Judges 1-18

New Life Version

Adoni-bezek Is Taken

1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Who will be first to go up and fight against the Canaanites for us?” ² The Lord said, “Judah will go up. See, I have given the land into his hand.” ³ Then Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me into the land which is given to me. Let us fight against the Canaanites together. Then I will go with you into the land which is given to you.” So Simeon went with him. ⁴ Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. They killed 10,000 men at Bezek. ⁵ They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they won the war against the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-bezek tried to run away, but they went after him and caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. Now God has paid me for what I have done.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and there he died.

⁸ Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it. They destroyed it with the sword and set the city on fire. ⁹ After this the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev and in the plains. ¹⁰ Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron was Kiriath-arba before.) They won the war against Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

¹¹ From there Judah went against the people of Debir. (The name of Debir was Kiriath-sepher before.) ¹² Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who fights against Kiriath-sepher and takes it.” ¹³ Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took the city. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. ¹⁴ When she came to Othniel, she talked him into asking her father for a field. As she came down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” ¹⁵ She said to him, “Give me a special gift. You have given me the land of the Negev. Give me the wells of water also.” So Caleb gave her the wells in the high land and in the valley.

¹⁶ The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went with the people of Judah from Jericho to the desert of Judah south of Arad. They went and lived with the people. ¹⁷ Then Judah went with his brother Simeon. They killed the Canaanites living in Zephath and destroyed the whole city. The name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸ Judah took Gaza with its land, Ashkelon with its land, and Ekron with its land. ¹⁹ The Lord was with Judah. They took the hill country for their own. They could not drive out the people living in the valley, because they had iron war-wagons. ²⁰ They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak. ²¹ But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The men of the family of Joseph went up against Bethel. And the Lord was with them. ²³ Those of the family of Joseph spied out Bethel. (The name of the city was Luz before.) ²⁴ The men who were spying out Bethel saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us the way into the city, and we will be kind to you.” ²⁵ So he showed them the way into the city. They destroyed the city with the sword. But they let the man and all his family go free. ²⁶ The man went into the land of the Hittites. He built a city there and gave it the name of Luz. That is its name to this day.

Some of the People Were Not Driven Out of the Land

²⁷ But the men of Manasseh did not take for their own Bethshean and its towns or Taanach and its towns. They did not drive out the people of Dor and its towns, or of Ibleam and its towns, or of Megiddo and its towns. So the Canaanites stayed in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites work for them. But they did not drive all of them out.

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 people of Kitron or the people of Nahalol. So the Canaanites lived among them and were made to work.

³¹ Asher did not drive out the people of Acco, or the people of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. ³² So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. For they did not drive them out.

³³ Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or the people of Beth-anath. But they lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. The people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were made to work for them.

³⁴ The Amorites drove the people of Dan into the hill country. They did not let them come down to the valley. ³⁵ The Amorites would not leave Mount Heres, Aijalon or Shaalbim. But when the family of Joseph became strong, they made the Amorites work for them. ³⁶ The land of the Amorites was from the hill-side of Akrabbim, up from Sela.

The Angel of the Lord Speaks to Israel

2 The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I promised your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break My agreement with you. ² Do not make any agreement with the people of this land. Tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done? ³ So now I say, ‘I will not drive them away from you. They will be like thorns in your sides. Their gods will be a trap to you.’” ⁴ When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people cried in a loud voice. ⁵ So they called that place Bochim. And there they gave gifts in worship to the Lord.

The Death of Joshua

⁶ When Joshua sent the people of Israel away, each one went home to his own land. ⁷ The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the leaders who lived longer than Joshua and who had seen all the great works the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was 110 years old. ⁹ They buried him within his land in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ All the people of that day died. The children who came after them did not know the Lord. They did not know about the things He had done for Israel.

Israel Is No Longer Faithful to the Lord

¹¹ Then the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, the gods of the Canaanites. ¹² They turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods of the nations around them, and worshiped them. So they made the Lord angry. ¹³ They turned away from the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ The Lord was angry with Israel. He gave them into the hands of angry men who robbed them. He sold them into the hands of those around them who hated them. The people of Israel could no longer stand in front of those who hated them. ¹⁵ The Lord punished them everywhere they went. The Lord did what He had told them and promised them He would do. The people were very troubled.

¹⁶ Then the Lord gave them special men to judge between what was right or wrong. These men saved them from those who robbed them. ¹⁷ But the people did not listen to those chosen to judge. The people were not faithful to the Lord and they worshiped other gods. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had walked in obeying the Laws of the Lord. They did not do as their fathers had done. ¹⁸ When the Lord gave them special men to judge them, the Lord was with the judge. And He saved them from those who hated them. For the Lord showed them pity because of their pain when others made it hard for them and hurt them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they would turn again and act worse than their fathers. They would follow other gods and serve them and worship them. They would not give up their sinful acts or their strong wills. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He said, “This nation has sinned against My agreement I made with their fathers. They have not listened to My voice. ²¹ I will stop driving away from them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test Israel. I will see if Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it like their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord let those nations stay. He was not quick to drive them out. And He did not give them into the power of Joshua.

The Nations That Are Still in the Land

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test Israel. They were left to test all those who had not fought in any of the wars in Canaan. ² So the children of the people of Israel who had not fought in wars might be taught about war. ³ These nations are: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were left to test Israel, to find out if Israel would obey the Laws the Lord gave their fathers through Moses. ⁵ The people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. ⁶ They married their daughters. They gave their own daughters to their sons, and they worshiped their gods. ⁷ The people of Israel did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. ⁸ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. The people of Israel worked for Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ But the people of Israel cried to the Lord. And the Lord gave the people of Israel someone who would save them. He gave them Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he led Israel. When he went out to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. He was stronger than Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ The land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab strength against Israel, because they had sinned in the eyes of the Lord. ¹³ Eglon gathered together with the people of Ammon and Amalek. They went and won the war against Israel. And they took the city of Jericho. ¹⁴ The people of Israel worked for Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the people of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord gave them someone to save them. He gave them Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent taxes by him to Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud made a sword for himself with two sharp sides, almost as long as an arm. He tied it to the top part of his right leg, under his coat. ¹⁷ Then he brought the taxes to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud had finished paying the taxes, he sent away the people who had carried the taxes. ¹⁹ But he himself turned around at the stone gods of Gilgal and returned to Eglon, saying, “I have secret news for you, O king.” Eglon said, “Keep quiet.” And all who stood by him went away from him. ²⁰ Ehud came to him while Eglon was sitting alone in his summer room. And Ehud said, “I have news from God for you.” The king got up from his seat. ²¹ Ehud put out his left hand, took the sword from his right leg, and pushed it into Eglon’s stomach. ²² The whole sword went into his stomach and the fat closed over it. For he did not pull the sword out of his stomach. The insides of Eglon’s stomach ran out. ²³ Then Ehud went out the back way. He closed the doors of the summer room behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When Ehud had gone out, Eglon’s servants came. They saw that the doors of the summer room were locked. So they said, “He is only resting in there away from the heat.” ²⁵ They waited until they were afraid because Eglon did not open the doors of the summer room. So they opened the lock and looked in the doors. And they found their owner lying dead on the floor.

