The Book of
JUDGES
The Continuing Conquest of Canaan
1Now after the adeath of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel basked the LORD, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the cCanaanites to fight against them?”
2And the LORD said, d“Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”
3So Judah said to eSimeon his brother, “Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and fI will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.” And Simeon went with him.
4Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at gBezek.
5And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; has I have done, so God has repaid me.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
8Now ithe children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.
9jAnd afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the mountains, in the 1South, and in the lowland.
10Then Judah 2went against the Canaanites who dwelt in kHebron. (Now the name of Hebron was formerly lKirjath Arba.) And they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11mFrom there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.)
12nThen Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.”
13And Othniel the son of Kenaz, oCaleb’s younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife.
14pNow it happened, when she came to him, that 3she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?”
15So she said to him, q“Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16rNow the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up sfrom the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near tArad; uand they went and dwelt among the people.
17vAnd Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called wHormah.
18Also Judah took xGaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
19So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had ychariots of iron.
20zAnd they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. Then he 4expelled from there the athree sons of Anak.
21bBut the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22And the 5house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, cand the LORD was with them.
23So the 6house of Joseph dsent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly eLuz.)
24And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and fwe will show you mercy.”
25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go.
26And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.
Incomplete Conquest of the Land
27gHowever, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or hTaanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of iDor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
28And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites 7under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
29jNor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30Nor did kZebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and 8were put under tribute.
31lNor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.
32So the Asherites mdwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
33nNor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;
35and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, oin Aijalon, and in 9Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they 10were put under tribute.
36Now the boundary of the Amorites was pfrom the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.
Israel’s Disobedience
1Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: a“I led you up from Egypt and bbrought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and cI said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.
2‘And dyou shall make no 1covenant with the inhabitants of this land; eyou shall tear down their altars.’ fBut you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?
3“Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be gthorns2 in your side, and htheir gods shall 3be a isnare to you.’ ”
4So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5Then they called the name of that place 4Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD.
6And when jJoshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.
Death of Joshua
7kSo the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
8Now lJoshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
9mAnd they buried him within the border of his inheritance at nTimnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.
10When all that generation had 5been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who odid not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
11Then the children of Israel did pevil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals;
12and they qforsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed rother gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they sbowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.
13They forsook the LORD tand served 6Baal and the 7Ashtoreths.
14uAnd the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He vdelivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and wHe sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they xcould no longer stand before their enemies.
15Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had ysworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. The Judges of Israel
16Nevertheless, zthe LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
17Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they aplayed the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so.
18And when the LORD raised up judges for them, bthe LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; cfor the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.
19And it came to pass, dwhen the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
20Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has etransgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,
21“I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua fleft when he died,
22“so gthat through them I may htest Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.”
23Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
The Nations Remaining in the Land
1Now these are athe nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not 1known any of the wars in Canaan
2(this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it),
3namely, bfive lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
4And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to 2know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5cThus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
6And dthey took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.
Othniel
7So the children of Israel did eevil in the sight of the LORD. They fforgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and 3Asherahs.
8Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He gsold them into the hand of hCushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.
9When the children of Israel icried out to the LORD, the LORD jraised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: kOthniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10lThe Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
11So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12mAnd the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened nEglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
13Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and oAmalek, went and 4defeated Israel, and took possession of pthe City of Palms.
14So the children of Israel qserved Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
15But when the children of Israel rcried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a sleft-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
16Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh.
17So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)
18And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
19But he himself turned back tfrom the 5stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him.
20So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat.
21Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
22Even the 6hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out.
23Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24When he had gone out, 7Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably uattending8 to his needs in the cool chamber.”
25So they waited till they were vembarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor.
26But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the 9stone images and escaped to Seirah.
27And it happened, when he arrived, that whe blew the trumpet in the xmountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and 10he led them.
28Then he said to them, “Follow me, for ythe LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the zfords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
29And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped.
30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And athe land had rest for eighty years.
Shamgar
31After him was bShamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines cwith an ox goad; dand he also delivered eIsrael.
Deborah
1When Ehud was dead, athe children of Israel again did bevil in the sight of the LORD.
2So the LORD csold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in dHazor. The commander of his army was eSisera, who dwelt in fHarosheth Hagoyim.
