Judges 7; Judges 8; Judges 9; Judges 10; Judges 11; Judges 12; Judges 13; Judges 14; Judges 15; Judges 16; Judges 17; Judges 18

Judges 7

1 And Jerobaal rose early, the same is Gedeon, and all the people with him, and encamped at the fountain of Arad; and the camp of Madiam was to the north of him, from Gabaathamorai, in the valley.

2 And the Lord said to Gedeon, The people with thee many, so that I may not deliver Madiam into their hand, lest at any time Israel boast against me, saying, My hand has saved me.

3 And now speak in the ears of the people, saying, Who afraid and fearful? let him turn and depart from mount Galaad: and there returned of the people twenty-two thousand, and ten thousand were left.

4 And the Lord said to Gedeon, The people is yet numerous; bring them down to the water, and I will purge them there for thee: and it shall come to pass that of whomsoever I shall say to thee, This one shall go with thee, he shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I shall say to thee, This one shall not go with thee, he shall not go with thee.

5 And he brought the people down to the water; and the Lord said to Gedeon, Whosoever shall lap of the water with his tongue as if a dog should lap, thou shalt set him apart, and whosoever shall bow down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of those that lapped with their hand to their mouth was three hundred men; and all the rest of the people bowed upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the Lord said to Gedeon, I will save you by the three hundred men that lapped, and I will give Madiam into thy hand; and all the people shall go every one to his place.

8 And they took the provision of the people in their hand, and their horns; and he sent away every man of Israel each to his tent, and he strengthened the three hundred; and the army of Madiam were beneath him in the valley.

9 And it came to pass in that night that the Lord said to him, Arise, go down into the camp, for I have delivered it into thy hand.

10 And if thou art afraid to go down, go down thou and thy servant Phara into the camp.

11 And thou shalt hear what they shall say, and afterwards thy hands shall be strong, and thou shalt go down into the camp: and he went down and Phara his servant to the extremity of the fifty, which were in the camp.

12 And Madiam and Amalec and all the children of the east scattered in the valley, as the locust for multitude; and there was no number to their camels, but they were as the sand on the seashore for multitude.

13 And Gedeon came, and behold a man relating to his neighbour a dream, and he said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread rolling into the camp of Madiam, and it came as far as a tent, and smote it, and it fell, and it turned it up, and the tent fell.

14 And his neighbour answered and said, This is none other than the sword of Gedeon, son of Joas, a man of Israel: God has delivered Madiam and all the host into his hand.

15 And it came to pass when Gedeon heard the account of the dream and the interpretation of it, that he worshipped the Lord, and returned to the camp of Israel, and said, Rise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Madiam into our hand.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put horns in the hands of all, and empty pitchers, and torches in the pitchers:

17 and he said to them, Ye shall look at me, and so shall ye do; and behold, I will go into the beginning of the host, and it shall come to pass as I do, so shall ye do.

18 And I will sound with the horn, and all ye with me shall sound with the horn round about the whole camp, and ye shall say, For the Lord and Gedeon.

19 And Gedeon and the hundred men that were with him came to the extremity of the army in the beginning of the middle watch; and they completely roused the guards, and sounded with the horns, and they broke the pitchers that were in their hands,

20 and the three companies sounded with the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and in their right hands their horns to sound with; and they cried out, A sword for the Lord and for Gedeon.

21 And man stood in his place round about the host; and all the host ran, and sounded , and fled.

22 And they sounded with the three hundred horns; and the Lord set man's sword in all the host against his neighbour.

23 And the host fled as far as Bethseed Tagaragatha Abel-meula to Tabath; and the men of Israel from Nephthali, and from Aser, and from all Manasse, came to help, and followed after Madiam.

24 And Gedeon sent messengers into all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down to meet Madiam, and take to yourselves the water as far as Baethera and Jordan: and every man of Ephraim cried out, and they took the water before hand unto Baethera and Jordan.

25 And they took the princess of Madiam, even Oreb and Zeb; and they slew Oreb in Sur Oreb, and they slew Zeb in Jakephzeph; and they pursued Madiam, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gedeon from beyond Jordan.

Judges 8

1 And the men of Ephraim said to Gedeon, What this thou hast done to us, in that thou didst not call us when thou wentest to fight with Madiam? and they chode with him sharply.

2 And he said to them, What have I now done in comparison of you? not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 The Lord has delivered into your hand the princes of Madiam, Oreb and Zeb; and what could I do in comparison of you? Then was their spirit calmed toward him, when he spoke this word.

4 And Gedeon came to Jordan, and went over, himself and the three hundred with him, hungry, yet pursuing.

5 And he said to the men of Socchoth, Give, I pray you, bread to feed this people that follow me; because they are faint, and behold, I am following after Zebee and Salmana, kings of Madiam.

