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Judges 3:11-6:40
New American Standard Bible

11 Then the land was at rest for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 Now the sons of Israel again (A)did evil in the sight of the Lord. So (B)the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and [a]defeated Israel, and they took possession of (C)the city of the palm trees. 14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

Ehud Kills Eglon

15 But when the sons of Israel (D)cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by [b]him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his cloak. 17 Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And it came about, when he had finished presenting the tribute, that Ehud sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And the king said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him. 20 Then Ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber alone. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he got up from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and [c]the refuse came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the [d]vestibule, and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

24 When he had left, [e]the king’s servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “(E)Undoubtedly he is [f]relieving himself in the cool room.” 25 So they waited [g]until it would have been shameful to wait longer; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the [h]floor dead.

26 Now Ehud escaped while they were hesitating, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 And [i]when he arrived, (F)he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was [j]leading them. 28 Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you.” So they went down after him and took control of (G)the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29 They struck and killed about ten thousand Moabites at that time, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was at rest for eighty years.

Shamgar Saves Israel

31 Now after him came (H)Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck and killed six hundred Philistines with an [k]oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.

Deborah and Barak

4 Then (I)the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of (J)Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in (K)Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord; for he had nine hundred (L)iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a [l]prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to [m]sit under the (M)palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment. 6 Now she sent word and summoned (N)Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “[n]The Lord, the God of Israel, has indeed commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his [o]many troops to the river Kishon, and (O)I will hand him over to you.’” 8 Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will certainly go with you; however, the fame shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, (P)for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned (Q)Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up [p](R)with him; Deborah also went up with him.

11 Now Heber (S)the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the [q]father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the [r]oak in (T)Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12 Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his chariots, (U)nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from (V)Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has handed Sisera over to you; [s]behold, (W)the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 (X)And the Lord [t]routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; (Y)not even one was left.

17 Now Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a [u]rug. 19 (Z)And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a leather bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, (AA)took a tent peg and [v]a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. 22 And behold, while Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he entered [w]with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.

23 So (AB)God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan on that day before the sons of Israel. 24 And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed harder and harder upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had eliminated Jabin the king of Canaan.

The Song of Deborah and Barak

5 (AC)Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2 “(AD)For [x]the leaders leading in Israel,
For (AE)the people volunteering,
Bless the Lord!
3 Hear, you kings; listen, you dignitaries!
(AF)I myself—to the Lord, I myself will sing,
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
4 (AG)Lord, when You went out from Seir,
When You marched from the field of Edom,
(AH)The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,
The clouds also dripped water.
5 (AI)The mountains [y]flowed with water at the presence of the Lord,
(AJ)This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

6 “In the days of (AK)Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of (AL)Jael, the roads [z]were deserted,
And travelers went by [aa]roundabout ways.
7 The [ab]peasantry came to an end, they came to an end in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 (AM)New gods were chosen;
Then war was in the gates.
Not a shield or a spear was seen
Among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart goes out to (AN)the commanders of Israel,
The volunteers among the people;
Bless the Lord!
10 (AO)You who ride on [ac]white donkeys,
You who sit on rich carpets,
And you who travel on the road—shout in praise!
11 At the sound of those who distribute water among (AP)the watering places,
There they will recount (AQ)the righteous deeds of the Lord,
The righteous deeds for His [ad]peasantry in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord went down (AR)to the gates.

12 “(AS)Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, [ae]sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and (AT)lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.
13 Then survivors came down to the nobles;
The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.
14 From Ephraim those whose root is (AU)in Amalek came down,
Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples;
From Machir commanders came down,
And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of [af]office.
15 And the [ag]princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As was Issachar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they rushed (AV)at his [ah]heels;
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great determinations of heart.
16 Why did you sit among (AW)the [ai]sheepfolds,
To hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
17 (AX)Gilead [aj]remained across the Jordan;
And why did Dan stay on ships?
Asher sat at the seashore,
And [ak]remained by its landings.
18 (AY)Zebulun was a people who risked their lives,
And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.

