The Book of Judges Chapter 1 Now after the death of Joshua
it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying,
Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to fight
against them? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up. Behold, I
have delivered the land into his hand. And Judah said unto
Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight
against the Canaanites, and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot.
So Simeon went with him. And Judah went up. And the LORD
delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand,
and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. And they found
Adonai Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him, and they
slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adonai Bezek fled, and they
pursued after him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and
his great toes. And Adonai Bezek said, Three
score and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut
off, gathered their meat under my table. As I have done, so
God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem,
and there he died. Now the children of Judah had
fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it and smitten it with
the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. And afterward
the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites
that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.
And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron. Now the
name of Hebron before was Kerjith-Jabba. And they slew Shishai, and Ahimon,
and Talmai. And from thence he went against
the inhabitants of Debia. And the name of Debia before
was Kurjath Sipha. And Caleb said, He that smiteth
Kurjath Sipha, and taketh it, to him will I give Aksa, my daughter,
to wife. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz,
Caleb's younger brother, took it, and he gave him Axa, his
daughter to wife. And it came to pass, when she
came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field.
And she lighted from off her ass, and Caleb said unto her,
What wilt thou? And she said unto him, Give me
a blessing, for thou hast given me a south land. Give me also
springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper
springs and the nether springs. And the children of the Kenite,
Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees
with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah which
lieth in the south of Arad, and they went and dwelt among the
people. And Judah went with Simeon his
brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly
destroyed it, and the name of the city was called Hormah. Also
Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Ascalon with the
coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. And the Lord
was with Judah, and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain,
but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had
chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron unto Caleb,
as Moses said, and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. And the children of Benjamin
did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem. But
the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem
unto this day. And the house of Joseph, they
also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. And
the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. Now the name of the city
before was Luz. And the spies saw a man came
forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray
thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy.
And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the
city with the edge of the sword, but they let go the man and all
his family. And the man went into the land
of the Hittites and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz,
which is the name thereof unto this day. Neither did Manasseh
drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor
Teanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns,
nor the inhabitants of Iblium and her towns, nor the inhabitants
of Megiddo and her towns, but the Canaanites would dwell in
that land. And it came to pass, when Israel
was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did
not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out
the Canaanites that dwelt in Giza, but the Canaanites dwelt
in Giza among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out
the inhabitants of Kitran, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol. But
the Canaanites dwelt among them and became tributaries. Neither
did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acho, nor the inhabitants
of Zidon, nor of Arlab, nor of Aqsib, nor of Helba, nor Afik,
nor of Rehob. But the Assyrites dwelt among
the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not
drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out
the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath,
but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land.
Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Bathshemesh and Bethanath
became tributaries unto them. And the Amorites forced the children
of Dan into the mountain, for they would not suffer them to
come down to the valley. But the Amorites would dwell
in Mount Heras in Aijalon. And in Shealbim, yet the hand
of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabim
from the rock and upward. Judges chapter 2 And an angel
of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochum, and said, I made you
to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land which
I swear unto your fathers. And I said, I will never break
my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with
the inhabitants of this land. Ye shall throw down their altars.
But ye have not obeyed my voice. Why have ye done this? Wherefore
I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but
they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be
a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the
angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of
Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And
they called the name of that place Bochem, and they sacrificed
there unto the Lord. And when Joshua had let the people
go, the children of Israel went, every man unto his inheritance,
to possess the land. And the people served the Lord
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived
Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that
he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the
servant of the Lord, died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border
of his inheritance in Timnatheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the
north side of the hill Geash. And also all that generation
were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation
after them which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which
he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did
evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Balaam. And they forsook
the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the
land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people
that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and
provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and
served Baal and Ashtoreth. And the anger of the Lord was
hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers
that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their
enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand
before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out,
the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had
said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them, and they were greatly
distressed. Nevertheless, the Lord raised
up judges which delivered them out of the hand of those that
spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken
unto their judges, but they went a-whoring after other gods and
bowed themselves unto them. They turned quickly out of the
way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments
of the Lord. But they did not so. And when
the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge,
and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the
days of the judge. For it repented the Lord because
of their groanings, by reason of them that oppressed them and
vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that
they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers in following
other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them. They ceased
not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And
the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. And he said,
Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which
I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice,
I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the
nations which Joshua left when he died. That through them I
may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord
to walk therein as their fathers did keep it. or not. Therefore
the Lord left those nations without driving them out hastily, neither
deliver them into the hand of Joshua. Judges chapter 3 Now these are
the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel by them, even
as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan.