3And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred gchariots of iron, and for twenty years hhe had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.
4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
5iAnd she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6Then she sent and called for jBarak the son of Abinoam from kKedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and 1deploy troops at Mount lTabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun;
7‘and against you mI will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the nRiver Kishon; and I will 2deliver him into your hand’?”
8And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”
9So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will osell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10And Barak called pZebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men qunder3 his command, and Deborah went up with him.
11Now Heber rthe Kenite, of the children of sHobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, twhich is beside Kedesh.
12And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.
13So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.
14Then Deborah said to Barak, 4“Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. uHas not the LORD gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot.
16But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was vleft.
17However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of wJael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a 5blanket.
19Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened xa jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him.
20And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ ”
21Then Jael, Heber’s wife, ytook a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
22And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
23So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel.
24And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
The Song of Deborah
1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam asang on that day, saying:
2“When1 leaders blead in Israel,
c When the people 2willingly offer themselves,
Bless the LORD!
3“Hear,d O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I, even eI, will sing to the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
4“ LORD, fwhen You went out from Seir,
When You marched from gthe field of Edom,
The earth trembled and the heavens poured,
The clouds also poured water;
5h The mountains 3gushed before the LORD,
i This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.
6“In the days of jShamgar, son of Anath,
In the days of kJael,
l The highways were deserted,
And the travelers walked along the byways.
7Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Arose a mother in Israel.
8They chose mnew gods;
Then there was war in the gates;
Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with the rulers of Israel
Who offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless the LORD!
10“Speak, you who ride on white ndonkeys,
Who sit in judges’ attire,
And who walk along the road.
11Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places,
There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD,
The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel;
Then the people of the LORD shall go down to the gates.
12“Awake,o awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away,
O son of Abinoam!
13“Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles;
The LORD came down for me against the mighty.
14From Ephraim were those whose roots were in pAmalek.
After you, Benjamin, with your peoples,
From Machir rulers came down,
And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.
15And 4the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As Issachar, so was Barak
Sent into the valley 5under his command;
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.
17q Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,
And why did Dan remain 6on ships?
r Asher continued at the seashore,
And stayed by his inlets.
18s Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19“The kings came and fought,
Then the kings of Canaan fought
In tTaanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
They took no spoils of silver.
20They fought from the heavens;
The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.
21u The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.
O my soul, march on in strength!
22Then the horses’ hooves pounded,
The galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23‘Curse Meroz,’ said the 7angel of the LORD,
‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,
Because they did not come to the help of the LORD,
To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’
24“Most blessed among women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
v Blessed is she among women in tents.
25He asked for water, she gave milk;
She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.
26She stretched her hand to the tent peg,
Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;
She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head,
She split and struck through his temple.
27At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;
At her feet he sank, he fell;
Where he sank, there he fell wdead.
28“The mother of Sisera looked through the window,
And cried out through the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’
29Her wisest 8ladies answered her,
Yes, she 9answered herself,
30‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:
To every man a girl or two;
For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments,
Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed,
Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
31“Thus let all Your enemies xperish, O LORD!
But let those who love Him be ylike the zsun
When it comes out in full astrength.”
So the land had rest for forty years.
Midianites Oppress Israel
1Then the children of Israel did aevil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of bMidian for seven years,
2and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, cthe caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.
3So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the dpeople of the East would come up against them.
4Then they would encamp against them and edestroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor fdonkey.
5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were 1without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.
6So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel gcried out to the LORD.
7And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites,
8that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the hhouse of 2bondage;
9‘and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and idrove them out before you and gave you their land.
10‘Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; jdo not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My kvoice.’ ”
Gideon
11Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash lthe Abiezrite, while his son mGideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12And the nAngel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is owith you, you mighty man of valor!”
13Gideon said to Him, “O 3my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And pwhere are all His miracles qwhich our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has rforsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14Then the LORD turned to him and said, s“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. tHave I not sent you?”
15So he said to Him, “O 4my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed umy clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16And the LORD said to him, v“Surely I will be with you, and you shall 5defeat the Midianites as one man.”
17Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then wshow me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
18x“Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
19ySo Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
20The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and zlay them on this rock, and apour out the broth.” And he did so.
21Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and bfire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22Now Gideon cperceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! dFor I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.”
23Then the LORD said to him, e“Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”
24So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it 6The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still fin Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and gtear down the altar of hBaal that your father has, and icut down the 7wooden image that is beside it;
26“and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this 8rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”
27So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal
28And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built.
29So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”
31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you 9plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
32Therefore on that day he called him jJerubbaal,10 saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”
33Then all kthe Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in lthe Valley of Jezreel.
34But mthe Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he nblew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to oAsher, pZebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
The Sign of the Fleece
36So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—
37q“look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39Then Gideon said to God, r“Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”
40And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Gideon’s Valiant Three Hundred
1Then aJerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel bclaim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
3“Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, c‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”
5So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”
6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
7Then the LORD said to Gideon, d“By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his 1place.”
8So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
9It happened on the same enight that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
10“But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,
11“and you shall fhear what they say; and afterward 2your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.
12Now the Midianites and Amalekites, gall the people of the East, were lying in the valley has numerous as locusts; and their camels were 3without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
13And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”
14Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand iGod has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”
15And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
16Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.
17And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:
18“When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’ ”
19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
20Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!”
21And jevery man stood in his place all around the camp; kand the whole army ran and cried out and fled.
22When the three hundred lblew the trumpets, mthe LORD set nevery man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to 4Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of oAbel Meholah, by Tabbath.
23And the men of Israel gathered together from pNaphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.
24Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the qmountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and rseized the watering places as far as sBeth Barah and the Jordan.
25And they captured ttwo princes of the Midianites, uOreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the vother side of the Jordan.
Gideon Subdues the Midianites
1Now athe men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.
2So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the 1gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than 2the vintage of bAbiezer?
3c“God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their danger toward him subsided when he said that.
4When Gideon came eto the Jordan, he and fthe three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
5Then he said to the men of gSuccoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”
6And the leaders of Succoth said, h“Are3 the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that iwe should give bread to your army?”
7So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, jthen I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!”
8Then he went up from there kto Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
9So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I lcome back in peace, mI will tear down this tower!”
10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of nall the army of the people of the East; for oone hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen.
11Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of pNobah and Jogbehah; and he 4attacked the army while the camp felt qsecure.
12When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he rtook the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.
13Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres.
14And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.
15Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you sridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ”
16tAnd he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he 5taught the men of Succoth.
17uThen he tore down the tower of vPenuel and killed the men of the city.
18And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at wTabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”
19Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.
21So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and xkilled Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
Gideon’s Ephod
22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, y“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have zdelivered us from the hand of Midian.”
23But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; athe LORD shall rule over you.”
24Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to 6make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, bbecause they were Ishmaelites.
25So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder.
26Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks.
27Then Gideon cmade it into an ephod and set it up in his city, dOphrah. And all Israel eplayed the harlot with it there. It became fa snare to Gideon and to his house.
28Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. gAnd the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Death of Gideon
29Then hJerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30Gideon had iseventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.
31jAnd his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
32Now Gideon the son of Joash died kat a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, lin Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33So it was, mas soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again nplayed the harlot with the Baals, oand made Baal-Berith their god.
34Thus the children of Israel pdid not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;
35qnor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.
Abimelech’s Conspiracy
1Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to ahis mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
2“Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all bseventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and cbone.”
3And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our dbrother.”
4So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of eBaal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired fworthless and reckless men; and they followed him.
5Then he went to his father’s house gat Ophrah and hkilled his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.
6And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
The Parable of the Trees
7Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of iMount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them:
“Listen to me, you men of Shechem,
That God may listen to you!
8“Thej trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
And they said to the olive tree,
k‘Reign over us!’
9But the olive tree said to them,
‘Should I cease giving my oil,
l With which they honor God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’
10“Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You come and reign over us!’
11But the fig tree said to them,
‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to sway over trees?’
12“Then the trees said to the vine,
‘You come and reign over us!’
13But the vine said to them,
‘Should I cease my new wine,
m Which cheers both God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’
14“Then all the trees said to the bramble,
‘You come and reign over us!’
