135. 14-May Daily Reading (Prophets and Writings).

Judges 17,18, Psalms 43, Proverbs 31.

Judges 17.

1 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. Micah's Idolatry. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
2 He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” His mother said, “Blessed be my son of YHWH!”
3 He restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, “I most certainly dedicate the silver to YHWH from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
4 When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.
5 The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
7 There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there.
8 The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to live where he could find a place, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he traveled.
9 Micah said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.”
10 Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, a suit of clothing, and your food.” So the Levite went in.
11 The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
12 Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
13 Then Micah said, “Now know I that YHWH will do good to me, since I have a Levite to my priest.”

Judges 18.

1 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. The Danites Adopt Micah's Idolatry. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day, their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.
2 The children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him, “Who brought you here? What do you do in this place? What do you have here?”
4 He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I am become his priest.”
5 They said to him, “Please ask counsel of ELOHIM, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before YHWH!”
7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were therein, how they lived in security, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.
8 They came to their brothers to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brothers said to them, “What do you say?”
9 They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. Do you stand still? Don’t be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
10 When you go, you shall come to a secure people, and the land is large; for ELOHIM has given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.”
11 There set forth from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
12 They went up, and encamped in Kiriath Jearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan, to this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim.
13 They passed there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered, and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and an engraved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.”
15 They turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
16 The six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17 The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
18 When these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the engraved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 They said to him, “Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the engraved image, and went in the midst of the people.
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the goods before them.
22 When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
23 They cried to the children of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you come with such a company?”
24 He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what more do I have? How then do you say to me, ‘What ails you?’”
25 The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
26 The children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. Danites Settle in Laish. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.
28 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city, and lived therein.
29 They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: however the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 So they set them up Micah’s engraved image which he made, all the time that the house of ELOHIM was in Shiloh.

Psalms 43.

1 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. Prayer to ELOHIM in Time of Trouble. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

Vindicate me, ELOHIM, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men.
2 For you are the ELOHIM of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill, To your tents.
4 Then I will go to the altar of ELOHIM, to EL, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, ELOHIM, my ELOHIM!
5 Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in ELOHIM! For I shall still praise him: my Savior, my helper, and my ELOHIM!

Proverbs 31.

1 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. The Words of King Lemuel's Mother. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.
2 “Oh, my son! Oh, son of my womb! Oh, son of my vows!
3 Don’t give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
5 lest they drink, and forget the decree, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; and wine to the bitter in soul:
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”

10 \Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnestLOW”\. The Virtuous Wife. .\Vce=Speaker=“LeslieEarnest”\

Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.
15 She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
17 She arms her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.
19 She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things, but you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears YHWH, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!

! ! End of The Daily Reading from the PROPHETS AND WRITINGS! Praise Yah! (HNV-yet version, in the public domain.) \Eng:[:phone arpa SAMPA][_:<3333,0>]\