6 And the princes of Socchoth said, the hands of Zebee and Salmana now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy host?

7 And Gedeon said, Therefore when the Lord gives Zebee and Salmana into my hand, then will I tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and the Barkenim.

8 And he went up thence to Phanuel, and spoke to them likewise: and the men of Phanuel answered him as the men of Socchoth answered him.

9 And Gedeon said to the men of Phanuel, When I return in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 And Zebee and Salmana in Carcar, and their host with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left of all the host of the aliens; and they that fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew the sword.

11 And Gedeon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents, eastward of Nabai and Jegebal; and he smote the host, and the host was secure.

12 And Zebee and Salmana fled; and he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Madiam, Zebee and Salmana, and discomfited all the army.

13 And Gedeon the son of Joas returned from the battle, down from the battle of Ares.

14 And he took prisoner a young lad of the men of Socchoth, and questioned him; and he wrote to him the names of the princes of Socchoth and of their elders, seventy-seven men.

15 And Gedeon came to the princes of Socchoth, and said, Behold Zebee and Salmana, about whom ye reproached me, saying, the hands of Zebee and Salmana now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy men that are faint?

16 And he took the elders of the city with the thorns of the wilderness and the Barkenim, and with them he tore the men of the city.

17 And he overthrew the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 And he said to Zebee and Salmana, Where the men whom ye slew in Thabor? and they said, As thou, so they, according to the likeness of the son of a king.

19 And Gedeon said, They were my brethren and the sons of my mother: the Lord lives, if ye had preserved them alive, I would not have slain you.

20 And he said to Jether his first-born, Rise and slay them; but the lad drew not his sword, for he was afraid, for he was yet very young.

21 And Zebee and Salmana said, Rise thou and fall upon us, for thy power as that of a man; and Gedeon arose, and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he took the round ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

22 And the men of Israel said to Gedeon, Rule, lord, over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son; for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Madiam.

23 And Gedeon said to them, I will not rule, and my son shall not rule among you; the Lord shall rule over you.

24 And Gedeon said to them, I will make a request of you, and do ye give me every man an earring out of his spoils: for they had golden earrings, for they were Ismaelites.

25 And they said, We will certainly give them: and he opened his garment, and each man cast therein an earring of his spoils.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings which he asked, was a thousand and seven hundred pieces of gold, besides the crescents, and the chains, and the garments, and the purple cloths that were on the kings of Madiam, and besides the chains that were on the necks of their camels.

27 And Gedeon made an ephod of it, an set it in his city in Ephratha; and all Israel went thither a whoring after it, and it became a stumbling-block to Gedeon and his house.

28 And Madiam, was straitened before the children of Israel, and they did not lift up their head any more; and the land had rest forty years in the days of Gedeon.

29 And Jerobaal the son of Joas went and sat in his house.

30 And Gedeon had seventy sons begotten of his body, for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine was in Sychem, and she also bore him a son, and gave him the name Abimelech.

32 And Gedeon son of Joas died in his city, and he was buried in the sepulchre of Joas his father in Ephratha of Abi-Esdri.

33 And it came to pass when Gedeon was dead, that the children of Israel turned, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made for themselves a covenant with Baal that he should be their god.

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God who had delivered them out of the hand of all that afflicted them round about.

35 And they did not deal mercifully with the house of Jerobaal, (the same is Gedeon) according to all the good which he did to Israel.

Judges 9

1 And Abimelech son of Jerobaal went to Sychem to his mother's brethren; and he spoke to them and to all the kindred of the house of his mother's father, saying,

2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Sychem, saying, Which better for you, that seventy men, even all the sons of Jerobaal, should reign over you, or that one man should reign over you? and remember that I am your bone and your flesh.

3 And his mother's brethren spoke concerning him in the ears of all the men of Sychem all these words; and their heart turned after Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.

4 And they gave him seventy of silver out of the house of Baalberith; and Abimelech hired for himself vain and cowardly men, and they went after him.

5 And he went to the house of his father to Ephratha, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerobaal, seventy men upon one stone; but Joatham the youngest son of Jerobaal was left, for he hid himself.

6 And all the men of Sicima, and all the house of Bethmaalo, were gathered together, and they went and made Abimelech king by the oak of Sedition, which was at Sicima.

7 And it was reported to Joatham, and he went and stood on the top of mount Garizin, and lifted up his voice, and wept, and said to them, Hear me, ye men of Sicima, and God shall hear you.

8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive, Reign over us.

9 But the olives said to them, Shall I leave my fatness, with which men shall glorify God, and go to be promoted over the trees?

10 And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come, reign over us.

11 But the fig-tree said to them, Shall I leave my sweetness an my good fruits, and go to be promoted over the trees?

12 And the trees said to the vine, Come, reign over us.

13 And the vine said to them, Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men, and go to be promoted over the trees?