only that the generations of the children of Israel might
know to teach them war at the least such as before knew nothing
thereof. Namely, five lords of the Philistines,
and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that
dwelt in Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-Herman unto the entering
in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel
by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments
of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt
among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites,
and Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took their daughters
to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and
served their gods. And the children of Israel did
evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God,
and served Balaam and the groves. Therefore the anger of the Lord
was hot against Israel. And he sold them into the hand
of Chushash Rishathayim, king of Mesopotamia. And the children
of Israel served Chushan Rishathayim eight years. And when the children
of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer
to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel,
the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of the
Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war.
And the LORD delivered Chushan Rishithaim, king of Mesopotamia,
into his hand. And his hand prevailed against
Chushan Rishithaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz,
died. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of
the LORD. And the LORD strengthened Eglon,
the king of Moab, against Israel because they had done evil in
the sight of the LORD. And he gathered unto him the
children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and
possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served
Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But the children of Israel
cried unto the Lord, and the Lord raised them up a deliverer,
Ehud the son of Gerar a Benjamite, a man left-handed. And by him
the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges of a cubit length,
and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab, And Eglin
was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to
offer the present, he sent away the people that bear the present.
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal,
and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king, who said,
Keep silence, and all that stood by him went out from him. And
Ehud came unto him, and he was sitting in a summer parlour,
which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message
from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his
right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the haft also
went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade,
so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly. and
the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth to the porch,
and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When
he was gone out, his servants came, and when they saw that,
behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely
he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till
they were ashamed, and behold, he opened not the doors of the
parlour, therefore they took a key and opened them, and behold,
their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped
while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped
unto Sarirath. And it came to pass, when he
was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and
the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and
he before them. And he said unto them, Follow
after me, for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into
your hand. And they went down after him,
and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not
a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that
time about ten thousand men, all lusty and all men of valor,
and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day
unto the hand of Israel, and the land had rest fourscore years. And after him was Shamgar, the
son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with
an ox-goad. And he also delivered Israel. Judges chapter 4 And the children
of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD when Ehud was
dead. And the Lord sold them into the
hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, the captain
of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Herosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried
unto the Lord, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and
twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah,
a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah
and Bethel in Mount Ephraim. And the children of Israel came
up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak,
the son of Abinuim, out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said unto him,
Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded us, saying, Go and
draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men
of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And
I will draw unto thee to the river Chisholm, Sisera, the captain
of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude, and I will
deliver him into thine hand.' And Barak said unto her, If thou
wilt go with me, then I will go, but if thou wilt not go with
me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go
with thee. Notwithstanding, the journey
that thou takest shall not be for thine honour, for the Lord
shall sell Cicero into the hand of a woman." And Deborah arose
and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and
Naphtali to Kedesh, and he went up with ten thousand men at his
feet, and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, which
was of the children of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, had
severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the
plain of Zionaim, which is by Kedesh. And they showed Sisera
that Barak, the son of Abinuim, was gone up to Mount Tabor. And
Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred
chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from
Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Chisholm. And Deborah
said unto Barak, up, for this is the day in which the Lord
hath delivered Sisera into thine hand. Is not the Lord gone out
before thee? So Barak went down from Mount
Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord discomfited
Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his hosts, with the edge
of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted down off
his chariot and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after
the chariots and after the host unto Herosheth of the Gentiles.
And all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword, and
there was not a man left. Albeit Sisera fled away on his
feet to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. For
there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house
of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera,
and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me, fear not. And when he turned in unto her
into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto
her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.
