New King James Version (NKJV)

Deborah

1 When Ehud was dead,the children of Israel again didevil in the sight of theLord.

2 So theLordsold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned inHazor. The commander of his armywasSisera, who dwelt inHarosheth Hagoyim.

3 And the children of Israel cried out to theLord; for Jabin had nine hundredchariots of iron, and for twenty yearshe had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.

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

5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6 Then she sent and called forBarak the son of Abinoam fromKedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not theLordGod of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploytroopsat MountTabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun;

7 and against youI will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at theRiver Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”

8 And 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 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for theLordwillsell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 And Barak calledZebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand menunder his command, and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heberthe Kenite, of the children ofHobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim,whichisbeside Kedesh.

12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people whowerewith him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For thisisthe day in which theLordhas delivered Sisera into your hand.Has not theLordgone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

15 And theLordrouted Sisera and allhischariots and allhisarmy with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted fromhischariot and fled away on foot.

16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man wasleft.

17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent ofJael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; fortherewaspeace between Jabin 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 lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket.

19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she openeda jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him.

20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ ”

21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife,took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into hertent,there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel.

24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

The Song of Deborah

1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoamsang on that day, saying:

2 “When leaderslead in Israel,

# When the people willingly offer themselves,

Bless theLord!

3 “Hear,O kings! Give ear, O princes!

# I,evenI, will sing to theLord;

I will sing praise to theLordGod of Israel.

4 “Lord,when You went out from Seir,

# When You marched fromthe field of Edom,

The earth trembled and the heavens poured,

The clouds also poured water;

5 The mountains gushed before theLord,

# This Sinai, before theLordGod of Israel.

6 “In the days ofShamgar, son of Anath,

# In the days ofJael,

# The highways were deserted,

And the travelers walked along the byways.

7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,

Until I, Deborah, arose,

Arose a mother in Israel.

8 They chosenew gods;

Thentherewaswar in the gates;

Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

9 My heartiswith the rulers of Israel

Who offered themselves willingly with the people.

Bless theLord!

10 “Speak, you who ride on whitedonkeys,

Who sit in judges’ attire,

And who walk along the road.

11 Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places,

There they shall recount the righteous acts of theLord,

The righteous actsforHis villagers in Israel;

Then the people of theLordshall go down to the gates.

12 “Awake,awake, Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away,

O son of Abinoam!

13 “Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles;

TheLordcame down for me against the mighty.

14 From Ephraimwerethose whose roots were inAmalek.

After you, Benjamin, with your peoples,

From Machir rulers came down,

And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.

15 And the princes of Issacharwerewith Deborah;

As Issachar, sowasBarak

Sent into the valley under his command;

Among the divisions of Reuben

Thereweregreat resolves of heart.

16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,

To hear the pipings for the flocks?

The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,

And why did Dan remain on ships?

# Asher continued at the seashore,

And stayed by his inlets.

18 Zebulunisa peoplewhojeopardized their lives to the point of death,

Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 “The kings cameandfought,

Then the kings of Canaan fought

# InTaanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

They took no spoils of silver.

20 They fought from the heavens;

The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away,

That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.

O my soul, march on in strength!

22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded,

The galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of theLord,

‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,

Because they did not come to the help of theLord,

To the help of theLordagainst the mighty.’

24 “Most blessed among women is Jael,

The wife of Heber the Kenite;

# Blessed is she among women in tents.

25 He asked for water, she gave milk;

She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.

26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg,

Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;

She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head,

She split and struck through his temple.

27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;

At her feet he sank, he fell;

# Where he sank, there he felldead.

28 “The mother of Sisera looked through the window,

And cried out through the lattice,

‘Why is his chariotsolong in coming?

Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’

29 Her wisest ladies answered her,

Yes, she answered herself,

30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:

To every man a girlortwo;

For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments,

Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed,

Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’

31 “Thus let all Your enemiesperish, OLord!

# Butletthose who love Himbelike thesun

# When it comes out in fullstrength.”

So the land had rest for forty years.

Midianites Oppress Israel

1 Then the children of Israel didevil in the sight of theLord. So theLorddelivered them into the hand ofMidian for seven years,

2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens,the caves, and the strongholds whicharein the mountains.

3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and thepeople of the East would come up against them.

4 Then they would encamp against them anddestroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nordonkey.

5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.

6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israelcried out to theLord.

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to theLordbecause of the Midianites,

8 that theLordsent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says theLordGod of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of thehouse of bondage;

9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, anddrove them out before you and gave you their land.

10 Also I said to you, “IamtheLordyour God;do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed Myvoice.’ ”

Gideon

11 Now the Angel of theLordcame and sat under the terebinth tree whichwasin Ophrah, whichbelongedto Joashthe Abiezrite, while his sonGideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hideitfrom the Midianites.

