Jubilee2000 - Judges

Chapter 1

1:1  Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the sons of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to fight against them?

1:2  And the LORD said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.

1:3  And Judah said unto Simeon, his brother, Come up with me into my lot that we may fight against the Canaanite; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

1:4  And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hands, and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

1:5  And they found Adonibezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanite and the Perizzite.

1:6  But Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

1:7  And Adonibezek said, Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [crumbs] under my table; as I have done, so God has recompensed me. And they put him into Jerusalem, and there he died.

1:8  Now the sons of Judah had fought against Jerusalem and had taken it and smitten it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

1:9  And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanite that dwelt in the mountains and in the Negev and in the plains.

1:10  And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron (now the name of Hebron before [was] Kirjatharba), and they slew Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

1:11  And from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjathsepher).

1:12  And Caleb said, He that smites Kirjathsepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

1:13  And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

1:14  And it came to pass when he took her that he persuaded her to ask her father for land to cultivate. And she lighted from off [her] ass, and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?

1:15  And she said unto him, Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

1:16  And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah which is towards the Negev of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

1:17  And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanite that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

1:18  Also Judah took Gaza with its border and Askelon with its border and Ekron with its border.

1:19  And the LORD was with Judah, who drove out [the inhabitants of] the mountains, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains, because they had chariots of iron.

1:20  And they gave Hebron unto Caleb as Moses had said, and he expelled from there the three sons of Anak.

1:21  And the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; thus the Jebusites dwell with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

1:22  And also those of the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD [was] with them.

1:23  And those of the house of Joseph put spies in Bethel (Now the name of the city before [was] Luz).

1:24  And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy.

1:25  And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man go and all his family.

1:26  And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and called the name of it Luz, which [is] its name unto this day.

1:27  Neither did Manasseh drive out [the inhabitants of] Bethshean and its towns nor Taanach and its towns nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanite desired to dwell in that land.

1:28  And it came to pass when Israel was strong that they put the Canaanites under tribute but did not utterly drive them out.

1:29  Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanite that dwelt in Gezer, but the Canaanite dwelt in Gezer among them.

1:30  Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron nor the inhabitants of Nahalol, but the Canaanite dwelt among them and became tributaries.

1:31  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;

1:32  to the contrary Asher dwelt among the Canaanites that inhabited the land, for they did not drive them out.

1:33  Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh nor the inhabitants of Bethanath, but he dwelt among the Canaanites that inhabited the land; nevertheless, the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.

1:34  And the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the mountain, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley.

1:35  And the Amorites desired to dwell in Mount Heres in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; yet when the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, they made them tributaries.

1:36  And the border of the Amorites [was] from the ascent to Akrabbim from the rock and upward.:

Chapter 2

2:1  And the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I brought you up out of Egypt and caused you to enter into the land which I swore unto your fathers, and I said, I will never break my covenant with you

2:2  as long as ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; to the contrary, ye shall throw down their altars, but ye have not heard my voice; why have ye done this?

2:3  Therefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

2:4  And when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the sons of Israel the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

2:5  And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

2:6  For Joshua had let the people go, and the sons of Israel had each gone unto his inheritance to possess the land.

2:7  And the people had served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the LORD that he had done with Israel.

2:8  And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, [being] one hundred and ten years old.

2:9  And they buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres in the mount of Ephraim on the north side of the mount of Gaash.

2:10  And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, and there arose another generation after them which did not know the LORD nor the work which he had done to Israel.

2:11  And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baalim.

2:12  And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that [were] round about them, and bowed themselves unto them and provoked the LORD to anger.

2:13  And they forsook the LORD and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

2:14  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

2:15  Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said and as the LORD had sworn unto them; and thus they were greatly distressed.

2:16  Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

2:17  And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they fornicated after other gods and bowed themselves unto them; they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers had walked hearing the commandments of the LORD; [but they] did not do so.

2:18  And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of that judge; for the LORD repented because of their groanings by reason of those that oppressed them and afflicted them.

2:19  But when the judge was dead, [then] they would return, and corrupt [themselves] more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them; they did not diminish from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

2:20  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he said, Because these people transgress my covenant which I commanded their fathers and do not hearken unto my voice;

2:21  neither will I drive out any longer from before them any of these Gentiles which Joshua left when he died,

2:22  that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD by walking therein as their fathers kept [it], or not.

2:23  Therefore, the LORD left those Gentiles, without driving them out hastily; neither did he deliver them into the hand of Joshua.:

Chapter 3

3:1  Now these [are] the Gentiles which the LORD left, to prove Israel with them, [even] as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

3:2  [he left them] only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, [and] to teach them war, only [for those] that had known nothing before:

3:3  [namely], five cardinals of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

3:4  These, therefore, were [left] to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

3:5  And as the sons of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,

3:6  they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods.

3:7  And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baalim and the groves.

3:8  Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and the sons of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.

3:9  And when the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a saviour to the sons of Israel, who saved them, [even] Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

3:10  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war; and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

3:11  And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.

3:12  And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

3:13  And he gathered unto him the sons of Ammon and of Amalek and went and smote Israel and took the city of palm trees.

3:14  So the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

3:15  But when the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a saviour, Ehud, the son of Gera, a son of Jemini, a man, who had his right hand impeded, and by him the sons of Israel sent a present unto Eglon, the king of Moab.

3:16  But Ehud had made himself a two-edged sword of a cubit length, and he girded it under his clothing upon his right thigh.

3:17  And he brought the present unto Eglon, king of Moab, and Eglon [was] a very fat man.

3:18  And when he had offered the present, he sent away the people that had brought the present.

3:19  But he, himself turned again from the graven images that [were] by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word for thee, O king, who then said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

3:20  And Ehud came unto him, and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a word from God unto thee. Then he arose out of [his] seat.

3:21  But Ehud put forth his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into Eglon's belly;

3:22  in such a manner that the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly, and the excrement came out.

3:23  Then Ehud went forth through the porch and shut the doors of the parlour upon him and locked them.

3:24  When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that the doors of the parlour [were] locked, they said, Peradventure he covers his feet in his summer chamber.

3:25  And having waited until they were confounded and he [had] not opened the doors of the parlour; therefore, they took a key and opened [them]; and, behold, their lord [was] fallen down dead on the earth.

3:26  But while they had waited, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the graven images and escaped unto Seirath.

3:27  And as he entered in, he blew the shofar in the mountain of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

3:28  Then he said unto them, Follow after me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hands. And they went down after him and took the fords of the Jordan towards Moab and did not let anyone pass.

3:29  And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all fat, and all men of war, and there escaped not a man.

