The Kyle File

Judges 12, 13, 14

Luke 9:37-62

Judges 12

1 The men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said to Jephthah, “Why did you pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house around you with fire!”

2 Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you didn’t save me out of their hand. 3 When I saw that you didn’t save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day, to fight against me?”

4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the middle of Ephraim, and in the middle of Manasseh.” 5 The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. It was so, that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No”; 6 then they said to him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’” and he said “Sibboleth”; for he couldn’t manage to pronounce it right: then they seized him, and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell. 7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in the cities of Gilead. 8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. He judged Israel seven years. 10 Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem. 11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. 13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, who rode on seventy donkey colts: and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Judges 13

1 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and didn’t bear. 3 Yahweh’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren, and don’t bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing: 5 for, behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of God, very awesome; and I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name: 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

8 Then Manoah entreated Yahweh, and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child who shall be born.”

9 God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah, her husband, wasn’t with her. 10 The woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, “Behold, the man has appeared to me, who came to me that day.”

11 Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” He said, “I am.”

12 Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What shall the child’s way of life and mission be?”

13 Yahweh’s angel said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware. 14 She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.”

15 Manoah said to Yahweh’s angel, “Please, let us detain you, that we may make a young goat ready for you.” 16 Yahweh’s angel said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat of your bread; and if you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to Yahweh.” For Manoah didn’t know that he was Yahweh’s angel.

17 Manoah said to Yahweh’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”

18 Yahweh’s angel said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is wonderful?”

19 So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to Yahweh. Then the angel did a wonderful thing as Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, Yahweh’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 But Yahweh’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was Yahweh’s angel. 22 Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”

23 But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, neither would he have shown us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.” 24 The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him. 25 The Spirit of Yahweh began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 14

1 Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 He came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me as wife.”

3 Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me; for she pleases me well.”

4 But his father and his mother didn’t know that it was of Yahweh; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel. 5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and behold, a young lion roared against him. 6 The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat; and he had nothing in his hand: but he didn’t tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 He went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well. 8 After a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9 He took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave to them, and they ate: but he didn’t tell them that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion. 10 His father went down to the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. 11 When they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.

12 Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing; 13 but if you can’t declare it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14 He said to them, “Out of the eater came out food. Out of the strong came out sweetness.” They couldn’t in three days declare the riddle. 15 On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you called us to impoverish us? Is it not so?”

16 Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, “You just hate me, and don’t love me. You have told a riddle to the children of my people, and haven’t told it to me.” He said to her, “Behold, I haven’t told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?”

17 She wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed him severely; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18 The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” He said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have found out my riddle.”

19 The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and struck thirty men of them, and took their plunder, and gave the changes of clothing to those who declared the riddle. His anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. 20 But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Luke 9:37-62

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him. 38 Behold, a man from the crowd called out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 Behold, a spirit takes him, he suddenly cries out, and it convulses him so that he foams, and it hardly departs from him, bruising him severely. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, and they couldn’t.”

41 Jesus answered, “Faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

42 While he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.” 45 But they didn’t understand this saying. It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

46 There arose an argument among them about which of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.”

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Don’t forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.”

51 It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before his face. They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. 53 They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set towards Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky, and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”

55 But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. 56 For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village. 57 As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, “I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord.”

58 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”

60 But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce the Kingdom of God.”

61 Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Scriptures for today’s Bible reading are referenced in the One-Year Bible Reading Calendar and are read from the World English Bible. Both the reading plan and the Bible text are known to be in the public domain, and may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without limitation or restriction of any kind. If this reading is a blessing to you, please consider making a donation to the missionaries who are working on the World English Bible as well as many other projects to spread the Good News of Christ throughout the world. Your prayers are of course quite valuable as well. Enjoy, share and be blessed in Jesus’ Name.