The causes of backsliding are many. We have pretended to be living a more devoted life than was actually the case; we neglected to watch unto prayer; we allowed secret sin to eat out the heart of our piety…or we yielded to temptation…or we yielded to the fear of man, and drifted with the multitude to do evil; or we became prosperous, and trusted only in our wealth; or poor, and succumbed to covetousness and the bitterness of despair.
F.B. Meyer

The Book of Judges

The Book of Judges

{1:1} And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that thechildren of Israel asked of Jehovah, saying, Who shall go up for usfirst against the Canaanites, to fight against them? {1:2} And Jehovahsaid, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into hishand. {1:3} And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with meinto my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewisewill go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. {1:4} AndJudah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzitesinto their hand: and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men.{1:5} And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him,and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. {1:6} But Adoni-bezekfled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off histhumbs and his great toes. {1:7} And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore andten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered[their food] under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me.And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

{1:8} And the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and tookit, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.{1:9} And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight againstthe Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and inthe lowland. {1:10} And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt inHebron (now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba); and theysmote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

{1:11} And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir.(Now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher.) {1:12} And Calebsaid, He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I giveAchsah my daughter to wife. {1:13} And Othniel the son of Kenaz,Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughterto wife. {1:14} And it came to pass, when she came [unto him], that shemoved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off herass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? {1:15} And she saidunto him, Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the land ofthe South, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the uppersprings and the nether springs.

{1:16} And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, wentup out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into thewilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went anddwelt with the people. {1:17} And Judah went with Simeon his brother,and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterlydestroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. {1:18} AlsoJudah took Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the borderthereof, and Ekron with the border thereof. {1:19} And Jehovah was withJudah; and drove out [the inhabitants of] the hill-country; for hecould not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they hadchariots of iron. {1:20} And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses hadspoken: and he drove out thence the three sons of Anak. {1:21} And thechildren of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabitedJerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin inJerusalem unto this day.

{1:22} And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el;and Jehovah was with them. {1:23} And the house of Joseph sent to spyout Beth-el. (Now the name of the city beforetime was Luz.) {1:24} Andthe watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said untohim, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we willdeal kindly with thee. {1:25} And he showed them the entrance into thecity; and they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they letthe man go and all his family. {1:26} And the man went into the land ofthe Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, whichis the name thereof unto this day.

{1:27} And Manasseh did not drive out [the inhabitants of]Beth-shean and its towns, nor [of] Taanach and its towns, nor theinhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and itstowns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaaniteswould dwell in that land. {1:28} And it came to pass, when Israel waswaxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to taskwork, and did notutterly drive them out.

{1:29} And Ephraim drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer;but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

{1:30} Zebulun drove not out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor theinhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and becamesubject to taskwork.

{1:31} Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor theinhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, norof Aphik, nor of Rehob; {1:32} but the Asherites dwelt among theCanaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive themout.

{1:33} Naphtali drove not out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, northe inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, theinhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemeshand of Beth-anath became subject to taskwork.

{1:34} And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into thehill-country; for they would not suffer them to come down to thevalley; {1:35} but the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres, in Aijalon,and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so thatthey became subject to taskwork. {1:36} And the border of the Amoriteswas from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

{2:1} And the angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And hesaid, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto theland which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break mycovenant with you: {2:2} and ye shall make no covenant with theinhabitants of this land; ye shall break down their altars. But ye havenot hearkened unto my voice: why have ye done this? {2:3} Wherefore Ialso 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.{2:4} And it came to pass, when the angel of Jehovah spake these wordsunto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice,and wept. {2:5} And they called the name of that place Bochim: and theysacrificed there unto Jehovah.

{2:6} Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children ofIsrael went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. {2:7}And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the daysof the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work ofJehovah that he had wrought for Israel. {2:8} And Joshua the son ofNun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old.{2:9} And they buried him in the border of his inheritance inTimnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of themountain of Gaash. {2:10} And also all that generation were gatheredunto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, thatknew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.

{2:11} And the children of Israel did that which was evil in thesight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim; {2:12} and they forsookJehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land ofEgypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that wereround about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and theyprovoked Jehovah to anger. {2:13} And they forsook Jehovah, and servedBaal and the Ashtaroth. {2:14} And the anger of Jehovah was kindledagainst Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers thatdespoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies roundabout, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.{2:15} Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was againstthem for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn untothem: and they were sore distressed.

{2:16} And Jehovah raised up judges, who saved them out of the handof those that despoiled them. {2:17} And yet they hearkened not untotheir judges; for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowedthemselves down unto them: they turned aside quickly out of the waywherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of Jehovah;[but] they did not so. {2:18} And when Jehovah raised them up judges,then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand oftheir enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented Jehovahbecause of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them andvexed them. {2:19} But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, thatthey turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, infollowing other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; theyceased not from their doings, nor from their stubborn way. {2:20} Andthe anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and he said, Becausethis nation have transgressed my covenant which I commanded theirfathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; {2:21} I also will nothenceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshualeft when he died; {2:22} that by them I may prove Israel, whether theywill keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keepit, or not. {2:23} So Jehovah left those nations, without driving themout hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

{3:1} Now these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israelby them, even as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars ofCanaan; {3:2} only that the generations of the children of Israel mightknow, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothingthereof: {3:3} [namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and all theCanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mountLebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath. {3:4} Andthey were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they wouldhearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded theirfathers by Moses. {3:5} And the children of Israel dwelt among theCanaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and theHivites, and the Jebusites: {3:6} and they took their daughters to betheir wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and servedtheir gods.

