Simon reads the Bible

Judges 20 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. The entire community assembled in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah. 2  The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took thei...

Judges 19 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. 2  But she became angry with him and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem. After about four months, 3  her husband...

Judges 18 NLT read aloud Simon MacFarlane.  1  Now in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place where they could settle, for they had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was divided among the tribes of Israel. 2  So the men of Dan chose from their clans five capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out...

Judges 17 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. 2  One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.” “The Lord bless you for admitting it,” his mother replied. 3  He returned the money to he...

Judges 16 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. 2  Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, “When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.” 3  But Sams...

Judges 15 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife. He said, “I’m going into my wife’s room to sleep with her,” but her father wouldn’t let him in. 2  “I truly thought you must hate her,” her father explained, “so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more bea...

Judges 14 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. 2  When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.” 3  His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites y...

Judges 13 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. 2  In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 3  The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoa...

Judges 12 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.   1  Then the people of Ephraim mobilized an army and crossed over the Jordan River to Zaphon. They sent this message to Jephthah: “Why didn’t you call for us to help you fight against the Ammonites? We are going to burn down your house with you in it!” 2  Jephthah replied, “I summoned you at the beginning of the dispute, but you refused...

Judges 11 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. 2  Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said, “for you are the son of a prostitute.” 3  So Jephth...

Judges 10 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  After Abimelech died, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, was the next person to rescue Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar but lived in the town of Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2  He judged Israel for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir. 3  After Tola died, Jair from Gilead judged Israel for twe...

Judges 9 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  One day Gideon’s son Abimelech went to Shechem to visit his uncles—his mother’s brothers. He said to them and to the rest of his mother’s family, 2  “Ask the leading citizens of Shechem whether they want to be ruled by all seventy of Gideon’s sons or by one man. And remember that I am your own flesh and blood!” 3  So Abimelech’s...

Judges 8 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon. 2  But Gideon replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire cro...

Judges 7 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2  The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they sav...

Judges 6 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 2  The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3  Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people...

Judges 5 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2  “Israel’s leaders took charge, and the people gladly followed. Praise the Lord! 3  “Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you mighty rulers! For I will sing to the Lord. I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel. 4  “Lord, when you set out from Seir and march...

Judges 4 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 2  So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. 3  Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Isra...

Judges 3 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. 2  He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. 3  These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the...

Judges 2 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2  For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their...

Judges 01 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Which tribe should go first to attack the Canaanites?” 2  The Lord answered, “Judah, for I have given them victory over the land.” 3  The men of Judah said to their relatives from the tribe of Simeon, “Join with us to fight against the Canaanites living in the territory...

Amos 9 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  9  Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said, “Strike the tops of the Temple columns, so that the foundation will shake. Bring down the roof on the heads of the people below. I will kill with the sword those who survive. No one will escape! 2  “Even if they dig down to the place of the dead, I will reach down and p...

Amos 8 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. 2  “What do you see, Amos?” he asked. I replied, “A basket full of ripe fruit.” Then the Lord said, “Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. 3  In that day the singing in the temple will tu...

Amos 7 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. 2  In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not surv...

Amos 6 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help. 2  But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how...

Amos 5 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane.  1  Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing: 2  “The virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, with no one to help her up.” 3  The Sovereign Lord says: “When a city sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will...