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  Judges

1 And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the children of Israel asked of Jehovah, saying, Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them? ²And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. ³And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot. So Simeon went with him. ⁴And Judah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Pe-riz-zites into their hand: and they struck of them in Be-zek ten thousand men. ⁵And they found Adoni-Be-zek in Be-zek; and they fought against him, and they struck the Canaanites and the Pe-riz-zites. ⁶But Adoni-Be-zek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. ⁷And Adoni-Be-zek said, seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their food under my table: as I have done, so God has requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. ⁸And the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

⁹And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the lowland. ¹⁰And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in He-bron (now the name of He-bron beforetime was Kir-jath-ar-ba); and they struck She-shai, and A-hi-man, and Tal-mai. ¹¹And from there he went against the inhabitants of De-bir. (Now the name of De-bir beforetime was Kir-jath-se-pher.) ¹²And Caleb said, He that strike Kir-jath-se-pher, and takes it, to him will I give Ach-sah my daughter to wife. ¹³And Oth-ni-el the son of Ke-naz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Ach-sah his daughter to wife. ¹⁴And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she dismounted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What would you have? ¹⁵And she said unto him, Give me a blessing; for that you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. ¹⁶And the children of the Ke-nite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Ar-ad; and they went and dwelt with the people. ¹⁷And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites that inhabited Ze-phath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hor-mah. ¹⁸Also Judah took Ga-za with the border thereof, and Ash-ke-lon with the border thereof, and Ek-ron with the border thereof. ¹⁹And Jehovah was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. ²⁰And they gave He-bron unto Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out of there the three sons of Anak.

²¹And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jeb-u-sites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jeb-u-sites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. ²²And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el; and Jehovah was with them. ²³And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el. (Now the name of the city beforetime was Luz.) ²⁴And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you. ²⁵And he showed them the entrance into the city; and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family. ²⁶And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof unto this day. ²⁷And Ma-nas-seh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-she-an and its towns, nor of Ta-a-nach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ib-le-am and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Me-gid-do and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. ²⁸And it came to pass, when Israel was waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them out. ²⁹And E-phra-im drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Ge-zer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Ge-zer among them. ³⁰Ze-bu-lun drove not out the inhabitants of Kit-ron, nor the inhabitants of Na-ha-lol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became subject to taskwork. ³¹Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Ac-cho, nor the inhabitants of Zi-don, nor of Ah-lab, nor of Ach-zib, nor of Hel-bah, nor of A-phik, nor of Re-hob; ³²but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. ³³Naph-ta-li drove not out the inhabitants of Beth-she-mesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-a-nath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-she-mesh and of Beth-a-nath became subject to taskwork. ³⁴And the Am-or-ites forced the children of Dan into the hill-country; for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley; ³⁵but the Am-or-ites would dwell in mount He-res, in A-i-ja-lon, and in Sha-al-bim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subject to taskwork. ³⁶And the border of the Am-or-ites was from the ascent of Ak-rab-bim, from the rock, and upward.

2 And the angel of Jehovah came up from Gil-gal to Bo-chim. And he said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you: ²and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars. But you have not listened unto my voice: why have you done this? ³Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. ⁴And it came to pass, when the angel of Jehovah spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. ⁵And they called the name of that place Bo-chim: and they sacrificed there unto Jehovah.

⁶Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. ⁷And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah that he had worked for Israel. ⁸And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. ⁹And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Tim-nath-he-res, in the hill-country of E-phra-im, on the north of the mountain of Ga-ash. ¹⁰And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had worked for Israel. ¹¹And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Ba-a-lim; ¹²and they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and they provoked Jehovah to anger. ¹³And they forsook Jehovah, and served Ba-al and the Ash-ta-roth. ¹⁴And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. ¹⁶And Jehovah raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. ¹⁷And yet they listened not unto their judges; for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowed themselves down unto them: they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; but they did not obey. ¹⁸And when Jehovah raised them up judges, then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented Jehovah because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. ¹⁹But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their doings, nor from their stubborn way. ²⁰And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and he said, Because this nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not listened unto my voice; ²¹I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; ²²that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. ²³So Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out quickly; neither did he delivered them into the hand of Joshua.