{3:7} And the children of Israel did that which was evil in thesight of Jehovah, and forgat Jehovah their God, and served the Baalimand the Asheroth. {3:8} Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindledagainst Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaimking of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel servedCushan-rishathaim eight years. {3:9} And when the children of Israelcried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children ofIsrael, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngerbrother. {3:10} And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judgedIsrael; and he went out to war, and Jehovah delivered Cushan-rishathaimking of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed againstCushan-rishathaim. {3:11} And the land had rest forty years. AndOthniel the son of Kenaz died.

{3:12} And the children of Israel again did that which was evil inthe sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah strengthened Eglon the king of Moabagainst Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sightof Jehovah. {3:13} And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon andAmalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city ofpalm-trees. {3:14} And the children of Israel served Eglon the king ofMoab eighteen years.

{3:15} But when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovahraised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a manleft-handed. And the children of Israel sent tribute by him unto Eglonthe king of Moab. {3:16} And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges,a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his rightthigh. {3:17} And he offered the tribute unto Eglon king of Moab: nowEglon was a very fat man. {3:18} And when he had made an end ofoffering the tribute, he sent away the people that bare the tribute.{3:19} But he himself turned back from the quarries that were byGilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king. And hesaid, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. {3:20}And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the coolupper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And hearose out of his seat. {3:21} And Ehud put forth his left hand, andtook the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:{3:22} and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closedupon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it cameout behind. {3:23} Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut thedoors of the upper room upon him, and locked them.

{3:24} Now 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. {3:25} And theytarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors ofthe upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened [them], and,behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

{3:26} And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond thequarries, and escaped unto Seirah. {3:27} And it came to pass, when hewas come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim; andthe children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and hebefore them. {3:28} And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovahhath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they wentdown after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites,and suffered not a man to pass over. {3:29} And they smote of Moab atthat time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man ofvalor; and there escaped not a man. {3:30} So Moab was subdued that dayunder the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

{3:31} And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of thePhilistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.

{4:1} And the children of Israel again did that which was evil inthe sight of Jehovah, when Ehud was dead. {4:2} And Jehovah sold theminto the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; thecaptain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of theGentiles. {4:3} And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah: for hehad nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightilyoppressed the children of Israel.

{4:4} Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judgedIsrael at that time. {4:5} And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborahbetween Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and thechildren of Israel came up to her for judgment. {4:6} And she sent andcalled Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said untohim, Hath not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded, [saying], Go anddraw unto mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of thechildren of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? {4:7} And I willdraw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’sarmy, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him intothy hand. {4:8} And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, thenI will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go. {4:9} Andshe said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding, the journey thatthou takest shall not be for thine honor; for Jehovah will sell Siserainto the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak toKedesh. {4:10} And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together toKedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborahwent up with him.

{4:11} Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites,even from the children of Hobab the brother-in-law of Moses, and hadpitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

{4:12} And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was goneup to mount Tabor. {4:13} And Sisera gathered together all hischariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people thatwere with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, unto the river Kishon.{4:14} And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in whichJehovah hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not Jehovah gone outbefore thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand menafter him. {4:15} And Jehovah discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots,and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Siseraalighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. {4:16} But Barakpursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of theGentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword;there was not a man left.

{4:17} Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael thewife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king ofHazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. {4:18} And Jael went out tomeet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fearnot. And he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him witha rug. {4:19} And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a littlewater to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, andgave him drink, and covered him. {4:20} And he said unto her, Stand inthe door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come andinquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say,No. {4:21} Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer inher hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples,and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; sohe swooned and died. {4:22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jaelcame out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee theman whom thou seekest. And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera laydead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.

{4:23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan beforethe children of Israel. {4:24} And the hand of the children of Israelprevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until theyhad destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

{5:1} Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day,saying,
{5:2} For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,For that the people offered themselves willingly,Bless ye Jehovah.
{5:3} Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;I, [even] I, will sing unto Jehovah;
I will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel.{5:4} Jehovah, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,Yea, the clouds dropped water.
{5:5} The mountains quaked at the presence of Jehovah,Even yon Sinai at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

{5:6} In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied,And the travellers walked through byways.{5:7} The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,Until that I Deborah arose,
That I arose a mother in Israel.
{5:8} They chose new gods;
Then was war in the gates:
Was there a shield or spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?
{5:9} My heart is toward the governors of Israel,That offered themselves willingly among the people:Bless ye Jehovah.
{5:10} Tell [of it], ye that ride on white asses,Ye that sit on rich carpets,
And ye that walk by the way.
{5:11} Far 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.

{5:12} Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, utter a song:
Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam.{5:13} Then came down a remnant of the nobles [and] the people;Jehovah came down for me against the mighty.{5:14} Out of Ephraim [came down] they whose root is in Amalek;After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;Out of Machir came down governors,
And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal’s staff.{5:15} And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;As was Issachar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.By the watercourses of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
{5:16} Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds,To hear the pipings for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
{5:17} Gilead 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.
{5:18} Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death,And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.

{5:19} The kings came and fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan.
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:
They took no gain of money.
{5:20} From heaven fought the stars,
From their courses they fought against Sisera.{5:21} The river Kishon swept them away,That ancient river, the river Kishon.
O my soul, march on with strength.
{5:22} Then did the horsehoofs stamp
By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.{5:23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah.Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof,Because they came not to the help of Jehovah,To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.

{5:24} Blessed above women shall Jael be,The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.{5:25} He asked water, [and] she gave him milk;She brought him butter in a lordly dish.{5:26} She put her hand to the tent-pin,And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head;Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.{5:27} At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;At her feet he bowed, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

{5:28} Through the window she looked forth, and cried,The mother of Sisera [cried] through the lattice,Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
{5:29} Her wise ladies answered her,
Yea, she returned answer to herself,
{5:30} Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?A damsel, two damsels to every man;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,
A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,
Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?{5:31} So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah:But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his

might.

And the land had rest forty years.