14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, Come thou and over us.

15 And the bramble said to the trees, If ye in truth anoint me to reign over you, come, stand under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Libanus.

16 And now, if ye have done it in truth and integrity, and have made Abimelech king, and if ye have wrought well with Jerobaal, and with his house, and if ye have done to him according to the reward of his hand,

17 as my father fought for you, and put his life in jeopardy, and delivered you out of the hand of Madiam;

18 and ye are risen up this day against the house of my father, and have slain his sons, being seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech the son of his bondwoman king over the men of Sicima, because he is your brother:

19 if then ye have done truly and faithfully with Jerobaal, and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice over you:

20 but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Sicima, and the house of Bethmaalo; and let fire come out from the men of Sicima and from the house of Bethmaalo, and devour Abimelech.

21 And Joatham fled, and ran away, and went as far as Baeer, and dwelt there out of the way of his brother Abimelech.

22 And Abimelech reigned over Israel three years.

23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sicima; and the men of Sicima dealt treacherously with the house of Abimelech:

24 to bring the injury done to the seventy sons of Jerobaal, and to lay their blood upon their brother Abimelech, who slew them, and upon the men of Sicima, because they strengthened his hands to slay his brethren.

25 And the men of Sicima set liers in wait against him on the top of the mountains, and robbed every one who passed by them on the way; and it was reported to the king Abimelech.

26 And Gaal son of Jobel came, and his brethren, and passed by Sicima, and the men of Sicima trusted in him.

27 And they went out into the field, and gathered their grapes, and trod them, and made merry; and they brought into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

28 And Gaal the son of Jobel said, Who is Abimelech, and who is the son of Sychem, that we should serve him? not the son of Jerobaal, and not Zebul his steward, his servant with the son of Emmor the father of Sychem? and why should we serve him?

29 And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech, and I would say to him, Multiply thy host, and come out.

30 And Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Jobel, and he was very angry.

31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Jobel and his brethren are come to Sychem; and behold, they have besieged the city against thee.

32 And now rise up by night, thou and the people with thee, and lay wait in the field.

33 And it shall come to pass in the morning at sunrising, thou shalt rise up early and draw toward the city; and behold, he and the people with him will come forth against thee, and thou shalt do to him according to thy power.

34 And Abimelech and all the people with him rose up by night, and formed an ambuscade against Sychem in four companies.

35 And Gaal the son of Jobel went forth, and stood by the door of the gate of the city: and Abimelech and the people with him rose up from the ambuscade.

36 And Gaal the son of Jobel saw the people, and said to Zebul, Behold, a people comes down from the top of the mountains: and Zebul said to him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as men.

37 And Gaal continued to speak and said, Behold, a people comes down westward from the part bordering on the middle of the land, and another company comes by the way of Helon Maonenim.

38 And Zebul said to him, And where is thy mouth as thou spokest, Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? not this the people whom thou despisedst? go forth now, and set the battle in array against him.

39 And Gaal went forth before the men of Sychem, and set the battle in array against Abimelech.

40 And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled from before him; and many fell down slain as far as the door of the gate.

41 And Abimelech entered into Arema, and Zebul cast out Gaal and his brethren, so that they should not dwell in Sychem.

42 And it came to pass on the second day that the people went out into the field, and brought word to Abimelech.

43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and formed an ambush in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people went forth out of the city, and he rose up against them, and smote them.

44 And Abimelech and the chiefs of companies that were with him rushed forward, and stood by the door of the gate of the city; and the two companies rushed forward upon all that were in the field, and smote them.

45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and took the city, and slew the people that were in it, and destroyed the city, and sowed it with salt.

46 And all the men of the tower of Sychem heard, and came to the gathering of Baethel-berith.

47 And it was reported to Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Sychem were gathered together.

48 And Abimelech went up to the mount of Selmon, and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a branch of a tree, and took it, and laid it on his shoulders; and said to the people that were with him, What ye see me doing, do quickly as I.

49 And they cut down likewise even every man a branch, and went after Abimelech, and laid them against the place of gathering, and burnt the place of gathering over them with fire; and they died, even all the men of the tower of Sicima, about a thousand men and women.

50 And Abimelech went out of Baethel-berith, and encamped against Thebes, and took it.

51 And there was a strong tower in the midst of the city; and thither all the men and the women of the city fled, and shut without them, and went up on the roof of the tower.

52 And Abimelech drew near to the tower, and they besieged it; and Abimelech drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 And a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.

54 And he cried out quickly to the young man his armour-bearer, and said to him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, lest at any time they should say, A woman slew him: and his young man thrust him through and he died.

55 And the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead; and they went each to his place.

56 So God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he wrought against his father, in slaying his seventy brethren.

