for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired ¹  Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you.

I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.” ¹ 

Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, ¹  and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead ²  with the tent peg in his temple.

“As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel ¹  will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine.

Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials. ¹  When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.

When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house, ¹  Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him. ²  She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished ³  himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool ⁴  might do!”

Elisha ¹  replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. ²  This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. ³ 

“If you encounter ¹  your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return ²  it to him.

But if the man came across ¹  the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her and raped ²  her, then only the rapist ³  must die.

Samuel did what the Lord told him. ¹  When he arrived in Bethlehem, ²  the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They ³  said, “Do you come in peace?”

Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.” ¹ 

The God who loves me will help me; ¹  God will enable me to triumph over ²  my enemies. ³ 

So the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹  called the council ²  together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.

The churches in the province of Asia ¹  send greetings to you. Aquila and Prisca ²  greet ³  you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house.

Here is another way that our people ¹  can learn ²  to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and overpowers and rapes ¹  her and they are discovered.

My heart ¹  is in turmoil ²  unceasingly; ³  the days of my affliction confront me.

Though I have done nothing wrong, ¹  they are anxious to attack. ²  Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! ³ 

Your enemies roar ¹  in the middle of your sanctuary; ²  they set up their battle flags. ³ 

The poor person and the oppressor ¹  have this in common: ²  the Lord gives light ³  to the eyes of them both.