{6:1} And the children of Israel did that which was evil in thesight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midianseven years. {6:2} And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; andbecause of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which arein the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. {6:3} And so itwas, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and theAmalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them;{6:4} and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of theearth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel,neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. {6:5} For they came up with theircattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; boththey and their camels were without number: and they came into the landto destroy it. {6:6} And Israel was brought very low because of Midian;and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah.

{6:7} And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried untoJehovah because of Midian, {6:8} that Jehovah sent a prophet unto thechildren of Israel: and he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the Godof Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out ofthe house of bondage; {6:9} and I delivered you out of the hand of theEgyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drovethem out from before you, and gave you their land; {6:10} and I saidunto you, I am Jehovah your God; ye shall not fear the gods of theAmorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened unto myvoice.

{6:11} And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak whichwas in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his sonGideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from theMidianites. {6:12} And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and saidunto him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. {6:13} AndGideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then isall this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which ourfathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? butnow Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.{6:14} And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, andsave Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? {6:15} Andhe said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, myfamily is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’shouse. {6:16} And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee,and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. {6:17} And he said untohim, If now I have found favor in thy sight, then show me a sign thatit is thou that talkest with me. {6:18} Depart not hence, I pray thee,until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it beforethee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

{6:19} And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavenedcakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put thebroth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, andpresented it. {6:20} And the angel of God said unto him, Take the fleshand the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out thebroth. And he did so. {6:21} Then the angel of Jehovah put forth theend of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and theunleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumedthe flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departedout of his sight. {6:22} And Gideon saw that he was the angel ofJehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I haveseen the angel of Jehovah face to face. {6:23} And Jehovah said untohim, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. {6:24} ThenGideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom:unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

{6:25} And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said untohim, Take thy father’s bullock, even the second bullock seven yearsold, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cutdown the Asherah that is by it; {6:26} and build an altar unto Jehovahthy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, andtake the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood ofthe Asherah which thou shalt cut down. {6:27} Then Gideon took ten menof his servants, and did as Jehovah had spoken unto him: and it came topass, 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.

{6:28} And when the men of the city arose early in the morning,behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut downthat was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar thatwas built. {6:29} And they said one to another, Who hath done thisthing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son ofJoash hath done this thing. {6:30} Then the men of the city said untoJoash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he hath broken downthe altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was byit. {6:31} And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will yecontend for Baal? Or will ye save him? he that will contend for him,let him be put to death whilst [it is yet] morning: if he be a god, lethim contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar. {6:32}Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contendagainst him, because he hath broken down his altar.

{6:33} Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the childrenof the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, andencamped in the valley of Jezreel. {6:34} But the Spirit of Jehovahcame upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gatheredtogether after him. {6:35} And he sent messengers throughout allManasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sentmessengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and theycame up to meet them.

{6:36} And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by myhand, as thou hast spoken, {6:37} behold, I will put a fleece of woolon the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it bedry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israelby my hand, as thou hast spoken. {6:38} And it was so; for he rose upearly on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dewout of the fleece, a bowlful of water. {6:39} And Gideon said unto God,Let not thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but thisonce: let me make trial, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece;let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground letthere be dew. {6:40} And God did so that night: for it was dry upon thefleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

{7:1} Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that werewith him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: andthe camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh,in the valley.

{7:2} And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with theeare too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israelvaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. {7:3}Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever isfearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. Andthere returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and thereremained ten thousand.

{7:4} And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many;bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: andit shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, thesame shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shallnot go with thee, the same shall not go. {7:5} So he brought down thepeople unto the water: and Jehovah said unto Gideon, Every one thatlappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thouset by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees todrink. {7:6} And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand totheir mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the peoplebowed down upon their knees to drink water. {7:7} And Jehovah said untoGideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, anddeliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the people go everyman unto his place. {7:8} So the people took victuals in their hand,and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man untohis tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midianwas beneath him in the valley.

{7:9} And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said untohim, Arise, get thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it intothy hand. {7:10} But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thyservant down to the camp: {7:11} and thou shalt hear what they say; andafterward shall thy hands be strengthened to go down into the camp.Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outermost part of thearmed men that were in the camp. {7:12} And the Midianites and theAmalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valleylike locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, asthe sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude. {7:13} And whenGideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto hisfellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake ofbarley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent,and smote it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that thetent lay flat. {7:14} And his fellow answered and said, This is nothingelse save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: intohis hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host.

{7:15} And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream,and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returnedinto the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Jehovah hath deliveredinto your hand the host of Midian. {7:16} And he divided the threehundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all ofthem trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.{7:17} And 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 Ido, so shall ye do. {7:18} When I blow the trumpet, I and all that arewith me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp,and say, For Jehovah and for Gideon.

{7:19} So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came untothe 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, andbrake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. {7:20} And thethree companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held thetorches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right handswherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon.{7:21} And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; andall the host ran; and they shouted, and put [them] to flight. {7:22}And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Jehovah set every man’ssword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fledas far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border ofAbel-meholah, by Tabbath. {7:23} And the men of Israel were gatheredtogether out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh,and pursued after Midian.

{7:24} And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country ofEphraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take before them thewaters, as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. So all the men ofEphraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far asBeth-barah, even the Jordan. {7:25} And they took the two princes ofMidian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeebthey slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and theybrought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

{8:1} And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served usthus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight withMidian? And they did chide with him sharply. {8:2} And he said untothem, What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaningof the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? {8:3} Godhath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: andwhat was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger wasabated toward him, when he had said that.

