Between her feet he collapsed; he fell and lay still; Between her feet he collapsed and fell; Where he collapsed, there he fell defeated.
5.28 From the window a woman looked out, Sisera’s mother peered out from the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot delayed in coming? Why are the hoofbeats of his chariots so late?’
5.29 The wisest of her noble ladies would answer her; Yes, she too would repeat to herself,
5.30 ‘They must be dividing the spoil they found, A girl, two girls, to every warrior, Spoil of dyed cloth for Sisera, spoil of dyed cloth, An embroidered garment, dyed cloth, two embroidered garments For the necks of the plunderers.’
5.31 So let all your enemies perish, O Jehovah, But let those who love you be like the sun rising in its glory.” And the land had rest for 40 years.