²⁶ Ehud got away while they were waiting. He passed the stone gods and got away to Seirah. ²⁷ When he got there, he blew the horn in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country. Ehud went in front of them. ²⁸ He said to them, “Go after them. For the Lord has given into your hands the Moabites who hate you.” So they went down after him. They took over the crossing places of the Jordan beside Moab. And they did not let anyone cross. ²⁹ At that time they killed about 10,000 Moabites, all strong men with strength of heart. No one got away. ³⁰ So Moab was crushed under the power of Israel that day. And the land had rest for eighty years.

³¹ After Ehud, Shamgar the son of Anath became the leader. He killed 600 Philistines with a stick used to push cattle, and he also saved Israel.

Deborah and Barak

4 After Ehud died, the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. ² So the Lord let them be taken by Jabin king of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The head of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. ³ The people of Israel cried to the Lord, for Jabin had 900 iron war-wagons. He made it very hard for the people of Israel for twenty years.

⁴ Now Lappidoth’s wife Deborah, a woman who spoke for God, was judging Israel at that time. ⁵ She would sit under the tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. And the people of Israel came to her to find out what was right or wrong. ⁶ She sent for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedeshnaphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go to Mount Tabor. Take with you 10,000 men from the sons of Naphtali and Zebulun. ⁷ I will have Sisera, the head of Jabin’s army, meet you at the river Kishon. He will have his war-wagons and his many soldiers with him. But I will give him into your hand.’” ⁸ Then Barak said to her, “I will go if you go with me. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹ And she said, “For sure I will go with you. But the honor will not be yours as you go on your way. For the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to come to Kedesh. He went up with 10,000 men. And Deborah went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had gone away from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses. He had put up his tent as far away as the big tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh.

¹² They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³ Sisera gathered together all his 900 iron war-wagons. He gathered together all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. ¹⁴ Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! For this is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. See, the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and 10,000 men followed him. ¹⁵ The Lord brought trouble upon Sisera and all his war-wagons and all his army in front of Barak with the sword. Sisera got down from his war-wagon and ran away on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak went after the war-wagons and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim. All of Sisera’s army fell by the sword. Not one was left.

¹⁷ Sisera ran 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 family of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ Jael went out to meet Sisera, saying, “Come in, my lord. Come in to me. Do not be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she put a cover over him. ¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink. For I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin bag of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him. ²⁰ He said to her, “Stand in the door of the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there anyone here?’ you say, ‘No.’” ²¹ But Heber’s wife Jael took a big tent nail in her hand and a tool to hit it with. Because Sisera was very tired, he went into a deep sleep. She went to him in secret and hit the big nail into the side of his head. It went through and into the ground. So he died. ²² As Barak came after Sisera, Jael came out to meet him. She said to him, “Come. I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak went in with her, and he saw Sisera lying dead with the big tent nail in his head.

²³ God put Jabin the king of Canaan under the power of the people of Israel on that day. ²⁴ The people of Israel made it harder and harder for Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed him.

The Song of Deborah

5 That day Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang this song: ² “The leaders led in Israel. The people were willing to help them. For this we give thanks to the Lord! ³ Hear, O kings! Listen, O rulers! I will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁴ Lord, You went out from Seir. You walked from the field of Edom. And the earth shook. Water fell from the heavens. Yes, water fell from the clouds. ⁵ The mountains shook before the Lord. Mount Sinai shook before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the wide roads were empty. Travelers walked on the side roads. ⁷ Country towns were empty. They were no more in Israel, until I, Deborah, came. I came as a mother in Israel. ⁸ New gods were chosen. Then war was in the gates. No battle-covering or sword was seen among 40,000 in Israel. ⁹ My heart is with the leaders of Israel, who were willing to help among the people. Thanks be to the Lord! ¹⁰ Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys and you who sit on rich floor coverings. Tell of it, you who travel on the road. ¹¹ They will tell of the right and good acts of the Lord at the sound of music beside the wells of water. They will tell of His right and good acts toward His towns people in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.

¹² “Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Get up, Barak! Lead away the people you took in war, O son of Abinoam. ¹³ Those who were left came down to the rulers. The people of the Lord came down to me as soldiers. ¹⁴ The children of Amalek came down from Ephraim. They followed you, Benjamin, with your people. Leaders came down from Machir. Leaders came from Zebulun. ¹⁵ The rulers of Issachar came with Deborah. Issachar was faithful to Barak. They ran behind him into the valley. There was much thinking done among the families of Reuben. ¹⁶ Why did you sit among the sheep, to hear the horns blow for the flocks? There was much thought among the families of Reuben. ¹⁷ Gilead stayed on the other side of the Jordan. Why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat beside the sea. He stayed by its rivers. ¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who put their lives in danger even to death. Naphtali did this also, on the high places of the field.

¹⁹ “The kings came and fought. The kings of Canaan fought at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo. They did not get any silver. ²⁰ The stars fought from heaven. From their paths they fought against Sisera. ²¹ The fast river of Kishon took them away, the rushing river, the river Kishon. O my soul, walk on with strength. ²² The beating of the feet of horses was loud, because the strong horses went fast. ²³ ’Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people, because they did not come to the help of the Lord. They did not help the Lord against the powerful soldiers.’