3 Now these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; ²only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof: ³namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Si-do-ni-ans, and the Hi-vites that dwelt in mount Leb-a-non, from mount Ba-al-Her-mon unto the entrance of Ha-math. ⁴And they were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. ⁵And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Am-or-ites, and the Pe-riz-zites, and the Hi-vites, and the Jeb-u-sites: ⁶and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods. ⁷And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God, and served the Ba-a-lim and the Ash-er-oth.

⁸Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chu-shan-rish-a-tha-im king of Mes-o-po-ta-mi-a: and the children of Israel served Chu-shan-rish-a-tha-im eight years. ⁹And when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Oth-ni-el the son of Ke-naz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah delivered Chu-shan-rish-a-tha-im king of Mes-o-po-ta-mi-a into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Chu-shan-rish-a-tha-im. ¹¹And the land had rest forty years. And Oth-ni-el the son of Ke-naz died.

¹²And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah strengthened Eg-lon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. ¹³And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Am-a-lek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees. ¹⁴And the children of Israel served Eg-lon the king of Moab eighteen years. ¹⁵But when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised them up a saviour, E-hud the son of Ge-ra, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. And the children of Israel sent tribute by him unto Eg-lon the king of Moab. ¹⁶And E-hud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh. ¹⁷And he offered the tribute unto Eg-lon king of Moab: now Eg-lon was a very fat man. ¹⁸And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people that bare the tribute. ¹⁹But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gil-gal, and said, I have a secret errand unto you, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. ²⁰And E-hud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And E-hud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. ²¹And E-hud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: ²²and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it came out behind. ²³Then E-hud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them. ²⁴Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber. ²⁵And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them, and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. ²⁶And E-hud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Sr-i-rath. ²⁷And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of E-phra-im; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them. ²⁸And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovah has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. ²⁹And they struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man. ³⁰So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

³¹And after him was Sham-gar the son of A-nath, who struck of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.

4 And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, when E-hud was dead. ²And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Ja-bin king of Canaan, that reigned in Ha-zor; the captain of whose host was Sis-e-ra, who dwelt in Ha-ro-sheth of the Gentiles. ³And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

⁴Now Deb-o-rah, a prophetess, the wife of Lap-i-doth, she judged Israel at that time. ⁵And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deb-o-rah between Ra-mah and Beth-el in the hill-country of E-phra-im: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. ⁶And she sent and called Bar-ak the son of A-bin-o-am out of Ke-desh-Naph-ta-li, and said unto him, has not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded, saying, Go and draw unto mount Ta-bor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naph-ta-li and of the children of Ze-bu-lun? ⁷And I will draw unto you, to the river Ki-shon, Sis-e-ra, the captain of Ja-bin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand. ⁸And Bar-ak said unto her, If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go. ⁹And she said, I will surely go with you: notwithstanding, the journey that you take shall not be for your honor; for Jehovah will sell Sis-e-ra into the hand of a woman. And Deb-o-rah arose, and went with Bar-ak to Ke-desh.

¹⁰And Bar-ak called Ze-bu-lun and Naph-ta-li together to Ke-desh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deb-o-rah went up with him. ¹¹Now He-ber the Ke-nite had separated himself from the Ke-nites, even from the children of Ho-bab the brother-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Za-a-nan-nim, which is by Ke-desh. ¹²And they told Sis-e-ra that Bar-ak the son of A-bin-o-am was gone up to mount Ta-bor. ¹³And Sis-e-ra gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Ha-ro-sheth of the Gentiles, unto the river Ki-shon. ¹⁴And Deb-o-rah said unto Bar-ak, Up; for this is the day in which Jehovah has delivered Sis-e-ra into your hand; is not Jehovah gone out before you? So Bar-ak went down from mount Ta-bor, and ten thousand men after him. ¹⁵And Jehovah confused Sis-e-ra, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Bar-ak; and Sis-e-ra dismounted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. ¹⁶But Bar-ak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Ha-ro-sheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sis-e-ra fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.

¹⁷Howbeit Sis-e-ra fled away on his feet to the tent of Ja-el the wife of He-ber the Ke-nite; for there was peace between Ja-bin the king of Ha-zor and the house of He-ber the Ke-nite. ¹⁸And Ja-el went out to meet Sis-e-ra, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. ¹⁹And he said unto her, Give me, I pray you, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink, and covered him. ²⁰And he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man does come and inquire of you, and say, Is there any man here? that you shall say, No. ²¹Then Ja-el He-ber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died. ²²And, behold, as Bar-ak pursued Sis-e-ra, Ja-el came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek. And he came unto her; and, behold, Sis-e-ra lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples. ²³So God subdued on that day Ja-bin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. ²⁴And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Ja-bin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Ja-bin king of Canaan.