And she opened a bottle of milk and gave him drink, and covered
him. Again he said unto her, stand
in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth
come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then
Jael, Heber's wife, took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer
in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail
into his temples, and fastened it into the ground, for he was
fast asleep and weary. So he died. And behold, as Barak
pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him,
Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when
he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail
was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin,
the king of Canaan, before the children of Israel. And the hand
of the children of Israel prospered and prevailed against Jabin,
the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin, king of
Canaan. Judges chapter 6 And the children
of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered
them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of
Midian prevailed against Israel. And because of the Midianites,
the children of Israel made them the dens, which are in the mountains,
and caves, and strongholds. And so it was, when Israel had
sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the
children of the east, even they came up against them, and they
encamped against them. and destroyed the increase of
the earth till thou come unto Gaza and left no sustenance for
Israel neither sheep nor ox nor ass for they came up with their
cattle and their tents and they came up as grasshoppers for multitude
for both they and their camels were without number and they
entered into the land to destroy it and Israel was greatly impoverished
because of the Midianites and the children of Israel cried
unto the Lord And it came to pass, when the children of Israel
cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord
sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt,
and brought you forth out of the house of bondage. And I delivered
you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that
oppressed you, and draved them out from before you, and gave
you their land. And I said unto you, I am the
Lord your God. Fear not the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not obeyed my voice. And there came an angel of the
Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained
unto Joash the Abizrite, and his son Gideon threshed wheat
by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel
of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is
with thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said unto him,
O my lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen
us? And where be all his miracles
which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring
us up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath forsaken
us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And
the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and
thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have
not I sent thee? And he said unto him, O my Lord,
wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in
Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the
Lord said unto him, Surely, I will be with thee, and thou shalt
smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now
I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou
talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee,
until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it
before thee. And he said, I will tarry until
thou come again. And Gideon went in and made ready
a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour, the flesh
he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought
it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel
of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes,
and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he
did so. Then the angel of the Lord put
forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched
the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and there rose up fire
out of the rock. and consumed the flesh and the
unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed
out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that
he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God,
for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And
the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thou
shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there
unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah Shalom. Unto this day
it is yet in offer of the Abbaia's rites. And it came to pass the
same night that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young
bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw
down the altar of bale that thy father hath, and cut down the
grove that is by it, and build an altar unto the Lord thy God
upon the top of this rock in the ordered place, and take the
second bullock and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the
grove which thou shalt cut down.' Then Gideon took ten men of his
servants and did as the Lord had said unto him. And so it
was, because he feared his father's household and the men of the
city, that he could not do it by day, but he did it by night. And when the men of the city
arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down,
and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock
was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one
to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired
and asked, they said, Gideon, the son of Joash, hath done this
thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy
son, that he may die, because he hath cast down the altar of
Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead
for Baal? Will ye save him? He that will
plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning.
If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath
cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called
him Jerob Baal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he
hath thrown down his altar. Then all the Midianites and the
Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together,
and went over and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the
Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,
and Abba Isa was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout
all Manasseh, who also was gathered after him. And he sent messengers
unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali, and they came
up to meet him. And Gideon said unto God, If
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold,
I will put a fleece of wool in the floor. And if the dew be
on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside,
Then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as
thou hast said. And it was so. For he rose up
early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed
the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said
unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will
speak but this once, Let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with
the fleece. Let it now be dry only upon the
fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did
so that night, for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there
was dew on all the ground. Judges chapter 7 Then Jeroboam,
who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early,
and pitched beside the well of Herod, so that the host of the
Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of
Moreh in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon,
The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the
Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore
go to proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever
is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from
Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people
twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many.
Bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee
there. And it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, This shall
go with thee, the same shall go with thee. And of whomsoever
I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall
not go. So he brought down the people
unto the water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that
lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him
shalt thou set by himself. Likewise, everyone that boweth
down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped,
putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men. But all
the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink
water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred
men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into
thine hand. and let all the other people
go, every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in
their hand and their trumpets, and he sent all the rest of Israel,
every man, unto his tent, and retained those three hundred
men. And the host of Midian was beneath
him in the valley. And it came to pass the same
night that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto
the host, for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou
fear to go down, go thou with Phura thy servant down to the
host, and thou shalt hear what they say, and afterward shall
thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went
he down with Phura his servant unto the outside of the armed
men that were in the host. And the Midianites and the Amalekites
and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like
grasshoppers for multitude, and their camels were without number
as the sand by the seaside for multitude. And when Gideon was
come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow,
and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote
it, that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else, save the
sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for into his
hand hath God delivered Midian and all the host. And it was
so when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation
thereof that he worshipped and returned into the host of Israel
and said, Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand
the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred
men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's
hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And
he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise. And behold,
when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that as
I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with the trumpet,
I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on
every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord and
of Gideon. So Gideon and the hundred men
that were with him came unto the outside of the camp in the
beginning of the middle watch. And they had but newly set the
watch. And they blew the trumpets and
broke the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three
companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers and held the
lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands
to blow withal. And they cried, The sword of
the Lord and of Gideon! And they stood every man in his
place round about the camp. And all the host ran, and cried,
and fled. And the three hundred blew the
trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow,
even throughout all the host. And the host fled to Bethshitta
in Zerarath, and to the border of Abel-mehola, unto Tabath.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali,
and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after
the Midianites. And Gideon sent messengers throughout
all Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites,
and take before them the waters unto Bethpara and Jordan. Then
all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took
the waters unto Bethpara and Jordan. And they took two princes
of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeb. And they slew Oreb upon the rock,
Oreb. And Zeb they slew at the winepress
of Zeb. And pursued Midian, and brought
the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gideon, on the other side Jordan. Judges chapter 8 And the men of Ephraim said unto
him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou callest us not,
when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did
chide with him sharply. And he said unto them, What have
I done now in comparison of you? is not the gleaning of the grapes
of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abba Isa? God hath delivered
into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb, and Zeb, and what
was I able to do in comparison of you?" Then their anger was
abated toward him when he had said that. And Gideon came to
Jordan and passed over he and the three hundred men that were
with him, faint yet pursuing them. And he said unto the men
of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people
that follow me, for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebar
and Zalmoner, kings of Midian. And the princes of Succoth said,
Are the hands of Zebar and Zalmoner now in thine hand, that we should
give bread unto thine army? And Gideon said, Therefore, when
the Lord hath delivered Zebar and Zalmoner into mine hand,
then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness
and with briers. And he went up thence to Penuel,
and spake unto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered
him as the men of Succoth had answered him. And he spake also
unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I
will break down this tower. Now Ziba and Zalmanah were in
Karka, and their hosts with them about fifteen thousand men, all
that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east,
for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew
sword. And Gideon went up by the way
of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Noba and Jogbahar
and smote the host, for the host was secure. And when Zibar and
Zalmoner fled, he pursued after them and took the two kings of
Midian, Zibar and Zalmoner, and discomfited all the host. And
Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from battle before the sun was
up, and caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired
of him. And he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and
the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. And he came
unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold, Zebar and Zalmanah,
with whom Edith upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebar and Zalmanah
now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that
are weary? And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the
wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the
city. Then said he unto Zebar and Zalmanah,
What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they
answered, As thou art, so were they, each one resembled the
children of a king. And he said, They were my brethren,
even the sons of my mother. As the Lord liveth, if he had
saved them alive, I would not slay you. And he said unto Jetha
his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword,
for he feared, because he was yet a youth. Then Zebar and Zalmanah
said, Rise thou and fall upon us. For as the man is, so is
his strength. And Gideon arose and slew Zeba
and Zalmoner, and took away the ornaments that were on their
camels' necks. Then the men of Israel said unto
Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou and thy son, and thy son's
son also, for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And
Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you. Neither shall
my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you.