²⁴ “The most respected of women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. She is the most respected of women in the tent. ²⁵ Sisera asked for water and she gave him milk. She brought him milk in a fine pot. ²⁶ She put out her hand to the big tent nail. And she put out her right hand for the servant’s heavy object. Then she hit Sisera. She crushed his head. She broke and cut through the side of his head. ²⁷ He went down. He fell and lay without moving at her feet. He fell dead where he went down.

²⁸ “The mother of Sisera looked out of the window. She looked through the window and cried in sorrow, ‘Why is his war-wagon so long in coming? Why do the steps of his horses wait?’ ²⁹ Her wise ladies answered her. But she asked herself again and again, ³⁰ ’Are they not finding and dividing the riches? Is there not a girl or two for every man? Is there not colored cloth for Sisera to take? Is there not colored cloth with beautiful sewing on it? Are there not two pieces of colored cloth with beautiful sewing on them for the neck of the one who takes them?’ ³¹ So let all those who hate You die, O Lord. But let those who love Him be like the sun as he rises in his power.” And the land had peace for forty years.

Gideon

6 Then the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. And the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian for seven years. ² Midian was stronger than Israel. Because of Midian the people of Israel made big caves in the sides of the mountains where they could live which were safe places for themselves. ³ For when Israel had planted seeds, the Midianites and Amalekites and the people of the east would come and fight against them. ⁴ They would set up their tents beside them and destroy the food of the field as far as Gaza. They would leave no food for Israel, and no sheep, cattle or donkeys. ⁵ They would come with their animals and their tents. They were like locusts, there were so many of them. There were too many of them and their camels to number. And they came into the land to destroy it. ⁶ So Israel became very poor because of Midian. The people of Israel cried to the Lord.

⁷ The people of Israel cried to the Lord because of Midian. ⁸ And the Lord sent a man to speak for Him to the people of Israel. The man said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you here from Egypt. I brought you out of the house where you were made to work. ⁹ I set you free from the power of the Egyptians and from the hands of all who made it hard for you. I drove them away from in front of you and gave you their land. ¹⁰ I said to you, “I am the Lord your God. Do not be afraid of 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 tree in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. The angel came as Joash’s son Gideon was beating out grain where grapes are crushed, to save it from the Midianites. ¹² The angel of the Lord showed himself to Gideon and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O powerful soldier.” ¹³ Gideon said to him, “O sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His powerful works which our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has left us alone. He has put us under the power of Midian.” ¹⁴ The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this strength of yours. And save Israel from the power of Midian. Have I not sent you?” ¹⁵ Gideon said to Him, “O Lord, how can I save Israel? See, my family is the least in Manasseh. And I am the youngest in my father’s house.” ¹⁶ But the Lord said to him, “For sure I will be with you. You will destroy Midian as one man.” ¹⁷ Gideon said to Him, “If I have found favor in Your eyes, show me something to prove that it is You Who speaks with me. ¹⁸ I ask of You, do not leave here until I return to You with my gift and lay it before You.” And the Lord said, “I will stay until you return.”

¹⁹ Then Gideon went into his house and got a young goat ready. He made bread without yeast from a basket of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the water from boiling the meat in a pot. Then he brought them out to him under the tree and set them down in front of him. ²⁰ The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the bread without yeast and lay them on this rock. Then pour out the water.” Gideon did so. ²¹ The angel of the Lord put out the end of the stick that was in his hand and touched the meat and the bread without yeast. And fire came up from the rock and burned up the meat and the bread without yeast. Then the angel of the Lord was seen no more. ²² So Gideon knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And he said, “I am afraid, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” ²³ The Lord said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. You will not die.” ²⁴ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord. He gave it the name, The Lord is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites to this day.

²⁵ That same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old. Use them to pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father. And cut down the tree of the false goddess Asherah that is beside it. ²⁶ Build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this strong place. Set the stones in the right way. Then take a second bull and give a burnt gift. Use the wood of the tree of the false goddess Asherah which you cut down.” ²⁷ Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him to do. But he was too afraid of those of his father’s house and the men of the city to do it during the day. So he did it during the night.

²⁸ When the men of the city got up early in the morning, they saw that the altar of Baal was torn down. They saw that the false goddess Asherah which was beside it was cut down. And the second bull was given on the altar which had been built. ²⁹ The men said to one another, “Who did this?” After they had looked around and asked, they were told, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” ³⁰ Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so he may die. For he has torn down the altar of Baal. And he has cut down our goddess Asherah which was beside it.” ³¹ But Joash said to all who were gathered against him, “Will you fight for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever will fight for him will be put to death this morning. If he is a god, let him fight for himself because someone has torn down his altar.” ³² So on that day he gave Gideon the name Jerubbaal, which means, “Let Baal fight against him.” Because he tore down his altar.

³³ Then all the Midianites and Amalekites and people of the east gathered together. They crossed the Jordan and set up their tents in the valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. He blew a horn and called together the Abiezerites to follow him. ³⁵ He sent men with news to go through Manasseh. And the Manassites were called together to follow him. He sent men with news to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali. And they came to meet him.

³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, “Save Israel through me, as You have said. ³⁷ See, I will put wool on the floor where grain is crushed. If the wool is wet, and it is dry on the ground, I will know that You will save Israel through me, as You have said.” ³⁸ It was so. Gideon got up early the next morning and took the wool in his hand. Enough water poured from the wool to fill a pot. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me for speaking to You once again. Let me make one more test with the wool. Let it be dry only on the wool. And let the ground be wet all around it.” ⁴⁰ God did so that night. For it was dry only on the wool. And all the ground was wet around it.

Gideon and the Three Hundred Men

7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early and set up their tents beside the well of Harod. The tents of Midian were north of them, by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

² The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands. Israel might say with pride, ‘Our own power has saved us.’ ³ So say to all the people, ‘Whoever is afraid and shaking with fear may leave Mount Gilead and return home.’” So 22,000 people returned. But 10,000 stayed.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water. I will test them for you there. Whoever I say is to go with you will go. But whoever I say is not to go with you will not go.” ⁵ So Gideon brought the people down to the water. The Lord said to Gideon, “Divide every man who drinks the water as dogs drink with their tongues from every man who gets down on his knees to drink.” ⁶ There were 300 men who drank from their hand, putting their hand to their mouth. But all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. ⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, “I will save you with the 300 men who drank from their hands. I will give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others return, every man to his home.” ⁸ So the 300 men took the people’s food and their horns. Gideon sent all the other men of Israel to their tents. He kept only the 300 men. And the tents of Midian were below him in the valley.