{8:4} And Gideon came to the Jordan, [and] passed over, he, and thethree hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. {8:5} And hesaid unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread untothe people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing afterZebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. {8:6} And the princes ofSuccoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, thatwe should give bread unto thine army? {8:7} And Gideon said, Thereforewhen Jehovah hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then Iwill tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.{8:8} And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them in likemanner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth hadanswered. {8:9} And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, WhenI come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

{8:10} Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts withthem, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host ofthe children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousandmen that drew sword. {8:11} And Gideon went up by the way of them thatdwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host;for the host was secure. {8:12} And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and hepursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah andZalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

{8:13} And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from theascent of Heres. {8:14} And he caught a young man of the men ofSuccoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes ofSuccoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven men. {8:15} And hecame unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna,concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah andZalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thy men thatare weary? {8:16} And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of thewilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.{8:17} And he brake down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of thecity.

{8:18} Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men werethey whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so werethey; each one resembled the children of a king. {8:19} And he said,They were my brethren, the sons of my mother: as Jehovah liveth, if yehad saved them alive, I would not slay you. {8:20} And he said untoJether his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not hissword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. {8:21} Then Zebah andZalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so ishis strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and tookthe crescents that were on their camels’ necks.

{8:22} Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us,both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also; for thou hast saved usout of the hand of Midian. {8:23} And Gideon said unto them, I will notrule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: Jehovah shall ruleover you. {8:24} And Gideon said unto them, I would make a request ofyou, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (Forthey had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.) {8:25} Andthey answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment,and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his spoil. {8:26} Andthe weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand andseven hundred [shekels] of gold, besides the crescents, and thependants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, andbesides the chains that were about their camels’ necks. {8:27} AndGideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah:and all Israel played the harlot after it there; and it became a snareunto Gideon, and to his house. {8:28} So Midian was subdued before thechildren of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And theland had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

{8:29} And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his ownhouse. {8:30} And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his bodybegotten; for he had many wives. {8:31} And his concubine that was inShechem, she also bare him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.{8:32} And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and wasburied in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of theAbiezrites.

{8:33} And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that thechildren of Israel turned again, and played the harlot after theBaalim, and made Baal-berith their god. {8:34} And the children ofIsrael remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out ofthe hand of all their enemies on every side; {8:35} neither showed theykindness to the house of Jerubbaal, [who is] Gideon, according to allthe goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

{9:1} And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto hismother’s brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of thehouse of his mother’s father, saying, {9:2} Speak, I pray you, in theears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all thesons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you,or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and yourflesh. {9:3} And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of allthe men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to followAbimelech; for they said, He is our brother. {9:4} And they gave himthreescore and ten [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith,wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him.{9:5} And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew hisbrethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, uponone stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for hehid himself. {9:6} And all the men of Shechem assembled themselvestogether, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king,by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

{9:7} And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the topof mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said untothem, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken untoyou. {9:8} The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them;and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us. {9:9} But theolive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by methey honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?{9:10} And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign overus. {9:11} But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave mysweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?{9:12} And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.{9:13} And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, whichcheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? {9:14}Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.{9:15} And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint meking over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, letfire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. {9:16}Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye havemade Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and hishouse, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands{9:17} (for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, anddelivered you out of the hand of Midian: {9:18} and ye are risen upagainst my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescoreand ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son ofhis maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is yourbrother); {9:19} if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly withJerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech,and let him also rejoice in you: {9:20} but if not, let fire come outfrom Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo;and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house ofMillo, and devour Abimelech. {9:21} And Jotham ran away, and fled, andwent to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

{9:22} And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. {9:23} AndGod sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; andthe men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: {9:24} that theviolence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come,and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, whoslew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands toslay his brethren. {9:25} And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait forhim on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came alongthat way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

{9:26} And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and wentover to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. {9:27}And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, andtrod [the grapes], and held festival, and went into the house of theirgod, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. {9:28} And Gaal theson of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we shouldserve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serveye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?{9:29} And would that this people were under my hand! then would Iremove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, andcome out.

{9:30} And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaalthe son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. {9:31} And he sent messengersunto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and hisbrethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city [totake part] against thee. {9:32} Now therefore, up by night, thou andthe people that are with thee, and lie in wait in the field: {9:33} andit shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shaltrise early, and rush upon the city; and, behold, when he and the peoplethat are with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them asthou shalt find occasion.

{9:34} And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him,by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. {9:35}And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of thegate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were withhim, from the ambushment. {9:36} And when Gaal saw the people, he saidto Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of themountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of themountains as if they were men. {9:37} And Gaal spake again and said,See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one companycometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim. {9:38} Then said Zebul untohim, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, thatwe should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? goout now, I pray, and fight with them. {9:39} And Gaal went out beforethe men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. {9:40} And Abimelechchased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, evenunto the entrance of the gate.

{9:41} And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal andhis brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. {9:42} And it cameto pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; andthey told Abimelech. {9:43} And he took the people, and divided theminto 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 againstthem, and smote them. {9:44} And Abimelech, and the companies that werewith him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of thecity: and the two companies rushed upon all that were in the field, andsmote them. {9:45} And Abimelech fought against the city all that day;and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein: and hebeat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

{9:46} And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof,they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith. {9:47} Andit was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem weregathered together. {9:48} And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, heand all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in hishand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid iton his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, Whatye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. {9:49} And allthe people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followedAbimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold onfire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also,about a thousand men and women.

{9:50} Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez,and took it. {9:51} But there was a strong tower within the city, andthither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shutthemselves in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower. {9:52} AndAbimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and drew nearunto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. {9:53} And a certainwoman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and brake hisskull. {9:54} Then he called hastily unto the young man hisarmorbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and kill me, that mensay not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through,and he died. {9:55} And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech wasdead, they departed every man unto his place. {9:56} Thus God requitedthe wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slayinghis seventy brethren; {9:57} and all the wickedness of the men ofShechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curseof Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

{10:1} And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the sonof Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir inthe hill-country of Ephraim. {10:2} And he judged Israel twenty andthree years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

{10:3} And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israeltwenty and two years. {10:4} And he had thirty sons that rode on thirtyass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jairunto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. {10:5} And Jair died,and was buried in Kamon.