5 Then sang Deb-o-rah and Bar-ak the son of A-bin-o-am on that day, saying, ²For that the leaders took the lead in Israel, For that the people offered themselves willingly, Bless you Jehovah. ³Hear, O you kings; give ear, O you princes; I, even I, will sing unto Jehovah; I will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel. ⁴Jehovah, when you went forth out of Se-ir, When you marched out of the field of E-dom, The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water. ⁵The mountains quaked at the presence of Jehovah, Even yon Si-nai at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

⁶In the days of Sham-gar the son of A-nath, In the days of Ja-el, the highways were unoccupied, And the travelers walked through byways. ⁷The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, Until that I Deb-o-rah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel. ⁸They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel? ⁹My heart is toward the governors of Israel, That offered themselves willingly among the people: Bless you Jehovah. ¹⁰Tell of it, you that ride on white asses, you that sit on rich carpets, And you that walk by the way. ¹¹Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.

¹²Awake, awake, Deb-o-rah; Awake, awake, utter a song: Arise, Bar-ak, and lead away your captives, you son of A-bin-o-am. ¹³Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people; Jehovah came down for me against the mighty. ¹⁴Out of E-phra-im came down they whose root is in Am-a-lek; After you, Benjamin, among your peoples; Out of Ma-chir came down governors, And out of Ze-bu-lun they that handle the marshal’s staff. ¹⁵And the princes of Is-sa-char were with Deb-o-rah; As was Is-sa-char, so was Bar-ak; Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. ¹⁶Why sat you among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben There were great searchings of heart. ¹⁷Gil-e-ad abode beyond the Jordan: And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, And abode by his creeks. ¹⁸Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death, And Naph-ta-li, upon the high places of the field. ¹⁹The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan. In Ta-a-nach by the waters of Me-gid-do: They took no gain of money. ²⁰From heaven fought the stars, From their courses they fought against Sis-e-ra. ²¹The river Ki-shon swept them away, That ancient river, the river Ki-shon. O my soul, march on with strength. ²²Then did the horsehoofs stamp By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones. ²³Curse you Me-roz, said the angel of Jehovah. Curse you bitterly the inhabitants thereof, Because they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.

²⁴Blessed above women shall Ja-el be, The wife of He-ber the Ke-nite; Blessed shall she be above women in the tent. ²⁵He asked water, and she gave him milk; She brought him butter in a lordly dish. ²⁶She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; And with the hammer she struck Sis-e-ra, she struck through his head; yes, she pierced and struck through his temples. ²⁷At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; At her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. ²⁸Through the window she looked forth, and cried, The mother of Sis-e-ra cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? ²⁹Her wise ladies answered her, yes, she returned answer to herself, ³⁰Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil? A damsel, two damsels to every man; To Sis-e-ra a spoil of dyed garments, A spoil of dyed garments embroidered, Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil? ³¹So let all your enemies perish, O Jehovah: But let them that love him be as the sun when he go forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

6 And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Mid-i-an seven years. ²And the hand of Mid-i-an prevailed against Israel; and because of Mid-i-an the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. ³And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Mid-i-a-nites came up, and the A-mal-ek-ites, and the children of the east; they came up against them; ⁴and they camped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till you come unto Ga-za, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. ⁵For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. ⁶And Israel was brought very low because of Mid-i-an; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah.

⁷And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah because of Mid-i-an, ⁸that Jehovah sent a prophet unto the children of Israel: and he said unto them, this says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; ⁹and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; ¹⁰and I said unto you, I am Jehovah your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Am-or-ites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not listened unto my voice.