3:30  So Moab was subjected that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

3:31  And after him was Shamgar, the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad, and he also saved Israel.:

Chapter 4

4:1  But the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD when Ehud was dead.

4:2  And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, and he dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

4:3  And the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had mightily oppressed the sons of Israel for twenty years.

4:4  And a woman judged Israel at that time, Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth.

4:5  This Deborah dwelt under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim, and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

4:6  And she sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, out of Kedesh of Naphtali and said unto him, Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded thee, [saying], Go and draw toward Mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun?

4:7  And I will draw Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, unto thee to the river Kishon, with his chariots and his multitude, and I will deliver him into thy hands.

4:8  And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.

4:9  And [she] said, I will surely go with thee, but thy honour shall not be in the way that thou goest; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

4:10  And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and he went up with ten thousand men on foot, and Deborah went up with him.

4:11  Now Heber, the Kenite, of the sons of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedesh.

4:12  And the news came unto Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam, was gone up to Mount Tabor.

4:13  And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, [even] nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that [were] with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

4:14  Then Deborah said unto Barak, Rise up, for this [is] the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into thy hands. Is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor and ten thousand men after him.

4:15  And the LORD broke Sisera and all [his] chariots and all [his] host with the edge of the sword before Barak so that Sisera lighted down off [his] chariot and fled away on foot.

4:16  But Barak pursued after the chariots and after the host unto Harosheth of the Gentiles, and all the camp of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword, [and] there was not a man left.

4:17  And Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for [there was] peace between Jabin, the king of Hazor, and the house of Heber the Kenite.

4:18  And Jael went out to meet Sisera and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a thick coverlet.

4:19  And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk and gave him to drink and covered him again.

4:20  Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and if anyone should come and enquire of thee and say, Is there anyone here? Thou shalt say, No.

4:21  Then Jael, Heber's wife, took the tent stake, and putting a hammer in her hand, went softly unto him and smote the stake into his temples and fastened it into the ground, for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

4:22  And as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he entered into where she was, behold, Sisera lay dead with the stake through his temples.

4:23  So God subjected on that day Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the sons of Israel.

4:24  And the hand of the sons of Israel began to prosper and to prevail against Jabin, the king of Canaan until they had destroyed him.:

Chapter 5

5:1  Then sang Deborah with Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,

5:2  Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

5:3  Hear, O ye kings. Give ear, O ye princes; I, [even] I, will sing unto the LORD; I will praise the LORD God of Israel.

5:4  LORD, when thou didst go out of Seir, when thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped; the clouds also dropped water.

5:5  The mountains melted from before the LORD, [even] that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.

5:6  In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways ceased, and those that walked went [astray] through crooked paths.

5:7  [The inhabitants of] the villages ceased; they had ceased in Israel until I Deborah arose, I arose a mother in Israel.

5:8  When they chose new gods, the war [was] at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

5:9  My heart [is] toward the princes of Israel, those that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.

5:10  Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that preside in judgment, and walk by the way.

5:11  Because of the noise of archers, [taken from] among those that draw water, there they shall retell the righteousnesses of the LORD, [even] the righteousnesses of his villages in Israel. Now shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

5:12  Rise up, rise up, Deborah; rise up, rise up, sing a song. Stand up, Barak and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

5:13  Now he has made the remnant of the people to have dominion over the magnificent; the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.

5:14  Out of Ephraim came his root against Amalek; after thee, [came] Benjamin, against thy peoples; out of Machir came down princes; and from Zebulun, those that handle the pen of the writer.

5:15  Also princes of Issachar [were] with Deborah; and Issachar, like Barak, went on foot into the valley. From the divisions of Reuben, great are the thoughts of the heart.

5:16  Why didst thou abide among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? From the divisions of Reuben great are the searchings of the heart.

5:17  Gilead remained on the other side of the Jordan, and why did Dan remain next to the ships? Asher continued on the sea shore and remained in his breaches.

5:18  Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

5:19  The kings came [and] fought; then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

5:20  They fought from the heavens; the stars from their ways fought against Sisera.

5:21  The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. Tred down, O my soul, with strength.

5:22  Then were the hoofs of the horses broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

5:23  Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they did not come to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

5:24  Blessed above women shall Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, be; blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

5:25  He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth cream in a lordly dish.

5:26  She put her hand to the stake, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer, and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

5:27  At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell; where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

5:28  The mother of Sisera looked out the window and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot [so] long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots tarry?

5:29  Her wise princesses answered her; and she even answered to herself,

5:30  Have they not found spoil and are dividing it? To each man a damsel [or] two; to Sisera a spoil of different colours, a spoil of different colours of needlework, of different colours of needlework on both sides, [meet] for the necks of [those that take] the spoil?

5:31  So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD, but [let] those that love thee [be] as the sun when he rises in all his might. And the land had rest forty years.:

Chapter 6

6:1  And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hands of Midian for seven years.

6:2  And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, [and] because of the Midianites the sons of Israel made dens in the mountains and caves and strongholds.

6:3  For when those of Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up and the Amalekites and the sons of the east. They would come up against them

6:4  and encamp against them and destroy the fruits of the earth as far as Gaza, and they would leave nothing to eat in Israel neither sheep nor ox nor ass.

6:5  For they would come up with their livestock and their tents in a great multitude like locusts, for there [was] no number in them nor in their camels, and they would enter into the land destroying it.

6:6  And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD.

6:7  And when the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

6:8  the LORD sent a prophet unto the sons of Israel who said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

6:9  I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all that oppressed you and drove them out from before you and gave you their land;

6:10  and I said unto you, I [am] the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell, but ye have not heard my voice.

6:11  And the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak which [was] in Ophrah that [pertained] unto Joash, the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, to hide [it] from the Midianites.

6:12  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him and said unto him, The LORD [is] with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

6:13  And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where [are] all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

6:14  And the LORD looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Do I not send thee?

6:15  Then he replied unto him, Oh my Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my family [is] poor in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house.

6:16  And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

6:17  And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou hast spoken with me.

6:18  Do not depart from here, I pray thee, until I come unto thee and bring forth my present and set [it] before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

6:19  And Gideon went in and made ready a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour; the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot and brought [it] out unto him under the oak and presented [it].

6:20  And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes and lay [them] upon this rock and pour out the broth. And he did so.

6:21  Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that [was] in his hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

6:22  And when Gideon perceived that he [was] the angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.

6:23  And the LORD said unto him, Peace [be] unto thee; do not fear, thou shalt not die.