{10:6} And the children of Israel again did that which was evil inthe sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and thegods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and thegods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; andthey forsook Jehovah, and served him not. {10:7} And the anger ofJehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand ofthe Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon. {10:8} Andthey vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteenyears [oppressed they] all the children of Israel that were beyond theJordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. {10:9} And thechildren of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah,and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israelwas sore distressed.

{10:10} And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, Wehave sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, andhave served the Baalim. {10:11} And Jehovah said unto the children ofIsrael, [Did] not [I save you] from the Egyptians, and from theAmorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? {10:12}The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppressyou; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand. {10:13}Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will saveyou no more. {10:14} Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; letthem save you in the time of your distress. {10:15} And the children ofIsrael said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoeverseemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.{10:16} And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and servedJehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

{10:17} Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, andencamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselvestogether, and encamped in Mizpah. {10:18} And the people, the princesof Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fightagainst the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all theinhabitants of Gilead.

{11:1} Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and hewas the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. {11:2} And Gilead’swife bare him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove outJephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’shouse; for thou art the son of another woman. {11:3} Then Jephthah fledfrom his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there weregathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

{11:4} And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammonmade war against Israel. {11:5} And it was so, that, when the childrenof Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetchJephthah out of the land of Tob; {11:6} and they said unto Jephthah,Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.{11:7} And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me,and drive me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me nowwhen ye are in distress? {11:8} And the elders of Gilead said untoJephthah, Therefore are we turned again to thee now, that thou mayestgo with us, and fight with the children of Ammon; and thou shalt be ourhead over all the inhabitants of Gilead. {11:9} And Jephthah said untothe elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with thechildren of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, shall I be yourhead? {11:10} And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Jehovahshall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will wedo. {11:11} Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and thepeople made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spake all hiswords before Jehovah in Mizpah.

{11:12} And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the childrenof Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come untome to fight against my land? {11:13} And the king of the children ofAmmon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel tookaway my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even untothe Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands]again peaceably. {11:14} And Jephthah sent messengers again unto theking of the children of Ammon; {11:15} and he said unto him, Thus saithJephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of thechildren of Ammon, {11:16} but when they came up from Egypt, and Israelwent through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;{11:17} then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Letme, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom hearkenednot. And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab; but he wouldnot: and Israel abode in Kadesh. {11:18} Then they went through thewilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, andcame by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on theother side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab,for the Arnon was the border of Moab. {11:19} And Israel sentmessengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; andIsrael said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land untomy place. {11:20} But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through hisborder; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped inJahaz, and fought against Israel. {11:21} And Jehovah, the God ofIsrael, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, andthey smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, theinhabitants of that country. {11:22} And they possessed all the borderof the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from thewilderness even unto the Jordan. {11:23} So now Jehovah, the God ofIsrael, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel,and shouldest thou possess them? {11:24} Wilt not thou possess thatwhich Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah ourGod hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess. {11:25} Andnow art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king ofMoab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight againstthem? {11:26} While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroerand its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of theArnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them withinthat time? {11:27} I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thoudoest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this daybetween the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. {11:28}Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the wordsof Jephthah which he sent him.

{11:29} Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passedover Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and fromMizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. {11:30} AndJephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeeddeliver the children of Ammon into my hand, {11:31} then it shall be,that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me,when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall beJehovah’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. {11:32} SoJephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them;and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. {11:33} And he smote themfrom Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and untoAbelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammonwere subdued before the children of Israel.

{11:34} And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, hisdaughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and shewas his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.{11:35} And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes,and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thouart one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth untoJehovah, and I cannot go back. {11:36} And she said unto him, Myfather, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me accordingto that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovahhath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children ofAmmon. {11:37} And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done forme: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon themountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. {11:38} And hesaid, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, sheand her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.{11:39} And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returnedunto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he hadvowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel, {11:40}that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter ofJephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

{12:1} And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passednorthward; and they said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over tofight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go withthee? we will burn thy house upon thee with fire. {12:2} And Jephthahsaid unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the childrenof Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand.{12:3} And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand,and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliveredthem into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, tofight against me? {12:4} Then Jephthah gathered together all the men ofGilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim,because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in themidst of Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh. {12:5} And theGileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And itwas so, that, when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me goover, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If hesaid, Nay; {12:6} then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and hesaid Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then theylaid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And therefell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.

{12:7} And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah theGileadite, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead.

{12:8} And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. {12:9} Andhe had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirtydaughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israelseven years. {12:10} And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.{12:11} And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judgedIsrael ten years. {12:12} And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buriedin Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

{12:13} And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judgedIsrael. {12:14} And he had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, that rodeon threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.{12:15} And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and wasburied in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of theAmalekites.

{13:1} And the children of Israel again did that which was evil inthe sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of thePhilistines forty years.

{13:2} And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of theDanites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.{13:3} And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said untoher, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shaltconceive, and bear a son. {13:4} Now therefore beware, I pray thee, anddrink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: {13:5}for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall comeupon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from thewomb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of thePhilistines. {13:6} Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, Aman of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenanceof the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was,neither told he me his name: {13:7} but he said unto me, Behold, thoushalt 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 untoGod from the womb to the day of his death.

{13:8} Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I praythee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, andteach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. {13:9} AndGod hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came againunto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was notwith her. {13:10} And the woman made haste, and ran, and told herhusband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, thatcame unto me the [other] day. {13:11} And Manoah arose, and went afterhis wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man thatspakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. {13:12} And Manoah said, Nowlet thy words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child,and [how] shall we do unto him? {13:13} And the angel of Jehovah saidunto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. {13:14}She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let herdrink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that Icommanded her let her observe.