¹¹And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Oph-rah, that pertained unto Jo-ash the A-bi-ez-rite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Mid-i-a-nites. ¹²And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, Jehovah is with you, you mighty man of valor. ¹³And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? but now Jehovah has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Mid-i-an. ¹⁴And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Mid-i-an: have I not sent you? ¹⁵And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Ma-nas-seh, and I am the least in my father’s house. ¹⁶And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Mid-i-a-nites as one man. ¹⁷And he said unto him, If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you that talks with me. ¹⁸Depart not hence, I pray you, until I come unto you, and bring forth my present, and lay it before you. And he said, I will tarry until you come again. ¹⁹And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an E-phah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. ²⁰And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. ²¹Then the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight. ²²And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. ²³And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto you; fear not: you shall not die. ²⁴Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Oph-rah of the A-bi-ez-rites.

²⁵And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Take your father’s bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Ba-al that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; ²⁶and build an altar unto Jehovah your God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down. ²⁷Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had spoken unto him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. ²⁸And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Ba-al was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. ²⁹And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Jo-ash has done this thing. ³⁰Then the men of the city said unto Jo-ash, Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Ba-al, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it. ³¹And Jo-ash said unto all that stood against him, Will you contend for Ba-al? Or will you save him? he that will contend for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar. ³²Therefore on that day he called him Jer-ub-ba-al, saying, Let Ba-al contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.

³³Then all the Mid-i-a-nites and the A-mal-ek-ites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and camped in the valley of Jez-reel. ³⁴But the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and A-bi-e-zer was gathered together after him. ³⁵And he sent messengers throughout all Ma-nas-seh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Ze-bu-lun, and unto Naph-ta-li; and they came up to meet them. ³⁶And Gideon said unto God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, ³⁷behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken. ³⁸And it was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. ³⁹And Gideon said unto God, Let not your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray you, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. ⁴⁰And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

7 Then Jer-ub-ba-al, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and camped beside the spring of Har-od: and the camp of Mid-i-an was on the north side of them, by the hill of Mo-reh, in the valley. ²And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with you are too many for me to give the Mid-i-a-nites into their hand, unless Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, my own hand has saved me. ³Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gil-e-ad. And there returned of the people twenty-two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. ⁴And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for you there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto you, This shall go with you, the same shall go with you; and of whomsoever I say unto you, This shall not go with you, the same shall not go. ⁵So he brought down the people unto the water: and Jehovah said unto Gideon, Every one that laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him shall you set by himself; likewise every one that bows down upon his knees to drink. ⁶And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. ⁷And Jehovah said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Mid-i-a-nites into your hand; and let all the people go every man unto his place. ⁸So the people took goods in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Mid-i-an was beneath him in the valley.

⁹And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Arise, get yourself down into the camp; for I have delivered it into your hand. ¹⁰But if you fear to go down, go with Phu-rah your servant down to the camp: ¹¹and you shall hear what they say; and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then he went down with Phu-rah his servant unto the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp. ¹²And the Mid-i-a-nites and the A-mal-ek-ites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude. ¹³And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto his fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Mid-i-an, and came unto the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat. ¹⁴And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Jo-ash, a man of Israel: into his hand God has delivered Mid-i-an, and all the host. ¹⁵And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Jehovah has delivered into your hand the host of Mid-i-an.

¹⁶And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. ¹⁷And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall you do. ¹⁸When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then you blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Jehovah and for Gideon. ¹⁹So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. ²⁰And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon. ²¹And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight. ²²And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Jehovah set every man’s sword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shit-tah toward Zer-e-rath, as far as the border of A-bel-me-ho-lah, by Tabbath.

²³And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naph-ta-li, and out of Asher, and out of all Ma-nas-seh, and pursued after Mid-i-an. ²⁴And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of E-phra-im, saying, Come down against Mid-i-an, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-bar-ah, even the Jordan. So all the men of E-phra-im were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-bar-ah, even the Jordan. ²⁵And they took the two princes of Mid-i-an, Or-eb and Zeeb; and they slew Or-eb at the rock of Or-eb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Mid-i-an: and they brought the heads of Or-eb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

8 And the men of E-phra-im said unto him, Why have you served us this, that you called us not, when you went to fight with Mid-i-an? And they did chide with him sharply. ²And he said unto them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of E-phra-im better than the vintage of A-bi-e-zer? ³God has delivered into your hand the princes of Mid-i-an, Or-eb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

