Wednesday, November 8

13Then it came to pass, when Joshua was at Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a sword drawn in his hand. So Joshua came near and said to him, 'Are you for us or on the side of our adversaries?'

14He said to him, 'I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord.' Then Joshua fell on his face upon the earth and said to him, 'O Master, what do you command your servant?'

15The chief captain of the Lord said to Joshua, 'Loose the shoe from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy.'

2and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. The sons of Israel made dens for themselves in the mountains and caves, and strongholds away from the presence of the Midianites.

3So it was, whenever the sons of Israel had sown, Midianites would come up, and the Amalekites and the sons of the East would come up with them.

4Then they encamped against them and destroyed the fruits of the earth until they came to Gaza, and left no substance of life in the land of Israel, not even an ox or a donkey among the herds.

5For they came up with their livestock and their tents, and appeared just as numerous as locusts; they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land of Israel and destroyed it.

6And Israel was exceedingly destitute before the face of the Midianites, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord

7because of the presence of the Midianites.

8And the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, who said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'I am He who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of your bondage;

9and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.

10And I said to you, I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you did not obey My voice.' '

11Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree in Ephrathah which belonged to Joash the father of Esdri, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress in order to hide from the presence of the Midianites.

12And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, mighty one of the armies!'

13Gideon said to Him, 'It is I, my Lord? If the Lord is with us, why then have these evils come upon us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has driven us out and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.'

14Then the Angel of the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go with this strength of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Indeed, I have sent you.'

15And Gideon said to Him, 'Be gracious with me, my Lord, for how can I save Israel? My thousand is weakened in Manasseh, and I am the smallest in my father's house.'

16And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'The Lord will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.'

17Then Gideon said to Him, 'If now I have found mercy in Your sight, then You shall do everything for me today that You have told me.

18Do not leave here, I pray, until I come to You and I will bring out my offering and set it before You.' And He said, 'I am. I will wait until you come back.'

19So Gideon went in and prepared a goat kid, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and approached.

20The Angel of God said to him, 'Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And he did so.

21Then the Angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22Now Gideon perceived this was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, 'O Lord, my Lord! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.'

23Then the Lord said to him, 'Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.'

24So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it the Peace of the Lord. To this day it is still in Ephratha of the father of Esdri.

7He rested in confidence. All the earth cries aloud with gladness.

8Indeed, the trees of Lebanon rejoice against you and the cedar of Lebanon, saying, 'From the time you fell asleep, no one has come up to cut us down.'

9Hades from below was embittered to meet you. All the mighty who ruled over the earth rose up to meet you. Those who raised from their thrones all the kings of the nations,

10all shall answer and say to you, 'You also were conquered, even as we, and are numbered among us.

11Your glory and great gladness have come down to Hades. They will spread decay under you, and the worm will be your covering.'

12How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who rose up in the morning! He who sends for all the nations is crushed to the earth.

13For you said in your mind, 'I will ascend into heaven; I will place my throne above the stars of heaven. I will sit on a lofty mountain, on the lofty mountains toward the north.

14I will ascend above the clouds; I will be like the Most High.'

15But now you shall descend to Hades, to the foundations of the earth.

16Those who see you will marvel at you, and they will say, 'This is the man who greatly upset the earth, who shook kingdoms,

17and who made all the inhabited world a desert. He destroyed its cities, and did not set free those in captivity.'

18All the kings of the nations sleep in honor, every man in his house.

19But you shall be cast forth on the mountains like a loathsome dead person, with many dead pierced with swords who go down into Hades; and as a garment defiled in blood, you will not be clean.

20So you will not be clean, because you destroyed My land and killed My people. You, an evil seed, will not endure forever.

24Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

26But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

27So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'

28He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'

29But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.' ' '

31Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

32which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.'

33Another parable He spoke to them: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.'

34All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,

35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.'

36Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, 'Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.'

37He answered and said to them: 'He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

38The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

39The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

40Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.

41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,

42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

1For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.

2But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.

3For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

4But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

5For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness.

6Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

7But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

8So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

2For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,

3how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

4God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

5For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.

6But one testified in a certain place, saying: 'What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?

7You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.

8You have put all things in subjection under his feet.' For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

10For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

48But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

49'I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

50But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!

51Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.

52For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

53Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.'

54Then He also said to the multitudes, 'Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.

55And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.

56Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

57'Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?

58When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

59I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.'

16He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.'

17Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'

18And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'

21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.