Joshua 24; Judges 1; Judges 2; Judges 3; Judges 4

Joshua 24

1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God.

2 Then Joshua said to the entire people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates. They served other gods. Among them was Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor.

3 I took Abraham your ancestor from the other side of the Euphrates. I led him around through the whole land of Canaan. I added to his descendants and gave him Isaac.

4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Mount Seir to Esau to take over. But Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I plagued Egypt with what I did to them. After that I brought you out.

6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. The Egyptians chased your ancestors with chariots and horses to the Reed Sea.

7 Then they cried for help to the LORD. So he set darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea down on them, and it covered them. With your own eyes you saw what I did to the Egyptians. You lived in the desert for a long time.

8 “Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They attacked you, but I gave them into your power, and you took over their land. I wiped them out before you.

9 Then Moab's King Balak, Zippor's son, set out to attack Israel. He summoned Balaam, Beor's son, to curse you.

10 But I wasn't willing to listen to Balaam, so he actually blessed you. I rescued you from his power.

11 Then you crossed over the Jordan. You came to Jericho, and the citizens of Jericho attacked you. They were Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites. But I gave them into your power.

12 I sent the hornet before you. It drove them out before you and did the same to the two kings of the Amorites. It wasn't your sword or bow that did this.

13 I gave you land on which you hadn't toiled and cities that you hadn't built. You settled in them and are enjoying produce from vineyards and olive groves that you didn't plant.

14 “So now, revere the LORD. Serve him honestly and faithfully. Put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and serve the LORD.

15 But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the LORD."

16 Then the people answered, "God forbid that we ever leave the LORD to serve other gods!

17 The LORD is our God. He is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. He has done these mighty signs in our sight. He has protected us the whole way we've gone and in all the nations through which we've passed.

18 The LORD has driven out all the nations before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

19 Then Joshua said to the people, "You can't serve the LORD, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't forgive your rebellion and your sins.

20 If you leave the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn around and do you harm and finish you off, in spite of having done you good in the past."

21 Then the people said to Joshua, "No! The LORD is the one we will serve."

22 So Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." They said, "We are witnesses!"

23 "So now put aside the foreign gods that are among you. Focus your hearts on the LORD, the God of Israel."

24 The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and will obey him."

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people and established just rule for them at Shechem.

26 Joshua wrote these words in God's Instruction scroll. Then he took a large stone and put it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the LORD.

27 Joshua said to all the people, "This stone will serve here as a witness against us, because it has heard all the LORD's words that he spoke to us. It will serve as a witness against you in case you aren't true to your God."

28 Then Joshua sent the people away to each one's legacy.

29 After these events, Joshua, Nun's son, the LORD's servant, died. He was 110.

30 They buried him within the border of his own legacy, in Timnath-serah in the highlands of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had known every act the LORD had done for Israel.

32 The Israelites had brought up the bones of Joseph from Egypt. They buried them at Shechem in the portion of field that Jacob had purchased for one hundred qesitahs from the descendants of Hamor the father of Shechem. They became a legacy of the descendants of Joseph.

33 Eleazar son of Aaron died. They buried him at Gibeah, which belonged to his son Phinehas. It had been given to him in the highlands of Ephraim.

Judges 1

1 After Joshua's death, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who should go up first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"

2 The LORD said, "The tribe of Judah will go up. I've handed over the land to them."

3 So the tribe of Judah said to the tribe of Simeon, their brothers, "Come up with us into our territory, and let's fight against the Canaanites. Then we'll go with you into your territory too." So Simeon went with them.

4 When Judah went up, the LORD handed them the Canaanites and Perizzites. They defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.

5 There they found Adoni-bezek at Bezek, fought against him, and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites.

6 Adoni-bezek fled, but they chased after him, captured him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 He said, "Seventy kings with severed thumbs and big toes used to pick up scraps under my table, so God has paid me back exactly for what I did." They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

8 The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They killed its people with their swords and set the city on fire.

9 Afterward, the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the highlands, the southern plain, and the western foothills.

10 Judah moved against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron, known before as Kiriath-arba, and they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there they moved against those who lived in Debir, known before as Kiriath-sepher.

12 Caleb said, "I'll give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who defeats and captures Kiriath-sepher."

13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it; so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife.

14 When she arrived, she convinced Othniel to ask her father for a certain piece of land. As she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What do you want?"

15 Achsah said to Caleb, "Give me a gift. Since you've given me land in the southern plain, give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law the Kenite went up with the people of Judah from Palm City into the Judean desert, which was in the southern plain near Arad. They went and lived with the Amalekites.