⁴And Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. ⁵And he said unto the men of Suc-coth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na, the kings of Mid-i-an. ⁶And the princes of Suc-coth said, Are the hands of Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na now in your hand, that we should give bread unto your army? ⁷And Gideon said, Therefore when Jehovah has delivered Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. ⁸And he went up there to Pen-u-el, and spoke unto them in like manner; and the men of Pen-u-el answered him as the men of Suc-coth had answered. ⁹And he spoke also unto the men of Pen-u-el, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. ¹⁰Now Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na were in Kar-kor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. ¹¹And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of No-bah and Jog-be-hah, and struck the host; for the host was secure. ¹²And Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Mid-i-an, Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na, and confused all the host. ¹³And Gideon the son of Jo-ash returned from the battle from the ascent of He-res. ¹⁴And he caught a young man of the men of Suc-coth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Suc-coth, and the elders thereof, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵And he came unto the men of Suc-coth, and said, Behold Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na, concerning whom you did taunt me, saying, Are the hands of Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na now in your hand, that we should give bread unto your men that are weary? ¹⁶And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Suc-coth. ¹⁷And he brake down the tower of Pen-u-el, and slew the men of the city.

¹⁸Then he said unto Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na, What manner of men were they whom you slew at Ta-bor? And they answered, As you are, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. ¹⁹And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother: as Jehovah lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not slay you. ²⁰And he said unto Je-ther his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. ²¹Then Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na said, Rise yourself, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Ze-bah and Zal-mun-na, and took the crescents that were on their camels’ necks.

²²Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, You rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Mid-i-an. ²³And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: Jehovah shall rule over you. ²⁴And Gideon said unto them, I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ish-ma-e-lites.) ²⁵And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his spoil. ²⁶And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Mid-i-an, and besides the chains that were about their camels’ necks. ²⁷And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Oph-rah: and all Israel played the harlot after it there; and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. ²⁸So Mid-i-an was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹And Jer-ub-ba-al the son of Jo-ash went and dwelt in his own house. ³⁰And Gideon had seventy sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives. ³¹And his concubine that was in She-chem, she also bare him a son, and he called his name A-bim-e-lech. ³²And Gideon the son of Jo-ash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Jo-ash his father, in Oph-rah of the A-bi-ez-rites. ³³And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot after the Ba-a-lim, and made Ba-al-be-rith their god. ³⁴And the children of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; ³⁵neither showed they their kindness to the house of Jer-ub-ba-al, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

9 And A-bim-e-lech the son of Jer-ub-ba-al went to She-chem unto his mother’s brethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, ²Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of She-chem, Whether it is better for you, that all the sons of Jer-ub-ba-al, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. ³And his mother’s brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of She-chem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow A-bim-e-lech; for they said, He is our brother. ⁴And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Ba-al-be-rith, wherewith A-bim-e-lech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. ⁵And he went unto his father’s house at Oph-rah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jer-ub-ba-al, being seventy persons, upon one stone: but Jo-tham the youngest son of Jer-ub-ba-al was left; for he hid himself. ⁶And all the men of She-chem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Mil-lo, and went and made A-bim-e-lech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in She-chem.

⁷And when they told it to Jo-tham, he went and stood on the top of mount Ge-ri-zim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, listen unto me, you men of She-chem, that God may listen unto you. ⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, You reign over us. ⁹But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁰And the trees said to the fig-tree, You come, and reign over us. ¹¹But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹²And the trees said unto the vine, You come, and reign over us. ¹³And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁴Then said all the trees unto the bramble, You come, and reign over us. ¹⁵And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Leb-a-non. ¹⁶Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and uprightly, in that you have made A-bim-e-lech king, and if you have dealt well with Jer-ub-ba-al and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands ¹⁷(for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Mid-i-an: ¹⁸and you are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone, and have made A-bim-e-lech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of She-chem, because he is your brother); ¹⁹if you then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jer-ub-ba-al and with his house this day, then rejoice yourselves in A-bim-e-lech, and let him also rejoice in you: ²⁰but if not, let fire come out from A-bim-e-lech, and devour the men of She-chem, and the house of Mil-lo; and let fire come out from the men of She-chem, and from the house of Mil-lo, and devour A-bim-e-lech. ²¹And Jo-tham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of A-bim-e-lech his brother.