And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that
ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. For they
had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites. And they
answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment,
and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And
the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand
and seven hundred shekels of gold, beside ornaments and collars
and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside
the chains that were about their camels' necks. And Gideon made
an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophra. And
all Israel went thither a-whoring after it, which thing became
a snare unto Gideon and to his house. Thus was Midian subdued
before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their
heads no more, and the country was in quietness forty years
in the days of Gideon. And Jeroboam the son of Joash
went and dwelt in his own house. And Gideon had threescore and
ten sons of his body begotten, for he had many wives. And his
concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose
name he called Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died
in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash's father,
in Ophrah of the Abizrites. And it came to pass, as soon
as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again,
and went a-whoring after Balaam, and made Baal Bereth their god. And the children of Israel remembered
not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands
of all their enemies on every side. Neither showed they kindness
to the house of Jeroboam, namely Gideon, according to all the
goodness which he had showed unto Israel. Judges chapter 9. And Abimelech,
the son of Jeroboam, went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren,
and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of
his mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears
of all the men of Shechem, whether it is better for you, either
that all the sons of Jeroboam, which are threescore and ten
persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you. Remember
also that I am your bone and your flesh.' And his mother's
brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem
all these words. And their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech,
for they said, He is our brother. And they gave him three score
and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-biruth,
wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons which followed
him. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his
brethren, the sons of Jeroboam, being threescore and ten persons,
upon one stone. Notwithstanding, yet Jotham,
the youngest son of Jeroboam, was left, for he hid himself.
And all the men of Shechem gathered together in all the house of
Milo, and went and made Abimelech king by the plain of the pillar
that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham,
he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up
his voice and cried and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye
men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went
forth on a time to anoint a king over them, and they said unto
the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto
them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God
and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the tree
said to the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. But the fig
tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto
the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the vine said unto
them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, And
go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto
the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the bramble said
unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, Then
come and put your trust in my shadow, And if not, let fire
come out of the bramble, And devour the cedars of Lebanon.
Now therefore, If ye have done truly and sincerely, in that
ye have made a Bimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with
Jeroboam and his house, and have done unto him according to the
deserving of his hands, for my father fought for you, and adventured
his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian, and
ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain
his sons, threescore and ten persons upon one stone, And have
made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men
of Shechem, because he is your brother? If ye then have dealt
truly and sincerely with Jeroboam and his house this day then rejoice
ye in Abimelech and let him also rejoice in you but if not let
fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem
and the house of Milo and let fire come out from the men of
Shechem and from the house of Milo and devour Abimelech And
Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there
for fear of Abimelech his brother. When Abimelech had reigned three
years over Israel Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech
and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously
with Abimelech, that the cruelty done to the threescore and ten
sons of Jeroboam might come, and their blood be laid upon
Abimelech their brother, which slew them, and upon the men of
Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. And
the men of Shechem sent liars in wait for him in the top of
the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way
by them, and it was told Abimelech. And Gael the son of Ebed came
with his brethren and went over to Shechem, and the men of Shechem
put their confidence in him. And they went out into the fields,
and gathered their vineyards, and trowed the grapes, and made
merry, and went into the house of their God, and did eat and
drink, and cursed Abimelech. And Gael the son of Ebed said,
Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem that we should serve
him? Is not he the son of Jerubal, and Zebal his officer? Serve
the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for why should we
serve him? And would to God this people
were under my hand, then would I remove Abimelech. And he said
to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. And when
Zebal the ruler of the city heard the words of Gael the son of
Ebed, his anger was kindled, and he sent messengers unto Abimelech
privily, saying, Behold, Gael the son of Ebed and his brethren
be come to Shechem, and behold, they fortify the city against
thee. Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that is with
thee, and lie in wait in the field. And it shall be that in
the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early
and set upon the city. And behold, when he and the people
that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to
them as thou shalt find occasion. And Abimelech rose up and all
the people that were with him by night, and they laid wait
against Shechem in four companies. And Gael, the son of Ebed, went
out and stood in the entering of the gate of the city. And
Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying
in wait. And when Gael saw the people, he said to Zebal, Behold,
there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebal
said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains, as if
they were men. And Gael spake again, and said, See, there come
people down by the middle of the land, and another company
come along by the plain of Middonanim. Then said Zebal unto him, Where
is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that
we should serve him? Is not this the people that thou
hast despised? Go out, I pray thou, and fight
with them.' And Gael went out before the men of Shechem, and
fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech chased him, and
he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded,
even unto the entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at
Aramah, and Zebal thrust out Gael and his brethren that they
should not dwell in Shechem. And it came to pass on the morrow
that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. And he took the people and divided
them into three companies and laid wait in the field, and looked,
and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city, and
he rose up against them and smote them. And Abimelech and the company
that was with him rushed forward and stood in the entering of
the gate of the city, and the two other companies ran upon
all the people that were in the fields and slew them. And Abimelech
fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and
slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city and sewed
it with salt. And when all the men of the tower
of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of
the god Bereth. And it was told Abimelech that
all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech
gat him up to Mount Zelmon, he and all the people that were
with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down
a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder,
and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen
me do, make haste, and do as I have done.' And all the people
likewise cut down every man his bow, and followed Abimelech,
and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them. So that all the men of the tower
of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. Then went Abimelech
to Thebes, and encamped against Thebes, and took it. But there
was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the
men and women and all they of the city, and shut it to them,
and gapped them up to the top of the tower. And Abimelech came
unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the door
of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast
a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull.