6:24  Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD and called it The LORD is the Peace, unto this day it [is] yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

6:25  And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Take a bullock of thy father's [house] and a second bullock seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has and cut down the grove that [is] by it

6:26  and build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, according to [due] order, and take the second bullock and offer a burnt sacrifice upon the wood of the grove which thou shall have cut down.

6:27  Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had said unto him. But he feared to do it by day because of his father's family and the men of the city, so he did [it] by night.

6:28  And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that [was] by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar [that was] built.

6:29  And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon, the son of Joash, has done this thing.

6:30  Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son that he may die because he has cast down the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the grove that [was] by it.

6:31  And Joash replied unto all that stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal? Will ye save him? Whoever will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is yet] morning; if he [is] God, let him contend for himself with the one who has cast down his altar.

6:32  Therefore, on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him because he has thrown down his altar.

6:33  Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east gathered themselves together as one and went over and pitched camp in the valley of Jezreel.

6:34  And the Spirit of the LORD clothed himself in Gideon, who when he had blown the shofar, Abiezer joined with him.

6:35  And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh who also joined with him; [likewise] he sent messengers unto Asher and unto Zebulun and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

6:36  And Gideon said unto God, Wilt thou save Israel by my hand as thou hast said?

6:37  Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the threshing floor; [and] if the dew is on the fleece only and [it is] dry upon all the earth [beside it], then I shall know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou hast said.

6:38  And it was so, for he rose up early in the morning, and wringing the fleece, he took the dew out of it, a bowl full of water.

6:39  But Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me if I speak again on this occasion; only let me prove again now with the fleece. I pray thee, let it be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

6:40  And God did so that night for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.:

Chapter 7

7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who [is] Gideon, and all the people that [were] with him rose up early and pitched camp beside the well of Harod so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north, on the other side of the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that [are] with thee [are] too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me.

7:3  Now, therefore, cause it to be proclaimed in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever [is] fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people [are] yet [too] many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there; and it shall be [that] of whom I say unto thee, This [one] shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whoever I say unto thee, This [one] shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

7:5  So he brought the people down unto the water, and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that laps of the water with his tongue as a dog laps, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that bows down upon his knees to drink.

7:6  And the number of those that lapped, [putting] their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink the water.

7:7  Then the LORD said unto Gideon, With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the [other] people go each one to his place.

7:8  And having taken provision for the people in his hands with their shofarot; he sent all [the other] Israelites each one to his tent and retained those three hundred men, and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

7:9  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise and descend to the camp, for I have delivered it in thy hands.

7:10  But if thou art afraid to go down, go with Phurah thy servant down to the camp,

7:11  and thou shalt hear what they say; and then thy hands shall be strengthened, and thou shalt go down to the camp. Then he went down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that [were] in the camp.

7:12  And Midian and Amalek and all the sons of the east lay along in the valley like locusts in multitude, and their camels [were] not numbered as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

7:13  And when Gideon arrived, behold, a man was telling a dream to his fellow, saying, Behold, I dreamed a dream that I saw a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and come unto the tents, and it smote them so that they fell and overturned them, and the tents fell.

7:14  And his fellow answered and said, This [is] nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel, [for] God has delivered the Midianites with all the camp into his hand.

7:15  And when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped; and when he had returned into the camp of Israel, he said, Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands.

7:16  And dividing the three hundred men [into] three companies, he put a shofar in each man's hand with empty pitchers and torches burning within the pitchers.

7:17  And he said unto them, Look at me and do as I do; and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, as I do, so shall ye do.

7:18  I shall blow the shofar, I and all that [are] with me, then ye shall blow the shofarot on every side of all the camp, and say, I AM The Hewer!

7:19  So Gideon and the hundred men that [were] with him came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch [when] only the guards [were] awake, and they blew the shofarot and broke the pitchers that [were] in their hands.

7:20  And the three companies blew the shofarot; and breaking the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the shofarot in their right hands to blow [with]; and they cried, The sword of I AM The Hewer!

7:21  And they stood in their places round about the camp; and all the camp was routed, and they fled crying out.

7:22  But the three hundred blew the shofarot, and the LORD set each man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the camp; and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath [and] to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath.

7:23  And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali and out of Asher and out of all Manasseh and pursued after the Midianites.

7:24  Gideon also sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and the Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and took the waters unto Bethbarah and the Jordan.

7:25  And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb; and [after they] pursued Midian, they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.:

Chapter 8

8:1  And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus that thou didst not call us when thou didst go to fight against Midian? And they chided with him sharply.

8:2  And he replied unto them, What have I done now in comparison with you? [Is] not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

8:3  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 anger was abated toward him when he spoke that word.

8:4  And Gideon came to pass the Jordan, he and the three hundred men that [were] with him, faint from the pursuit.

8:5  And he said unto those of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they [are] faint [that I may] pursue after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

8:6  And the principals of Succoth said, [Are] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand that we should give bread unto thy army?

8:7  And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns and the briers of the wilderness.

8:8  And he went up from there to Penuel and spoke unto them likewise; and those of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered [him].

8:9  And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

8:10  Now Zebah and Zalmunna [were] in Karkor and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand [men], all that were left of all the hosts of the sons of the east, for one hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword [had been] slain.

8:11  And Gideon went up by the way of those that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah and smote the camp, for the camp was secure.

8:12  And as Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna and terrified all the host.

8:13  And Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from the battle before the sun [was up]

8:14  and caught a young man of the men of Succoth and enquired of him; and he described unto him the principals of Succoth and the elders thereof, seventy-seven men.

8:15  And he came unto the men of Succoth and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, [Are] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thy men [that are] weary?

8:16  And he took the elders of the city and thorns and briars of the wilderness, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

8:17  Likewise he beat down the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the city.

8:18  Then he said unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men [were those] whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou [art], so [were] they; each one resembled the sons of a king.

8:19  And he said, They [were] my brethren, the sons of my mother; [as] the LORD lives, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

8:20  And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Rise up [and] slay them. But the youth did not draw his sword, for he feared because he [was] yet a youth.

8:21  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou and fall upon us, for as the man [is], [so is] his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna and took away the ornaments that [were] on their camels' necks.

8:22  Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou and thy son and thy son's son also, for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

8:23  But Gideon replied, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.

8:24  And Gideon said unto them, I desire to make a request of you that ye each one would give me the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings because they [were] Ishmaelites.)

8:25  And they answered, We will willingly give [them]. And they spread a garment, and each one cast therein the earrings of his prey.

8:26  And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand seven hundred [shekels] of gold, without the ornaments and collars and purple clothing that [was] on the kings of Midian and without the chains that [were] about their camels' necks.