⁹ That same night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up. Go down and fight against them at their tents. For I have given them into your hands. ¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go with your servant Purah down to their tents. ¹¹ You will hear what they say. Then your hands will become strong enough to go down and fight against them.” So he went with his servant Purah down to the side of the tents where soldiers were keeping watch. ¹² The Midianites and Amalekites and all the people of the east were lying in the valley. They were like locusts, there were so many. Their camels were too many to number. They were like sand beside the sea, there were so many. ¹³ When Gideon came, a man was telling a dream to his friend. The man said, “I had a dream. A loaf of barley bread was rolling toward the tents of Midian. It came to the tent and hit it so it fell down. It turned it up-side-down so the tent fell apart.” ¹⁴ His friend answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and all the army into his hand.”

¹⁵ When Gideon heard the story of the dream and what it meant, he bowed down and worshiped God. Then he returned to the tents of Israel and said, “Get up! For the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hands.” ¹⁶ He divided the 300 men into three groups. He gave horns and empty pots with fire sticks inside to each of them. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “Watch me, and do what I do. When I come to the side of their tents, do as I do. ¹⁸ I and all those with me will blow the horns. Then you blow the horns all around the tents, and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

¹⁹ So Gideon and the 100 men who were with him came to the side of the tents. It was late in the night. Different soldiers had just come to keep watch. Then the men blew the horns and broke the pots that were in their hands. ²⁰ All three groups blew their horns and broke their pots. They held the sticks of fire in their left hands and horns to be blown in their right hands. And they called out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ Each man stood in his place around the tents. And all the Midianite army ran. They cried out and ran away. ²² When the 300 horns were blown, the Lord made every man fight the man next to him among the tents. And the army ran away as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah. They went as far as the land of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. ²³ The men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, to go after Midian.

²⁴ Gideon sent men through all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian. Take the waters in front of them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together. And they took the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. ²⁵ They took the two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb. And they killed Zeeb at the place of Zeeb where the grapes are crushed. They went after Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from the other side of the Jordan.

Gideon Wins over the Midianites

8 Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “What is this you have done to us? Why did you not call us when you went to fight against Midian?” They were angry when they argued with him. ² But he said to them, “What have I done to compare with you? Are not the grapes that are left of Ephraim better than all the grapes gathered of Abiezer? ³ God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into your hands. What was I able to do to compare with you?” They were no longer angry when he said that.

⁴ Then Gideon and the 300 men with him came to the Jordan and crossed it. They were tired but they kept going. ⁵ Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “I ask of you, give loaves of bread to the people who are following me. For they are tired and weak. I am going after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ But the leaders of Succoth said, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷ Gideon said, “The Lord will give Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand. Then I will beat your bodies with the thorns and thistles from the desert.” ⁸ From there he went up to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. The men of Penuel gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth. ⁹ So he said to the men of Penuel, “When I return safe, I will tear down this tower.” ¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. With them were their armies, about 15,000 men. These were all who were left of the whole army of the people of the east. For 120,000 men who fought with swords had been killed. ¹¹ Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents east of Nobah and Jogbehah. And he fought against the army by surprise. ¹² Zebah and Zalmunna ran away. Gideon went after them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. The whole army was afraid.

¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the way of Heres. ¹⁴ He caught a young man from Succoth and asked him questions. The young man wrote down for him the rulers and leaders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ Then Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, “See, here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You laughed at me about these men, saying, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your weak and tired men?’” ¹⁶ Then he took the leaders of the city and with thorns and thistles from the desert, he punished the men of Succoth. ¹⁷ Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

¹⁸ Gideon 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 looked like the son of a king.” ¹⁹ Gideon said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ Then he said to Jether his first-born son, “Stand up and kill them.” But the boy did not pick up his sword. He was afraid because he was still a boy. ²¹ Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Stand up yourself and kill us. For as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon stood up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. And he took the religious objects that were on their camels’ necks.

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also. For you have set us free from the power of Midian.” ²³ But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you. And my son will not rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” ²⁴ Gideon said to them, “I only ask that each of you give me the gold objects you have taken to be worn on the ear.” (They had objects to be worn on the ear because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ And they said, “For sure we will give them.” So they spread out a coat, and every one of them threw into it an object he had taken. ²⁶ The gold objects Gideon had asked for were as heavy as 1,700 pieces of gold money. He took the objects and purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian also. And he took the religious objects that were around the camels’ necks. ²⁷ Gideon made it into a holy vest and put it in his city, Ophrah. All Israel worshiped it there. So it became a trap to Gideon and those of his house. ²⁸ Midian was put under the power of the people of Israel. They did not lift up their heads any more. And the land had peace for forty years, during the life of Gideon.

The Death of Gideon

²⁹ Joash’s son Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) went and lived in his own house. ³⁰ Gideon had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives. ³¹ The woman in Shechem who acted as his wife gave birth to Gideon’s son also. He was given the name Abimelech. ³² Gideon the son of Joash died when he was very old. He was buried in the grave of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³ As soon as Gideon was dead, the people of Israel started again to worship the false gods of Baal. They made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ The people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, Who had saved them from the power of all those around who hated them. ³⁵ They did not show kindness to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon). They did not remember all the good he had done to Israel.

Abimelech

9 Jerubbaal’s son Abimelech went to his mother’s family at Shechem. He said to them and to all those of the family of his mother’s father, ² “Speak to all the leaders of Shechem. Say to them, ‘Which is better for you? Should all seventy of Jerubbaal’s sons rule over you? Or should one man rule over you? Remember that I am your own bone and flesh.’” ³ So his mother’s family spoke all these words for him in the ears of the leaders of Shechem. And they decided to follow Abimelech. For they said, “He is our brother.” ⁴ They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the family of Baal-berith. Abimelech used the money to hire wild men of no worth who followed him. ⁵ Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah. And he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. He killed all seventy men upon one stone. But Jerubbaal’s youngest son Jotham was left alive, because he hid himself. ⁶ Then all the men of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together. They went and made Abimelech king, by the tree that had been set up in Shechem.