And he called hastily unto the young man, his armor-bearer,
and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not
of me a woman slew him. And his young man thrust him
through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw
that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. Thus God rendered the wickedness
of Abimelech which he did unto his father in slaying his seventy
brethren. And all the evil of the men of
Shechem did God render upon their heads. And upon them came the
curse of Jotham, the son of Jeroboam. Judges chapter 11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was
a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of Anharlet, and
Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons,
and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah,
and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house,
for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from
his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob. And there were gathered
vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. And it came to
pass, in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war
against Israel. And it was so that when the children
of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to
fetch Jephthah out of the land of Toph. And they said unto Jephthah,
Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children
of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not
ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? And why
are ye come unto me now, when ye are in distress? And the elders
of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee
now, that thou mayest go with us and fight against the children
of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home
again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver
them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead
said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we
do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with the elders
of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them,
and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Misbe.
And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children
of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me that thou art come
against me to fight in my land? And the king of the children
of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took
away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from Anan, even
unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan. Now therefore restore those lands
again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers
again unto the king of the children of Ammon, and said unto him,
Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor
the land of the children of Ammon. But when Israel came up from
Egypt and walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea,
and came to Kadesh, then Israel sent messengers unto the king
of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land.
But the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like
manner they sent unto the king of Moab, but he would not consent.
And Israel abode in Kadesh. Then they went along through
the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom and the land
of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and
pitched on the other side of Anan, but came not within the
border of Moab, for Anan was the border of Moab. And Israel
sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, the king of
Heshbon. And Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee,
through thy land into my place. But Sihon trusted not Israel
to pass through his coast. But Sihon gathered all his people
together, and pitched in Jehaz, and fought against Israel. And
the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into
the hand of Israel, and they smote them. So Israel possessed
all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even
unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. So now the
Lord God of Israel hath disposed the Amorites from before his
people Israel, and shouldst thou possess it, wilt thou possess
that which Chemosh thy God giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever
the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them we will
possess. And now art thou anything better
than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive
against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, while Israel
dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Oroa and her towns, and
in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon three
hundred years? Why, therefore, did he not recover
them within that time? Therefore I have not sinned against
thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me. The Lord,
the judge, be judged this day between the children of Israel
and the children of Ammon. Howbeit the king of the children
of Ammon hearken not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent
him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed
over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpi of Gilead,
and from Mizpi of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt
without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then
it shall be that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon shall
surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight
against them. And the Lord delivered them into
his hands, and he smote them from a rower, even till thou
come to Minneth, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of
the vineyards with a very great slaughter. Thus the children
of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. And Jephthah
came to Misbe unto his house, and behold his daughter came
out to meet him, with timbrels and with dancers, and she was
his only child. Beside her he had neither son
nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he
saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas! my daughter,
thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that
trouble me, for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I
cannot go back.' And she said unto him, My father, if thou
hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that
which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as the Lord
hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the
children of Ammon. And she said unto her father,
Let this thing be done for me. Let me alone two months, that
I may go up and down upon the mountains and bewail my virginity,
I and my fellows.' And he said, Go. And he sent her away for
two months, as she went with her companions and bewailed her
virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass, at the end
of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with
her according to his vow, which he had vowed. And she knew no
man. And it was a custom in Israel
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter
of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year. Judges chapter 13 And the children of Israel did
evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered
them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. And there was a
certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose
name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and bare not. And
the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman and said unto
her, Behold, now thou art barren and barest not, but thou shalt
conceive and bear a son. Now, therefore, beware, I pray
thee, and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and eat not any
unclean thing. For lo, thou shalt conceive and
bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head, for the child
shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, and he shall begin
to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Then
the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of
God, very terrible. But I asked him not whence he
was, neither told he me his name. But he said unto me, Behold,
thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and now drink no wine
nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing, for the child
shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
Then Manoah entreated the Lord and said, O my Lord, let the
man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach
us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. And
God hearkened to the voice of Manoah. And the angel of God
came again unto the woman as she sat in the field, but Manoah
her husband was not with her. And the woman made haste and
ran and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man
hath appeared unto me that came unto me the other day. And Manoah
arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said
unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he
said, I am. And Manoah said, Now let thy
words come to pass. How shall we order the child,
and how shall we do unto him? And the angel of the Lord said
unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman, let her beware.