8:27  And Gideon made an ephod of them and kept it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel fornicated after it in that place, and it became a snare unto Gideon and to his house.

8:28  Thus Midian was broken before the sons of Israel so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the land rested forty years in the days of Gideon.

8:29  And Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house.

8:30  And Gideon had seventy sons that came out of his loins, for he had many wives.

8:31  And his concubine that [was] in Shechem, she also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

8:32  And Gideon, the son of Joash, died in a good old age and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash, his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

8:33  And it came to pass as soon as Gideon was dead that the sons of Israel turned again and fornicated after the Baalim and made Baalberith their god.

8:34  And the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side,

8:35  neither were they merciful with the house of Jerubbaal, [namely], Gideon, according to all the good which he had done unto Israel.:

Chapter 9

9:1  And Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

9:2  Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, What would [seem] better unto you, that seventy persons reign over you, all the sons of Jerubbaal; or that one reign over you? Remember also that I [am] your bone and your flesh.

9:3  And his mother's brethren spoke for him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, He [is] our brother.

9:4  And they gave him seventy [shekels] of silver out of the house of Baalberith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light men who followed him.

9:5  And coming unto his father's house at Ophrah, he slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, upon a stone; yet Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left, for he hid himself.

9:6  And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Millo and went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that [was] in Shechem.

9:7  And when they told [it] to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and cried and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

9:8  The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

9:9  But the olive tree replied, Should I leave my fatness, which because of me God and man are honoured, to go and sway over the trees?

9:10  And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou [and] reign over us.

9:11  But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the trees?

9:12  Then the trees said unto the vine, Come thou [and] reign over us.

9:13  And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, to go and sway over the trees?

9:14  Then all the trees said unto the bramble, Come thou [and] reign over us.

9:15  And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, [then] come [and] confide under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

9:16  Now therefore, if ye have proceeded with truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have recompensed him according to the work of his hands

9:17  (For my father fought for you and cast his life far [from him] to deliver you out of the hand of Midian;

9:18  and ye are risen up against my father's house this day and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon a stone and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem because he [is] your brother;)

9:19  if ye then have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, [then] rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

9:20  But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech.

9:21  And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

9:22  When Abimelech had dominated over Israel three years,

9:23  then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech

9:24  that the cruelty [done] to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and their blood might come to be laid upon Abimelech their brother who slew them and upon the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brethren.

9:25  And the men of Shechem set ambushers for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them; and it was told Abimelech.

9:26  And Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brethren and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

9:27  And they went out into the fields and gathered their vineyards and trod [the grapes] and made merry and went into the house of their gods and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.

9:28  And Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, Who [is] Abimelech and who [is] Shechem that we should serve him? Is [he] not the son of Jerubbaal? And is not Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. For why should we serve him?

9:29  If these people were under my hand, then I would remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army and come out.

9:30  And when Zebul, the prince of the city, heard the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

9:31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech astutely, saying, Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brethren have come to Shechem; and, behold, they have fortified the city against thee.

9:32  Now, therefore, rise up by night, thou and the people that [are] with thee, and put an ambush in the field.

9:33  And in the morning as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early and set upon the city; and, behold, [when] he and the people that [are] with him come out against thee, then thou may do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

9:34  And Abimelech rose up and all the people that [were] with him, by night, and they put an ambush against Shechem in four companies.

9:35  And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out and stood in the entering of the gate of the city; and Abimelech and all the people that [were] with him rose up from the ambush.

9:36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold people that come down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as [if they were] men.

9:37  And Gaal spoke again and said, See there come people who descend through the middle of the land, and another company comes along by the plain of Meonenim.

9:38  Then Zebul said unto him, Where [is] now thy mouth, with which thou didst say, Who [is] Abimelech that we should serve him? [Is] not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out now and fight with them.

9:39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.

9:40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown [and] wounded, [even] unto the entering of the gate.

9:41  And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah; and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not dwell in Shechem.

9:42  And it came to pass on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.

9:43  And he took the people and divided them into three companies and set ambushes in the field and looked, and, behold, the people [were] come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them and smote them.

9:44  And Abimelech and the company that [was] with him rushed forward and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and the two [other] companies ran upon all [the people] that [were] in the fields and slew them.

9:45  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and slew the people that [were] therein and beat down the city and sowed it with salt.

9:46  And when those of the tower of Shechem heard [that], they entered into the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.

9:47  And it was told Abimelech how all those of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

9:48  Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees and took it and laid [it] on his shoulder and said unto the people that [were] with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste [and] do as I [have done].

9:49  And all the people likewise cut down each one his bough and followed Abimelech and put [them] next to the stronghold and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all those of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

9:50  Then Abimelech went to Thebez and laid siege against Thebez and took it.

9:51  But in the midst of the city there was a strong tower, and all the men and women fled there, and all those of the city, and shutting [the doors] behind them, they climbed up to the top of the tower.

9:52  And Abimelech came to the tower, and fighting against it, he came to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

9:53  But a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.

9:54  Then he called hastily unto the young man, his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword and slay me that it not be said of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

9:55  And when the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed each one unto his place.

9:56  Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did against his father in slaying his seventy brethren.

9:57  And all the evil of the men of Shechem God rendered upon their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal.:

Chapter 10

10:1  And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

10:2  And he judged Israel twenty-three years and died and was buried in Shamir.

10:3  And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.

10:4  And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called the cities of Jair unto this day, which [are] in the land of Gilead.

10:5  And Jair died and was buried in Camon.

10:6  And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD and served the Baalim and Ashtaroth and the gods of Syria and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the sons of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines and forsook the LORD and did not serve him.

10:7  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon,

10:8  who dashed in pieces and crushed the sons of Israel for eighteen years, all the sons of Israel that [were] on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorite, which [is] in Gilead.

10:9  Moreover the sons of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim so that Israel was sore distressed.

10:10  And the sons of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee because we have forsaken our God and served the Baalim.

10:11  And the LORD replied unto the sons of Israel, Were you not oppressed by Egypt, by the Amorites, by the sons of Ammon, by the Philistines,

10:12  by those of Zidon, by Amalek, and by Maon, and ye cried to me and I delivered you out of their hands?

10:13  Yet ye have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore, I will deliver you no more.

10:14  Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your affliction.

10:15  And the sons of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned; do thou unto us whatever seems good unto thee; only deliver us now, we pray thee, this day.

10:16  And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the LORD; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

10:17  Then the sons of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And likewise the sons of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped in Mizpeh.

10:18  And the people [and] princes of Gilead said one to another, Who shall it be that will begin the battle against the sons of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.:

Chapter 11

11:1  Now Jephthah existed then, a Gileadite, a mighty man of valour, the son of a harlot unto whom Gilead had begat a son.

