1

1 After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked Jehovah, saying: »Who will go first to fight against the Canaanites for us?«

2 Jehovah said: »Judah will go up. I have delivered the land into his hand.«

3 Judah said to Simeon his brother: »Come up with me to my allotted territory that we may fight against the Canaanites. I likewise will go with you to your territory.« So Simeon went with him.

4 Judah went up and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek.

5 They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him. They killed the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 Adoni-bezek fled and they chased him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

7 And Adoni-bezek said: »Seventy kings with their big toes cut off have gathered food scrapes under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done.« So they brought him to Jerusalem where he died.

8 The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put it to the sword and set the city on fire.

9 Afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that lived in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.

10 Judah went against the Canaanites that lived in Hebron previously called Kirjath-arba and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there they advanced against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:

12 Caleb said: »He that attacks Kirjath-sepher, and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter for a wife.«

13 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.

14 When she came to him she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey Caleb said to her: »What do you wish?«

15 She said: »Give me a blessing: for you have given me a land south with spring water.« And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16 The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah to the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the south of Arad to live with the people.

17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they attacked the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was Hormah.

18 Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory as well as Ekron with its territory.

19 Jehovah was with Judah. He drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised and he expelled the three sons of Anak.

21 The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem. The Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel: and Jehovah was with them.

23 The house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel.

24 The spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him: »Show us the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy.«

25 When he showed them the entrance into the city, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But spared the man and all his family.

26 The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city. He called it Luz, which is its name this day.

27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites wanted to live in that land.

28 When Israel was strong they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor. They did not completely drive them out.

29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that lived in Gezer. But the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became forced laborers.

31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

32 But the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became forced laborers to them.

34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain. They would not allow them to come down to the valley.

35 But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became forced laborers.

36 The boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

2

1 An angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: »I led you out of Egypt and brought you to the land about which I swore to your fathers that I would never break my covenant with you.

2 »You will make no covenant with people of this land. You will throw down their altars. You have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this?«

3 »I also said: ‘I will not drive them out from before you. They will be thorns in your sides. Their gods will snare trap you.’«

4 When the angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the children of Israel the people wept loudly.

5 They called that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there to Jehovah.

6 When Joshua let the people go the children of Israel went, every man, to his inheritance to possess the land.

7 The people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works Jehovah did for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of a hundred and ten years old.

9 They buried him on the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of Gaash hill.

10 After those generations were gathered to their fathers died another generation followed them. This new generation did not know Jehovah or the works he had done for Israel.

11 The children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served Baalim:

12 They forsook Jehovah God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them. They bowed to them and provoked Jehovah to anger.

13 They forsook Jehovah and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 The anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel. He delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

15 Wherever they went the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil. For Jehovah had sworn to them and as Jehovah had sworn they were greatly distressed.

16 Nevertheless Jehovah established judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to other gods. They worshiped them. They turned quickly, out of the way in which their fathers walked obeying the commandments of Jehovah.

18 When Jehovah established judges he supported each judge. He delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days the judge lived. He had compassion for them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

19 When the judge was dead they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers. They followed other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They did not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 The anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel. He said: »Because this people have transgressed my covenant, which I commanded their fathers, and have not listened to my voice;

21 »I will not drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.

22 »That through them I may test Israel, to see whether they will keep the way of Jehovah and walk in it as their fathers did.«

23 Therefore Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out. He did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

3

1 Now these are the nations that Jehovah left to test the Israelites who had not known all the wars of Canaan.

2 He did this to teach warfare to the generations of the children of Israel who had not had previous battle experience.

3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass.

4 They were to be a test for Israel. This would find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commandments that Jehovah gave their ancestors through Moses.

5 The people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods.

7 The people of Israel forgot Jehovah their God. They sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah.

8 Jehovah became angry at Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years.

9 The Israelites cried out to Jehovah, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz.

10 The Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he became Israel’s leader judge . Othniel went to war, and Jehovah gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia.

11 There was peace in the land for forty years until Othniel died.

12 The people of Israel sinned against Jehovah again. Because of this Jehovah made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel.

13 Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites. They defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees.

14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years.

15 Then the Israelites cried out to Jehovah. So he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him.

16 Ehud made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He fastened it on his right side under his clothes.

17 He took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man.

18 When Ehud gave him the gifts, he told the men who carried them to go back home.

19 But Ehud turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said: »Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.« So the king ordered his servants: »Leave us alone!« Then they all went out.

20 The king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof. Ehud went over to him and said: »I have a message from God for you.« The king stood up.

21 With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king’s belly.

22 The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the king’s belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs.

23 Ehud went outside, closed the doors behind him, locked them.

24 Then he left. The servants came and saw that the doors to the upstairs room were locked. They only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself.

25 They waited as long as they thought they should. When he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. There lying dead on the floor was their master.

26 Ehud got away while they were waiting. He went past the carved stones and escaped to Seirah.

27 When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle. Then he led them down from the hills.

28 He said to them: »Follow me! Jehovah has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites.« So they followed Ehud and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan. They did not allow anyone to cross.

29 They killed about ten thousand of the best Moabite soldiers. None of them escaped.

30 That day the Israelites defeated Moab. There was peace in the land for eighty years.

31 The next leader was Shamgar son of Anath. He too rescued Israel, and did so by killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.

4

1 After Ehud died, the people of Israel sinned against Jehovah again.

2 Jehovah let them be conquered by Jabin, a Canaanite king who ruled in the city of Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth-Hagoyim.

3 Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he ruled the people of Israel with cruelty and violence for twenty years. The people of Israel cried out to Jehovah for help.

4 Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time.

5 She held court under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The children of Israel came to her for judgment.

6 She sent for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him: »Has Jehovah the God of Israel commanded, saying: ‘Go and deploy troops at mount Tabor. Take ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

7 »‘And I will lure Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.’«

8 Barak said to her: »If you will go with me, then I will go. If you will not go with me I will not go.«

9 She said: »I will surely go with you. Never the less there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking. For Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.« Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men under his command. Deborah went with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent at the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

12 They showed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone to mount Tabor.

13 Sisera gathered together all his nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the nations to the Kishon River.

14 Deborah said to Barak: »Get up, for this is the day in which Jehovah has delivered Sisera into your hand. Jehovah has gone out before you.« So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

15 Jehovah routed Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. Sisera dismounted his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the army to Harosheth-Hagoyim. All of Sisera’s army fell by the edge of the sword. Not one person was left.

17 Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. There was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him: »Come my lord, come right in. Do not be afraid.« When he came in to her tent, she covered him with a mantle.

19 He said to her: »Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.« She opened a jug of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

20 Again he said: »Stand at the door of the tent. When any man comes to inquire and asks: ‘Is there a man here?’ Say: »No.« ’«

21 Then Jael Heber’s wife picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went to him while he was fast asleep and drove the peg into his temple and it went down into the ground. He was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

22 Barak pursued Sisera and Jael came out to meet him. She said to him: »Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.« He went to her tend and saw Sisera lay dead with the peg in his temple.