⁷ When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He called out to them in a loud voice, “Listen to me, O men of Shechem. So God may listen to you. ⁸ One time the trees went out to choose a king to rule them. They said to the olive tree, ‘Rule over us!’ ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I leave my riches of oil by which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹⁰ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and rule over us!’ ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I leave my good sweet fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹² So the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and rule over us!’ ¹³ But the vine said to them, ‘Should I leave my new wine which makes God and men happy, and go to wave over the trees?’ ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the thorn bush, ‘You come and rule over us!’ ¹⁵ And the thorn bush said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are choosing me as king over you, come and be safe in my shadow. But if not, may fire come out of the thorn bush and burn up the tall trees of Lebanon.’

¹⁶ “Now it may be that you have acted in truth and honor in making Abimelech king. It may be that you have acted well toward Jerubbaal and his house, by paying him for what he did. ¹⁷ For my father fought for you. He put his life in danger to set you free from the power of Midian. ¹⁸ But you have gone against my father’s house today. You have killed seventy of his sons on one stone. Abimelech is the son of my father’s woman servant. And you have made him king over the people of Shechem, because he is your brother. ¹⁹ If you have acted in truth and honor toward Jerubbaal and his house today, then be happy with Abimelech. And let him be happy with you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and burn up the people of Shechem and Beth-millo. Then let it burn up Abimelech.” ²¹ Jotham ran away from them and went to Beer. He stayed there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.

²² Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. ²³ Then God sent a bad spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. The men of Shechem were not faithful to Abimelech. ²⁴ God did this to punish Abimelech and the men of Shechem, because the seventy sons of Jerubbaal were killed by their brother Abimelech. And the men of Shechem gave him the strength to do it. ²⁵ The men of Shechem went against Abimelech by hiding men on the mountain tops. They robbed all who passed by them on the road. Abimelech was told about it.

²⁶ Now Gaal the son of Ebed moved with his family 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 vines and crushed them. Then they had a special supper in the house of their god. They ate and drank and wished bad to come to Abimelech. ²⁸ Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech? And who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal? Is not Zebul his leader? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but why should we serve Abimelech? ²⁹ If only these people were under my rule! Then I would send Abimelech away. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Make your army strong, and come out.’”

³⁰ When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, he was very angry. ³¹ He sent men to bring news to Abimelech in secret. They said, “See, Gaal the son of Ebed has come to Shechem with his family. They are turning the city against you. ³² So you and the people who are with you get up during the night and hide in the field. ³³ Then get up early in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, and rush against the city. When Gaal and the people who are with him come out against you, do whatever you can to them.”

³⁴ So Abimelech and all who were with him got up during the night. They hid and waited in four groups to fight against Shechem. ³⁵ Gaal the son of Ebed came out and stood in the city gate. And Abimelech and the people who were with him came out of their hiding places. ³⁶ When Gaal saw the men, he said to Zebul, “See, men are coming down from the mountain tops!” But Zebul said to him, “It is the shadow of the mountains that looks like men to you.” ³⁷ Gaal spoke again, saying, “See, men are coming down from the highest part of the land. One group is coming on the way from the oak tree of those who tell the future.” ³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your proud talk now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men whom you hated? Go out now and fight with them!” ³⁹ So Gaal went out in front of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ Abimelech went after Gaal. And Gaal ran away from him. Many were hurt and fell all the way to the gate. ⁴¹ Abimelech stayed at Arumah. But Zebul drove out Gaal and his family so they could not stay in Shechem.

⁴² The men went out to the field the next day and told Abimelech. ⁴³ So he took his men and divided them into three groups, and they waited in the field. When he saw Gaal’s people coming out of the city, Abimelech went against them and killed them. ⁴⁴ Abimelech and the group with him rushed and stood in the city gate. The other two groups then rushed against all who were in the field and killed them. ⁴⁵ Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He took the city and killed the people who were in it. Then he destroyed the city and covered it with salt.

⁴⁶ All the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard about it. And they went into the inside room of the house of the god of El-berith. ⁴⁷ Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ So Abimelech and all who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees. Then he lifted it onto his shoulder. He said to the men who were with him, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.” ⁴⁹ So each of the men cut down his branch also, and followed Abimelech. They put the branches around the inside room and set it on fire. So all the men of the tower of Shechem died. There were about 1,000 men and women in all.

⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez. He fought against it and took it. ⁵¹ But there was a strong tower in the center of the city. All the men and women and leaders of the city ran to it and shut themselves in. And they went up on the roof of the tower. ⁵² Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it. He went near the door of the building to burn it with fire. ⁵³ But a certain woman threw a grain-crushing stone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. ⁵⁴ Abimelech was quick to call the young man who carried his heavy battle-clothes, saying, “Take your sword and kill me. Or else it will be said that a woman killed me.” So the young man killed him with a sword. ⁵⁵ When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each man went home. ⁵⁶ So God punished Abimelech for the sin he had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ God punished the men of Shechem for all their sin. The words that Jotham the son of Jerubbaal spoke against them came true.

Tola

10 After Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, came to save Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² He judged Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

Jair

³ Jair the Gileadite came after him. He judged Israel for twenty-two years. ⁴ He had thirty sons who traveled on thirty donkeys. They had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called the towns of Jair to this day. ⁵ Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Jephthah

⁶ Then the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. They served the male and female gods of Canaan, and the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites and of the Philistines. They turned away from the Lord and did not serve Him. ⁷ The anger of the Lord was against Israel. So He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the people of Ammon. ⁸ They made it very hard for the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they made it very hard for all the people of Israel in Gilead in the land of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan. ⁹ And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the family of Ephraim. So Israel suffered much pain.

¹⁰ The people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You. We have turned away from our God and are serving the Baals.” ¹¹ The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the people of Ammon and the Philistines? ¹² When the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites made it hard for you, you cried out to Me. And I took you away from their hands. ¹³ Yet you have turned away from Me and served other gods. So I will not take you away again. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your trouble.” ¹⁵ The people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever You think is good. But we beg of You, take us out of this today.” ¹⁶ So they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord. And the Lord cared as He saw the suffering of Israel.