{13:15} And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, letus detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee. {13:16} And theangel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will noteat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thoumust offer it unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angelof Jehovah. {13:17} And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What isthy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor?{13:18} And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thouafter my name, seeing it is wonderful? {13:19} So Manoah took the kidwith the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and[the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. {13:20}For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off thealtar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar:and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to theground.

{13:21} But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or tohis wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah. {13:22}And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we haveseen God. {13:23} But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleasedto kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and ameal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all thesethings, nor would at this time have told such things as these. {13:24}And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the childgrew, and Jehovah blessed him. {13:25} And the Spirit of Jehovah beganto move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

{14:1} And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah ofthe daughters of the Philistines. {14:2} And he came up, and told hisfather and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of thedaughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.{14:3} Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never awoman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, thatthou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samsonsaid unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. {14:4}But his father and his mother knew not that it was of Jehovah; for hesought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time thePhilistines had rule over Israel.

{14:5} Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, toTimnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lionroared against him. {14:6} And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily uponhim, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid; and he had nothing inhis hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.{14:7} And he went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleasedSamson well. {14:8} And after a while he returned to take her; and heturned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, there was aswarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. {14:9} And he took itinto his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to hisfather and mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he toldthem not that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.

{14:10} And his father went down unto the woman: and Samson madethere a feast; for so used the young men to do. {14:11} And it came topass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be withhim. {14:12} And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddleunto you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of thefeast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments andthirty changes of raiment; {14:13} but if ye cannot declare it unto me,then shall ye give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes ofraiment. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hearit. {14:14} And 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. {14:15} And itcame to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife,Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest weburn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us toimpoverish us? is it not [so]? {14:16} And Samson’s wife wept beforehim, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast putforth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me.And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor mymother, and shall I tell thee? {14:17} And she wept before him theseven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on theseventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore; and shetold the riddle to the children of her people. {14:18} And the men ofthe 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 hesaid unto them,
If ye had not plowed with my heifer,
Ye had not found out my riddle.

{14:19} And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and hewent down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took theirspoil, and gave the changes [of raiment] unto them that declared theriddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’shouse. {14:20} But Samson’s wife was [given] to his companion, whom hehad used as his friend.

{15:1} But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheatharvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I willgo in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer himto go in. {15:2} And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadstutterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not heryounger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.{15:3} And Samson said unto them, This time shall I be blameless inregard of the Philistines, when I do them a mischief. {15:4} And Samsonwent and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turnedtail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails.{15:5} And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into thestanding grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and thestanding grain, and also the oliveyards. {15:6} Then the Philistinessaid, Who hath done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of theTimnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to hiscompanion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her fatherwith fire. {15:7} And Samson said unto them, If ye do after thismanner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.{15:8} And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and hewent down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

{15:9} Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, andspread themselves in Lehi. {15:10} And the men of Judah said, Why areye come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson are we come up, todo to him as he hath done to us. {15:11} Then three thousand men ofJudah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson,Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then isthis that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they didunto me, so have I done unto them. {15:12} And they said unto him, Weare come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand ofthe Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye willnot fall upon me yourselves. {15:13} And they spake unto him, saying,No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: butsurely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new ropes,and brought him up from the rock.

{15:14} When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they methim: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropesthat were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, andhis bands dropped from off his hands. {15:15} And he found a freshjawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote athousand men therewith. {15:16} And Samson said,With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.

{15:17} And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking,that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place wascalled Ramath-lehi. {15:18} And he was sore athirst, and called onJehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the handof thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the handof the uncircumcised. {15:19} But God clave the hollow place that is inLehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spiritcame again, and he revived: wherefore the name thereof was calledEn-hakkore, which is in Lehi, unto this day. {15:20} And he judgedIsrael in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

{16:1} And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went inunto her. {16:2} [And it was told] the Gazites, saying, Samson is comehither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night inthe gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, [Let be]till morning light, then we will kill him. {16:3} And Samson lay tillmidnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gateof the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, andput them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of themountain that is before Hebron.

{16:4} And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in thevalley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. {16:5} And the lords of thePhilistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and seewherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevailagainst him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give theeevery one of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver. {16:6} And Delilahsaid to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth,and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. {16:7} And Samsonsaid unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were neverdried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man. {16:8} Then thelords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which hadnot been dried, and she bound him with them. {16:9} Now she hadliers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, ThePhilistines are upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a stringof tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was notknown.

{16:10} And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me,and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest bebound. {16:11} And he said unto her, If they only bind me with newropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, andbe as another man. {16:12} So Delilah took new ropes, and bound himtherewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson.And the liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he brakethem off his arms like a thread.

{16:13} And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me,and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he saidunto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.{16:14} And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, ThePhilistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, andplucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.

{16:15} And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, whenthy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, andhast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. {16:16} And it cameto pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, thathis soul was vexed unto death. {16:17} And he told her all his heart,and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I havebeen a Nazirite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then mystrength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like anyother man. {16:18} And when Delilah saw that he had told her all hisheart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying,Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart. Then the lords ofthe Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand.{16:19} And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for aman, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began toafflict him, and his strength went from him. {16:20} And she said, ThePhilistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, andsaid, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But heknew not that Jehovah was departed from him. {16:21} And thePhilistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they broughthim down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grindin the prison-house. {16:22} Howbeit the hair of his head began to growagain after he was shaven.

{16:23} And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together tooffer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for theysaid, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. {16:24}And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Ourgod hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of ourcountry, who hath slain many of us. {16:25} And it came to pass, whentheir hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he maymake us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; andhe made sport before them. And they set him between the pillars:{16:26} and Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Sufferme that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I maylean upon them. {16:27} Now the house was full of men and women; andall the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon theroof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson madesport.

