a thread opens
And Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel prostituted themselves there after it: which thing became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.
The Vigil
Today’s scroll, one verse at a time — each linked to the last by the cross-references rather than by any model of you. The same vigil for everyone, and a different one tomorrow.
And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the carved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the cast image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
from Judges 8:27
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
from Judges 18:17
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Acacia two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a prostitute’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
from Judges 18:2
a thread opens
Then Moses said to Aaron, This is it that the LORD spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Speak to Aaron, saying, Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
from Leviticus 10:3
And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he has chosen will he cause to come near to him.
from Leviticus 21:17
And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
from Numbers 16:5
And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that you LORD art among this people, that you LORD art seen face to face, and that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
from Numbers 16:3
And the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
from Numbers 14:14
These things he said: and after that he says to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, so that I may awake him out of sleep.
from Exodus 33:11
a thread opens
Now to him that is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
from Jude 1:24
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
from Romans 16:25
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
from Ephesians 3:9
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
from Luke 24:47
Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:
from I John 2:12
a thread opens
Woe to them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
from Jude 1:11
And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty-three years.
from Numbers 16:1
And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
from Exodus 6:18 · a strong link
The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
from I Chronicles 6:2
a thread opens
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
from Luke 2:14
Namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
from Isaiah 9:6
I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins.
from II Corinthians 5:19
a thread opens
And shall not God give justice to his own elect, which cry day and night to him, though he bear long with them?
Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusts in God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.
from Luke 18:7
And she was a widow of about eighty and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
from I Timothy 5:5 · a strong link
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
from Luke 2:37
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
from Acts 14:23
Gaius my host, and of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus a brother.
from III John 1:1 · a strong link
Erastus remained at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
from Romans 16:23
a thread opens
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside you.
from Luke 14:26 · a strong link
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
from Psalms 73:25
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your obscenity, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
from Matthew 5:8 · a strong link
Whoever touches the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifies not himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water for purification was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.
from Ezekiel 36:25
Say to them, Whoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goes to the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow to the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.
from Numbers 19:13
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Judges 8:27 along this chain. Today’s own vigil is laid separately.
Each verse follows the one before it along the chain a study Bible draws — a century old, public, and compiled by people arguing about Scripture rather than about how long you stay. Every card says which verse it came from and opens the chapter it belongs to. Today’s vigil is the same for every reader and is worked out from the date alone, so there is no account, no counter, and nothing stored in your browser or ours.
The text is the Lantern Modern Standard. The links are openbible.info’s cross-reference set (CC BY), the same apparatus behind the reader’s Echoes drawer. Read a whole book · Today’s table