11:2  And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they threw Jephthah out and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house, for thou [art] the son of a strange woman.

11:3  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren and dwelt in the land of Tob; and vain men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.

11:4  And it came to pass after [some] days that the sons of Ammon made war against Israel.

11:5  And when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob;

11:6  and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and thou shalt be our captain that we may fight with the sons of Ammon.

11:7  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my father's house? Why, therefore, are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

11:8  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, For this same reason we turn again to thee now that thou may go with us and fight against the sons of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

11:9  Then Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the sons of Ammon and the LORD delivers them before me, shall I be your head?

11:10  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Let the LORD hear between us, if we do not comply with thy words.

11:11  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and prince over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

11:12  And Jephthah sent ambassadors unto the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

11:13  And the king of the sons of Ammon replied unto the ambassadors of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok and unto the Jordan; now, therefore, restore those [lands] again peaceably.

11:14  Then Jephthah sent ambassadors again unto the king of the sons of Ammon,

11:15  saying unto him, Thus hath Jephthah said, Israel did not take land from Moab, nor land from the sons of Ammon,

11:16  but Israel came up from Egypt and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea and came to Kadesh.

11:17  Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land. But the king of Edom would not hear them. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab, but he would not [consent] either; therefore Israel abode in Kadesh.

11:18  Then they went along through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came by the side of the rising of the sun to the land of Moab; they pitched their camp on the other side of Arnon and did not enter within the border of Moab, for Arnon [was] the border of Moab.

11:19  And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

11:20  But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together and pitched camp in Jahaz and fought against Israel.

11:21  But the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorite that inhabited that land.

11:22  And they possessed all the border of the Amorites from Arnon even unto Jabbok and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.

11:23  So now the LORD God of Israel has expelled the Amorites from before his people Israel and should thou possess it?

11:24  If Chemosh thy god should expel anyone for you, would thou not possess it? So whoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

11:25  Art thou better now in any thing than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Peradventure did he ever strive against Israel? Peradventure did he ever fight against them?

11:26  Furthermore, Israel has dwelt in Heshbon and her towns and in Aroer and her towns and in all the cities that [are] along by the coasts of Arnon, for three hundred years. Why, therefore, did ye not recover [them] within that time?

11:27  Therefore, I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me; let the LORD, who is the Judge, judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.

11:28  But the king of the sons of Ammon did not hear the reasons of Jephthah which he sent him.

11:29  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed through Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he went [unto] the sons of Ammon.

11:30  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands,

11:31  whoever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer them up for a burnt offering.

11:32  So Jephthah went over unto the sons of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

11:33  And he smote them from Aroer, even unto Minnith twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

11:34  And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; and she [was his] only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

11:35  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of those that trouble me, for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

11:36  And she said unto him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as the LORD has taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, [even] of the sons of Ammon.

11:37  And she said again unto her father, Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

11:38  And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months, and she went with her companions and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

11:39  And it came to pass at the end of two months that she returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed. And she had never known a man. From here came the custom in Israel

11:40  [that] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, four days in a year.:

Chapter 12

12:1  And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together towards the Aquilon and said unto Jephthah, Why didst thou go over to fight against the sons of Ammon and didst not call us to go with thee? We will burn thy house upon thee with fire.

12:2  And Jephthah replied unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon, and when I called you, ye did not defend me from their hands.

12:3  Seeing, therefore, that ye did not defend [me], I put my life in my hands and went over against the sons of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have ye come up against me this day to fight with me?

12:4  Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim because they had said, Ye [are] fugitives of Ephraim; ye are Gileadites among Ephraim and Manassah.

12:5  And the Gileadites took the passages of the Jordan from Ephraim; and it was [such] that when any of those of Ephraim who had escaped would say, May I pass? The men of Gilead would ask them, [Art] thou an Ephrathite? If he said, No;

12:6  then they would say unto him, Now say Shibboleth. And he would say Cibboleth; for he could not pronounce [it] the same. Then they would take him and slay him at the passages of the Jordan. And at that time forty-two thousand of those of Ephraim fell.

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

12:8  After him Ibzan, of Bethlehem, judged Israel,

12:9  who had thirty sons and thirty daughters, [whom] he married abroad and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

12:10  Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

12:11  And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years.

12:12  And Elon, the Zebulonite, died and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

12:13  And after him Abdon, the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

12:14  And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons that rode on seventy he-asses, and he judged Israel eight years.

12:15  And Abdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim in the mount of Amalek.:

Chapter 13

13:1  And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

13:2  And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of Dan, whose name [was] Manoah, and his wife [was] barren, (she had never born children).

13:3  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto this woman and said unto her, Behold now, thou [art] barren and hast had no children, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son.

13:4  Now keep thyself and drink no wine nor strong drink and eat no unclean thing.

13:5  For thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

13:6  Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible; but I did not ask him where he [was] from, neither did he tell me his name;

13:7  but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean [thing]; for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

13:8  Then Manoah prayed unto the LORD and said, O my Lord, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

13:9  And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field, but Manoah her husband [was] not with her.

13:10  And the woman made haste and ran and told her husband and said unto him, Behold, the man that came unto me has appeared unto me today.

13:11  And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said unto him, [Art] thou the man that spoke unto this woman? And he said, I [am].

13:12  Then Manoah said, Now let thy word come to pass. How shall we order the child, and what shall he do?

13:13  And the angel of the LORD replied unto Manoah, Let the woman keep herself from all that I said.

13:14  She may not eat of any [thing] that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean [thing]; all that I commanded her let her keep.

13:15  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

13:16  And the angel of the LORD replied unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread, but if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, sacrifice it unto the LORD. For Manoah did not know that this [was] the angel of the LORD.

13:17  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What [is] thy name that when thy words come to pass we may honour thee?

13:18  And the angel of the LORD replied, Why dost thou ask for my name? It [is] wonderful.

13:19  So Manoah took a kid with a present and sacrificed [it] upon a rock unto the LORD, and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

13:20  For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar as Manoah and his wife looked on, and they prostrated themselves on the ground on their faces.

13:21  But the angel of the LORD did not appear any more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he [was] the angel of the LORD.

13:22  And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die because we have seen God.

13:23  But his wife said unto him, If the LORD had desired to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and the present from our hands, neither would he have showed us all these [things], nor would he have announced this according to the time.

13:24  And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

13:25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to manifest himself at times in him in the camps of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.:

Chapter 14

14:1  And as Samson went down to Timnath, he saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

14:2  And he came up and told his father and his mother, saying, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife.