23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

24 The children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

5

1 That day Deborah and Barak sang this song:

2 »Praise Jehovah! The Israelites were determined to fight. The people gladly volunteered.

3 »Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you rulers! I will sing and play music to Israel’s God, Jehovah.

4 »Jehovah, when you left the mountains of Seir, when you came out of Edom, the earth shook, and rain fell from the sky. Yes, water poured out of the clouds.

5 »The mountains shook before Jehovah of Sinai, before Jehovah, the God of Israel.

6 »In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted. Travelers used the back roads.

7 »The towns of Israel were abandoned. They stood empty until I Deborah came, came like a mother for Israel.

8 »There was war in the land when the Israelites chose new gods. Of the forty thousand men in Israel, did anyone carry shield or spear?

9 »My heart is with the commanders of Israel, with the people who gladly volunteered. Praise Jehovah!

10 »Speak of it, you who ride on white donkeys, sitting on saddles. You that must walk wherever you go.

11 »Listen! The noisy crowds around the wells are telling about Jehovah’s victories, the victories of Israel’s people! Then Jehovah’s people marched down from their cities.

12 »Wake up, wake up, Deborah: awake, awake, and utter a song. Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, you son of Abinoam.

13 »Then he made those who remain to dominate over the nobles among the people. Jehovah made me have dominion over the mighty.

14 »They came from Ephraim to the valley. They were behind the tribe of Benjamin and its people. The commanders came down from Machir. The officers came down from Zebulun.

15 »The leaders of Issachar came with Deborah. Issachar came and Barak too, and they followed him into the valley. But the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come.

16 »Why did they stay behind with the sheep? Did they listen to shepherds calling the flocks? Yes, the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come.

17 »The tribe of Gad stayed east of the Jordan. The tribe of Dan remained by the ships. The tribe of Asher stayed by the seacoast. They remained by the shore.

18 »The people of Zebulun and Naphtali risked their lives on the battlefield.

19 »The kings fought at Taanach, by the stream of Megiddo. The kings of Canaan fought, but they took no silver away.

20 »As the stars moved across the sky they fought against Sisera.

21 »The River Kishon swept them away. That ancient flooding river swept them away. March on! March on and be strong.

22 »Then the horses hooves thundered and his mighty steeds stamped the ground.

23 »Curse Meroz, says Jehovah’s angel: Curse those who live there. They did not come to help Jehovah. They did not come as soldiers to fight for him.

24 »Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, is the most blessed of women. The most blessed of women who live in tents.

25 »Sisera asked for water. She gave him milk. She brought him cream in a beautiful bowl.

26 »She took a tent peg in one hand and hammer in the other. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull. Yes, she pierced him through the head.

27 »He sank to his knees and fell down at her feet. At her feet he sank. He fell to the ground, dead.

28 »Sisera’s mother looked thru the window. From behind the lattice she looked. Why is his chariot so late in coming? She asked. Why are his horses so slow to return?

29 »The wisest of her ladies answered her, and she told herself over and over,

30 »They are finding things to capture and divide. They find a woman or two for every soldier, rich cloth for Sisera, embroidered pieces for the queen.

31 »May all your enemies die like that, Jehovah, may your friends shine like the rising sun! There was peace in the land for forty years.«

6

1 Again the people of Israel sinned against Jehovah. Therefore he let the people of Midian rule them for seven years.

2 The Midianites were very oppressive over Israel. So much so that the people of Israel hid from them in caves and other safe places in the mountains.

3 When the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites along with the desert tribes attacked them.

4 They camped on the land and destroyed the crops as far south as Gaza. They took all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and left nothing for the Israelites to live on.

5 They came with their livestock and tents, as thick as locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels. They entered the land and destroyed it.

6 Israel was helpless against them.

7 The people of Israel cried out to Jehovah for help against the Midianites.

8 Then Jehovah sent a man, a prophet, to the Israelites. He said to them: »Jehovah, the God of Israel says, ‘It was I who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

9 »‘I rescued you from the Egyptians and from the people who fought you in this land. I drove them out as you advanced. I gave you their land.

10 »‘I said to you: ‘I am Jehovah your God. You should not worship the gods of the Amorites, whose land you are now living in. But you have not listened to me.’«

11 The angel of Jehovah came to the village of Ophrah. He sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him.

12 Jehovah’s angel appeared to him there and said: »Jehovah is with you, mighty man of valor!«

13 Gideon said to him: »May I ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if Jehovah is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us Jehovah used to do, how he brought them out of Egypt? Jehovah has abandoned us. He left us to the mercy of the Midianites.«

14 Jehovah answered him: »Go in the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you.«

15 Gideon replied: »But Jehovah, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. I am the least important member of my family.«

16 Jehovah answered: »You can do it. I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.«

17 Gideon replied: »If you are pleased with me, give me proof that you are really Jehovah.

18 »Please do not leave until I return and bring you an offering.« Jehovah said: »I will stay until you come back.«

19 So Gideon went into his house and cooked a young goat and used a bushel of flour to make bread without any yeast. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, brought them to Jehovah’s angel under the oak tree, and gave them to him.

20 The angel told him: »Put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.« Gideon did so.

21 Jehovah’s angel reached out and touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick he was holding. Fire came out of the rock and burned up the meat and the bread. Then the angel disappeared.

22 With that Gideon realized that it was Jehovah’s angel he saw. He said in terror: »Sovereign Lord Jehovah! I have seen your angel face-to-face!«

23 Jehovah told him: »Peace. Do not be afraid. You will not die.«

24 Gideon built an altar to Jehovah there and named it: »Jehovah is Peace.« Jehovah-shalom It is still standing at Ophrah and belongs to the clan of Abiezer.

25 That night Jehovah told Gideon: »Take your father’s bull and another seven year old bull, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, that is beside it.

26 »Build a well-constructed altar to Jehovah your God on top of this mound. Take the second bull and burn it as a whole offering. Cut down the symbol of Asherah and use it for firewood.«

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what Jehovah instructed him to do. He was afraid of his family and the people in town, so he did it at night.

28 The people in town got up early the next morning. They found that the altar to Baal and the symbol of Asherah had been cut down. The second bull had been burned on the altar that was built there.

29 They asked each other: »Who did this?« They investigated and found out that Gideon, son of Joash, did it.

30 They said to Joash: »Bring your son here. We will kill him!« He tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the symbol of Asherah!

31 Joash replied: »Are you arguing for Baal? Are you defending him? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If Baal really is a god he can defend himself. It is his altar that was torn down.«

32 From then on Gideon was known as Jerubbaal, because Joash said: »Let Baal defend himself for his altar was torn down.«

33 The Midianites, Amalekites, and the desert tribes assembled, crossed the Jordan River, and camped in Jezreel Valley.

34 The Spirit of Jehovah took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him.

35 He sent messengers throughout the territory of both parts of Manasseh to call them to follow him. He sent messengers to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they also came to join him.