17 Then the Judahites went with the Simeonites, their brothers, and they defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath, and they completely destroyed it. So the city was called Hormah.

18 Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and all their territories.

19 Thus the LORD was with the tribe of Judah, and they took possession of the highlands. However, they didn't drive out those who lived in the plain because they had iron chariots.

20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had commanded, and they drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

21 But the people of Benjamin didn't drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem today.

22 In the same way, Joseph's household went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

23 When they sent men to spy on Bethel, previously named Luz,

24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, "Show us the way into the city, and we'll be loyal to you in return."

25 So he showed them the way into the city. They killed the city's people with their swords, but they let that man and all his relatives go.

26 The man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city. He named it Luz, which is still its name today.

27 The tribe of Manasseh didn't drive out the people in Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, or any of their villages. The Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

28 When Israel became stronger they forced the Canaanites to work for them, but they didn't completely drive them out.

29 The tribe of Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites kept on living there with them.

30 The tribe of Zebulun didn't drive out the people living in Kitron or Nahalol. These Canaanites lived with them but were forced to work for them.

31 The tribe of Asher didn't drive out the people living in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

32 The people of Asher settled among the Canaanites in the land because they couldn't drive them out.

33 The tribe of Naphtali didn't drive out the people living in Beth-shemesh or Beth-anath but settled among the Canaanites in the land. The people living in Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were forced to work for them.

34 The Amorites pushed the people of Dan back into the highlands because they wouldn't allow them to come down to the plain.

35 The Amorites were determined to live in Har-heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but Joseph's household became strong, and the Amorites were forced to work for them.

36 The border of the Amorites ran from the Akrabbim pass, from Sela, and upward.

Judges 2

1 The LORD's messenger came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,

2 and you are not to make a covenant with those who live in this land. You should break down their altars.' But you didn't obey me. What have you done?

3 So now I tell you, I won't drive them out before you, but they'll be a problem for you, and their gods will be a trap for you."

4 When the LORD's messenger spoke these words to all the Israelites, they raised their voices and cried out loud.

5 So they named that place Bochim, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD there.

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites each went to settle on their own family property in order to take possession of the land.

7 The people served the LORD throughout the rest of Joshua's life and throughout the next generation of elders who outlived him, those who had seen all the great things that the LORD had done for Israel.

8 Joshua, Nun's son and the LORD's servant, died when he was 110 years old.

9 They buried him within the boundaries of his family property in Timnath-heres in the highlands of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

10 When that whole generation had passed away, another generation came after them who didn't know the LORD or the things that he had done for Israel.

11 Then the Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil: They served the Baals;

12 and they went away from the LORD, their ancestors' God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the surrounding peoples, they worshipped them, and they angered the LORD.

13 They went away from the LORD and served Baal and the Astartes.

14 So the LORD became angry with Israel, and he handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He let them be defeated by their enemies around them, so that they were no longer able to stand up to them.

15 Whenever the Israelites marched out, the LORD's power worked against them, just as the LORD had warned them. And they were very distressed.

16 Then the LORD raised up leaders to rescue them from the power of these raiders.

17 But they wouldn't even obey their own leaders because they were unfaithful, following other gods and worshipping them. They quickly deviated from the way of their ancestors, who had obeyed the LORD's commands, and didn't follow their example.

18 The LORD was moved by Israel's groaning under those who oppressed and crushed them. So the LORD would raise up leaders for them, and the LORD would be with the leader, and he would rescue Israel from the power of their enemies as long as that leader lived.

19 But then when the leader died, they would once again act in ways that weren't as good as their ancestors', going after other gods, to serve them and to worship them. They wouldn't drop their bad practices or hardheaded ways.

20 So the LORD became angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated my covenant that I required of their ancestors and hasn't obeyed me,

21 I in turn will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died."

22 As a test for Israel, to see whether they would carefully walk in the LORD's ways just as their ancestors had done,

23 the LORD left these nations instead of driving them out immediately or handing them over to Joshua.

Judges 3

1 These are the nations that the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the wars of Canaan.

2 They survived only to teach war to the generations of Israelites who had no firsthand knowledge of the earlier wars:

3 the five rulers of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites who lived in the highlands of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 They were to be the test for Israel, to find out whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had made to their ancestors through Moses.

5 So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6 But the Israelites intermarried with them and served their gods.

7 The Israelites did things that the LORD saw as evil, and they forgot the LORD their God. They served the Baals and the Asherahs.

8 The LORD became angry with Israel and gave them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. The Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

9 But then they cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, Othniel, Kenaz's son, Caleb's younger brother, who rescued them.