57 And all the wickedness of the men of Sychem God requited upon their head; and the curse of Joatham the son of Jerobaal came upon them.

Judges 10

1 And after Abimelech Thola the son of Phua rose up to save Israel, the son of his father's brother, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Samir in mount Ephraim.

2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Samir.

3 And after him arose Jair of Galaad, and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

4 And he had thirty-two sons riding on thirty-two colts, and they had thirty-two cities; and they called them Jair's towns until this day in the land of Galaad.

5 And Jair died, and was buried in Rhamnon.

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Astaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Phylistines; and they forsook the Lord, and did not serve him.

7 And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and sold them into the hands of the Phylistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

8 And they afflicted and bruised the children of Israel at that time eighteen years, all the children of Israel beyond Jordan in the land of the Amorite in Galaad.

9 And the children of Ammon went over Jordan to fight with Juda, and Benjamin, and with Ephraim; and the children of Israel were greatly afflicted.

10 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken God, and served Baalim.

11 And the Lord said to the children of Israel, Did I not from Egypt and from the Amorite, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Phylistines,

12 and from the Sidonians, and Amalec, and Madiam, who afflicted you? and ye cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand?

13 Yet ye forsook me and served other gods; therefore I will not save you any more.

14 Go, and cry to the gods whom ye have chosen to yourselves, and let them save you in the time of your affliction.

15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord, We have sinned: do thou to us according to all good in thine eyes; only deliver us this day.

16 And they put away the strange gods from the midst of them, and served the Lord only, and his soul was pained for the trouble of Israel.

17 And the children of Ammon went up, and encamped in Galaad; and the children of Israel were gathered together and encamped on the hill.

18 And the people the princes of Galaad said every man to his neighbour, Who he that shall begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall even be head over all that dwell in Galaad.

Judges 11

1 And Jephthae the Galaadite a mighty man; and he the son of a harlot, who bore Jephthae to Galaad.

2 And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up, and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in the house of our father, for thou art the son of a concubine.

3 And Jephthae fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.

4 And it came to pass when the children of Ammon prepared to fight with Israel,

5 that the elders of Galaad went to fetch Jephthae from the land of Tob.

6 And they said to Jephthae, Come, and be our head, and we will fight with the sons of Ammon.

7 And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, Did ye not hate me, and cast me out of my father's house, and banish me from you? and wherefore are ye come to me now when ye want me?

8 And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, Therefore have we now turned to thee, that thou shouldest go with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Galaad.

9 And Jephthae said to the elders of Galaad, If ye turn me back to fight with the children of Ammon, and the Lord should deliver them before me, then will I be your head.

10 And the elders of Galaad said to Jephthae, The Lord be witness between us, if we shall not do according to thy word.

11 And Jephthae went with the elders of Galaad, and the people made him head and ruler over them: and Jephthae spoke all his words before the Lord in Massepha.

12 And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have I to do with thee, that thou hast come against me to fight in my land?

13 And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthae, Because Israel took my land when he went up out of Egypt, from Arnon to Jaboc, and to Jordan: now then return them peaceably and I will depart.

14 And Jephthae again sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon,

15 and said to him, Thus says Jephthae, Israel took not the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon;

16 for in their going up out of Egypt Israel went in the wilderness as far as the sea of Siph, and came to Cades.

17 And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I will pass, if it please thee, by thy land: and the king of Edom complied not: and also sent to the king of Moab, and he did not consent; and Israel sojourned in Cades.

18 And journeyed in the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab: and they came by the east of the land of Moab, an encamped in the country beyond Arnon, and came not within the borders of Moab, for Arnon the border of Moab.

19 And Israel sent messengers to Seon king of the Amorite, king of Esbon, and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray thee, by thy land to our place.

20 And Seon did not trust Israel to pass by his coast; and Seon gathered all his people, and they encamped at Jasa; and he set the battle in array against Israel.

21 And the Lord God of Israel delivered Seon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote him; and Israel inherited all the land of the Amorite who dwelt in that land,

22 from Arnon and to Jaboc, and from the wilderness to Jordan.

23 And now the Lord God of Israel has removed the Amorite from before his people Israel, and shalt thou inherit his ?

24 Wilt thou not inherit those possessions which Chamos thy god shall cause thee to inherit; and shall not we inherit the all those whom the Lord our God has removed from before you?

25 And now art thou any better than Balac son of Sepphor, king of Moab? did he indeed fight with Israel, or indeed make war with him,

26 when dwelt in Esebon and in its coasts, and in the land of Aroer and in its coasts, and in all the cities by Jordan, three hundred years? and wherefore didst thou not recover them in that time?

27 And now I have not sinned against thee, but thou wrongest me in preparing war against me: may the Lord the Judge judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

28 But the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not to the words of Jephthae, which he sent to him.

29 And the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthae, and he passed over Galaad, and Manasse, and passed by the watch-tower of Galaad to the other side of the children of Ammon.

30 And Jephthae vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,

31 then it shall come to pass that whosoever shall first come out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, he shall be the Lord's: I will offer him up for a whole-burnt-offering.

32 And Jephthae advanced to meet the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.

33 And he smote them from Aroer till comes to Arnon, in number twenty cities, and as far as Ebelcharmim, with a very great destruction: and the children of Ammon were straitened before the children of Israel.

34 And Jephthae came to Massepha to his house; and behold, his daughter came forth to meet him with timbrels and dances; and she was his only child, he had not another son or daughter.

35 And it came to pass when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, thou hast indeed troubled me, and thou wast the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against thee to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it.

36 And she said to him, Father, hast thou opened thy mouth to the Lord? Do to me accordingly as went out of thy mouth, in that the Lord has wrought vengeance for thee on thine enemies of the children of Ammon.

37 And she said to her father, Let my father now do this thing: let me alone for two months, and I will go up and down on the mountains, and I will bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

38 And he said, Go: and he sent her away for two months; and she went, and her companions, and she bewailed her virginity on the mountains.

39 And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man:

40 and it was an ordinance in Israel, the daughters of Israel went from year to year to bewail the daughter of Jephthae the Galaadite for four days in a year.

Judges 12

1 And the men of Ephraim assembled , and passed on to the north, and said to Jephthae, Wherefore didst thou go over to fight with the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thy house over thee with fire.

2 And Jephthae said to them, I and my people and the children of Ammon were very much engaged in war; and I called for you, and ye did not save me out of their hand.

3 And I saw that thou wert no helper, and I put my life in my hand, and passed on to the sons of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand: and wherefore are ye come up against me this day to fight with me?

4 And Jephthae gathered all the men of Galaad, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Galaad smote Ephraim, because they that were escaped of Ephraim said, Ye of Galaad in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasse.

5 And Galaad took the fords of Jordan before Ephraim; and they that escaped of Ephraim said to them, Let us go over: and the men of Galaad said, Art thou an Ephrathite? and he said, No.

6 Then they said to him, Say now Stachys; and he did not rightly pronounce it so: and they took him, and slew him at the fords of Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim two and forty thousand.

7 And Jephthae judged Israel six years; and Jephthae the Galaadite died, and was buried in his city Galaad.

8 And after him Abaissan of Bethleem judged Israel.

9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent forth; and he brought in thirty daughters for his sons from without; and he judged Israel seven years.

10 And Abaissan died, and was buried in Bethleem.

11 And after him Aelom of Zabulon judged Israel ten years.

12 And Aelom of Zabulon died, and was buried in Aelom in the land of Zabulon.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Ellel, the Pharathonite, judged Israel.

14 And he had forty sons, and thirty grandsons, that rode upon seventy colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

15 And Abdon the son of Ellel, the Pharathonite, died, and was buried in Pharathon in the land of Ephraim in the mount of Amalec.

Judges 13

1 And the children of Israel yet again committed iniquity before the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Phylistines forty years.

2 And there was a man of Saraa, of the family of the kindred of Dan, and his name was Manoe, and his wife was barren, and bore not.

3 And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, thou art barren and hast not born; yet thou shalt conceive a son.

4 And now be very cautious, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing;

5 for behold, thou art with child, and shalt bring forth a son; and there shall come no razor upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Phylistines.

6 And the woman went in, and spoke to her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his appearance of an angel of God, very dreadful; and I did not ask him whence he was, and he did not tell me his name.

7 And he said to me, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bring forth a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing; for the child shall be holy to God from the womb until the day of his death.

8 And Manoe prayed to the Lord and said, I pray thee, O Lord my lord, the man of God whom thou sentest; let him now come to us once more, and teach us what we shall do to the child about to be born.

9 And the Lord heard the voice of Manoe, and the angel of God came yet again to the woman; and she sat in the field, and Manoe her husband was not with her.

10 And the woman hasted, and ran, and brought word to her husband, and said to him, Behold the man who came in day to me has appeared to me.

11 And Manoe arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Art thou the man that spoke to the woman? and the angel said, I .

12 And Manoe said, Now shall word come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and our dealings with him?

13 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, Of all things concerning which I spoke to the woman, she shall beware.

14 She shall eat of nothing that comes of the vine yielding wine, and let her not drink wine or strong liquor, and let her not eat anything unclean: all things that I have charged her she shall observe.

15 And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, Let us detain thee here, and prepare before thee a kid of the goats.

16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoe, If thou shouldest detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wouldest offer a whole-burnt-offering, to the Lord thou shalt offer it: for Manoe knew not that he an angel of the Lord.

17 And Manoe said to the angel of the Lord, What thy name, that thy word shall come to pass, we may glorify thee?

18 And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why dost thou thus ask after my name; whereas it is wonderful?

19 And Manoe took a kid of the goats and its meat-offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord; and wrought a distinct work, and Manoe and his wife were looking on.

20 And it came to pass when the flame went up above the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord went up in the flame; and Manoe and his wife were looking, and they fell upon their face to the earth.

21 And the angel appeared no more to Manoe and to his wife: then Manoe knew that this an angel of the Lord.

22 And Manoe said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23 But his wife said to him, If the Lord were pleased to slay us, he would not have received of our hand a whole-burnt-offering and a meat-offering; and he would not have shewn us all these things, neither would he have caused us to hear all these things

24 And the woman brought forth a son, and she called his name Sampson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to go out with him in the camp of Dan, and between Saraa and Esthaol.

Judges 14

1 And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he went up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Phylistines; and now take her to me for a wife.

3 And his father and his mother said to him, Are there no daughters of thy brethren, and a woman of all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Sampson said to his father, Take her for me, for she right in my eyes.

4 And his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought to be revenged on the Philistines: and at that time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.

5 And Sampson and his father and his mother went down to Thamnatha, and he came to the vineyard of Thamnatha; and behold, a young lion roared in meeting him.

6 And the spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he crushed him as he would have crushed a kid of the goats, and there was nothing in his hands: and he told not his father and his mother what he had done.

7 And they went down and spoke to the woman, and she was pleasing in the eyes of Sampson.

8 And after some time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees, and honey in the mouth of the lion.

9 And he took it into his hands, and went on eating, and he went to his father and his mother, and gave to them, and they did eat; but he told them not that he took the honey out of the mouth of the lion.

10 And his father went down to the woman, and Sampson made there a banquet for seven days, for so the young men are used to do.

11 And it came to pass when they saw him, that they took thirty guests, and they were with him.

12 And Sampson said to them, I propound you a riddle: if ye will indeed tell it me, and discover it within the seven days of the feast, I will you give thirty sheets and thirty changes of raiment.

13 And if ye cannot tell it me, ye shall give me thirty napkins and thirty changes of apparel: and they said to him, Propound thy riddle, and we will hear it.

14 And he said to them, Meat came forth of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong: and they could not tell the riddle for three days.

15 And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they said to the wife of Sampson, Deceive now thy husband, and let him tell thee the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: did ye invite us to do us violence?

16 And Sampson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not; for the riddle which thou hast propounded to the children of my people thou hast not told me: and Sampson said to her, If I have not told it to my father and my mother, shall I tell it to thee?

17 And she wept before him the seven days, during which their banquet lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she troubled him; and she told it to the children of her people.

18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What sweeter than honey? and what stronger than a lion? and Sampson said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have known my riddle.

19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him powerfully, and he went down to Ascalon, and destroyed of the inhabitants thirty men, and took their garments, and gave the changes of raiment to them that told the riddle; and Sampson was very angry, and went up to the house of his father.

20 And the wife of Sampson was to one of his friends, with whom he was on terms of friendship.

Judges 15

1 And it came to pass after a time, in the days of wheat harvest, that Sampson visited his wife with a kid, and said, I will go in to my wife even into the chamber: but her father did not suffer him to go in.

2 And her father spoke, saying, I said that thou didst surely hate her, and I gave her to one of thy friends: not her younger sister better than she? let her be to thee instead of her.

3 And Sampson said to them, Even for once am I guiltless with regard to the Philistines, in that I do mischief among them.

4 And Sampson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch between two tails, and fastened it.

5 And he set fire to the torches, and sent into the corn of the Philistines; and every thing was burnt from the threshing floor to the standing corn, and even to the vineyard and olives.

6 And the Philistines said, Who these things? and they said, Sampson the son-in-law of the Thamnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to one of his friends; and the Philistines went up, and burnt her and her father's house with fire.

7 And Sampson said to them, Though ye may have dealt thus with her, verily I will be avenged of you, and afterwards I will cease.

8 And he smote them leg on thigh a great overthrow; and went down and dwelt in a cave of the rock Etam.

9 And the Philistines went up, and encamped in Juda, and spread themselves abroad in Lechi.

10 And the men of Juda said, Why are ye come up against us? and the Philistines said, We are come up to bind Sampson, and to do to him as he has done to us.

11 And the three thousand men of Juda went down to the hole of the rock Etam, and they said to Sampson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines rule over us? and what this thou hast done to us? and Sampson said to them, As they did to me, so have I done to them.

12 And they said to him, We are come down to bind thee to deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines: and Sampson said to them, Swear to me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

13 And they spoke to him, saying, Nay, but we will only bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand, and will by no means slay thee: and they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him from that rock.

14 And they came to Lechi: and the Philistines shouted, and ran to meet him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as tow which is burnt with fire; and his bonds were consumed from off his hands.

15 And he found the jaw-bone of an ass that had been cast away, and he put forth his hand and took it, and smote with it a thousand men.

16 And Sampson said, With the jaw-bone of an ass I have utterly destroyed them, for with the jaw-bone of an ass I have smitten a thousand men.

17 And it came to pass when he ceased speaking, that he cast the jaw-bone out of his hand; and he called that place the Lifting of the jaw-bone.

18 And he was very thirsty, and wept before the Lord, and said, Thou hast been well pleased to grant this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant, and new shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

19 And God broke open a hollow place in the jaw, and there came thence water, and he drank; and his spirit returned and he revived: therefore the name of the fountain was called 'The well of the invoker,' which is in Lechi, until this day.

20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Judges 16

1 And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.

2 And it was reported to the Gazites, saying, Sampson is come hither: and they compassed him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and they were quiet all the night, saying, Let us wait till the dawn appear, and we will slay him.

3 And Sampson slept till midnight, and rose up at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city with the two posts, and lifted them up with the bar, and laid them on his shoulders, and he went up to the top of the mountain that is before Chebron, and laid them there.

4 And it came to pass after this that he loved a woman in Alsorech, and her name Dalida.

5 And the princess of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength , and wherewith we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each eleven hundred of silver.

6 And Dalida said to Sampson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength, and wherewith thou shalt be bound that thou mayest be humbled.

7 And Sampson said to her, If they bind me with seven moist cords that have not been spoiled, then shall I be weak and be as one of ordinary men.

8 And the princess of the Philistines brought to her seven moist cords that had not been spoiled, and she bound him with them.

9 And the liers in wait remained with her in the chamber; and she said to him, the Philistines upon thee, Sampson: and he broke the cords as if any one should break a thread of tow when it has touched the fire, and his strength was not known.

10 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast cheated me, and told me lies; now then tell me wherewith thou shalt be bound.

11 And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes with which work has not been done, then shall I be weak, and shall be as another man.

12 And Dalida took new ropes, and bound him with them, and the liers in wait came out of the chamber, and she said, The Philistines upon thee, Sampson: and he broke them off his arms like a thread.

13 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me lies; tell me, I intreat thee, wherewith thou mayest be bound: and he said to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and shouldest fasten them with the pin into the wall, then shall I be weak as another man.

14 And it came to pass when he was asleep, that Dalida took the seven locks of his head, and wove them with the web, and fastened them with the pin into the wall, and she said, The Philistines upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep, and carried away the pin of the web out of the wall.

15 And Dalida said to Sampson, How sayest thou, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? this third time thou hast deceived me, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength.

16 And it came to pass as she pressed him sore with her words continually, and straitened him, that his spirit failed almost to death.

17 Then he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come upon my head, because I have been a holy of God from my mother's womb; if then I should be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I shall be weak, and I shall be as all men.

18 And Dalida saw that he told her all his heart, and she sent and called the princess of the Philistines, saying, Come up yet this once; for he has told me all his heart. And the chiefs of the Philistines went up to her, and brought the money in their hands.

19 And Dalida made Sampson sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and he shaved the seven locks of his head, and she began to humble him, and his strength departed from him.

20 And Dalida said, The Philistines upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at former times, and shake myself; and he knew not that the Lord was departed from him.

21 And the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he ground in the prison-house.

22 And the hair of his head began to grow as before it was shaven.

23 And the chiefs of the Philistines met to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to make merry; and they said, God has given into our hand our enemy Sampson.

24 And the people saw him, and sang praises to their god; for our god, , has delivered into our hand our enemy, who wasted our land, and who multiplied our slain.

25 And when their heart was merry, then they said, Call Sampson out of the prison-house, and let him play before us: and they called Sampson out of the prison-house, and he played before them; and they smote him with the palms of their hands, and set him between the pillars.

26 And Sampson said to the young man that held his hand, Suffer me to feel the pillars on which the house , and I will stay myself upon them.

27 And the house full of men and woman, and there were all the chiefs of the Philistines, and on the roof about three thousand men and woman looking at the sports of Sampson.

28 And Sampson wept before the Lord, and said, O Lord, my lord, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, O God, yet this once, and I will requite one recompense to the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Sampson took hold of the two pillars of the house on which the house stood, and leaned on them, and laid hold of one with his right hand, and the other with his left.

30 And Sampson said, Let my wife perish with the Philistines: and he bowed himself mightily; and the house fell upon the princes, and upon all the people that were in it: and the dead whom Sampson slew in his death were more than those whom he slew in his life.

31 And his brethren and his father's house went down, and they took him; and they went up and buried him between Saraa and Esthaol in the sepulchre of his father Manoe; and he judged Israel twenty years.