²²And A-bim-e-lech was prince over Israel three years. ²³And God sent an evil spirit between A-bim-e-lech and the men of She-chem; and the men of She-chem dealt treacherously with A-bim-e-lech: ²⁴that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jer-ub-ba-al might come, and that their blood might be laid upon A-bim-e-lech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of She-chem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. ²⁵And the men of She-chem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told A-bim-e-lech. ²⁶And Ga-al the son of E-bed came with his brethren, and went over to She-chem; and the men of She-chem put their trust in him. ²⁷And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held a festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed A-bim-e-lech. ²⁸And Ga-al the son of E-bed said, Who is A-bim-e-lech, and who is She-chem, that we should serve him? Is not he the son of Jer-ub-ba-al? and Ze-bul his officer? do you serve the men of Ha-mor the father of She-chem: but why should we serve him? ²⁹And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove A-bim-e-lech. And he said to A-bim-e-lech, Increase your army, and come out. ³⁰And when Ze-bul the ruler of the city heard the words of Ga-al the son of E-bed, his anger was kindled. ³¹And he sent messengers unto A-bim-e-lech craftily, saying, Behold, Ga-al the son of E-bed and his brethren are come to She-chem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against you. ³²Now therefore, go up by night, you and the people that are with you, and lie in wait in the field: ³³and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early, and rush upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people that are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall find occasion. ³⁴And A-bim-e-lech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against She-chem in four companies. ³⁵And Ga-al the son of E-bed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and A-bim-e-lech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambush. ³⁶And when Ga-al saw the people, he said to Ze-bul, Behold, there comes people down from the tops of the mountains. And Ze-bul said unto him, you see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. ³⁷And Ga-al spoke again and said, See, there comes people down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the oak of Me-o-ne-nim. ³⁸Then said Ze-bul unto him, Where is your mouth now, that you said, Who is A-bim-e-lech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that you have despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them. ³⁹And Ga-al went out before the men of She-chem, and fought with A-bim-e-lech. ⁴⁰And A-bim-e-lech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate. ⁴¹And A-bim-e-lech dwelt at A-ru-mah: and Ze-bul drove out Ga-al and his brethren, that they should not dwell in She-chem. ⁴²And it came to pass on the next day, that the people went out into the field; and they told A-bim-e-lech. ⁴³And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; And he rose up against them, and struck them. ⁴⁴And A-bim-e-lech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, and struck them. ⁴⁵And A-bim-e-lech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. ⁴⁶And when all the men of the tower of She-chem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of El-Be-rith. ⁴⁷And it was told A-bim-e-lech that all the men of the tower of She-chem were gathered together. ⁴⁸And A-bim-e-lech got himself up to mount Zal-mon, he and all the people that were with him; and A-bim-e-lech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, What you have seen me do, hurry, and do as I have done. ⁴⁹And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed A-bim-e-lech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of She-chem died also, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰Then A-bim-e-lech went to The-bez, and encamped against The-bez, and took it. ⁵¹But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women fled there, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and got them up to the roof of the tower. ⁵²And A-bim-e-lech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and drew near unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon A-bim-e-lech’s head, and broke his skull. ⁵⁴Then he called hastily unto the young man who his armorbearer, and said unto him, Draw your sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. ⁵⁵And when the men of Israel saw that A-bim-e-lech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. ⁵⁶Thus God requited the wickedness of A-bim-e-lech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; ⁵⁷and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jo-tham the son of Jer-ub-ba-al.

10 And after A-bim-e-lech there arose to save Israel To-la the son of Pu-ah, the son of Dodo, a man of Is-sa-char; and he dwelt in Sha-mir in the hill- country of E-phra-im. ²And he judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Sha-mir. ³And after him arose Ja-ir, the Gil-e-adite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Ha-voth-ja-ir unto this day, which are in the land of Gil-e-ad. ⁵And Ja-ir died, and was buried in Ca-mon.

⁶And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Ba-a-lim, and the Ash-ta-roth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zi-don, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not. ⁷And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon. ⁸And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Am-or-ites, which is in Gil-e-ad. ⁹And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of E-phra-im; so that Israel was greatly distressed.

¹⁰And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Ba-a-lim. ¹¹And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Did not I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Am-or-ites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? ¹²The Si-do-ni-ans also, and the A-mal-ek-ites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and you cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand. ¹³Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods: therefore I will save you no more. ¹⁴Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress. ¹⁵And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do unto us whatsoever seems good unto you; only deliver us, we pray you, this day. ¹⁶And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. ¹⁷Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and camped in Gil-e-ad. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and camped in Miz-pah. ¹⁸And the people, the princes of Gil-e-ad, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gil-e-ad.