36 Gideon said to God: »You have said you will rescue Israel using me.

37 »Look I will place wool on the threshing floor where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel.«

38 That is what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water.

39 Then Gideon said to God: »Do not be angry with me. Allow me to speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground wet.«

40 That night God did it. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew.

7

1 Gideon and all his men got up early and camped beside Harod Spring. The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north of them by Moreh Hill.

2 Jehovah said to Gideon: »The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves and not give me credit.

3 »Announce to the people: ‘Anyone who is afraid should go back home.’ We will stay here at Mount Gilead. Twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.’«

4 Jehovah said to Gideon: »You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go.«

5 Gideon took the men to the water. Jehovah told him: »Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.«

6 There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it. The others got down on their knees to drink.

7 Jehovah said: »I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Use the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home.«

8 Gideon sent the Israelites home, except the three hundred. They kept all the supplies and trumpets. The Midianite camp was below them in the valley.

9 That night Jehovah commanded Gideon: »Get up and attack the camp. I give you victory over it!

10 »If you are afraid to attack, go to the camp with your servant Purah.

11 »You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack.« Gideon and his servant Purah went to the edge of the enemy camp.

12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts. They had so many camels they could not be counted. They were as plentiful as there are grains of sand on the seashore.

13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying: »I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground.«

14 His friend responded: »This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. For God delivered Midian and its army to this man of Israel.«

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel, and called out: »Arise! Jehovah has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.«

16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty jars, and lamps within the jars.

17 He said to them: »Look at me, and do as I do. When I come to the outside of the camp do the same as I do.

18 »When I blow the trumpet, all who are with me should blow the trumpets. Blow the trumpets on every side of the camp and say: ‘The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!’«

19 Gideon and the hundred men, who were with him, came to the outside of the camp. It was the beginning of the middle watch and they had just posted the new watch. They blew the trumpets, and broke the jars that were in their hands.

20 The three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the jars, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands. Then they cried: »The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!«

21 Every man stood in his place around the camp. The army ran, and cried, and fled.

22 The three hundred blew the trumpets. Jehovah set every man’s sword against his companions. They turned on each other throughout all the army. The army fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, to Tabbath.

23 The men of Israel gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

24 Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say: »Come down and fight the Midianites! Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them.« The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah.

25 They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.

8

1 Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon: »Why did you not call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?« They complained bitterly about it.

2 He said: »What have I accomplished compared to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer?

3 »God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, to you. What was I able to do in comparison to you?« Then their anger toward him subsided at what he said.

4 Gideon and his three hundred men passed over the Jordan. Their pursuit continued.

5 He said to the men of Succoth: »Give my troops some bread. They are tired. I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.«

6 The princes of Succoth said: »Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?«

7 Gideon said: »When Jehovah delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.«

8 He went up to Penuel and made the same request of them. The men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Succoth.

9 He spoke to the men of Penuel: »When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.«

10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. Their armies were with them, about fifteen thousand men all that were left of all the armies of the children of the east. They had already lost a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen.

11 Gideon went up by the way of the nomads who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah. They attacked the army while the camp felt secure.

12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured them and routed the entire army.

13 Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun came up at Heres Pass .

14 He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. He described the princes of Succoth, and the elders and even seventy-seven men.

15 Then Gideon went to the men of Sukkoth and said: »Remember when you refused to help me? You said that you could not give any food to my exhausted army because I had not captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Well, here they are!«

16 Then he took the elders of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems.

17 He tore down the tower at Penuel. He also killed the men of that city.

18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna: »What kind of men were the men you killed at Tabor?« They answered: »They looked like you, every one of them like the son of a king.«

19 He said: »They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Jehovah lives, if you had saved them alive, I will not kill you.«

20 He said to Jether his firstborn: »Rise up and kill them.« But the youth would not draw his sword. He was afraid because he was still a youth.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon: »Kill us yourself. It takes a man to do this job.« Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

22 The Israelites said to Gideon: »Be our ruler, you and your descendants after you. You saved us from the Midianites.«

23 Gideon answered: »I will not be your ruler, nor will my son. Jehovah will be your ruler!«

24 He also said: »Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you must give me the earrings you took.« The Midianites wore gold earrings.

25 They answered: »We will gladly give them to you.« They spread out a cloth, and everyone put the earrings that he had taken on it.

26 The gold earrings that Gideon got weighed over forty pounds. This did not include the ornaments, necklaces, and purple clothes that the kings of Midian wore. It also did not include the collars that were around the necks of their camels.

27 Gideon made an idol from the gold and placed it in his hometown, Ophrah. The Israelites abandoned God and went there to worship the idol. It was a trap for Gideon and his family.

28 Midian was defeated by the Israelites and was no longer a threat. The land was at peace for forty years, until Gideon died.

29 Gideon went back to his home and lived there.

30 He had many wives and seventy sons.

31 He also kept a concubine in Shechem. She bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

32 Gideon son of Joash died at an old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah. Ophrah was the town of the clan of Abiezer.

33 After Gideon’s death the people of Israel were unfaithful to God again. They worshiped the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.

34 They no longer served Jehovah their God, who had saved them from all their enemies around them.

35 They did not show kindness to the family of Gideon for all the good that he had done for Israel.

9

1 Gideon’s son Abimelech went to the town of Shechem. All his mother’s relatives lived there. He told them:

2 »Ask the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you. To have all seventy of Gideon’s sons govern you or to have just one man? Remember that Abimelech is your own flesh and blood.’«

3 His mother’s relatives talked to the men of Shechem about this for him. The men of Shechem decided to follow Abimelech because: »He is our relative.«

4 They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men to join him.

5 He went to his father’s house at Ophrah. There on top of a single stone he killed his seventy brothers, Gideon’s sons. Gideon’s youngest son Jotham hid and therefore was not killed.

6 All the men of Shechem and Bethmillo got together and went to the sacred oak tree at Shechem, where they made Abimelech king.

7 Jotham heard about this. He stood on top of Mount Gerizim and shouted out to them: »Men of Shechem, listen to me and God may listen to you!

8 »The trees went out to anoint a king over them. They said to the olive tree: ‘Be our king.’

9 »‘The olive tree answered: ‘I would have to stop producing my oil in order to govern you. My oil is used to honor gods and human beings.’

10 »‘Then the trees said to the fig tree: ‘Come and be our king.’

11 »‘The fig tree replied: ‘I would have to stop producing my good sweet fruit that I may govern you.’

12 »‘Then the trees spoke to the grapevine: ‘You come and be our king.’

13 »‘But the vine answered: ‘I could not govern you for I would have to stop producing my wine. It makes gods and human beings happy.’

14 »‘So then all the trees said to the thorn bush: ‘You come and be our king!«

15 »‘The thorn bush answered: ‘If you really want to make me your king, then come and take shelter in my shade. If you do not, fire will blaze out of my thorny branches and burn up the cedars of Lebanon.’

