1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Judges 7:1–9.
1 Solomon’s proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death.
3 The LORD will not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the wicked what they crave.
4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.
5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed.
9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.
10 A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.
14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.
15 A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to life; the activity of the wicked leads to sin.
17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The LORD’s blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.
23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them.
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.
29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious.
30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth.
31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Prverbs 10:1–32.
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline, but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.
5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Proverbs 14:3–5.
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!
5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth,
6 and everyone will see the salvation of God.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Luke 3:4–6.
1 As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.
4 We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes.
7 “Go,” He told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the man who sat begging?”
9 Some said, “He’s the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”
He kept saying, “I’m the one!”
10 Therefore they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.”
12 “Where is He?” they asked.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), John 9:1–12.
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Romans 6:3–6.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), 1 Corinthians 15:20.