¹⁷ The men of Ammon were gathered together for war. They set up their tents in Gilead. The men of Israel gathered together, and set up their tents in Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of Gilead said to one another, “Who is the man who will be first to fight against the men of Ammon? He will be the head of all the people of Gilead.”

11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a powerful soldier. But he was the son of a woman who sold the use of her body. Jephthah’s father was Gilead. ² Gilead’s wife gave birth to his sons. And when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah away. They told him, “You will not have any share in our father’s house. For you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Men of no worth gathered around Jephthah and went fighting and stealing with him.

⁴ The time came when the men of Ammon fought against Israel. ⁵ When the men of Ammon fought against Israel, the leaders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, so we may fight against the men of Ammon.” ⁷ Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” ⁸ The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have returned to you now. So you may go with us and fight the men of Ammon. You will be the head of all the people of Gilead.” ⁹ Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight the men of Ammon and the Lord gives them to me, will I become your head?” ¹⁰ The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is listening to what we say. For sure we will do as you have said.” ¹¹ So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. And the people made him head and leader over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

¹² Then Jephthah sent men to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me? Why have you come to fight against my land?” ¹³ The king of the people of Ammon said to these men of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came from Egypt. They took my land from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan. So I ask you to return this land to me in peace.” ¹⁴ But Jephthah sent men to the king of the people of Ammon again, ¹⁵ saying, “Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the people of Ammon. ¹⁶ Israel came out of Egypt, went through the desert to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Then Israel sent men to the king of Edom, saying, “We ask you to let us pass through your land.” But the king of Edom would not listen. They asked the king of Moab also. But he would not let them pass through. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. ¹⁸ ’Then Israel went through the desert and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab. There they set up their tents on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not go into the land of Moab. For the Arnon flowed along the side of Moab. ¹⁹ Israel sent men to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, saying, “We ask you to let us pass through your land to our place.” ²⁰ But Sihon did not trust Israel. He would not let them pass through his land. Sihon gathered all his people together. They set up their tents in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. ²¹ The Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel. They won the war against Sihon. So Israel took all the land of the Amorites, the people of that country. ²² They took all the land of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the desert as far as the Jordan.

²³ ’So the Lord, the God of Israel, drove the Amorites away from His people Israel. Now are you to take the land for your own? ²⁴ Do you not keep for your own what your god Chemosh gives you? We will keep the land of the people the Lord our God drove away for us. ²⁵ Are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever fight with Israel? Did he ever go to war against them? ²⁶ While Israel lived in Heshbon and its towns and Aroer and its towns and in all the cities beside the Arnon for 300 years, why did you not take them again during that time? ²⁷ I have not sinned against you. But you are doing wrong to me by making war against me. The Lord is the judge. May He decide today between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.’” ²⁸ But the king of the people of Ammon would not listen to what Jephthah said

²⁹ The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. So he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and through Mizpah of Gilead. He went from Mizpah of Gilead to the people of Ammon. ³⁰ Jephthah made a promise to the Lord and said, “You give the people of Ammon into my hand. ³¹ And I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon. I will give it to the Lord as a burnt gift.” ³² Then Jephthah crossed over to fight against the people of Ammon. And the Lord gave them into his hand. ³³ He killed many of them from Aroer to Minnith, through twenty cities, as far as Abelkeramin. The people of Ammon were destroyed in front of the people of Israel.

Jephthah’s Daughter

³⁴ Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. His daughter came out to meet him with music and dancing. She was his one and only child. He had no other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “It is bad, my daughter! You have made me very sad. You have brought much trouble to me. For I have made a promise to the Lord, and I must keep it.” ³⁶ She said to him, “My father, you have made a promise to the Lord. Do to me what you have promised you would do. Because the Lord has punished the people of Ammon, who fought against you. ³⁷ But do this for me. Let me alone for two months. So I and my friends may go to the mountains and cry because I will never have a man.” ³⁸ Jephthah said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months with her friends. And they cried on the mountains because she would never have a man. ³⁹ She returned to her father after two months. And he did what he promised the Lord and she died without having a man. So it became the way in Israel ⁴⁰ that the daughters of Israel went to have sorrow for the daughter of Jephthah for four days each year.

Jephthah and Ephraim

12 Then the men of Ephraim got ready for war. They crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight the men of Ammon without calling us to go with you? With fire we will burn down your house with you in it.” ² Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were having much trouble with the people of Ammon. I did call you, but you did not take me away from them. ³ I saw that you would not help me, so I took my life in my hands. I crossed over to fight the people of Ammon. And the Lord gave them into my hand. So why have you come today to fight against me?” ⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead won the war against Ephraim, because Ephraim said, “You people of Gilead are not respected among Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ The people of Gilead took the crossing places of the Jordan beside Ephraim. When any of the Ephraimite men ran away and said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” ⁶ they would say to him, “Then say ‘Shibboleth.’” But he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not say it right. So they would take hold of him and kill him at the crossing places of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 men of Ephraim were killed. ⁷ Jephthah ruled Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died. He was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

⁸ Ibzan of Bethlehem ruled Israel after him. ⁹ He had thirty sons and thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage outside the family. And he brought in thirty daughters from outside the family for his sons. He ruled Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹ Elon the Zebulunite ruled Israel after him. He ruled Israel for ten years. ¹² Then Elon the Zebulunite died. He was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite ruled Israel after him. ¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who traveled on seventy donkeys. He ruled Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died. He was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

The Birth of Samson

13 The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

² There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites. His name was Manoah. His wife was not able to have children. ³ Then the angel of the Lord came to the woman and said to her, “See, you have not been able to have any children. But the Lord will make it possible for you to have a child and you will give birth to a son. ⁴ So be careful not to drink wine or strong drink. Do not eat anything that is unclean. ⁵ You will have a child and give birth to a son. His hair must never be cut. Because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born. He will begin to take Israel away from the Philistines’ power.” ⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband. She said, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the angel of God, filling me with fear. I did not ask him where he came from. And he did not tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, ‘See, it will be possible for you to have a child and give birth to a son. Do not drink wine or strong drink or eat anything that is unclean. For the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is born to the time he dies.’”