16 »‘Think about it, Jotham continued: ‘Were you really honest and sincere when you made Abimelech king? Have you respected Gideon’s memory? Did you treat his family properly, as his actions deserved?

17 »‘My father fought for you. He risked his life to deliver you from the Midianites.

18 »‘Today you turned against my father’s family. You killed his sons, seventy men on a single stone. And this because Abimelech, his son by his servant woman, is your relative, you have made him king of Shechem.

19 »‘If you have acted in truth and sincerity today to Gideon and his family then be happy with Abimelech and let him be happy with you.

20 »‘But if not, may fire blaze out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and Bethmillo. May fire blaze out from the men of Shechem and Bethmillo and burn Abimelech up.’«

21 Jotham ran away to Beer and lived there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. The men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

24 That the cruelty done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged on their brother Abimelech. For he killed them and the men of Shechem helped him kill his brother.

25 And the men of Shechem set men in ambush on the top of the mountains. They robbed all who came along that way. This was reported to Abimelech.

26 Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

27 They all went to their vineyards and picked the grapes. Then they made wine from them, and held a festival. They went to the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and made fun of Abimelech.

28 Gaal said: »Who is Abimelech and who is Schechem that we should serve them? Who is he? The son of Gideon! And Zebul takes orders from him, but why should we serve him? Be loyal to your ancestor Hamor, the one who founded your clan!

29 »If I were leading this people I would get rid of Abimelech! I would tell him to: call out your army, come on out and fight!«

30 The ruler of the city, Zebul, became angry when he heard what Gaal said.

31 He sent messengers to Abimelech at Arumah. They said: »Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem. They are not going to let you enter into the city.

32 »You and your men should move by night and hide in the fields.

33 »Get up early in the morning at sunrise and attack the city. When he and the people who are with him come out against you do what you can against them.«

34 Abimelech and all his troops, in four companies, took up concealed positions at night against Shechem.

35 Abimelech and his men saw Gaal come out and stand at the city gate. So they got up from their hiding places.

36 Gaal saw them and said to Zebul: »There are men coming down from the mountaintops!« Zebul answered: »They are not men. They are only shadows on the mountains.«

37 Gaal responded: »Do you see? There are men coming down from the top of the mountain. Some are coming along the road from the big tree of Meonenim big tree of magic

38 Zebul said to him: »Where is all your big talk now? You asked why we should serve this man Abimelech. These are the men you made fun of. You go fight them!«

39 Gaal led the men of Shechem out to fight Abimelech.

40 Abimelech chased Gaal, and Gaal ran away. Many were wounded at the city gate.

41 Abimelech lived in Arumah. Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. They could no longer live there.

42 The next day it was reported to Abimelech that the people of Shechem were planning to go out into the fields.

43 He divided his men into three groups. They hid in the fields, waiting. When he saw the people come out of the city, he came out of hiding to kill them.

44 Abimelech and his group rushed forward to guard the city gate. The other two companies attacked the people in the fields and killed all of them.

45 The fighting lasted all day. Abimelech captured the city and killed its people. He tore down the city and covered the ground with salt.

46 When all the men in the fort at Shechem heard this, they sought safety in the stronghold of the temple of Baal-Berith.

47 Abimelech was informed that they had gathered there,

48 He traveled up to Mount Zalmon with his men. He took an ax, cut a limb off a tree, and put it on his shoulder. He told his men to hurry and do the same thing.

49 So everyone cut off a tree limb. They followed Abimelech and piled the wood up against the stronghold. They set the fort on fire. All the people of the fort died. About a thousand men and women died.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez. They surrounded that city, and captured it.

51 There was a strong tower there. The men and women in the city, including the leaders, ran to it. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof.

52 When Abimelech attacked the tower he went to the door to set the tower on fire.

53 A woman threw a millstone down on his head and fractured his skull.

54 He quickly called the young man who was carrying his weapons and told him: »Draw your sword and kill me. I do not want it said that a woman killed me.« The young man ran him through with his sword and he died.

55 The Israelites went home as soon as they saw that Abimelech was dead.

56 Thus God paid Abimelech back for the crime that he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.

57 God also made the men of Shechem suffer for their wickedness. Jotham, Gideon’s son, said they would when he cursed them.

10

1 After Abimelech died Tola, the son of Puah and grandson of Dodo, came to save Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar and lived at Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.

2 He was Israel’s judge leader for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

3 After Tola came Jair from Gilead. He judged led Israel for twenty-two years.

4 He had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys. They had thirty cities in the land of Gilead. They are called the villages of Jair.

5 Jair died and was buried at Kamon.

6 Once again the Israelites did evil against Jehovah by worshiping the Baals and the Astartes. They also worshiped the gods of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of the Philistines. They abandoned Jehovah and stopped worshiping him.

7 The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. So he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to conquer them.

8 They afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel. For eighteen years they lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead.

9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was greatly distressed.

10 The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah: »We sinned against you. We left our God and served the Baals.«

11 Jehovah answered: »Did I free you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines?

12 »Did I save you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? They oppressed you and you cried out to me.

13 »You still left me and worshiped other gods. I am not going to rescue you again.

14 »Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your time of trouble.«

15 But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: »We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today!«

16 So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer.

17 Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead.

18 There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: »Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.«

11

1 Jephthah was a brave soldier from Gilead. He was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father.

2 They had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They told him: »You will have no inheritance from our father for you are the son of another woman.«

3 Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There a group of worthless men joined with him and they went around together.

4 After time passed the Ammonites went to war against Israel.

5 When this war occurred, the leaders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob.

6 They said: »Come and be our commander, so that we can fight the Ammonites.«

7 Jephthah answered: »You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my father’s house. Why have you come to me now that you are in trouble?«

8 They replied: »We turn to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead.«

9 Jephthah said: »If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and Jehovah gives me victory, will I be your ruler?«

10 They replied: »We agree. Jehovah is our witness.«

11 Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in Jehovah’s presence.

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. He said: »What do you have against us that you want to fight us? Why have you invaded our country?«

13 The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers: »Because Israel took away our land when they came out of Egypt. They took land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully.«

14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon.

15 This was his answer: »It is not true that Israel took away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon.

16 »It happened this way: ‘when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh.

17 »‘They sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but he would not let them go through his land. So the people of Israel stayed at Kadesh.

18 »‘Then they went through the desert around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab.

19 »‘The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. They asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land.

20 »‘But Sihon refused to let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel.

21 »‘Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the people of Israel victory over Sihon and his army. So the people of Israel took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country.

22 »‘They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west.

23 »‘Jehovah, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites for his people, the people of Israel.

24 »‘Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything Jehovah, our God, has taken for us.

25 »‘Do you think you are better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever challenge Israel or fight with them?

26 »‘Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer for three hundred years, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why did you not retake them during that time?