{16:28} And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah,remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only thisonce, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for mytwo eyes. {16:29} And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars uponwhich the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his righthand, and the other with his left. {16:30} And Samson said, Let me diewith the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and thehouse fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slewin his life. {16:31} Then his brethren and all the house of his fathercame down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him betweenZorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And hejudged Israel twenty years.

{17:1} And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whosename was Micah. {17:2} And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred[pieces] of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didstutter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silveris with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son ofJehovah. {17:3} And he restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silverto his mother; and his mother said, I verily dedicate the silver untoJehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a moltenimage: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. {17:4} And when herestored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred[pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof agraven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah.{17:5} And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, andteraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.{17:6} In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did thatwhich was right in his own eyes.

{17:7} And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of thefamily of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there. {17:8} Andthe man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojournwhere he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country ofEphraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. {17:9} And Micah saidunto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite ofBeth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].{17:10} And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a fatherand a priest, and I will give thee ten [pieces] of silver by the year,and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. {17:11}And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man wasunto him as one of his sons. {17:12} And Micah consecrated the Levite,and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.{17:13} Then said Micah, Now know I that Jehovah will do me good,seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

{18:1} In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those daysthe tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; forunto that day [their] inheritance had not fallen unto them among thetribes of Israel. {18:2} And the children of Dan sent of their familyfive men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and fromEshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said untothem, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country ofEphraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there. {18:3} When theywere by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man theLevite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who broughtthee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thouhere? {18:4} And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt withme, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest. {18:5} And theysaid unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may knowwhether our way which we go shall be prosperous. {18:6} And the priestsaid unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.

{18:7} Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw thepeople that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the mannerof the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land,possessing authority, that might put [them] to shame in anything, andthey were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.{18:8} And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: andtheir brethren said unto them, What [say] ye? {18:9} And they said,Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and,behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and toenter in to possess the land. {18:10} When ye go, ye shall come unto apeople secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into yourhand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.

{18:11} And there set forth from thence of the family of theDanites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt withweapons of war. {18:12} And they went up, and encamped inKiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan,unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. {18:13} And theypassed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the houseof Micah.

{18:14} Then answered the five men that went to spy out the countryof Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is inthese houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a moltenimage? now therefore consider what ye have to do. {18:15} And theyturned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man theLevite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.{18:16} And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, whowere of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. {18:17}And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came inthither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim,and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gatewith the six hundred men girt with weapons of war. {18:18} And whenthese went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod,and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, Whatdo ye? {18:19} And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy handupon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: isit better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to bepriest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? {18:20} And the priest’sheart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the gravenimage, and went in the midst of the people.

{18:21} So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and thecattle and the goods before them. {18:22} When they were a good wayfrom the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near toMicah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.{18:23} And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned theirfaces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest withsuch a company? {18:24} And he said, ye have taken away my gods which Imade, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and howthen say ye unto me, What aileth thee? {18:25} And the children of Dansaid unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellowsfall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.{18:26} And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw thatthey were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

{18:27} And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whomhe had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smotethem with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire.{18:28} And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, andthey had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that liethby Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein. {18:29} Andthey called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan theirfather, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city wasLaish at the first. {18:30} And the children of Dan set up forthemselves the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the sonof Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danitesuntil the day of the captivity of the land. {18:31} So they set them upMicah’s graven image which he made, all the time that the house of Godwas in Shiloh.

{19:1} And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king inIsrael, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther sideof the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out ofBeth-lehem-judah. {19:2} And his concubine played the harlot againsthim, and went away from him unto her father’s house toBeth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months. {19:3} Andher husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly unto her, tobring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses:and she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of thedamsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. {19:4} And his father-in-law,the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: sothey did eat and drink, and lodged there. {19:5} And it came to pass onthe fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up todepart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthenthy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way.{19:6} So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together:and the damsel’s father said unto the man, Be pleased, I pray thee, totarry all night, and let thy heart be merry. {19:7} And the man rose upto depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again.{19:8} And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart;and the damsel’s father said, Strengthen thy heart, I pray thee, andtarry ye until the day declineth; and they did eat, both of them.{19:9} And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, andhis servant, his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said unto him,Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night:behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thy heart may bemerry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest gohome.

{19:10} But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up anddeparted, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): andthere were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also waswith him. {19:11} When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; andthe servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turnaside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. {19:12} And hismaster said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of aforeigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass overto Gibeah. {19:13} And he said unto his servant, Come and let us drawnear to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.{19:14} So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went downupon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. {19:15} And theyturned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, andsat him down in the street of the city; for there was no man that tookthem into his house to lodge.

{19:16} And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of thefield at even: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and hesojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. {19:17}And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street ofthe city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comestthou? {19:18} And he said unto him, We are passing fromBeth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim;from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am [now] goingto the house of Jehovah; and there is no man that taketh me into hishouse. {19:19} Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; andthere is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for theyoung man that is with thy servants: there is no want of anything.{19:20} And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thywants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. {19:21} So he broughthim into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed theirfeet, and did eat and drink.

{19:22} As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men ofthe city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating atthe door; and they spake to the master of the house, the old man,saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may knowhim. {19:23} And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them,and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly;seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this folly. {19:24}Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; them I willbring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth goodunto you: but unto this man do not any such folly. {19:25} But the menwould not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, andbrought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all thenight until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let hergo. {19:26} Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and felldown at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it waslight.

{19:27} And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors ofthe house, and went out to go his way; and, behold, the woman hisconcubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands uponthe threshold. {19:28} And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going;but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man roseup, and gat him unto his place. {19:29} And when he was come into hishouse, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and dividedher, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all theborders of Israel. {19:30} And it was so, that all that saw it said,There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children ofIsrael came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider it,take counsel, and speak.