14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, [Is there] never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren or among all my people that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleases me well.

14:4  But his father and his mother did not know that it [was] of the LORD that he sought an occasion against the Philistines, for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

14:5  Then Samson went down with his father and his mother to Timnath, and when they came to the vineyards of Timnath, behold, a young lion came roaring against him.

14:6  And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and [he had] nothing in his hand, but [he] did not make known unto his father or his mother what he had done.

14:7  And he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well.

14:8  And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside [from the way] to see the carcase of the lion; and, behold, [there was] a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

14:9  And he took of it in his hands and went along the way eating, and when he came to his father and mother, he also gave them some to eat, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

14:10  So his father went down unto the woman; and Samson made a banquet there, for the young men used to do so.

14:11  And when they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him,

14:12  unto whom Samson said, I will now put forth an enigma unto you, which if ye can declare it and discover it to me within the seven days of the banquet, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments.

14:13  But if ye cannot declare [it] to me, then ye shall give me thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy enigma that we may hear it.

14:14  And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not declare the enigma in three days.

14:15  And it came to pass on the seventh day that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband that he may declare unto us this enigma lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire. Have ye called us here to impoverish us?

14:16  And Samson's wife wept before him and said, Thou dost only hate me and dost not love me, for thou hast not declared unto me the enigma that thou hast put forth unto the sons of my people. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told [it] to my father nor my mother, and must I tell [it to] thee?

14:17  And she wept before him the seven days while their banquet lasted, but on the seventh day, he told her, because she lay sore upon him, and she declared the enigma to the sons of her people.

14:18  And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? And what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye would have never discovered my enigma.

14:19  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and slew thirty men of them and taking their spoil, he gave the changes of garments to those who had explained the enigma. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

14:20  But Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, who had fed him [before].:

Chapter 15

15:1  But it came to pass within [some] days in the time of wheat harvest that Samson visited his wife with a kid, and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not allow him to go in.

15:2  And her father said, I was persuaded that thou didst utterly hate her; therefore, I gave her to thy companion. [Is] not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

15:3  And Samson replied unto them, Now I shall be blameless before the Philistines if I do them injury.

15:4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turning them tail to tail, he put a torch between every two tails.

15:5  Then, setting the torches on fire, he let [them] go into the standing grain of the Philistines and burnt up both the shocks and also the standing grain with the vineyards [and] oliveyards.

15:6  Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they answered, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and burnt her and her father with fire.

15:7  And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

15:8  And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock Etam.

15:9  Then the Philistines went up and pitched camp in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi.

15:10  And the men of Judah said, Why have ye come up against us? And they answered, We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.

15:11  Then three thousand men of Judah went to the cleft of the rock Etam and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines [are] rulers over us? What [is] this [that] thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

15:12  And they said unto him, We have come to bind thee that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

15:13  And they answered him, saying, No, we will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hands; but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock.

15:14  [And] when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines received him with shouts; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that [were] upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

15:15  And he found a new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand and took it and slew a thousand men with it.

15:16  Then Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, one heap, two heaps; with the jaw of an ass I have slain a thousand men.

15:17  And when he had finished speaking, he cast away the jawbone out of his hand and called that place Ramathlehi.

15:18  And he was sore athirst and called on the LORD and said, Thou hast given this great salvation by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

15:19  Then God broke a tooth that [was] in the jaw, and water came out there; and he drank, and recovered his spirit, and he lived. Therefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which [is] in Lehi unto this day.

15:20  And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.:

Chapter 16

16:1  Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and went in unto her.

16:2  And it was told unto those of Gaza, Samson is come here. And they compassed [him] in and laid in wait for him all night in the gate of the city and were quiet all that night, saying, In the morning when it is light, we shall kill him.

16:3  And Samson slept until midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put [them] upon his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that [is] before Hebron.

16:4  And it came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name [was] Delilah.

16:5  And the cardinals of the Philistines came up unto her and said unto her, Entice him and see what [gives him] his great strength and by what [means] we may overcome him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and each one of us will give thee eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

16:6  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, what [gives thee] thy great strength and how might thou be bound to afflict thee.

16:7  And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green wicker [strands] that were never dried, then I shall become weak and be as any other man.

16:8  Then the cardinals of the Philistines brought up to her seven green wicker [strands] which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

16:9  Now [there were] men lying in wait in a chamber of her house. And she said unto him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And he broke the wicker [strands] as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So [the secret of] his strength was not known.

16:10  Then Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me and told me lies; now tell me, I pray thee, how thou might be bound.

16:11  And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then I shall become weak and be as any [other] man.

16:12  Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound him with them and said unto him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And [there were men] lying in wait abiding in a chamber. But he broke them from off his arms like a thread.

16:13  And Delilah said unto Samson, Until now thou hast mocked me, and told me lies. Tell me, therefore, now, how thou might be bound. Then he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the cloth.

16:14  And she fastened [it] with the stake and said unto him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep and went away with the stake of the loom and with the cloth.

16:15  And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart [is] not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times and hast not yet told me what [gives thee] thy great strength.

16:16  And it came to pass that, pressing and grinding him daily with her words, his soul [was reduced] unto mortal anguish.

16:17  [Therefore], he told her all his heart and said unto her, A razor has never come upon my head, for I [am] a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any [other] man.

16:18  And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the cardinals of the Philistines, saying, Come up this time, for he has showed me all his heart. Then the cardinals of the Philistines came up unto her and brought the money in their hand.

16:19  And she caused him to sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

16:20  And she said, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, This time I will go out like before and escape; not knowing that the LORD had departed from him.

16:21  But the Philistines took hold of him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of iron that he should grind in the prison house.

16:22  And the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

16:23  [Then] the cardinals of the Philistines gathered themselves together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.

16:24  And when the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the destroyer of our country, who slew many of us.

16:25  And it came to pass when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson that he may make us laugh. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport, and they set him between the pillars.

16:26  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Bring me near and let me feel the pillars upon which the house stands that I may lean upon them.

16:27  Now the house was full of men and women; and all the cardinals of the Philistines [were] there, and upon the roof [there were] about three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson was mocked.

16:28  Then Samson called unto the LORD and said, O Lord GOD, remember me now and strengthen me now only this once, O God, that I may take vengeance at once of the Philistines for my two eyes.

16:29  Then Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was borne up, and leaned upon them, on the one with his right hand and on the other with his left.

16:30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he pushed with [all his] might, and the house fell upon the cardinals and upon all the people that [were] in it. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [those] which he slew in his life.