27 »‘I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong to me by making war on me. Jehovah is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.’«

28 The king of Ammon paid no attention to this message from Jephthah.

29 The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh and returned to Mizpah in Gilead and went on to Ammon.

30 Jephthah promised Jehovah: »If you give me victory over the Ammonites,

31 »I will sacrifice with a burnt offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I return from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice.« (Jeremiah 19:5)

32 Jephthah crossed the river to fight the Ammonites, and Jehovah gave him victory.

33 He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. It was a great slaughter. The Ammonites were defeated by Israel.

34 Jephthah went back home to Mizpah. His daughter came out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine. She was his only child.

35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes in sorrow and said: »Oh, my daughter! My heart is breaking! Why must it be you? I have made a solemn promise to Jehovah, and I cannot take it back!«

36 She said: »If you made a promise to Jehovah, do what you said you would do to me, since Jehovah has given you revenge on your enemies, the Ammonites.«

37 She asked her father: »Do this for me. Leave me alone for two months, so that I can go with my friends to wander in the mountains and grieve that I must die a virgin.«

38 He sent her away for two months. She and her friends went up into the mountains and grieved because she was going to die unmarried and childless.

39 She returned to her father after two months. He did what he had promised Jehovah, and she died still a virgin. This was the origin of the custom in Israel.

40 The Israelite women would go out for four days every year to grieve for the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead.

12

1 The men of Ephraim were ready for battle. They crossed the Jordan River to Zaphon and said to Jephthah: »Why did you cross the border to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We are going to burn the house down over your head!«

2 Jephthah replied: »My people and I had a great struggle with the Ammonites. I called you, but you would not rescue me from them.

3 »When I realized you were not going to, I risked my life and crossed the border to fight them. Jehovah gave me victory over them. Why are you coming to fight me now?«

4 Jephthah brought all the men of Gilead together and fought the men of Ephraim and defeated them.

5 To keep the Ephraimites from escaping, the Gileadites captured the places where the Jordan could be crossed. When any Ephraimite who was trying to escape would ask permission to cross, the men of Gilead would ask: »Are you an Ephraimite?« If he said: »No,«

6 they would tell him to say »Shibboleth.« But he would say »Sibboleth,« because he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they would kill him at the Jordan River crossing. Forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites were killed.

7 Jephthah led Israel for six years. Then he died and was buried in his hometown in Gilead.

8 After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem led Israel.

9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters in marriage outside the clan and brought thirty young women from outside the clan for his sons to marry. Ibzan led Israel for seven years,

10 then he died and was buried at Bethlehem.

11 After Ibzan, Elon from Zebulun led Israel for ten years.

12 He died and was buried at Aijalon in the territory of Zebulun.

13 After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel from Pirathon was leader of Israel.

14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. Abdon led Israel for eight years,

15 Abdon died and was buried at Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim in the mountains of the Amalekites.

13

1 The Israelites sinned against Jehovah again. So he let the Philistines rule them for forty years.

2 There was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife was not able to have children.

3 Jehovah’s angel appeared to her and said: »You have not been able to have children, but you will become pregnant and have a son.

4 »Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food.

5 »After your son is born never cut his hair. This is because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite. He will begin the work of delivering Israel from the Philistines.«

6 Then the woman told her husband: »A man of God came to me. He looked as frightening as the angel of God. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

7 »He told me I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me: ‘Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. This is because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a Nazirite as long as he lives.’«

8 Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah: »Please, Jehovah, let the man of God that you sent come back to teach us what we must do with the boy when he is born.«

9 God did what Manoah asked. His angel came back to the woman while she was in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her,

10 She ran to tell him, »The man who came to me the other day appeared to me again.«

11 Manoah followed his wife to the man and asked, »Are you the man who talked to my wife?« »Yes,« he answered.

12 Manoah said: »When your words come true, what must the boy do? What kind of a life must he live?«

13 Jehovah’s angel answered: »Your wife must be sure to do everything I told her.

14 »She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine. She must not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. She must do everything I told her to do.«

15 Not knowing that it was Jehovah’s angel, Manoah said: »Please do not go yet. Let us cook a young goat for you.«

16 The angel replied: »If I stay I will not eat your food. But if you want to prepare it, burn it as an offering to Jehovah.«

17 Manoah replied: »Tell us your name. We want to honor you when your words come true.«

18 The angel asked: »Why do you want to know my name? It is ‘Wonderful.’« (Isaiah 9:6)

19 So Manoah took a young goat and some grain, and offered them on the rock altar to Jehovah the God who works wonders.

20 While the flames were going up from the altar, Manoah and his wife saw Jehovah’s angel go up toward heaven in the flames. They did not see the angel again.

21 Manoah knew then that the man was Jehovah’s angel. He and his wife fell on their faces to the ground.

22 Manoah told his wife: »We will die, for we have seen God a God-like being

23 His wife answered: »If Jehovah wanted to kill us he would not accept our offerings. He would not have shown us all this or told us these things.«

24 The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and Jehovah blessed him.

25 Jehovah’s power strengthened him while he was between Zorah and Eshtaol in the Camp of Dan.

14

1 One day Samson traveled to Timnah. He noticed a young Philistine woman.

2 He went home and told his father and mother: »A Philistine woman at Timnah caught my attention. Get her for me. I want to marry her.«

3 His father and mother asked him: »Why do you go to those heathen Philistines to get a wife? Can you not find someone in our own family or among all our people?« Samson told his father: »I like her! She is the one I want. Get her for me.«

4 His parents did not know Jehovah was leading Samson to do this. Jehovah was looking for an opportunity to fight the Philistines. At this time the Philistines were ruling Israel.

5 Samson went to Timnah with his father and mother. When they traveled through the vineyards he heard a young lion roaring.

6 Suddenly the power of Jehovah made Samson strong. He tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his parents what he had done.

7 Then he went and talked to the young woman. He wanted her.

8 A few days later Samson returned to marry her. On the way he left the road to look at the lion he had killed. He found a swarm of bees and some honey inside the dead body.

9 He scraped the honey out into his hands and ate it as he walked along. Then he went to his father and mother and gave them some. They ate it, but Samson did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the dead body of a lion.

10 Samson’s father went to the woman’s house. Samson gave a banquet there. This was a custom among the young men.

11 The Philistines saw him. They sent thirty companions to stay with him.

12 Samson said to them: »Let me tell you a riddle. If you can tell me the meaning before the seven days of the wedding feast are over, I will give each of you a piece of fine linen and a change of fine clothes.« »Tell us your riddle,« they said: »Let us hear it.«

13 »If you cannot tell me the answer you must give me thirty pieces of fine linen and thirty sets of fine clothes.« »Tell us the riddle,« they said.

14 He said: »Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet.« Three days later they still could not figure out the riddle.

15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife: »Trick your husband into telling us what the riddle means. If you do not, we will burn your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us here to rob us?«

16 Samson’s wife approached him in tears and said: »You do not love me! You just hate me! You told my friends a riddle and did not tell me it’s meaning!« He said: »I have not told my father and mother. Why should I tell you?«

17 She cried about it for the whole seven days of the feast. She nagged him so that on the seventh day he told her what the riddle meant. Then she told the Philistines.