She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let
her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. All
that I commanded her, let her observe. And Manoah said unto
the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until
we shall have made ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the
Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat
of thy bread. And if thou wilt offer a burnt
offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew
not that he was an angel of the Lord. And when Noah said unto
the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings
come to pass, we may do thee honour? And the angel of the
LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing
it is secret? So Manoah took a kid with a meat
offering and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord. And the
angel did wondrously. And Manoah and his wife looked
on, for it came to pass when the flame went up toward heaven
from off the altar that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame
of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked
on it and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel
of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then
Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said
unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If
the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received
a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he
have showed us all these things, nor would, as at this time, have
told us such things as these. And a woman bare a son, and called
his name Samson. And the child grew, and the Lord
blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began
to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshter. Judges chapter 14 And Samson
went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters
of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father
and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines, now therefore get her for me
to wife. And his father and his mother said unto him, Is there
never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all
my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised
Philistines?" And Samson said unto his father, Get her for
me, for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother
knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought an occasion against
the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines
had dominion over Israel. Then Samson went down, and his
father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of
Timnath. And behold, a young lion roared against him. And
the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as
he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand. But
he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And
he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson
well. And after a time he returned
to take her. And he turned aside to see the
carcass of the lion, and behold there was a swarm of bees and
honey in the carcass of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands
and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and
he gave them, and they did eat. But he told not them that he
had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. So his father
went down unto the woman, and Samson made there a feast, for
so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they
saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. And
Samson said unto them. I will now put forth a riddle
unto you. If ye can certainly declare it me within the seven
days of the feast and find it out, then I will give you thirty
sheets and thirty change of garments. But if ye cannot declare it me,
then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty changes of
garments. And they said unto him, Put forth
thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them, Out
of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth
sweetness. And they could not in three days
expound the riddle. And it came to pass on the seventh
day that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that
he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's
house with fire. have he called us to take that
we have? Is it not so? And Samson's wife wept before
him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not. Thou
hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and
hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold,
I have not told it my father, nor my mother, and shall I tell
it thee? And she wept before him the seven
days, while their feast lasted. And it came to pass on the seventh
day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him. And she
told the riddle to the children of her people. And the men of
the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went
down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye
had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to
Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil,
and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle.
And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
But Samson's wife was given to his companion whom he had used
as his friend Judges chapter 15 But it came
to pass, within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest,
that Samson visited his wife with a kid. And he said, I will
go in to my wife, into the chamber. But her father would not suffer
him to go in. And her father said, I verily
thought that thou hadst utterly hated her, therefore I gave her
to thy companion. Is not her younger sister fairer
than she? Take her, I pray thee, instead
of her. And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless
than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.' And
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands,
and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst
between two tails. And when he had set the brands
on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines,
and burnt up both the shocks and also the standing corn with
the vineyards and olives. Then the Philistines said, Who
hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the
son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given
her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and
burnt her and her father with fire. And Samson said unto them,
Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and
after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh
with a great slaughter, and he went down and dwelt in the top
of the rock, Edom. Then the Philistines went up
and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men
of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered,
To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done
to us. Then three thousand men of Judah
went to the top of the rock Edom, and said to Samson, Knowest thou
not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this
that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they
did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him,
We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into
the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, swear
unto me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.' And they
spake unto him, saying, No, but we will bind thee fast, and deliver
thee into their hands, but surely we will not kill thee. And they
bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him.