15And the bramble said to the trees,
‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you,
Then come and take shelter in my nshade;
But if not, olet fire come out of the bramble
And devour the pcedars of Lebanon!’
16“Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him qas1 he deserves—
17“for my rfather fought for you, risked his life, and sdelivered you out of the hand of Midian;
18t“but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his ufemale servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—
19“if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then vrejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.
20“But if not, wlet fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!”
21And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to xBeer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Downfall of Abimelech
22After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,
23yGod sent a zspirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem adealt treacherously with Abimelech,
24bthat the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their cblood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.
25And the men of Shechem set 2men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.
26Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and 3made merry. And they went into dthe house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, e“Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of fHamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?
29g“If only this people were under my 4authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So 5he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”
30When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused.
31And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you.
32“Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and 6lie in wait in the field.
33“And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them 7as you find opportunity.”
34So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and 8lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
35When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait.
36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!” But Zebul said to him, “You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.”
37So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the 9Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.”
38Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you hsaid, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.”
39So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate.
41Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul 10drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.
42And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.
43So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and 11attacked them.
44Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them.
45So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; ihe took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he jdemolished the city and sowed it with salt.
46Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the 12stronghold of the temple kof the god Berith.
47And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48Then Abimelech went up to Mount lZalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.”
49So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the 13stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.
50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he 14encamped against Thebez and took it.
51But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower.
52So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53But a certain woman mdropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
54Then nhe called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.
55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his 15place.
56oThus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came pthe curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
Tola
1After Abimelech there aarose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.
2He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.
Jair
3After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years.
4Now he had thirty sons who brode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, cwhich are called 1“Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5And Jair died and was buried in Camon.
Israel Oppressed Again
6Then dthe children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and eserved the Baals and the Ashtoreths, fthe gods of Syria, the gods of gSidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
7So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He hsold them into the hands of the iPhilistines and into the hands of the people of jAmmon.
8From that year they 2harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the kland of the Amorites, in Gilead.
9Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
10lAnd the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have msinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”
11So the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you nfrom the Egyptians and ofrom the Amorites and pfrom the people of Ammon and qfrom the Philistines?
12“Also rthe Sidonians sand Amalekites and 3Maonites toppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand.
13u“Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more.
14“Go and vcry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”
15And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! wDo to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.”
16xSo they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And yHis soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
17Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in zMizpah.
18And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall abe head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
Jephthah
1Now aJephthah the Gileadite was ba mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.
2Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have cno inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
3Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of dTob; and eworthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
4It came to pass after a time that the fpeople of Ammon made war against Israel.
5And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”
7So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, g“Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in 1distress?”
8hAnd the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have iturned2 again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be jour head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the LORD delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”
10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, k“The LORD will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.”
11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him lhead and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words mbefore the LORD in Mizpah.
12Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, n“What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”
13And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, o“Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from pthe Arnon as far as qthe Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.” The Geography of the Judges
14So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon,
15and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: r‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon;
16‘for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and scame to Kadesh.
17‘Then tIsrael sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” uBut the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the vking of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel wremained in Kadesh.
18‘And they xwent along through the wilderness and ybypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19‘Then zIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please alet us pass through your land into our place.”
20b‘But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21‘And the LORD God of Israel cdelivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they ddefeated3 them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.
22‘They took possession of eall the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23‘And now the LORD God of Israel has 4dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it?
24‘Will you not possess whatever fChemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever gthe LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess.
25‘And now, are you any better than hBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them?
26‘While Israel dwelt in iHeshbon and its villages, in jAroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?
27‘Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the LORD, kthe Judge, lrender judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ”
28However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.
Jephthah’s Vow and Victory
29Then mthe Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.
30And Jephthah nmade a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,
31“then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, oshall surely be the LORD’s, pand I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
33And he 5defeated them from Aroer as far as qMinnith—twenty cities—and to 6Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
Jephthah’s Daughter
34When Jephthah came to his house at rMizpah, there was shis daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
35And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he ttore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I uhave 7given my word to the LORD, and vI cannot 8go back on it.”
36So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, wdo to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because xthe LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.”
37Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and 9bewail my virginity, my 10friends and I.”
38So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.
39And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he ycarried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She 11knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel
40that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to 12lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.