18 On the seventh day, before Samson went into the bedroom, the men of the city said to him: »What could be sweeter than honey? What could be stronger than a lion?« Samson replied: »If you had not been plowing with my cow, you would not know the answer now.«

19 Suddenly the power of Jehovah made him strong. He went to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty men. He stripped them and gave their fine clothes to the men who had solved the riddle. He returned home, furious about what had happened.

20 His wife was given to his best man at the wedding.

15

1 Later Samson went to visit his wife during the wheat harvest and took her a young goat. He told her father: »Let me go to my wife in her room. But he would not let him go in.«

2 He told Samson: »I thought that you hated her, so I gave her to your friend. Her younger sister is prettier. You can have her, instead.«

3 Samson said: »This time I am not going to be responsible for what I do to the Philistines!«

4 He caught three hundred foxes. Two at a time, he tied their tails together and put torches in the knots.

5 Then he set fire to the torches and turned the foxes loose in the Philistine wheat fields. In this way he burned up both the shocks and the standing grain still in the fields. The olive orchards were also burned.

6 When the Philistines asked who had done this, they learned that Samson had done it because his father-in-law, a man from Timnah, had given Samson’s wife to a friend of Samson’s. So the Philistines burned the woman to death and burned down her father’s house.

7 Samson said to them: »This is how you act! I swear that I will not stop until I pay you back!«

8 He attacked them fiercely and killed many of them. After that he stayed in the cave in the cliff at Etam.

9 The Philistines came and camped in Judah. They attacked the town of Lehi.

10 The men of Judah asked: »Why do you attack us?« They answered: »We came to take Samson prisoner and to treat him as he treated us.«

11 These three thousand men of Judah went to the cave in the cliff at Etam and said to Samson: »Do you know that the Philistines are our rulers? What did you do?« He answered: »I did to them just what they did to me.«

12 They replied: »We have come here to tie you up and hand you over to them.« Samson said: »Give me your word that you will not kill me.«

13 They said: »We are only going to tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.« So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him back from the cliff.

14 When he got to Lehi, the Philistines shouted and ran toward him. Suddenly Jehovah’s power made him strong. He broke the ropes around his arms and hands as if they were burnt flax.

15 Samson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. He picked it up, and killed a thousand men with it.

16 Then Samson said: »With the jawbone of a donkey I piled them in piles. With the jawbone of a donkey I killed a thousand men.«

17 When he finished speaking he threw the jawbone away. The place where this happened was named Ramath Lehi.

18 Samson became very thirsty. He called to Jehovah: »You gave me this great victory. Will I now die of thirst and be captured by these heathen Philistines?«

19 God opened a hollow place in the ground there at Lehi, and water came out of it. Samson drank it and felt better. The spring was named Hakkore. It still exists there at Lehi.

20 Samson judged Israel for twenty years while the Philistines ruled the land.

16

1 Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza. He met a prostitute and went to bed with her.

2 The people of Gaza discovered that Samson was there. They surrounded the place and waited for him all night long at the city gate. They were quiet all night, thinking: »We will wait until daybreak and kill him.«

3 However Samson stayed in bed until midnight. He got up and took hold of the city gate and pulled it up, doors, posts, lock, and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them far off to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron.

4 After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley.

5 The five Philistine kings said to her: »Entice Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him. Tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.«

6 Delilah said to Samson: »Tell me what makes you so strong. How could you be subdued and tied up?«

7 Samson answered: »If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I’ll be as weak as anybody else.«

8 The Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up.

9 She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. They still did not know the secret of his strength.

10 Delilah told Samson: »You made a fool of me. What is the truth? Please tell me how someone could tie you up.«

11 He said: »If I am tied with new unused ropes I will be weak.«

12 Delilah tied him with new ropes. Then she shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« The men were waiting in another room. However he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson: »You still make a fool of me. What is the truth? Tell me how someone could tie you up.« He told her: »If you weave my seven locks of hair into a loom, and make it tight with a peg, I will be weak.«

14 Delilah lulled him to sleep. She took his seven locks of hair and wove them into the loom. She made it tight with a peg and shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« He woke up and pulled his hair loose from the loom.

15 »How can you say you love me,« she asked: »when you do not mean it? You have made a fool of me three times. You still have not told me what makes you strong.«

16 She kept asking him, day after day. He got sick and tired of her nagging him.

17 So finally he told her the truth: »My hair has never been cut,« he said: »I have been dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the time I was born. I would lose my strength if my hair were cut.«

18 When Delilah realized that he told her the truth, she sent a message to the Philistine kings: »Come back one more time. He told me the truth. They came and brought the money with them.«

19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and called a man, who cut off Samson’s seven locks of hair. Then she tormented him, for he had lost his strength.

20 She shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« He woke up and thought: »I will get loose and go free, as always.« He did not know that Jehovah had left him.

21 The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with copper chains. They put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison.

22 His hair grew back.

23 The Philistine kings met together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said: »Our god gave us victory over our enemy Samson!«

24 They praised their god and said: »Call Samson, and make him entertain us!« They brought Samson out of the prison and they made him entertain them.

25 They forced him to stand between the columns. When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: »Our god gave us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!«

26 Samson said to the boy who led him by the hand: »Let me touch the columns that hold up the building. I want to lean on them.«

27 The building was crowded with men and women. All five Philistine kings were there. There were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching Samson entertain them.

28 Samson prayed: »Sovereign Lord Jehovah please remember me. Please, God, give me my strength just this one time. With this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes.«

29 Then Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. He put one hand on each column. He pushed against them.

30 Samson shouted: »Let me die with the Philistines!« He pushed with all his might, and the building fell down on the five kings and everyone else. Samson killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life.

31 His brothers and the rest of his family came to get his body. They took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had been Israel’s judge for twenty years.

17

1 There was a man named Micah, who lived in the mountains of Ephraim.

2 He said to his mother: »When someone stole those eleven hundred pieces of silver from you, you put a curse on the robber. I heard you do it. Look, I have the money. I am the one who took it.« His mother said: »Jehovah blesses you.«

3 He gave the money back to his mother. She said: »To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself solemnly dedicate the silver to Jehovah. It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. Now I will give the pieces of silver back to you.«

4 He returned them to his mother. She took two hundred of the pieces of silver and gave them to a metalworker. The metalworker made an idol, carving it from wood and covering it with the silver. It was placed in Micah’s house.

5 Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did whatever he or she wanted to do.

7 There was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.

8 The man left Bethlehem to find another place to live. While he was traveling, he came to Micah’s house in the mountains of Ephraim.

9 Micah asked him: »Where do you come from?« He answered: »I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I need a place to live.«

10 Micah said: »Stay here with me. Be my adviser and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year along with some clothes, and your food.«

11 The young Levite agreed to stay with Micah. He became like a son to him.

12 He lived in Micah’s home. Micah made him his priest.

13 Micah said: »Now I know that Jehovah will be good to me, since I have a Levite as a priest.«

18

1 There was no king in Israel in those days. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory to claim and settle in because they had not yet received any land of their own among the tribes of Israel.

