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Judges 1

1

Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?'

2

The LORD said, " Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.'

3

Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.' So Simeon went with him.

4

Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.

5

They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6

But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7

Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.' So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.

8

Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.

9

Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the Negev and in the lowland.

10

So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

11

Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher).

12

And Caleb said, "The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife.'

13

Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife.

14

Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?'

15

She said to him, "Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.' So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16

The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

17

Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah.

18

And Judah took Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory.

19

Now the LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots.

20

Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

21

But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22

Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

23

The house of Joseph spied out Bethel ( now the name of the city was formerly Luz).

24

The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly.'

25

So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free.

26

The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz which is its name to this day.

27

But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.

28

It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

29

Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30

Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

31

Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob.

32

So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33

Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

34

Then the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley;

35

yet the Amorites persisted in living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor.

36

The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward. 2

Judges 2

1

Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, " I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, " I will never break My covenant with you,

2

and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done?

3

"Therefore I also said, " I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.'

4

When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5

So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the LORD.

6

When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land.

7

The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

8

Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten.

9

And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10

All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.

11

Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals,

12

and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger.

13

So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

14

The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

15

Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.

16

Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.

17

Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers.

18

When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.

19

But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.

20

So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice,

21

I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,

22

in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.'

23

So the LORD allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua. 3

Judges 3

1

Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan;

2

only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).

3

These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

4

They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.

5

The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;

6

and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7

The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

8

Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

9

When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

10

The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

11

Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12

Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13

And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees.

14

The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15

But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

16

Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak.

17

He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

18

It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute.

19

But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king.' And he said, "Keep silence.' And all who attended him left him.

20

Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you.' And he arose from his seat.

21

Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.

22

The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.

23

Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

24

When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, " He is only relieving himself in the cool room.'

25

They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.

26

Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

27

It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.

28

He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.' So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

29

They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.

30

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.

31

After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel. 4

Judges 4

1

Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died.

2

And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.

3

The sons of Israel cried to the LORD; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

4

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

5

She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, " Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, "Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.

7

"I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.'

8

Then Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.'

9

She said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.' Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10

Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

11

Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12

Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

13

Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.

14

Deborah said to Barak, "Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out before you.' So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

15

The LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot.

16

But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left.

17

Now Sisera fled away 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.

18

Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.' And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

19

He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.' So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him.

20

He said to her, "Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, "Is there anyone here?' that you shall say, "No.'

21

But Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died.

22

And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.' And he entered with her, and behold Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.

23

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

24

The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan. 5

Judges 5

1

Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2

" That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the LORD!

3

"Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! Ito the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

4

" LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water.

5

" The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.

6

"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways.

7

"The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

8

" New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

9

"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the LORD!

10

" You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road sing!

11

"At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.

12

" Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

13

"Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the LORD came down to me as warriors.

14

"From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.

15

"And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.

16

"Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

17

" Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.

18

" Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19

" The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver.

20

" The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera.

21

"The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.

22

" Then the horses' hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

23

"Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, "Utterly curse its inhabitants; Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.'

24

" Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

25

"He asked for water and she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

26

"She reached out her hand for the tent peg, And her right hand for the workmen's hammer. Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head; And she shattered and pierced his temple.

27

"Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

28

"Out of the window she looked and lamented, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, "Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?'

29

"Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

30

" Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A maiden, two maidens for every warrior; To Sisera a spoil of dyed work, A spoil of dyed work embroidered, Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoiler?'

31

" Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.' And the land was undisturbed for forty years. 6

Judges 6

1

Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.

2

The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

3

For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them.

4

So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

5

For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.

6

So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD.

7

Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian,

8

that the LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery.

9

"I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land,

10

and I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.'

11

Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.

12

The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.'

13

Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, "Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.'

14

The LORD looked at him and said, " Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?'

15

He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.'

16

But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.'

17

So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.

18

"Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.' And He said, "I will remain until you return.'

19

Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.

20

The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And he did so.

21

Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

22

When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.'

23

The LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.'

24

Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25

Now on the same night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;

26

and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.'

27

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

28

When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.

29

They said to one another, "Who did this thing?' And when they searched about and inquired, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.'

30

Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.'

31

But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.'

32

Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him,' because he had torn down his altar.

33

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

34

So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.

35

He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

36

Then Gideon said to God, " If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken,

37

behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.'

38

And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39

Then Gideon said to God, " Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.'

40

God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground. 7

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