11 Now Jeph-thah the Gil-e-adite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gil-e-ad begot Jeph-thah. ²And Gil-e-ad’s wife bare him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove out Jeph-thah, and said unto him, you shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of another woman. ³Then Jeph-thah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jeph-thah, and they went out with him.

⁴And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. ⁵And it was so, that, when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gil-e-ad went to bring Jeph-thah out of the land of Tob; ⁶and they said unto Jeph-thah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. ⁷And Jeph-thah said unto the elders of Gil-e-ad, Did you not hate me, and drive me out of my father’s house? and why are you come unto me now when you are in distress? ⁸And the elders of Gil-e-ad said unto Jeph-thah, Therefore are we turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gil-e-ad. ⁹And Jeph-thah said unto the elders of Gil-e-ad, If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, I shall be your head? ¹⁰And the elders of Gil-e-ad said unto Jeph-thah, Jehovah shall be witness between us; surely according to your word so will we do. ¹¹Then Jeph-thah went with the elders of Gil-e-ad, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jeph-thah spoke all his words before Jehovah in Miz-pah.

¹²And Jeph-thah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come unto me to fight against my land? ¹³And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jeph-thah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Ar-non even unto the Jab-bok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. ¹⁴And Jeph-thah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon; ¹⁵and he said unto him, this says Jeph-thah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon, ¹⁶but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Ka-desh; ¹⁷then Israel sent messengers unto the king of E-dom, saying, Let me, I pray you, pass through your land; but the king of E-dom listened not. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel abode in Ka-desh. ¹⁸Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of E-dom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped on the other side of the Ar-non; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Ar-non was the border of Moab. ¹⁹And Israel sent messengers unto Si-hon king of the Am-or-ites, the king of Hesh-bon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land unto my place. ²⁰But Si-hon trusted not Israel to pass through his border; but Si-hon gathered all his people together, and camped in Ja-haz, and fought against Israel. ²¹And Jehovah, the God of Israel, delivered Si-hon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Am-or-ites, the inhabitants of that country. ²²And they possessed all the border of the Am-or-ites, from the Ar-non even unto the Jab-bok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan. ²³So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Am-or-ites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them? ²⁴Will you not possess that which Che-mosh your god gives you to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. ²⁵And now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zip-por, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? ²⁶While Israel dwelt in Hesh-bon and its towns, and in A-ro-er and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Ar-non, three hundred years; why did you not recover them within that time? ²⁷I therefore have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. ²⁸Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon listened not unto the words of Jeph-thah which he sent him.

²⁹Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jeph-thah, and he passed over Gil-e-ad and Ma-nas-seh, and passed over Miz-peh of Gil-e-ad, and from Miz-peh of Gil-e-ad he passed over unto the children of Ammon. ³⁰And Jeph-thah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, ³¹then it shall be, that whatsoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. ³²So Jeph-thah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. ³³And he struck them from A-ro-er until you come to Min-nith, even twenty cities, and unto Able-cher-a-mim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. ³⁴And Jeph-thah came to Miz-pah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. ³⁶And she said unto him, My father, you have opened your mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon. ³⁷And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. ³⁸And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. ³⁹And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not a man. And it was a custom in Israel, ⁴⁰that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jeph-thah the Gil-e-adite four days in a year.

12 And the men of E-phra-im were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said unto Jeph-thah, why passed you over to fight against the children of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? we will burn your house upon you with fire. ²And Jeph-thah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you saved me not out of their hand. ³And when I saw that you saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: why then are you come up unto me this day, to fight against me? ⁴Then Jeph-thah gathered together all the men of Gil-e-ad, and fought with E-phra-im; and the men of Gil-e-ad struck E-phra-im, because they said, you are fugitives of E-phra-im, you Gil-e-adites, in the midst of E-phra-im, and in the midst of Ma-nas-seh. ⁵And the Gil-e-adites took the fords of the Jordan against the E-phra-imites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of E-phra-im said, Let me go over, the men of Gil-e-ad said unto him, are you an E-phra-imite? If he said, no; ⁶then they said unto him, Say now Shib-bo-leth; and he said Sib-bo-leth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of E-phra-im forty-two thousand. ⁷And Jeph-thah judged Israel six years. Then Jeph-thah the Gil-e-adite died, and was buried in one of the cities of Gil-e-ad.