19 “(AZ)The kings came and fought;
Then the kings of Canaan fought
(BA)At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;
(BB)They took no plunder in silver.
20 (BC)The stars fought from heaven,
From their paths they fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
(BD)My soul, march on with strength!
22 (BE)Then the horses’ hoofs beat
From the galloping, the galloping of his mighty stallions.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord,
‘Utterly curse its inhabitants,
(BF)Because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’

24 “(BG)Most blessed of women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
25 He asked for water, she gave him milk;
In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26 She reached out her hand for the tent peg,
And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head;
And she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;
Between her feet he bowed, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell [al]dead.

28 “Out of the window she looked and wailed,
The mother of Sisera through the [am]lattice,
‘Why does his chariot delay in coming?
Why do the [an]hoofbeats of his chariots delay?’
29 Her wise princesses would answer her,
Indeed she repeats her words to herself,
30 ‘(BH)Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoils?
A concubine, two concubines for every warrior;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed cloth,
A spoil of dyed cloth embroidered,
Dyed cloth of double embroidery on the [ao]neck of the plunderer?’
31 (BI)May all Your enemies perish in this way, Lord;
(BJ)But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”

And the land was at rest for forty years.

Israel Oppressed by Midian

6 Then the sons of Israel (BK)did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord handed them over to (BL)Midian for seven years. 2 The [ap]power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves (BM)the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the [aq]people of the east and [ar]march against them. 4 So they would camp against them and (BN)destroy the produce of the earth [as]as far as Gaza, and (BO)leave no sustenance in Israel, nor a sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in (BP)like locusts in number, and both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to ruin it. 6 So Israel was brought (BQ)very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

7 Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of Midian, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and (BR)he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of [at]slavery. 9 And I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from the hands of all your oppressors, and I drove them out from you and gave you their land, 10 and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you (BS)shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not [au]obeyed Me.’”

Gideon Is Visited

11 Then (BT)the angel of the Lord came and sat under the [av]oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the (BU)Abiezrite, as his son (BV)Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But (BW)now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 And the Lord [aw]looked at him and said, “(BX)Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 (BY)But he said to Him, “O Lord, [ax]how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in (BZ)Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 (CA)Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will [ay]defeat Midian as one man.” 17 So [az]Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me (CB)a sign that it is You speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

19 Then Gideon went in and (CC)prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an [ba]ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket [bb]and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the [bc]oak and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and (CD)fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord [bd]vanished from his sight. 22 (CE)When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord, [be]he said, “Oh, Lord [bf]God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it [bg]The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still (CF)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull [bh]and a second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the [bi](CG)Asherah that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly way, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27 Then Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

The Altar of Baal Destroyed

28 When the people of the city got up early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, and the Asherah which had been beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, since someone has torn down his altar!” 32 Therefore on that day he named [bj]Gideon (CH)Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the [bk]people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over and camped in (CI)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 So (CJ)the Spirit of the Lord [bl]covered Gideon like clothing; and he (CK)blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, (CL)Zebulun, and Naphtali, and (CM)they came up to meet them.