⁸ Then Manoah asked the Lord, saying, “O Lord, let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again. Let him teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born.” ⁹ God listened to Manoah. The angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰ So the woman ran to her husband in a hurry. She told him, “See, the man who came the other day has come to me again.” ¹¹ Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” ¹² Manoah said, “When your words come true, what will be the boy’s way of life? What should he do?” ¹³ The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Let the woman be careful to do all I have said. ¹⁴ She must not eat anything from the vine or drink wine or strong drink. She must not eat anything that is unclean. Let her obey all I have told her.”

¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We ask of you, stay with us. So we may get a young goat ready for you to eat.” ¹⁶ The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “I will stay, but I will not eat your food. But if you get a burnt gift ready, then give it to the Lord.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. ¹⁷ Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? So we may honor you when your words come true.” ¹⁸ But the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is a name of wonder.” ¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain gift. And he gave it on the rock to the Lord. Then the Lord did powerful works while Manoah and his wife watched. ²⁰ For the fire went up from the altar toward heaven. And the angel of the Lord went up in the fire of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces on the ground. ²¹ The angel of the Lord did not show himself to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. ²² So Manoah said to his wife, “We will die for sure. For we have seen God.” ²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had wanted to kill us, He would not have received a burnt gift and grain gift from us. He would not have shown us all these things, or let us hear these things.”

²⁴ Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew up and the Lord brought good to him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord began to work through him at the tents of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samson’s Philistine Wife

14 Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines. ² He returned and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah. She is one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now get her for me as a wife.” ³ But his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your family or among all our people? Must you take a wife from the Philistines who have not gone through the religious act of the Jews?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” ⁴ His father and mother did not know that it was the Lord’s leading. For He was planning a way to go against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

⁵ Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. They came as far as the grape-fields of Timnah. There a young lion came running toward him, making a loud noise. ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson with power. Samson tore the lion apart like one tears a young goat. He had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. ⁷ Then Samson went down and talked to the woman. She looked good to him. ⁸ When he returned later to take her, he turned to look at the dead lion. He saw that a lot of bees and some honey were inside the lion’s body. ⁹ So he took the honey out with his hands and went on his way, eating as he went. He came to his father and mother and gave some honey to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had taken the honey out of the lion’s body.

¹⁰ Then his father went down to the woman. Samson made a special supper there. The young men used to do this. ¹¹ When the people saw him, they brought thirty friends to be with him. ¹² And Samson said to them, “Let me see if you can answer this question. If you can find the answer within the seven days of the special supper, I will give you thirty linen coats and thirty pieces of clothing. ¹³ But if you cannot answer me, you must give me thirty linen coats and thirty pieces of clothing.” And they said to him, “Ask your question. Let us hear it.” ¹⁴ So Samson said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet. Now what does this mean?” But they could not answer the question in three days.

¹⁵ On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Make your husband tell us the answer. Or we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you asked us to come here so you can make us poor? Is it not true?” ¹⁶ So Samson’s wife cried in front of Samson, saying, “You only hate me. You do not love me. You have asked my people a question. And you have not told me the answer.” Samson said to her, “See, I have not told the answer to my father or mother. Should I tell it to you?” ¹⁷ But she cried in front of him for seven days while their special supper lasted. On the seventh day Samson told her the answer because she begged him so much. Then she told the answer to her people. ¹⁸ So the men of the city said to Samson before the sun went down on the seventh day, “What is more sweet than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my young cow, you would not have found the answer.” ¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power. Samson went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men of the town. He took their clothing and gave it to the men who answered his question. He was very angry and returned to his father’s house. ²⁰ Samson’s wife was given to his friend who had been his best man at his wedding.

Samson Wins over the Philistines

15 But later Samson visited his wife during grain gathering time with a young goat. Samson said, “I will go in to my wife in her room.” But her father did not let him go in. ² Her father said, “I thought you hated her. So I gave her to your friend. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Let her be yours instead.” ³ Samson said to him, “This time I will be without blame when I hurt the Philistines.” ⁴ So Samson went and caught 300 foxes. He tied them together tail to tail. And he put a fire stick between the tails of every two foxes. ⁵ Then he set fire to the sticks and let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines. So the standing grain and cut grain and vines and olive trees were burned up. ⁶ The Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they were told, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because the Timnite took his wife and gave her to his friend.” So the Philistines came and burned her and her father with fire. ⁷ Samson said to them, “For sure I will punish you for acting like this. After that I will stop.”

⁸ He killed many of them without mercy. Then Samson went down and lived in the opening of the rock of Etam.

⁹ The Philistines went and set up their tents in Judah, and spread out in Lehi. ¹⁰ The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” The Philistines said, “We have come to take Samson and do to him as he did to us.” ¹¹ Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the opening of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this that you have done to us?” Samson said to them, “I have done to them as they did to me.” ¹² They said to him, “We have come to take you and give you to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me that you will not kill me.” ¹³ So they said to him, “No, we will only tie you up and give you to them. We will not kill you.” So they tied him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ When Samson came to Lehi, the Philistines came with a loud noise to meet him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson with power. The ropes on his arms became as weak as a burning plant, and fell from his hands. ¹⁵ Samson found a jawbone of a donkey and took it in his hand. He killed 1,000 men with it. ¹⁶ Then Samson said, “With the bone of a donkey there are bodies upon bodies. With the bone of a donkey I have killed 1,000 men.” ¹⁷ When he was done speaking, he threw the bone from his hand. And he called that place Ramath-lehi. ¹⁸ Then Samson became very thirsty. He called to the Lord and said, “You have taken us away from trouble by the hand of Your servant. Now must I die of thirst and fall into the hands of those who have not gone through our religious act?” ¹⁹ But God broke open a place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned. He received new life. So he called the place En-hakkore. It is in Lehi to this day. ²⁰ Samson ruled Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Samson and Delilah

16 Samson went to Gaza and saw a woman who sold the use of her body there. He went in to her. ² The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they gathered around the place and waited for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait until the morning light. Then we will kill him.” ³ But Samson lay until late at night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the pieces that held them. He pulled them up together with the locks and put them on his shoulders. And he carried them up to the top of the mountain beside Hebron.