16:31  Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down and took him and brought [him] up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the sepulchre of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.:

Chapter 17

17:1  And there was a man of Mount Ephraim, whose name [was] Micah.

17:2  And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred [shekels] of silver that were stolen from thee, about which thou didst curse in my hearing, behold, the silver [is] with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed [be thou] of the LORD, my son.

17:3  And when he had restored the eleven hundred [shekels] of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had completely dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for thee, my son, to make thee a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will restore it unto thee.

17:4  After the money was restored unto her, his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image, which was [set up] in the house of Micah.

17:5  And the man Micah had a brothel of idolatry, and made an ephod and teraphim and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

17:6  In those days [there was] no king in Israel; each one did [that which was] right in his own eyes.

17:7  And there was a young man out of Bethlehem of Judah of the family of Judah, who [was] a Levite, and he sojourned there.

17:8  And the man had departed out of the city from Bethlehem of Judah to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah as he journeyed.

17:9  And Micah said unto him, From where hast thou come? And he said unto him, I [am] a Levite of Bethlehem of Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].

17:10  Then Micah said unto him, Dwell with me and be a father and a priest unto me, and I will give thee ten [shekels] of silver by the year and the ordinary apparel and thy food. So the Levite went in.

17:11  And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

17:12  And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in the house of Micah.

17:13  Then Micah said, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.:

Chapter 18

18:1  In those days [there was] no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Dan sought a possession for themselves to dwell in, for unto that day [their lot] had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance.

18:2  And the sons of Dan sent five men from their family of their borders, men of valour, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it, and they said unto them, Go, search the land. These came unto Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, and they lodged there.

18:3  When they [were] near the house of Micah, they recognized [the accent of] the voice of the young man the Levite, and they turned in there and said unto him, Who brought thee here? And what doest thou in this [place]? And what hast thou here?

18:4  And he said unto them, Thus and thus Micah has done with me and has hired me that I may be his priest.

18:5  And they said unto him, Ask counsel now, therefore, of God, that we may know whether he shall prosper our journey which we do.

18:6  And the priest replied unto them, Go in peace. Your journey which ye do [is] before the LORD.

18:7  Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw that the people that dwelt there were secure, idle, and confident after the manner of the Zidonians; and there was no one in that land that might hinder them in any way from possessing that [land]; furthermore they [were] far from the Zidonians and had no business with anyone.

18:8  And they retuned unto their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said unto them, What [say] ye?

18:9  And they said, Arise, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good; and [are] ye to remain still? Do not be slothful to go [and] to enter to possess the land.

18:10  When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure and to a large land, for God has given it into your hands, a place where [there is] no want of any thing that [is] in the earth.

18:11  And there went from there of the family of Dan, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

18:12  And they went up and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim in Judah; therefore, they called that place the camp of Dan unto this day; it is behind Kirjathjearim.

18:13  And they passed from there unto Mount Ephraim and came unto the house of Micah.

18:14  Then the five men that had gone to spy out the land of Laish said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod and teraphim and a graven image and a molten image? Now, therefore, consider what ye have to do.

18:15  And they turned in there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, [even] unto the house of Micah, and greeted him.

18:16  And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who [were] of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

18:17  And the five men that went to spy out the land went up [and] went in there [and] took the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten image while the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men [that were] armed with weapons of war.

18:18  So they entered into Micah's house and took the graven image the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image. Then the priest said unto them, What are you doing?

18:19  And they said unto him, Silence, lay thy hand upon thy mouth and go with us to be our father and priest; [is it] better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family of Israel?

18:20  And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the teraphim and the graven image and went in the midst of the people.

18:21  So they turned and departed and put the little ones and the cattle and the baggage before them.

18:22  [And] when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that [were] in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together and overtook the sons of Dan.

18:23  And they cried unto the sons of Dan. And these turned their faces and said unto Micah, What ails thee that thou dost come with such a company?

18:24  And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made and the priest, and ye are gone away; and what is left to me? And why do ye say unto me, What ails thee?

18:25  And the sons of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us lest peradventure angry fellows run upon thee and thou lose thy life with the lives of thy household.

18:26  And the sons of Dan went their way, and when Micah saw that they [were] too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

18:27  And they took [the things] which Micah had made together with the priest which he had and came unto Laish unto a people [that were] at quiet and secure, and they smote them with the edge of the sword and burnt the city with fire.

18:28  And [there was] no deliverer because it [was] far from Zidon, and they had no business with anyone; and it was in the valley that [lies] by Bethrehob. Then they rebuilt the city and dwelt therein.

18:29  And they called the name of the city Dan after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel; however, the name of the city [was] Laish at the first.

18:30  And the sons of Dan set up the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershon, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

18:31  And they set up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.:

Chapter 19

19:1  In those days when [there was] no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem of Judah.

19:2  And his concubine committed adultery against him and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehem of Judah and was there four whole months.

19:3  And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her [and] to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father's house. And when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;

19:4  and his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him, and he dwelt with him three days; eating and drinking, and abiding there.

19:5  And on the fourth day when they arose early in the morning, [the levite] rose up to depart; and the damsel's father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterwards ye shall go.

19:6  And the two of them sat down together and ate and drank. And the damsel's father said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and thy heart shall be merry.

19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him to remain and lodge there [again].

19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, and the damsel's father said, Strengthen now thy heart. And after having eaten together, they tarried until afternoon.

19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he and his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draws toward evening, I pray you tarry all night; behold, the day comes to an end; lodge here that thy heart may be merry, and tomorrow ye shall get up early and be on your way that thou may come unto thy tent.

19:10  But the man would not remain there that night, but he rose up and departed and came over against Jebus, which [is] Jerusalem, with his two asses saddled and [with] his concubine.

19:11  [And] when they [were] by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come now and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.

19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside here into a city of strangers that [is] not of the sons of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.

19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places to pass the night, in Gibeah or in Ramah.

19:14  And they passed on and walked; and the sun went down upon them [when they were] by Gibeah, which [belonged] to Benjamin.

19:15  And they turned in there, to enter [and] to lodge in Gibeah; and entering in, they sat down in the plaza of the city, for no one took them into their house to pass the night.

19:16  And, behold, an old man, who in the evening came from working in the field, who [was] also of Mount Ephraim, sojourned in Gibeah, but the men of the place [were] sons of Jemini.

19:17  And the old man lifted up his eyes and saw the traveller in the plaza of the city and said unto him, Where dost thou go and where hast thou come from?