Sign of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, “(CN)If You are going to save Israel [bm]through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel [bn]through me, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and wrung out the fleece, he wrung the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “(CO)Do not let Your anger burn against me, so that I may speak only one more time; please let me put You to the test only one more time with the fleece: let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:13 Lit struck
  2. Judges 3:15 Lit his hand
  3. Judges 3:22 Meaning of the Heb uncertain, but perhaps excrement
  4. Judges 3:23 Meaning uncertain
  5. Judges 3:24 Lit his
  6. Judges 3:24 Lit covering his feet; a euphemism referring to a squatting position
  7. Judges 3:25 Lit until shaming
  8. Judges 3:25 Lit earth
  9. Judges 3:27 Lit it happened
  10. Judges 3:27 Lit before them
  11. Judges 3:31 I.e., a spiked stick for driving livestock
  12. Judges 4:4 Lit woman prophetess
  13. Judges 4:5 Or live
  14. Judges 4:6 Lit Has the Lord not commanded...?
  15. Judges 4:7 Lit multitude
  16. Judges 4:10 Lit at his feet
  17. Judges 4:11 Another reading is brother-in-law
  18. Judges 4:11 Or terebinth
  19. Judges 4:14 Lit has the Lord not gone...?
  20. Judges 4:15 Lit confused
  21. Judges 4:18 Or blanket
  22. Judges 4:21 Lit put a hammer
  23. Judges 4:22 Lit to
  24. Judges 5:2 Or the hair hanging free in
  25. Judges 5:5 As in MT; LXX quaked
  26. Judges 5:6 Lit had ceased
  27. Judges 5:6 Lit twisting
  28. Judges 5:7 Or rural dwellers
  29. Judges 5:10 Or tawny
  30. Judges 5:11 Or rural dwellers
  31. Judges 5:12 Lit speak
  32. Judges 5:14 Lit a scribe
  33. Judges 5:15 As in ancient versions; MT My princes
  34. Judges 5:15 Lit feet
  35. Judges 5:16 Or saddlebags
  36. Judges 5:17 Or dwelt
  37. Judges 5:17 Or dwelt
  38. Judges 5:27 Lit destroyed
  39. Judges 5:28 Or window
  40. Judges 5:28 Lit steps
  41. Judges 5:30 Lit necks of the spoil
  42. Judges 6:2 Lit hand
  43. Judges 6:3 Lit sons
  44. Judges 6:3 Lit go up against
  45. Judges 6:4 Lit until your coming to
  46. Judges 6:8 Lit slaves
  47. Judges 6:10 Lit listened to My voice
  48. Judges 6:11 Or terebinth
  49. Judges 6:14 Or turned toward
  50. Judges 6:15 Lit with what
  51. Judges 6:16 Lit strike
  52. Judges 6:17 Lit he
  53. Judges 6:19 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  54. Judges 6:19 Lit and he put
  55. Judges 6:19 Or terebinth
  56. Judges 6:21 Lit departed
  57. Judges 6:22 Lit Gideon
  58. Judges 6:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  59. Judges 6:24 Heb Yahweh-shalom
  60. Judges 6:25 Or even
  61. Judges 6:25 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity; also vv 26, 28, 30
  62. Judges 6:32 Lit him
  63. Judges 6:33 Lit sons
  64. Judges 6:34 Lit clothed
  65. Judges 6:36 Lit by my hand
  66. Judges 6:37 Lit by my hand
Listen to Judges 3:11-6:40
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Judges 3:11-6:40
New International Version

11 So the land had peace(A) for forty years,(B) until Othniel son of Kenaz(C) died.

Ehud

12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(D) and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab(E) power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites(F) and Amalekites(G) to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.[a](H) 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab(I) for eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer(J)—Ehud(K), a left-handed(L) man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute(M) to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud(N) had made a double-edged sword about a cubit[b] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute(O) to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.(P) 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace[c](Q) and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose(R) from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword(S) from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch[d]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself(T) in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment,(U) but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet(V) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab,(W) your enemy, into your hands.(X)” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan(Y) that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab(Z) was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace(AA) for eighty years.

Shamgar

31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath,(AB) who struck down six hundred(AC) Philistines(AD) with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

Deborah

4 Again the Israelites did evil(AE) in the eyes of the Lord,(AF) now that Ehud(AG) was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them(AH) into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.(AI) Sisera,(AJ) the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron(AK) and had cruelly oppressed(AL) the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

4 Now Deborah,(AM) a prophet,(AN) the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[e] Israel at that time. 5 She held court(AO) under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah(AP) and Bethel(AQ) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam(AR) from Kedesh(AS) in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali(AT) and Zebulun(AU) and lead them up to Mount Tabor.(AV) 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s(AW) army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River(AX) and give him into your hands.(AY)’”

8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

9 “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.(AZ) 10 There Barak summoned(BA) Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites,(BB) the descendants of Hobab,(BC) Moses’ brother-in-law,[f] and pitched his tent by the great tree(BD) in Zaanannim(BE) near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,(BF) 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River(BG) all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.(BH)

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands.(BI) Has not the Lord gone ahead(BJ) of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed(BK) Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

16 Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.(BL) 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,(BM) the wife of Heber the Kenite,(BN) because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor(BO) and the family of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael(BP) went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19 “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk,(BQ) gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

21 But Jael,(BR) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,(BS) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.(BT)

22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael(BU) went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.(BV)