12 And theAngel of theLordappeared to him, and said to him, “TheLordiswith you, you mighty man of valor!”

13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if theLordis with us, why then has all this happened to us? Andwhereareall His miracleswhich our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not theLordbring us up from Egypt?’ But now theLordhasforsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

14 Then theLordturned to him and said,“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.Have I not sent you?”

15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeedmy clanisthe weakest in Manasseh, and Iamthe least in my father’s house.”

16 And theLordsaid to him,“Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, thenshow me a sign that it is You who talk with me.

18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and setitbefore You.”

And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he broughtthemout to Him under the terebinth tree and presentedthem.

20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread andlaythemon this rock, andpour out the broth.” And he did so.

21 Then the Angel of theLordput out the end of the staff thatwasin His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; andfire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of theLorddeparted out of his sight.

22 Now Gideonperceived that Hewasthe Angel of theLord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O LordGod!For I have seen the Angel of theLordface to face.”

23 Then theLordsaid to him,“Peacebewith you; do not fear, you shall not die.”

24 So Gideon built an altar there to theLord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day itisstillin Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 Now it came to pass the same night that theLordsaid to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, andtear down the altar ofBaal that your father has, andcut down the wooden image thatisbeside it;

26 and build an altar to theLordyour God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”

27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as theLordhad said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to doitby day, he diditby night.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image thatwasbeside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altarwhichhadbeenbuilt.

29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image thatwasbeside it.”

31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If heisa god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”

32 Therefore on that day he called himJerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

33 Then allthe Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped inthe Valley of Jezreel.

34 Butthe Spirit of theLordcame upon Gideon; then heblew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers toAsher,Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

The Sign of the Fleece

36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—

37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, anditisdry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God,“Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”

40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon’s Valiant Three Hundred

1 ThenJerubbaal (thatis,Gideon) and all the people whowerewith him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 And theLordsaid to Gideon, “The people whoarewith youaretoo many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israelclaim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying,‘Whoeverisfearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

4 But theLordsaid to Gideon, “The peoplearestilltoomany; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be,thatof whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”

5 So he brought the people down to the water. And theLordsaid to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”

6 And the number of those who lapped,puttingtheir hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.

7 Then theLordsaid to Gideon,“By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all theotherpeople go, every man to his place.”

8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away alltherestofIsrael, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 It happened on the samenight that theLordsaid to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.

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

11 and you shallhear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men whowerein the camp.

12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites,all the people of the East, were lying in the valleyas numerous as locusts; and their camelswerewithout number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream:Tomysurprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

14 Then his companion answered and said, “Thisisnothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his handGod has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for theLordhas delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”

16 Then he divided the three hundred menintothree companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.

17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:

18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all whoarewith me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘TheswordoftheLordand of Gideon!’ ”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men whowerewith him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers thatwerein their hands.

20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of theLordand of Gideon!”

21 Andevery man stood in his place all around the camp;and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.

22 When the three hundredblew the trumpets,theLordsetevery man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border ofAbel Meholah, by Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered together fromNaphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all themountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together andseized the watering places as far asBeth Barah and the Jordan.

25 And they capturedtwo princes of the Midianites,Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on theother side of the Jordan.

Gideon Subdues the Midianites

1 Nowthe men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.

2 So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you?Isnot the gleaningofthegrapesof Ephraim better than the vintage ofAbiezer?

3 God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then theiranger toward him subsided when he said that.

4 When Gideon cameto the Jordan, he andthe three hundred men whowerewith him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.

5 Then he said to the men ofSuccoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

6 And the leaders of Succoth said,“Arethe hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, thatwe should give bread to your army?”

7 So Gideon said, “For this cause, when theLordhas delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand,then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!”

8 Then he went up from thereto Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.

9 So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When Icome back in peace,I will tear down this tower!”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunnawereat Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left ofall the army of the people of the East; forone hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen.

11 Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east ofNobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp feltsecure.

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

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres.

14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom youridiculed me, saying, ‘Arethe hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ”

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 Then he tore down the tower ofPenuel and killed the men of the city.

18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of menweretheywhom you killed atTabor?”

So they answered, “As youare,sowerethey; each one resembled the son of a king.”

19 Then he said, “Theyweremy brothers, the sons of my mother.AstheLordlives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because hewasstill a youth.

21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a manis, so ishis strength.” So Gideon arose andkilled Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments thatwereon their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you havedelivered us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you;theLordshall rule over you.”

24 Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings,because theywereIshmaelites.

25 So they answered, “We will gladly givethem.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder.

26 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundredshekelsof gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes whichwereon the kings of Midian, and besides the chains thatwerearound their camels’ necks.

27 Then Gideonmade it into an ephod and set it up in his city,Ophrah. And all Israelplayed the harlot with it there. It becamea snare to Gideon and to his house.

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more.And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Death of Gideon

29 ThenJerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 Gideon hadseventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine whowasin Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

32 Now Gideon the son of Joash diedat a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father,in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 So it was,as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel againplayed the harlot with the Baals,and made Baal-Berith their god.

34 Thus the children of Israeldid not remember theLordtheir God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

35 nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.

Abimelech’s Conspiracy

1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, tohis mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

2 “Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that allseventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that Iamyour own flesh andbone.”

3 And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is ourbrother.”

4 So they gave him seventyshekelsof silver from the temple ofBaal-Berith, with which Abimelech hiredworthless and reckless men; and they followed him.

5 Then he went to his father’s houseat Ophrah andkilled his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.

6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar thatwasin Shechem.

The Parable of the Trees

7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top ofMount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them:

“Listen to me, you men of Shechem,

That God may listen to you!

8 “Thetrees once went forth to anoint a king over them.

And they said to the olive tree,

# ‘Reign over us!’

9 But the olive tree said to them,

‘Should I cease giving my oil,

# With which they honor God and men,

And go to sway over trees?’

10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree,

‘You comeandreign over us!’

11 But the fig tree said to them,

‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,

And go to sway over trees?’

12 “Then the trees said to the vine,

‘You comeandreign over us!’

13 But the vine said to them,

‘Should I cease my new wine,

# Which cheersbothGod and men,

And go to sway over trees?’

14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble,

‘You comeandreign over us!’

15 And the bramble said to the trees,

‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you,

# Thencomeandtake shelter in myshade;

# But if not,let fire come out of the bramble

# And devour thecedars of Lebanon!’

16 “Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to himas he deserves—

17 for myfather fought for you, risked his life, anddelivered you out of the hand of Midian;

18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of hisfemale servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—

19 if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day,thenrejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.

20 “But if not,let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!”

21 And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went toBeer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Downfall of Abimelech

22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,

23 God sent aspirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechemdealt treacherously with Abimelech,

24 that the crimedoneto the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and theirblood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.

25 And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.

26 Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

27 So they went out into the fields, and gatheredgrapesfrom their vineyards and trodthem,and made merry. And they went intothe house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

28 Then Gaal the son of Ebed said,“WhoisAbimelech, and whoisShechem, that we should serve him?Ishenot the son of Jerubbaal, andisnotZebul his officer? Serve the men ofHamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?

29 If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”

30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused.

31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you.

32 Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people whoarewith you, and lie in wait in the field.

33 And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning,thatyou shall rise early and rush upon the city; andwhenhe and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity.”

34 So Abimelech and all the people whowerewith him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

35 When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people whowerewith him rose from lying in wait.

36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!”

But Zebul said to him, “You see the shadows of the mountains asiftheyweremen.”

37 So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.”

38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeedisyour mouth now, with which yousaid, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’Arenot these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.”

39 So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to theveryentrance of the gate.

41 Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.

42 And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.

43 So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and attacked them.

44 Then Abimelech and the company thatwaswith him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and theothertwo companies rushed upon all whowerein the fields and killed them.

45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day;he took the city and killed the people whowerein it; and hedemolished the city and sowed it with salt.

46 Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heardthat,they entered the stronghold of the templeof the god Berith.

47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

48 Then Abimelech went up to MountZalmon, he and all the people whowerewith him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laiditon his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make hasteanddo as Ihavedone.”

49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, putthemagainst the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it.

51 But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower.

52 So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 But a certain womandropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

54 Thenhe called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place.

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

57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them camethe curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Tola

1 After Abimelech therearose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.

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

Jair

3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

4 Now he had thirty sons whorode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns,which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, whicharein the land of Gilead.

5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.

Israel Oppressed Again

6 Thenthe children of Israel again did evil in the sight of theLord, andserved the Baals and the Ashtoreths,the gods of Syria, the gods ofSidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook theLordand did not serve Him.

7 So the anger of theLordwas hot against Israel; and Hesold them into the hands of thePhilistines and into the hands of the people ofAmmon.

8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel whowereon the other side of the Jordan in theland of the Amorites, in Gilead.

9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the children of Israel cried out to theLord, saying, “We havesinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”

11 So theLordsaid to the children of Israel, “DidInotdeliveryoufrom the Egyptians andfrom the Amorites andfrom the people of Ammon andfrom the Philistines?

12 Alsothe Sidoniansand Amalekites and Maonitesoppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand.

13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more.

14 “Go andcry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”

15 And the children of Israel said to theLord, “We have sinned!Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.”

16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served theLord. AndHis soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped inMizpah.

18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Whoisthe man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shallbe head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah

1 NowJephthah the Gileadite wasa mighty man of valor, but hewasthe son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.