19:18  And he said unto him, We [are] passing from Bethlehem of Judah toward the side of Mount Ephraim, where I am from, and I went to Bethlehem of Judah, but I [am now] going to the house of the LORD, and no one [has] received me in [their] house

19:19  even though we have straw and fodder for our asses, and there is bread and wine also for me and for thy handmaid and for the young man [who is] with thy servant; we have no lack of any thing.

19:20  And the old man said, Peace [be] with thee; let all thy needs be upon me; only do not pass the night in the plaza.

19:21  So he brought him into his house and gave fodder unto the asses, and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

19:22  [Now] as they were making their hearts merry, behold, that men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about [and] beat at the doors and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house that we may know him.

19:23  And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them and said unto them, No, my brethren, I pray you, do not do this evil, seeing that this man has entered into my house; do not commit this folly.

19:24  Behold, [here is] my virgin daughter and his concubine; I will bring them out now, humble them, and do with them what seems good unto you, but unto this man do not commit this [vile] folly.

19:25  But the men would not hearken unto him, so the man took his concubine and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her and abused her all night until the morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

19:26  Then the woman came, in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord [was] until it was light.

19:27  And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, and behold, the woman his, concubine, was fallen down [at] the door of the house with her hands upon the threshold.

19:28  And he said unto her, Rise up, and let us be going. But she did not answer. Then the man rose up and took her upon his ass and went unto his place.

19:29  And when he was come into his house, he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her, [together] with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent them into all the borders of Israel.

19:30  And everyone that saw it said, No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day. Consider this, give advice, and speak.:

Chapter 20

20:1  Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba and the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

20:2  And the chief of all the people, [even] of all the tribes of Israel, were present in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

20:3  (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then the sons of Israel said, Tell [us], how was this wickedness?

20:4  And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah of Benjamin with my concubine to pass the night there.

20:5  And the men of Gibeah rose up against me and beset the house round about upon me by night [and] thought to have slain me, and they have forced my concubine in such a manner that she is dead.

20:6  Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the possession of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

20:7  Behold, all ye sons of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

20:8  Then all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any [of us] go to his tent, neither will we any [of us] turn into his house

20:9  until we do this upon Gibeah that we cast lots against it;

20:10  and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people that shall go against Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

20:11  So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

20:12  And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness [is] this that is done among you?

20:13  Now therefore deliver [us] those men, the sons of Belial, who [are] in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away the evil from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel;

20:14  but the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities in Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

20:15  And the sons of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty-six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

20:16  Among all this people [there were] seven hundred chosen men with their right hands impeded ([they were lefthanded]); each one could sling stones at a hairs [breadth], and not miss.

20:17  And the men of Israel, not counting Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these [were] men of war.

20:18  Then the sons of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the sons of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah [shall go up] first.

20:19  And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

20:20  And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in order to fight against them at Gibeah.

20:21  And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites that day.

20:22  And the people encouraged themselves, and the men of Israel set their battle again in order in the place where they put themselves in order the first day.

20:23  (And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

20:24  And the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

20:25  And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day and again destroyed down to the ground eighteen thousand of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.

20:26  Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came unto the house of God and wept and sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

20:27  And the sons of Israel enquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,

20:28  and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand.

20:29  And Israel set ambushes round about Gibeah.

20:30  And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and put themselves in order against Gibeah as at the other times.

20:31  And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people [and] were drawn away from the city, and they began to smite of the people [and] kill as at the other times in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God and the other to Gibeah by the field, [and they killed] about thirty men of Israel.

20:32  And the sons of Benjamin said, They [are] smitten down before us as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them from the city unto the highways.

20:33  Then all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in order at Baaltamar, and also those of the ambushes of Israel came forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Gibeah.

20:34  And ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was sore; but they did not know that evil [was] near them.

20:35  And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men; all these drew the sword.

20:36  So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, for the men of Israel had given place to the Benjamites because they trusted those of the ambushes which they had set behind Gibeah.

20:37  [Then the men of] the ambushes rushed upon Gibeah and spread out and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

20:38  Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and [the men of] the ambushes that they should make a great signal by causing much smoke to rise up out of the city.

20:39  Then when the men of Israel turned [their backs] in the battle and those of Benjamin began to smite [and] kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons, for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us as [in] the first battle.

20:40  But when the signal began to arise up out of the city, a pillar of smoke, those of Benjamin looked behind them, and, behold, the whole consumption of the city ascended up to heaven.

20:41  Then the men of Israel turned again, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that evil was come upon them.

20:42  Therefore, they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who [came] out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

20:43  [Thus] they inclosed those of Benjamin round about [and] chased them [and] trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

20:44  And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these [were] men of valour.

20:45  And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

20:46  So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword; all these [were] men of valour.

20:47  But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

20:48  And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin and smote them with the edge of the sword, men and beasts in [every] city and all that was found; they also set on fire all the cities that they came to.:

Chapter 21

21:1  Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give his daughter unto those of Benjamin to wife.

21:2  And the people came to the house of God and abode there until the evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept sore

21:3  and said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?

21:4  And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace [offerings].

21:5  And the sons of Israel said, Who [is there] among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning the one that would not come up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

21:6  And the sons of Israel repented because of Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

21:7  What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?

21:8  And they said, Is there anyone of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And they found that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the camp nor to the assembly.

21:9  For the people were numbered, and, behold, [there were] none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

21:10  Then the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword with the women and the children.

21:11  And this [is] the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male and every woman that has lain with a man.

21:12  And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan.

21:13  Then the whole congregation sent [some] to speak to the sons of Benjamin that [were] in the rock of Rimmon and to call peaceably unto them.

21:14  And those of Benjamin had returned at that time; and they gave them as wives those whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead, and even so they were not enough.

21:15  And the people repented over Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

21:16  [Then] the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain? For the female sex had been destroyed out of Benjamin.

21:17  And they said, Let the inheritance of Benjamin be saved that a tribe not be destroyed out of Israel.

21:18  However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [be] he that gives a wife to [anyone of] Benjamin.

21:19  Then they said, Behold, [there is] a solemn feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] towards the Aquilon from Bethel and towards the rising of the sun from the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and towards the Negev from Lebonah.

21:20  Therefore, they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards

21:21  and watch with care, and when you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each one of you shall rapture a wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

21:22  And when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto us for their sakes because in the war we did not take enough women for all [of them]; and you could not have given them to them, [or] ye should be guilty now.

21:23  And the sons of Benjamin did so and took [themselves] wives, according to their number, rapturing them from among those that danced; and they went and returned unto their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

21:24  Then the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, each one going from there to his inheritance.

21:25  In those days [there was] no king in Israel; each one did [that which seemed] right in his own eyes.: