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Judges 7

1

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2

The LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, "My own power has delivered me.'

3

"Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, " Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.' So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

4

Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, "This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, "This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go.'

5

So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.'

6

Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water.

7

The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.'

8

So the 300 men took the people's provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9

Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands.

10

"But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp,

11

and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.' So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp.

12

Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

13

When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, "Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.'

14

His friend replied, "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.'

15

When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hands.'

16

He divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.

17

He said to them, "Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.

18

"When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, "For the LORD and for Gideon.'

19

So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands.

20

When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!'

21

Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled.

22

When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

23

The men of Israel were summoned from Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.

24

Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian and take the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.' So all the men of Ephraim were summoned and they took the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.

25

They captured the two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan. 8

Judges 8

1

Then the men of Ephraim said to him, " What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?' And they contended with him vigorously.

2

But he said to 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?

3

"God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?' Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.

4

Then Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, weary yet pursuing.

5

He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.'

6

The leaders of Succoth said, " Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?'

7

Gideon said, " All right, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.'

8

He went up from there to Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.

9

So he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower.'

10

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about 15,000 men, all who were left of the entire army of the sons of the east; for the fallen were 120,000 swordsmen.

11

Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting.

12

When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

13

Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.

14

And he captured a youth from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

15

He came to the men of Succoth and said, "Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, " Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?'

16

He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.

17

He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18

Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?' And they said, "They were like you, each one resembling the son of a king.'

19

He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.'

20

So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Rise, kill them.' But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

21

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise up yourself, and fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength.' So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments which were on their camels' necks.

22

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.'

23

But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.'

24

Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil.' (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25

They said, "We will surely give them.' So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil.

26

The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks.

27

Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

28

So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon.

29

Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.

30

Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives.

31

His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

32

And Gideon the son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33

Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.

34

Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

35

nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel. 9

Judges 9

1

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's relatives, and spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother's father, saying,

2

"Speak, now, in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, "Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh.'

3

And his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem; and they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our relative.'

4

They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him.

5

Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.

6

All the men of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

7

Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and called out. Thus he said to them, "Listen to me, O men of Shechem, that God may listen to you.

8

"Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, "Reign over us!'

9

"But the olive tree said to them, "Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?'

10

"Then the trees said to the fig tree, "You come, reign over us!'

11

"But the fig tree said to them, "Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?'

12

"Then the trees said to the vine, "You come, reign over us!'

13

"But the vine said to them, "Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?'

14

"Finally all the trees said to the bramble, "You come, reign over us!'

15

"The bramble said to the trees, "If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.'

16

"Now therefore, if you have dealt in truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have dealt with him as he deserved

17

for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian;

18

but you have risen against my father's house today and have killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your relative

19

if then you have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

20

"But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech.'

21

Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother.

22

Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

23

Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

24

so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

25

The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.

26

Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

27

They went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trod them, and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.

28

Then 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 Zebul not his lieutenant? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?

29

" Would, therefore, that this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.' And he said to Abimelech, "Increase your army and come out.'

30

When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burned.

31

He sent messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

32

"Now therefore, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.

33

"In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you shall do to them whatever you can.'

34

So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

35

Now Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush.

36

When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, " Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.' But Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.'

37

Gaal spoke again and said, "Behold, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company comes by the way of the diviners' oak.'

38

Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your boasting now with which you said, "Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Is this not the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them!'

39

So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.

40

Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.

41

Then Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.

42

Now it came about the next day, that the people went out to the field, and it was told to Abimelech.

43

So he took his people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field; when he looked and saw the people coming out from the city, he arose against them and slew them.

44

Then Abimelech and the company who was with him dashed forward and stood in the entrance of the city gate; the other two companies then dashed against all who were in the field and slew them.

45

Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

46

When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.

47

It was told Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

48

So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees, and lifted it and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise.'

49

All the people also cut down each one his branch and followed Abimelech, and put them on the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

50

Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it.

51

But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower.

52

So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire.

53

But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull.

54

Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, "A woman slew him.' So the young man pierced him through, and he died.

55

When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home.

56

Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.

57

Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them. 10

Judges 10

1

Now after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

2

He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

3

After him, Jair the Gileadite arose and judged Israel twenty-two years.

4

He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day.

5

And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

6

Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.

7

The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon.

8

They afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year; for eighteen years they afflicted all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in Gilead in the land of the Amorites.

9

The sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

10

Then the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.'

11

The LORD said to the sons of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines?

12

"Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands.

13

"Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you.

14

" Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.'

15

The sons of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day.'

16

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer.

17

Then the sons of Ammon were summoned and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in Mizpah.

18

The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, "Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.' 11

Judges 11

1

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

2

Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, "You shall not have an inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.'

3

So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

4

It came about after a while that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.

5

When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

6

and they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.'

7

Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, " Did you not hate me and drive me from my father's house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?'

8

The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.'

9

So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the LORD gives them up to me, will I become your head?'

10

The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, " The LORD is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.'

11

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah.

12

Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, "What is between you and me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?'

13

The king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan; therefore, return them peaceably now.'

14

But Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon,

15

and they said to him, "Thus says Jephthah, "Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon.

16

"For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh,

17

then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Please let us pass through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18

"Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

19

"And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, "Please let us pass through your land to our place.'

20

"But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz and fought with Israel.

21

"The LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

22

" So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.

23

"Since now the LORD, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites from before His people Israel, are you then to possess it?

24

"Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God has driven out before us, we will possess it.

25

"Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?

26

" While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?

27

"I therefore have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me; may the LORD, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.'

28

But the king of the sons of Ammon disregarded the message which Jephthah sent him.

29

Now the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.

30

Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

31

then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.'

32

So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand.

33

He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.

34

When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter.

35

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.'

36

So she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD; do to me as you have said, since the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.'

37

She said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions.'

38

Then he said, "Go.' So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity.

39

At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

40

that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. 12

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