⁸And after him Ib-zan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. ⁹And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. ¹⁰And Ib-zan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. ¹¹And after him E-lon the Ze-bu-lon-ite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. ¹²And E-lon the Ze-bu-lon-ite died, and was buried in A-i-ja-lon in the land of Ze-bu-lun. ¹³And after him Ab-don the son of Hil-lel the Pi-ra-thon-ite judged Israel. ¹⁴And he had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, that rode on seventy ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. ¹⁵And Ab-don the son of Hil-lel the Pi-ra-thon-ite died, and was buried in Pi-ra-thon in the land of E-phra-im, in the hill-country of the A-mal-ek-ites.

13 And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. ²And there was a certain man of Za-re-ah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Ma-no-ah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. ³And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, you are barren, and bear not; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. ⁴Now therefore beware, I pray you, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: ⁵for, lo, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not where he was, neither did he tell me his name: ⁷but he said unto me, Behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.

⁸Then Ma-no-ah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray you, let the man of God whom you did send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. ⁹And God listened to the voice of Ma-no-ah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Ma-no-ah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰And the woman hurried, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man has appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. ¹¹And Ma-no-ah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, are you the man that spoke unto the woman? And he said, I am. ¹²And Ma-no-ah said, Now let your words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and how shall we do unto him? ¹³And the angel of Jehovah said unto Ma-no-ah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. ¹⁴She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.

¹⁵And Ma-no-ah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray you, let us detain you, that we may make ready a kid for you. ¹⁶And the angel of Jehovah said unto Ma-no-ah, though you detain me, I will not eat of your bread; and if you will make ready a burnt-offering, you must offer it unto Jehovah. For Ma-no-ah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah. ¹⁷And Ma-no-ah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is your name, that, when your words come to pass, we may do you honor? ¹⁸And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, why ask you after my name, seeing it is *** wonderful? ¹⁹So Ma-no-ah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and the angel did wondrously, and Ma-no-ah and his wife looked on. ²⁰For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Ma-no-ah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. ²¹But the angel of Jehovah did not appear again to Ma-no-ah or to his wife. Then Ma-no-ah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah. ²²And Ma-no-ah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. ²³But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these.

²⁴And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him. ²⁵And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in Ma-ha-neh-Dan, between Za-re-ah and Esh-ta-ol.

14 And Samson went down to Tim-nah, and saw a woman in Tim-nah of the daughters of the Philistines. ²And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Tim-nah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to be my wife. ³Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you should go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleases me well. ⁴But his father and his mother knew not that it was of Jehovah; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel. ⁵Then Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Tim-nah, and came to the vineyards of Tim-nah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. ⁶And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid; and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother of what he had done. ⁷And he went down, and talked with the woman, and she well pleased Samson. ⁸And after a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ⁹And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave some unto them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.

¹⁰And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made a feast there; for so the young men used to do. ¹¹And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. ¹²And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: and if you can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; ¹³but if you cannot declare it unto me, then shall you give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth your riddle, that we may hear it. ¹⁴And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle. ¹⁵And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice your husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, unless we burn you and your father’s house with fire: have you called us to impoverish us? is it not so? ¹⁶And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, you do but hate me, and love me not: you have put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and have not told it to me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it to my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you? ¹⁷And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him greatly; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. ¹⁸And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle. ¹⁹And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ash-ke-lon, and struck thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house. ²⁰But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

15 But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. ²And her father said, I truly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray you, instead of her. ³And Samson said unto them, This time shall I be blameless in regard of the Philistines, when I do them a mischief. ⁴And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. ⁵And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the oliveyards. ⁶Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Tim-nite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. ⁷And Samson said unto them, If you do after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. ⁸And he struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of E-tam.

⁹Then the Philistines went up, and camped in Judah, and spread themselves in Le-hi. ¹⁰And the men of Judah said, Why are you come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us. ¹¹Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of E-tam, and said to Samson, know you not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that you have done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. ¹²And they said unto him, We are come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that you will not fall upon me yourselves. ¹³And they spoke unto him, saying, No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand: but surely we will not kill you. And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock. ¹⁴When he came unto Le-hi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fir