2 The people of Dan sent five qualified men out of all the families in the tribe from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instructions to explore the land and spy on it. When they arrived in the mountains of Ephraim, they stayed at Micah’s house.

3 While they were at Micah’s house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked: What are you doing here? Who brought you here?

4 He answered: »Micah and I have an arrangement. He pays me to serve as his priest.«

5 They said to him: »Please ask God if our journey will be successful.«

6 The priest answered: »Do not worry. Jehovah is taking care of you on this trip.«

7 So the five men left and traveled to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone. They had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with any other people.

8 When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, the people asked them what they found.

9 They said: »Come and attack Laish. We saw the land, and it is very good. Do not stay here doing nothing. Enter and possess the land.

10 »When you go you will find a secure people who do not suspect a thing. It is a big country. God has given it to you and it has all you could want.«

11 Six hundred men from the tribe of Dan left Zorah and Eshtaol, ready for war.

12 They went up and camped west of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still called Camp of Dan.

13 They went from there to Micah’s house in the mountains of Ephraim.

14 The five men who had gone to spy on the country around Laish said to their companions: »Did you know that here in one of these houses there is a wooden idol covered with silver? There are also other idols and an ephod. Consider what you should do.«

15 They went into Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived. They greeted the Levite.

16 The six hundred soldiers from the tribe of Dan, ready for battle, stood at the gate.

17 The five spies went straight into the house. They took the wooden idol covered with silver, the other idols, and the ephod. The priest stayed at the gate with the six hundred armed men.

18 The men went into Micah’s house and took the sacred objects. The priest asked them: »What are you doing?«

19 They told him: »Be quiet. Do not say a word. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?«

20 This filled the priest with joy. He took the sacred objects and went along with them.

21 They turned around and started off, with their children, their livestock, and their belongings going ahead.

22 They traveled a good way from the house when Micah gathered his neighbors for battle. They caught up with the Danites.

23 They shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah, »What is the problem? Why have you gathered such a company?«

24 Micah answered: »What do you mean? You take my priest and the gods that I made, and walk off! What do I have left?«

25 The Danites responded: »Do not say anymore or these men will get angry and attack you. You and your whole family would die.«

26 The Danites went on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him, so he went back home.

27 They took the things Micah made and the priest who belonged to him and attacked Laish. Laish was a town of peaceful, quiet people in the same valley as Bethrehob. They killed the inhabitants and burned the town.

28 There was no one to save them, because Laish was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any other people. The Danites rebuilt the town and settled down there.

29 They changed its name from Laish to Dan, after their ancestor Dan, the son of Jacob.

30 The Danites set up the idol to be worshiped, and Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, served as a priest for the Danites. His descendants served as their priests until the people were taken away into exile.

31 Micah’s idol remained there as long as the Tent where God was worshiped was at Shiloh.

19

1 There was still no king in Israel. There was a Levite who lived in the remote area of Mount Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

2 She was unfaithful to him and went to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah. She was there four whole months.

3 The man went after her to persuade her to return. He took his servant and two donkeys with him. The woman invited the Levite into the house, and when her father saw him, he gave him a friendly greeting.

4 The young woman’s father insisted that he stay. So he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there.

5 The morning of the fourth day they woke up early and prepared to go. But the woman’s father said to the Levite: Eat first. You will feel better. You can go later.

6 The two men sat down and ate and drank together. Then the woman’s father told him: »Spend the night and enjoy yourself.«

7 The Levite got up to go. However the father encouraged him to stay, so he spent another night there.

8 The morning of the fifth day he started to leave. The woman’s father said: »Eat something and wait until later in the day.« The two men ate together.

9 When the man, his concubine, and the servant once more started to leave, the father said: »It is almost evening. Please spend the night. It will be dark soon. Stay and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early for the trip and go home.«

10 The man did not want to spend another night there. He and his concubine started on their way, with their servant and two donkeys with packsaddles.

11 It was late in the day when they came near Jebus that is, Jerusalem . The servant said to his master: »Why not stop and spend the night here in this Jebusite city?«

12 But his master said: »We are not going to stop in a city where the people are not Israelites.

13 »We will pass by and go a little farther and spend the night at Gibeah or Ramah.«

14 They passed by Jebus and continued on their way. It was sunset when they came to Gibeah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.

15 They turned off the road to spend the night there. They went into town and sat down in the city square. However no one offered to take them home for the night.

16 An old man came by at the end of a day’s work on the farm. He was originally from the mountains of Ephraim, but he was now living in Gibeah. The other people there were from the tribe of Benjamin.

17 The old man saw the traveler in the city square and asked: »Where do you come from? Where are you going?«

18 The Levite answered: »We have been in Bethlehem in Judah. We are on our way home deep in the mountains of Ephraim. No one will put us up for the night.

19 »We have fodder and straw for our donkeys and we have bread and wine for my concubine and me and for my servant. We have everything we need.«

20 The old man said: »Come to my home. You are welcome! I will take care of you. You do not have to spend the night in the square.«

21 He took them home and fed their donkeys. They washed their feet and ate and drank.

22 They were enjoying themselves when suddenly some sexual perverts from the town surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They said to the old man: Bring out the man who came to your house! We want to have sex with him!

23 The old man went outside and said to them: »No, my friends! Please! Do not do such an evil, immoral thing! This man is my guest.

24 »Here is his concubine and my virgin daughter. I will bring them out now. You can have them. Do whatever you want with them. But do not do such an awful thing to this man!«

25 The men would not listen to him. The Levite took his concubine and put her outside with them. They raped her and abused her all night long and did not stop until morning.

26 At dawn the woman came and fell down at the door of the old man’s house. She was still there when daylight came.

27 When her master opened the door that morning to go on his way, he found his concubine lying in front of the house with her hands reaching for the door.

28 He said: »Get up and let us go.« But there was no answer. Then he put her body across the donkey and started on his way home.

29 When he arrived at his house he got a knife. He took his concubine’s body and cut it into twelve pieces. He sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

30 Everyone who saw it said: »No such deed has been seen or done since the people of Israel left Egypt! We must do something about this! What will we do?«

20

1 The people of Israel came from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, as well as from the land of Gilead in the east. They were united in Jehovah’s presence at Mizpah.

2 The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were present at this gathering of God’s people. There were four hundred thousand foot soldiers.

3 Now the people of Benjamin heard that all the other Israelites had gathered at Mizpah. The Israelites asked: »Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?«

4 »The Levite whose concubine had been murdered answered: »My concubine and I went to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.

5 »The men of Gibeah came to get me. They surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me. Instead they raped my concubine, and she died.

6 »I took her body and cut it in pieces. Then I sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel for these people have committed an evil and immoral act.

7 »What are you Israelites going to do about this?«

8 The people stood together and said: »None of us, whether he lives in a tent or in a house, will go home.

9 »This is what we will do: We will draw lots and choose some men to attack Gibeah.

10 »One tenth of the men in Israel will provide food for the army. The others will go and punish Gibeah for this immoral act they committed in Israel.«

11 The men of Israel assembled with one purpose, to attack the town.

12 The tribes of Israel sent messengers through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin to say: »What is this crime that you have committed?

13 »Hand over those perverts in Gibeah, so that we can kill them and remove this evil from Israel.« But the people of Benjamin would not listen to their brothers.

14 People from all the cities of Benjamin came to Gibeah to fight the other people of Israel.

15 They mobilized twenty-six thousand soldiers from their cities that day.

16 Besides these, the citizens of Gibeah gathered seven hundred specially chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a strand of hair and never miss.

17 Not including the tribe of Benjamin, the well-trained soldiers of Israel numbered four hundred thousand.

18 The Israelites went to the house of God at Bethel, and there they asked God: »Which of us should attack the Benjaminites first?« Jehovah answered: »The tribe of Judah.«

19 So the Israelites started out the next morning and camped near the city of Gibeah.

20 They went to attack the army of Benjamin, and placed the soldiers in battle array to fight against Gibeah.

21 The army of Benjamin came out of the city. That day they killed twenty-two thousand Israelite soldiers.

22 The Israelite army was encouraged as they placed the soldiers in position again at the place where they put themselves the first day.

23 They mourned in the presence of Jehovah until evening. They asked him if they should go again in battle against their brothers the Benjaminites? Jehovah’s answer was: »Yes.«

24 The Israelites marched against the army of Benjamin a second time.

25 The second time the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah. This time they killed eighteen thousand trained Israelite soldiers.

26 The people of Israel went up to Bethel and mourned. They sat there in Jehovah’s presence and fasted until evening. They offered fellowship sacrifices and burned some sacrifices whole in the presence of Jehovah.

27 The Ark of the Covenant was there at Bethel in those days. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was in charge of it.

28 The people asked Jehovah: »Should we go to battle against our brothers the Benjaminites again, or should we cease?« Jehovah answered: »Fight. Tomorrow I will give you victory over them.«

29 The Israelites hid some soldiers around Gibeah.

30 Then for the third straight day they marched against the army of Benjamin. They placed their soldiers in battle position facing Gibeah, as they had done before.

31 The Benjaminites came out to fight and were drawn away from the city. Just as before they killed some Israelites in the open country, on the road to Bethel and on the road to Gibeah. They killed about thirty Israelites.

32 The Benjaminites said: »They are defeated just as before. But the Israelites planned to retreat and lead them away from the city onto the roads.«

33 The main army of the Israelites pulled back and regrouped at Baaltamar. The men surrounding Gibeah suddenly rushed out of hiding in the rocky country around the city.

34 Ten thousand, specially chosen men, out of all Israel, attacked Gibeah, and the fighting was fierce. The Benjaminites did not realize they were about to be destroyed.

35 Jehovah gave Israel victory over the army of Benjamin. The Israelites killed twenty five thousand one hundred of the enemy that day,

36 The Benjaminites knew they were defeated. The main body of the Israelite army had retreated from the Benjaminites. This is because they relied on the men that were hiding around Gibeah.

37 These men ran quickly toward Gibeah. They spread out and killed everyone there.

38 The main Israelite army and the men in hiding had a prearranged signal. When they saw a big cloud of smoke going up from the town,

39 the Israelites out on the battlefield were to turn around. By this time the Benjaminites had already killed the thirty Israelites. They told themselves: »We have beaten them.«

40 The signal appeared. A cloud of smoke rose above the town. The Benjaminites looked behind them to see the whole city going up in flames.

41 Then the Israelites turned around. The Benjaminites were thrown into panic because they could see that they were about to be destroyed.

42 They retreated from the Israelites. They ran toward the open country and could not escape. They were caught between the main army and the men now coming out of the city. They were destroyed.

43 The Israelites trapped the enemy. Without stopping they pursued them as far as a point east of Gibeah. They killed them as they advanced.

44 Eighteen thousand of the best Benjaminite soldiers were killed.

45 The others turned and ran to the open country to Rimmon Rock. Five thousand of them were killed on the roads. The Israelites continued to pursue the rest to Gidom, killing two thousand.

46 In all, twenty-five thousand brave Benjaminites were killed that day.

47 Six hundred men were able to escape to the open country to Rimmon Rock. They stayed there four months.

48 The Israelites turned back against the rest of the Benjaminites and killed them all, men and women, children and animals as well. They burned every town in the area.

21

1 The Israelites gathered at Mizpah. They made a solemn promise to Jehovah: »None of us will allow a daughter to marry a Benjaminite.«

2 The people of Israel went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. They lifted their voices and wept bitterly.

3 They said: »Jehovah God of Israel, why has this happened? Why is the tribe of Benjamin about to disappear from Israel?«

4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 They asked: »Is there any group out of all the tribes of Israel that did not go to the gathering in Jehovah’s presence at Mizpah?« They had taken a solemn oath that anyone who had not gone to Mizpah would be put to death.

6 The people of Israel felt sorry for their brothers the Benjaminites. They said: »Israel has lost one of its tribes.

7 »We have made a solemn promise to Jehovah that we will not give them any of our daughters. How can we make sure that the remaining men of Benjamin will have wives?«

8 When they asked if some group out of the tribes of Israel had not gone to the gathering at Mizpah, they found out that no one from Jabesh in Gilead had been there.

9 No one from Jabesh responded to the roll call.

10 The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with the orders: Go kill everyone in Jabesh, including women and children.

11 Kill all the males, and also every woman who is not a virgin.

12 They found four hundred young virgins among the people in Jabesh. They brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 The whole assembly sent word to the Benjaminites who were at Rimmon Rock and offered to end the war.

14 The Benjaminites came back. And the other Israelites gave them the young women from Jabesh whom they had not killed. But there were not enough of them.

15 The people felt sorry for the Benjaminites because Jehovah had broken the unity of the tribes of Israel.

16 So the leaders said: »There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left?

17 »Israel must not lose one of its twelve tribes. We must find a way for the tribe of Benjamin to survive.

18 »We cannot allow them to marry our daughters. We have put a curse on anyone who allows a Benjaminite to marry one of our daughters.«

19 They said: »The yearly festival of Jehovah at Shiloh is coming soon. Shiloh is north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and east of the road between Bethel and Shechem. «

20 They told the Benjaminites: »Go hide in the vineyards.«

21 »When the young women of Shiloh come out to dance during the festival, you come out of the vineyards. Each of you should take a wife by force from among them and take her back to the territory of Benjamin with you.

22 »If their fathers or brothers come to you and protest, you can tell them: ‘Please let us keep them, because we did not take them from you in battle to be our wives. Since you did not give them to us, you are not guilty of breaking your promise.’«

23 The Benjaminites did this. Each of them chose a wife from the young women who were dancing at Shiloh and carried her away. They went back to their own territory, rebuilt their towns, and lived there.

24 The rest of the Israelites left, and every man went back to his own tribe and family and to his own property.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.