Judges 17

1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, and his name was Michaias.

2 And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver which thou tookest of thyself, and thou cursedst me, and spokest in my ears, behold, the silver with me; I took it: and his mother said, Blessed my son of the Lord.

3 And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I had wholly consecrated the money to the Lord out of my hand for my son, to make a graven and a molten , and now I will restore it to thee.

4 But he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, and he made it a graven and a molten image; and it was in the house of Michaias.

5 And the house of Michaias to him the house of God, and he made an ephod and theraphin, and he consecrated one of his sons, and he became to him a priest.

6 And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man in Bethleem of the tribe of Juda, and he a Levite, and he was sojourning there.

8 And the man departed from Bethleem the city of Juda to sojourn in whatever place he might find; and he came as far as mount Ephraim, and to the house of Michaias to accomplish his journey.

9 And Michaias said to him, Whence comest thou? and he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethleem Juda, and I go to sojourn in any place I may find.

10 And Michaias said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest; and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a change of raiment, and thy living.

11 And the Levite went and began to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 And Michaias consecrated the Levite, and he became to him a priest, and he was in the house of Michaias.

13 And Michaias said, Now I know that the Lord will do me good, because a Levite has become my priest.

Judges 18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of Dan sought for itself an inheritance to inhabit, because no inheritance had fallen to it until that day in the midst of the tribes of the children of Israel.

2 And the sons of Dan sent from their families five men of valour, from Saraa and from Esthaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, Go and search out the land. And they came as far as the mount of Ephraim to the house of Michaias and they lodged there,

3 in the house of Michaias, and they recognised the voice of the young man the Levite, and turned in thither; and said to him, Who brought thee in hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

4 And he said to them, Thus and thus did Michaias to me, and he hired me, and I became his priest.

5 And they said to him, Enquire now of God, and we shall know whether our way will prosper, on which we are going.

6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace; your way in which ye go, before the Lord.

7 And the five men went on, and came to Laisa; and they saw the people in the midst of it dwelling securely, at ease as the manner of the Sidonians, and there is no one perverting or shaming a matter in the land, no heir extorting treasures; and they are far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with any one.

8 And the five men came to their brethren to Saraa and Esthaol, and said to their brethren, Why sit ye here ?

9 And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, very good, yet ye are still: delay not to go, an to enter in to possess the land.

10 And whensoever ye shall go, ye shall come in upon a people secure, and the land extensive, for God has given it into your hand; a place where there is no want of anything that the earth affords.

11 And there departed thence of the families of Dan, from Saraa and from Esthaol, six hundred men, girded with weapons of war.

12 And they went up, and encamped in Cariathiarim in Juda; therefore it was called in that place the camp of Dan, until this day: behold, behind Cariathiarim.

13 And they went on thence to the mount of Ephraim, and came to the house of Michaias.

14 And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laisa answered, and said to their brethren, Ye know that there is in this place an ephod, and theraphin, and a graven and a molten image; and now consider what ye shall do.

15 And they turned aside there, and went into the house of the young man, the Levite, into the house of Michaias, and asked him how he was.

16 And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan who were girded with their weapons of war stood by the door of the gate.

17 And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and entered into the house of Michaias, and the priest stood.

18 And they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphin, and the molten image; and the priest said to them, What are ye doing?

19 And they said to him, Be silent, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest: better for thee to be the priest of the house of one man, or to be the priest of a tribe and house for a family of Israel?

20 And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the theraphin, and the graven image, and the molten image, and went in the midst of the people.

21 So they turned and departed, and put their children and their property and their baggage before them.

22 They went some distance from the house of Michaias, and, behold, Michaias and the men in the houses near Michaias' house, cried out, and overtook the children of Dan.

23 And the children of Dan turned their face, and said to Michaias, What is the matter with thee that thou hast cried out?

24 And Michaias said, Because ye have taken my graven image which I made, and my priest, and are gone; and what have I remaining? and what this ye say to me, Why criest thou?

25 And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard with us, lest angry men run upon thee, and take away thy life, and the lives of thy house.

26 And the children of Dan went their way; and Michaias saw that they were stronger than himself, and he returned to his house.

27 And the children of Dan took what Michaias had made, and the priest that he had, and they came to Laisa, to a people quiet and secure; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

28 And there was no deliverer, because is far from the Sidonians, and they have no intercourse with men, and it in the valley of the house of Raab; and they built the city, and dwelt in it.

29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; and the name of the city was Ulamais before.

30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image for themselves; and Jonathan son of Gerson son of Manasse, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan till the time of the carrying away of the nation.

31 And they set up for themselves the graven image which Michaias made, all the days that the house of God was in Selom; and it was so in those days there was no king in Israel.