2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall haveno inheritance in our father’s house, for youarethe son of another woman.”

3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land ofTob; andworthless men banded together with Jephthah and went outraidingwith him.

4 It came to pass after a time that thepeople of Ammon made war against Israel.

5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”

7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,“Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”

8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we haveturned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and beour head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and theLorddelivers them to me, shall I be your head?”

10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“TheLordwill be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.”

11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made himhead and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his wordsbefore theLordin Mizpah.

12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying,“What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”

13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah,“Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, fromthe Arnon as far asthe Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore thoselandspeaceably.”

14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon,

15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah:‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon;

16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea andcame to Kadesh.

17 ThenIsrael sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.”But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to theking of Moab, but he would notconsent.So Israelremained in Kadesh.

18 And theywent along through the wilderness andbypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnonwasthe border of Moab.

19 ThenIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Pleaselet us pass through your land into our place.”

20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

21 And theLordGod of Israeldelivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and theydefeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.

22 They took possession ofall the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23 ‘And now theLordGod of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it?

24 Will you not possess whateverChemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatevertheLordour God takes possession of before us, we will possess.

25 And now,areyou any better thanBalak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them?

26 While Israel dwelt inHeshbon and its villages, inAroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recoverthemwithin that time?

27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May theLord,the Judge,render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’ ”

28 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.

Jephthah’s Vow and Victory

29 Thenthe Spirit of theLordcame upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advancedtowardthe people of Ammon.

30 And Jephthahmade a vow to theLord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,

31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon,shall surely be theLord’s,and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and theLorddelivered them into his hands.

33 And he defeated them from Aroer as far asMinnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Jephthah’s Daughter

34 When Jephthah came to his house atMizpah, there washis daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and shewashisonly child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that hetore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For Ihave given my word to theLord, andI cannot go back on it.”

36 So she said to him, “My father,ifyou have given your word to theLord,do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, becausetheLordhas avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.”

37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”

38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her awayfortwo months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.

39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and hecarried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.

And it became a custom in Israel

40 thatthe daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Jephthah’s Conflict with Ephraim

1 Thenthe men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!”

2 And Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands.

3 So when I saw that you would not deliverme,Itook my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and theLorddelivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”

4 Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileaditesarefugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimitesandamong the Manassites.”

5 The Gileadites seized thefords of the Jordan before the Ephraimitesarrived.And whenanyEphraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Areyou an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

6 then they would say to him, “Then say,‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounceitright. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in among the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

9 He had thirty sons. And he gave away thirty daughters in marriage, and brought in thirty daughters from elsewhere for his sons. He judged Israel seven years.

10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. He judged Israel ten years.

12 And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

13 After him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.

14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, whorode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Israel eight years.

15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim,in the mountains of the Amalekites.

The Birth of Samson

1 Again the children of Israeldid evil in the sight of theLord, and theLorddelivered theminto the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 Now there was a certain man fromZorah, of the family of the Danites, whose namewasManoah; and his wifewasbarren and had no children.

3 And theAngel of theLordappeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.

4 Now therefore, please be carefulnot to drink wine orsimilardrink, and not to eat anything unclean.

5 For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And norazor shall come upon his head, for the child shall bea Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shallbegin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

6 So the woman came and told her husband, saying,“A Man of God came to me, and Hiscountenancewaslike the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but Idid not ask Him where Hewasfrom, and He did not tell me His name.

7 And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine orsimilardrink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”

8 Then Manoah prayed to theLord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”

9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husbandwasnot with her.

10 Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me theotherday has just now appeared to me!”

11 So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?”

And He said, “Iam.”

12 Manoah said, “Now let Your words cometopass!What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?”

13 So the Angel of theLordsaid to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.

14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vine,nor may she drink wine orsimilardrink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.”

15 Then Manoah said to the Angel of theLord, “Pleaselet us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”

16 And the Angel of theLordsaid to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to theLord.” (For Manoah did not know Hewasthe Angel of theLord.)

17 Then Manoah said to the Angel of theLord, “WhatisYour name, that when Your words cometopasswe may honor You?”

18 And the Angel of theLordsaid to him,“Why do you ask My name, seeing itiswonderful?”

19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering,and offered it upon the rock to theLord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—

20 it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of theLordascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife sawthis,theyfell on their faces to the ground.

21 When the Angel of theLordappeared no more to Manoah and his wife,then Manoah knew that Hewasthe Angel of theLord.

22 And Manoah said to his wife,“We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

23 But his wife said to him, “If theLordhad desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all thesethings,nor would He have told ussuchthingsas these at this time.”

24 So the woman bore a son and called his nameSamson; andthe child grew, and theLordblessed him.

25 And the Spirit of theLordbegan to move upon him at Mahaneh Danbetween Zorah andEshtaol.