⁴ After this Samson loved a woman in the valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah. ⁵ The leaders of the Philistines came to her, saying, “Tempt Samson to tell you the secret of his powerful strength. Find out how we can get power over him so we can tie him and hold him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” ⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “I beg you. Tell me the secret of your powerful strength. Tell me how one can get power over you and tie you up and hold you.” ⁷ Samson said to her, “They must tie me with seven new ropes that have not been dried. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.” ⁸ So the leaders of the Philistines brought her seven new ropes that had not been dried. And Delilah tied Samson with them. ⁹ She had men hiding and waiting in another room. She said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the ropes like a string breaks when it touches fire. So they did not find the secret of his strength.

¹⁰ Delilah said to Samson, “See, you have fooled me and told me lies. Now tell me, I beg you, how can you be tied?” ¹¹ Samson said to her, “They must tie me with new ropes which have never been used. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.” ¹² So Delilah took new ropes, tied Samson with them, and said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Men were hiding and waiting in another room. But Samson broke the ropes from his arms like a string.

¹³ Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have fooled me and told me lies until now. Tell me how you can be tied.” Samson said to her, “You must work the seven strings of my hair into the cloth you are making and hold it there with a nail. Then I will become weak and be like any other man.” ¹⁴ So while Samson slept, Delilah took the seven strings of his hair and worked them into the cloth. She held it in place with the nail. Then she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the nail, the cloth maker and the cloth.

¹⁵ Delilah said to Samson, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have lied to me these three times. You have not told me the secret of your powerful strength.” ¹⁶ She asked him day after day until his soul was troubled to death. ¹⁷ So he told her all that was in his mind. He said to her, “My hair has never been cut. For I have been a Nazirite to God from the time I was born. If my hair is cut, my strength will leave me. I will become weak and be like any other man.”

¹⁸ Delilah saw that Samson had told her the truth. She sent and called the leaders of the Philistines, saying, “Come once again. For he has told me all he knows.” So the leaders of the Philistines came to her. And they brought the money in their hands. ¹⁹ She made Samson sleep on her knees. Then she called for a man to cut off the seven parts of Samson’s hair. She began to hurt Samson, and his strength left him. ²⁰ She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as I have at other times. I will shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. ²¹ The Philistines took hold of him and cut out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and tied him with brass chains. Samson was made to grind grain in the prison. ²² But the hair of his head started to grow again after it was cut off.

The Death of Samson

²³ Now the leaders of the Philistines gathered to give a large gift to their god Dagon. They were happy, for they said, “Our god has given us Samson, the man who has fought against us.” ²⁴ The people praised their god when they saw Samson. They said, “Our god has given us the one who fought against us, destroyed our country, and killed many of us.” ²⁵ After the people had had much to drink, they said, “Bring Samson here so we can have some fun with him.” So they called Samson out of prison and made fun of him. They made him stand between the stone pillars that held up the building. ²⁶ Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the tall pillars that hold up the building. I want to rest against them.” ²⁷ Now the building was full of men and women. All the leaders of the Philistines were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof looking down and laughing at Samson.

²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, I beg You. Remember me. Give me strength only this once, O God. So I may now punish the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹ Samson took hold of the two center pillars that held up the building. He pushed against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. ³⁰ Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his strength so that the building fell on the leaders and all the people in it. He killed more at his death than he killed in his life. ³¹ Then his brothers and all those of his father’s house came and took him. They brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the grave of his father Manoah. Samson had ruled Israel for twenty years.

The False Gods of Micah

17 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. ² He said to his mother, “There were 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you. And I heard you pray that the robber would be cursed. See, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May the Lord bring good to you, my son.” ³ He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And she said, “I set apart all the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son. It is to be used in making an object to look like a god. So I will return the silver to you.” ⁴ When he returned the silver to his mother, she gave 200 pieces to the man who works with silver. He made them into an object to look like a god for Micah’s house. ⁵ The man Micah had a special building where gods were worshiped. He made a holy vest and gods for the house. And he set apart one of his sons to be his religious leader. ⁶ There was no king in Israel in those days. Each man did what he thought was right.

⁷ Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite, of the family of Judah, and he was staying there. ⁸ He left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to find a place to live. As he traveled he came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He answered, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to stay where I may find a place.” ¹⁰ Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be a father and a religious leader to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, new clothes, and your living.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ The Levite agreed to live with the man. And the young man was like a son to Micah. ¹² So Micah set apart the Levite. The young man became his religious leader and lived in Micah’s house. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will bring good to me because I have a Levite as my religious leader.”

Micah and the Danites

18 There was no king of Israel in those days. At that time the family of the Danites was looking for their own land to live in. For no land had been given to them yet among the families of Israel. ² So the people of Dan sent five men from all those in their family. They were men with strength of heart, from Zorah and Eshtaol, sent to look over the land. The people of Dan said to them, “Go and look over the land.” And the men came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. They stayed there. ³ When they were near the house of Micah, they heard the voice of the young man, the Levite. They knew who he was, and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?” ⁴ The Levite said to them, “This is what Micah has done for me. He has hired me. I have become his religious leader.” ⁵ They said to him, “We beg you to ask God if all will go well for us as we travel.” ⁶ The religious leader said to them, “Go in peace. The way you are going is pleasing to the Lord.”

⁷ Then the five men left and came to Laish. They saw how the people lived there, quiet and feeling safe, like the Sidonians. There was no ruler in the land who would put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with anyone. ⁸ The five men returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol. Their brothers said to them, “What do you have to say?” ⁹ They answered, “Get ready. Let us go up against them. For we have seen their land and it is very good. Will you sit and do nothing? Do not wait. Go into the land and take it. ¹⁰ When you go in, you will come to people who feel very safe. They have much land, but God has given it to you. It will be a place where you will have all you need on earth.”

¹¹ Then 600 men from the family of Dan, from Zorah and Eshtaol, went out ready for war. ¹² They went to Kiriath-jearim in Judah and set up their tents. They called that place Mahaneh-dan to this day. It is west of Kiriath-jearim. ¹³ They went from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to look over the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are gods, a holy vest, and objects made to look like gods? So think about what you should do.” ¹⁵ They turned there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, at the home of Micah. They asked him how he was getting along. ¹⁶ The 600 men of the sons of Dan who were ready for war were standing by the gate.