10 The LORD's spirit was in Othniel, and he led Israel. When he marched out for war, the LORD handed over Aram's King Cushan-rishathaim. Othniel overpowered Cushan-rishathaim,

11 and the land was peaceful for forty years, until Othniel, Kenaz's son, died.

12 The Israelites again did things that the LORD saw as evil, and the LORD put Moab's King Eglon in power over them, because they did these things that the LORD saw as evil.

13 He convinced the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, defeated Israel, and took possession of Palm City.

14 So the Israelites served Moab's King Eglon eighteen years.

15 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud, Gera's son, a Benjaminite, who was left-handed. The Israelites sent him to take their tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon.

16 Now Ehud made for himself a double-edged sword that was about a foot and a half long, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his clothes.

17 Then he presented the tribute payment to Moab's King Eglon, who was a very fat man.

18 When he had finished delivering the tribute payment, Ehud sent on their way the people who had carried it.

19 But he himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, and he said, "I have a secret message for you, King." So Eglon said, "Hush!" and all his attendants went out of his presence.

20 Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his cool second-story room, and he said, "I have a message from God for you." At that, Eglon got up from his throne.

21 Ehud reached with his left hand and grabbed the sword from his right thigh. He stabbed it into Eglon's stomach,

22 and even the handle went in after the blade. Since he did not pull the sword out of his stomach, the fat closed over the blade, and his guts spilled out.

23 Ehud slipped out to the porch, and closed and locked the doors of the second-story room behind him.

24 After Ehud had slipped out, the king's servants came and found that the room's doors were locked. So they thought, He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber.

25 They waited so long that they were embarrassed, but he never opened the doors of the room. Then they used the key to open them, and there was their master lying dead on the ground!

26 Ehud had gotten away while they were waiting and had passed the carved stones and escaped to Seirah.

27 When he arrived, he blew the ram's horn in the Ephraim highlands. So the Israelites went down from the highlands with Ehud leading them.

28 He told them, "Follow me, for the LORD has handed over your enemies the Moabites." So they followed him, and they took control of the crossing points of the Jordan in the direction of Moab, allowing no one to cross.

29 This time, they defeated the Moabites, about ten thousand big and strong men, and no one escaped.

30 Moab was brought down by the power of Israel on that day, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.

31 After Ehud, Shamgar, Anath's son, struck down six hundred Philistines with an animal prod. He too rescued Israel.

Judges 4

1 After Ehud had died, the Israelites again did things that the LORD saw as evil.

2 So the LORD gave them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, and he was stationed in Harosheth-ha-goiim.

3 The Israelites cried out to the LORD because Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was a leader of Israel at that time.

5 She would sit under Deborah's palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraim highlands, and the Israelites would come to her to settle disputes.

6 She sent word to Barak, Abinoam's son, from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "Hasn't the LORD, Israel's God, issued you a command? ‘Go and assemble at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand men from the people of Naphtali and Zebulun with you.

7 I'll lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to assemble with his chariots and troops against you at the Kishon River, and then I'll help you overpower him.'"

8 Barak replied to her, "If you'll go with me, I'll go; but if not, I won't go."

9 Deborah answered, "I'll definitely go with you. However, the path you're taking won't bring honor to you, because the LORD will hand over Sisera to a woman." Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 He summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men marched out behind him. Deborah marched out with him too.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, and had settled as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12 When it was reported to Sisera that Barak, Abinoam's son, had marched up to Mount Tabor,

13 Sisera summoned all of his nine hundred iron chariots and all of the soldiers who were with him from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Kishon River.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get up! This is the day that the LORD has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn't the LORD gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men behind him.

15 The LORD threw Sisera and all the chariots and army into a panic before Barak; Sisera himself got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army all the way back to Harosheth-ha-goiim, killing Sisera's entire army with the sword. No one survived.

17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Hazor's King Jabin and the family of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come in, sir, come in here. Don't be afraid." So he went with her into the tent, and she hid him under a blanket.

19 Sisera said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink. I'm thirsty." So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and hid him again.

20 Then he said to her, "Stand at the entrance to the tent. That way, if someone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?' you can say, ‘No.'"

21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent stake and a hammer. While Sisera was sound asleep from exhaustion, she tiptoed to him. She drove the stake through his head and down into the ground, and he died.

22 Just then, Barak arrived after chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, "Come and I'll show you the man you're after." So he went in with her, and there was Sisera, lying dead, with the stake through his head.

23 So on that day God brought down Canaan's King Jabin before the Israelites.

24 And the power of the Israelites grew greater and greater over Canaan's King Jabin until they defeated him completely.