{20:1} Then all the children of Israel went out, and thecongregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba,with the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. {20:2} And the chiefsof all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presentedthemselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousandfootmen that drew sword. {20:3} (Now the children of Benjamin heardthat the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah.) And the childrenof Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass?{20:4} And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered,answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I andmy concubine, to lodge. {20:5} And the men of Gibeah rose against me,and beset the house round about me by night; me they thought to haveslain, and my concubine they forced, and she is dead. {20:6} And I tookmy concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all thecountry of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdnessand folly in Israel. {20:7} Behold, ye children of Israel, all of you,give here your advice and counsel.

{20:8} And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not anyof us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn unto his house.{20:9} But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: [we willgo up] against it by lot; {20:10} and we will take ten men of a hundredthroughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and athousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, thatthey may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all thefolly that they have wrought in Israel. {20:11} So all the men ofIsrael were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

{20:12} And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe ofBenjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is come to pass amongyou? {20:13} Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, thatare in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil fromIsrael. But Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethrenthe children of Israel. {20:14} And the children of Benjamin gatheredthemselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battleagainst the children of Israel. {20:15} And the children of Benjaminwere numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand menthat drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numberedseven hundred chosen men. {20:16} Among all this people there wereseven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at ahair-breadth, and not miss.

{20:17} And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered fourhundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.{20:18} And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, andasked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first tobattle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah [shallgo up] first.

{20:19} And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, andencamped against Gibeah. {20:20} And the men of Israel went out tobattle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in arrayagainst them at Gibeah. {20:21} And the children of Benjamin came forthout of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites onthat day twenty and two thousand men. {20:22} And the people, the menof Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array inthe place where they set themselves in array the first day. {20:23} Andthe children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; andthey asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battleagainst the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go upagainst him.

{20:24} And the children of Israel came near against the children ofBenjamin the second day. {20:25} And Benjamin went forth against themout of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of thechildren of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew thesword. {20:26} Then all the children of Israel, and all the people,went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah,and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings andpeace-offerings before Jehovah. {20:27} And the children of Israelasked of Jehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in thosedays, {20:28} and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stoodbefore it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battleagainst the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? AndJehovah said, Go up; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand.

{20:29} And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about.{20:30} And the children of Israel went up against the children ofBenjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah,as at other times. {20:31} And the children of Benjamin went outagainst the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they beganto smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, ofwhich one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field,about thirty men of Israel. {20:32} And the children of Benjamin said,They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children ofIsrael said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto thehighways. {20:33} And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place,and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers-in-wait ofIsrael brake forth out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. {20:34}And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of allIsrael, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was closeupon them. {20:35} And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and thechildren of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and fivethousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.

{20:36} So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; forthe men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted unto theliers-in-wait whom they had set against Gibeah. {20:37} And theliers-in-wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in-waitdrew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of thesword. {20:38} Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and theliers-in-wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise upout of the city. {20:39} And the men of Israel turned in the battle,and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirtypersons; for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as inthe first battle. {20:40} But when the cloud began to arise up out ofthe city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and,behold, the whole of the city went up [in smoke] to heaven. {20:41} Andthe men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; forthey saw that evil was come upon them. {20:42} Therefore they turnedtheir backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness;but the battle followed hard after them; and they that came out of thecities destroyed them in the midst thereof. {20:43} They inclosed theBenjamites round about, [and] chased them, [and] trod them down at[their] resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward thesunrising. {20:44} And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men;all these [were] men of valor. {20:45} And they turned and fled towardthe wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in thehighways five thousand men, and followed hard after them unto Gidom,and smote of them two thousand men. {20:46} So that all who fell thatday of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword;all these [were] men of valor. {20:47} But six hundred men turned andfled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in therock of Rimmon four months. {20:48} And the men of Israel turned againupon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of thesword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found:moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.

{21:1} Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, Thereshall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. {21:2} Andthe people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, andlifted up their voices, and wept sore. {21:3} And they said, O Jehovah,the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that thereshould be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel? {21:4} And it came topass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there analtar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. {21:5} And thechildren of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israelthat came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made agreat oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah,saying, He shall surely be put to death. {21:6} And the children ofIsrael repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is onetribe cut off from Israel this day. {21:7} How shall we do for wivesfor them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will notgive them of our daughters to wives?

{21:8} And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel thatcame not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to thecamp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. {21:9} For when the peoplewere numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants ofJabesh-gilead there. {21:10} And the congregation sent thither twelvethousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go andsmite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, withthe women and the little ones. {21:11} And this is the thing that yeshall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman thathath lain by man. {21:12} And they found among the inhabitants ofJabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man bylying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which isin the land of Canaan.

{21:13} And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children ofBenjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace untothem. {21:14} And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave themthe women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: andyet so they sufficed them not. {21:15} And the people repented them forBenjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes ofIsrael.

{21:16} Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we dofor wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out ofBenjamin? {21:17} And they said, There must be an inheritance for themthat are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out fromIsrael. {21:18} Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters,for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that givetha wife to Benjamin. {21:19} And they said, Behold, there is a feast ofJehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el,on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem,and on the south of Lebonah. {21:20} And they commanded the children ofBenjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, {21:21} and see,and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in thedances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man hiswife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.{21:22} And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come tocomplain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciouslyunto us, because we took not for each man [of them] his wife in battle,neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty.{21:23} And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives,according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off:and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built thecities, and dwelt in them. {21:24} And the children of Israel departedthence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and theywent out from thence every man to his inheritance.

{21:25} In those days there was no king in Israel: every man didthat which was right in his own eyes.

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