23 On that day God subdued(BW) Jabin(BX) king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.(BY)

The Song of Deborah

5 On that day Deborah(BZ) and Barak son of Abinoam(CA) sang this song:(CB)

2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead,
    when the people willingly offer(CC) themselves—
    praise the Lord!(CD)

3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
    I, even I, will sing to[g] the Lord;(CE)
    I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.(CF)

4 “When you, Lord, went out(CG) from Seir,(CH)
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook,(CI) the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.(CJ)
5 The mountains quaked(CK) before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,(CL)
    in the days of Jael,(CM) the highways(CN) were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.(CO)
7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah,(CP) arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 God chose new leaders(CQ)
    when war came to the city gates,(CR)
but not a shield or spear(CS) was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers(CT) among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

10 “You who ride on white donkeys,(CU)
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider 11 the voice of the singers[h] at the watering places.
    They recite the victories(CV) of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.(CW)
12 ‘Wake up,(CX) wake up, Deborah!(CY)
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!(CZ)
    Take captive your captives,(DA) son of Abinoam.’

13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim,(DB) whose roots were in Amalek;(DC)
    Benjamin(DD) was with the people who followed you.
From Makir(DE) captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[i] staff.
15 The princes of Issachar(DF) were with Deborah;(DG)
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,(DH)
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[j](DI)
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?(DJ)
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead(DK) stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher(DL) remained on the coast(DM)
    and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun(DN) risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali(DO) on the terraced fields.(DP)

19 “Kings came(DQ), they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,(DR)
    they took no plunder of silver.(DS)
20 From the heavens(DT) the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon(DU) swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!(DV)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.(DW)
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

24 “Most blessed of women(DX) be Jael,(DY)
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,(DZ)
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;(EA)
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.(EB)
27 At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead(EC).

28 “Through the window(ED) peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,(EE)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:(EF)
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments(EG) for my neck—
    all this as plunder?(EH)’

31 “So may all your enemies perish,(EI) Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun(EJ)
    when it rises in its strength.”(EK)

Then the land had peace(EL) forty years.

Gideon

6 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(EM) and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.(EN) 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive,(EO) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves(EP) and strongholds.(EQ) 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites(ER) and other eastern peoples(ES) invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops(ET) all the way to Gaza(EU) and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts.(EV) It was impossible to count them or their camels;(EW) they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out(EX) to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out(EY) to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet,(EZ) who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt,(FA) out of the land of slavery.(FB) 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors;(FC) I drove them out before you and gave you their land.(FD) 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship(FE) the gods of the Amorites,(FF) in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the Lord(FG) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah(FH) that belonged to Joash(FI) the Abiezrite,(FJ) where his son Gideon(FK) was threshing(FL) wheat in a winepress(FM) to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,(FN) mighty warrior.(FO)”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders(FP) that our ancestors told(FQ) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned(FR) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have(FS) and save(FT) Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan(FU) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.(FV)”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you(FW), and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign(FX) that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat,(FY) and from an ephah[k](FZ) of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.(GA)

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock,(GB) and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread(GC) with the tip of the staff(GD) that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized(GE) that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”(GF)

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid.(GG) You are not going to die.”(GH)

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called(GI) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah(GJ) of the Abiezrites.

25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.[l] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[m](GK) beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[n] altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second[o] bull as a burnt offering.(GL)”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar,(GM) demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”

When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash(GN) did it.”

30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar(GO) and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause?(GP) Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal[p](GQ) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites(GR) and other eastern peoples(GS) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.(GT) 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on(GU) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,(GV) summoning the Abiezrites(GW) to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,(GX) Zebulun and Naphtali,(GY) so that they too went up to meet them.(GZ)

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save(HA) Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece(HB) on the threshing floor.(HC) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know(HD) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.(HE) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.(HF)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:13 That is, Jericho
  2. Judges 3:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  3. Judges 3:20 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 24.
  4. Judges 3:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Judges 4:4 Traditionally judging
  6. Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law
  7. Judges 5:3 Or of
  8. Judges 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  9. Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  10. Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
  11. Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  12. Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd
  13. Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
  14. Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
  15. Judges 6:26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28
  16. Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.
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