And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords
that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire,
and his bands loosed from off his hands. And he found a new
jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew
a thousand men therewith. And Samson said, With the jawbone
of an ass, Heaps upon heaps, With the jaw of an ass Have I
slain a thousand men. And it came to pass, when he
had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone
out of his hand, and called that place Raimuth-Lehi. And he was
sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given
this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant, and now
shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? But God, clave and hollow place
that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout. And when
he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Wherefore
he called the name thereof Enhach-Kori, which is in Lehi unto this day. And he judged Israel in the days
of the Philistines twenty years. Judges. Chapter 16. Then went Samson to Gaza, and
saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. And it was told
the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed
him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the
city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning,
when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight,
and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the
city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and
all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top
of a hill that is before Hebron. And it came to pass afterward
that he loved a woman in the valley of Sarik, whose name was
Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines
came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein
his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail
against him, that we may bind him to afflict him. And we will
give thee, every one of us, eleven hundred pieces of silver. And
Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy
great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict
thee. And Samson said unto her, If
they bind me with seven green widths that were never dried,
then shall I be weak and be as another man.' Then the lords
of the Philistines brought up to her seven green widths which
had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now there were
men lying in wait, biding with her in the chamber. And she said
unto them, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson, and he break
the widths as a thread of toe is broken when it touches the
fire. So his strength was not known. And Delilah said unto
Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies. Now tell
me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said
unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were
occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Delilah
therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said
unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there
were liars in wait abiding in the chamber, and he breaked them
from off his arms like a thread. And Delilus said unto Samson,
Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies. Tell me wherewith
thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou
weavest the seven locks of my head with the web, And she fastened
it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon
thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep,
and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. And
she said unto him, How canst thou say I love thee, when thine
heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three
times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. And
it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words and
urged him so that his soul was vexed unto death, that he told
her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor
upon mine head, for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's
womb. If I be shaven, then my strength
will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any other
man. And when Delilah saw that he
had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords
of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath showed
me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines
came up unto her and brought money in their hand. And she
made him sleep upon her knees. And she called for a man, and
she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And
she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And
she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke
out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before,
and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord
was departed from him. But the Philistines took him,
and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him
with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison-house. Howbeit the hair of his head
began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of
the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great
sacrifice unto Dagon, their God, and to rejoice. For they said,
Our God hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And
when the people saw him, they praised their God. For they said,
Our God hath delivered into our hands our enemy and the destroyer
of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when
their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that
he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out
of the prison-house, and he made them sport. And they set him
between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad
that held him by the hand, Suffer me, that I may feel the pillars
whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now
the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the
Philistines were there, and there were upon the roof about three
thousand men and women that beheld while Samson made sport. And
Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember
me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once,
O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for
my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two
middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was
borne up, of the one with his right hand and of the other with
his left. And Samson said, Let me die with
the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all
his might. and the house fell upon the Lord's
and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which
he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his
life. Then his brethren and all the
house of his father came down and took him up and brought him
up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtoel in the burying place
of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty Judges Chapter 17 And there was
a man of Mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto
his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken
from thee, about which thou cursest and spakest of also in mine ears,
behold, the silver is with me, I took it. And his mother said,
Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. And when he had restored
the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother
said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from
my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. Now,
therefore, I will restore it unto thee. Yet he restored the
money unto his mother, and his mother took two hundred shekels
of silver and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven
image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and
teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did
that which was right in his own eyes. And there was a young man
out of Bethlehem, Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite,
and he sojourned there. And the man departed out of the
city from Bethlehem, Judah, to sojourn where he could find a
place. And he came to Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he
journeyed. And Micah said unto him, Whence
comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a
Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find
a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell
with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give
thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel,
and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. And the
Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was
unto him as one of his sons. And Micah consecrated the Levite,
and the young man became his priest and was in the house of
Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that
the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.