The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday April 24, 2020 (NIV)

¹⁰ Also, all [the people of] that generation were gathered to their fathers [in death]; and another generation arose after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel.

Israel Serves Baals

¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped and served the Baals, ¹² and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them, and offended and provoked the Lord to anger. ¹³ So they abandoned the Lord and served Baal [the pagan god of the Canaanites] and the ^[a]Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands (power) of plunderers who robbed them; and He sold them into the hands of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer stand [in opposition] before their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil (misfortune), as the Lord had spoken, and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.^(A)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up ^[b]judges who rescued them from the hands of those who robbed them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the prostitute after other gods and they bowed down to them. They quickly turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. ¹⁸ When the Lord raised up judges for them, He was with the judge and He rescued them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they turned back and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, in following and serving other gods, and bowing down to them. They did not ^[c]abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this ^[d]nation has transgressed (violated) My covenant (binding agreement) which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, ²¹ I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left [to be conquered] when he died, ²² in order to test [the loyalty of] Israel by them, whether Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out at once; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Idolatry Leads to Servitude

3 Now these are the nations which the Lord left [in order] to test Israel by them (that is, all [the people of Israel] who had not [previously] experienced any of the wars in Canaan; ² only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, at least those who had not experienced it previously). ³ The remaining nations are: the five lords (governors) of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ They were [allowed to remain] for the testing of Israel, to determine whether Israel would listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers (ancestors) through Moses. ⁵ And the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; ⁶ and they took their daughters for themselves as wives and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their [pagan] gods.^(B)

⁷ And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the ^[e]Asheroth.^{(C) 8} So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of ^[f]Mesopotamia; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

The First Judge Rescues Israel

⁹ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a ^[g]man to rescue the people of Israel, ^[h]Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ And the land was at rest [from oppression for] forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² Now the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, since they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹³ And Eglon gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck down Israel [in defeat], and they took possession of the City of Palm Trees (Jericho). ¹⁴ And the Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

Ehud Rescues Israel from Moab

¹⁵ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], the Lord raised up a ^[i]man to rescue them, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, ^[j]a left-handed man. And the Israelites sent a gift of tribute by him to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Now Ehud made for himself a sword a ^[k]cubit long, which had two edges, and he bound it on his ^[l]right thigh under his robe. ¹⁷ And he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ And when Ehud had finished presenting the ^[m]tribute, he sent away the people who had carried it. ¹⁹ But Ehud himself turned back from the ^[n]sculptured stones at Gilgal, [and he returned to Eglon] and said [to him], “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said “Keep silence.” And all who attended him left him. ²⁰ Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his [private] cool upper chamber, and Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And the king got up from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. ²² And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, because Ehud did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the upper chamber behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When Ehud departed, Eglon’s servants came. And when they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, “He is only ^[o]relieving himself in the cool room.” ²⁵ They waited [a very long time] until they became embarrassed and uneasy, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. So [finally] they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ Now Ehud escaped while they lingered, and he passed beyond the sculptured stones and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he had arrived, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them. ²⁸ And he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed over your enemies the Moabites to you.” So they went down after him and seized the ^[p]fords of the Jordan opposite Moab and did not allow anyone to cross. ²⁹ They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabite men, all strong, courageous men; not a man escaped. ³⁰ So Moab was subdued and humbled that day under the hand of Israel, and the land was at rest for eighty years.

Shamgar Rescues from Philistines

³¹ After Ehud came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistine men with an ^[q]oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

The Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ When the hour [for the meal] had come, Jesus reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ He said to them, “I have earnestly wanted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And when He had taken a cup and ^[a]given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;^{(A) 18} for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And when He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant [ratified] in My blood. ²¹ But listen, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.^{(B) 22} For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom He is betrayed and handed over!” ²³ And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this.

Who Is Greatest?

²⁴ Now a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was regarded to be the greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’^{(C) 26} But it is not to be this way with you; on the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest [and least privileged], and the [one who is the] leader, like the servant. ²⁷ For who is the greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸ “You are those who have remained and have stood by Me in My trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you [the privilege] ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain;^{(D) 32} but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith].” ³³ And Peter said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!”^{(E) 34} Jesus said, “I say to you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will [utterly] deny three times that you know Me.”

Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.

The Majesty of the Lord.

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked