Judges, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} It happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel
asked of [1>]the LORD,[<1] saying, "Who should go up for us first
against the Canaanites, to fight against them?"
{1:2} The LORD said, "Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered
the land into his hand."
{1:3} Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into my
lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go
with you into your lot." So Simeon went with him. {1:4} Judah went up;
and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their
hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men. {1:5} They
found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they
struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites. {1:6} But Adoni-Bezek fled;
and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and
his great toes. {1:7} Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, having their
thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their food] under my
table: as I have done, so [2>]God[<2] has requited me." They brought
him to Jerusalem, and he died there. {1:8} The children of Judah
fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of
the sword, and set the city on fire. {1:9} Afterward the children of
Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill
country, and in the South, and in the lowland. {1:10} Judah went
against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron
before was Kiriath Arba); and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and
Talmai.
{1:11} From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the
name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.) {1:12} Caleb said, "He who
strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my
daughter as wife." {1:13} Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
{1:14} It happened, when she came [to him], that she moved him to
ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her donkey; and
Caleb said to her, "What would you like?"
{1:15} She said to him, "Give me a blessing; for that you have set
me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water." Then
Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. {1:16} The
children of the Kenite, Moses' brother-in-law, went up out of the city
of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah,
which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the
people. {1:17} Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the
Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name
of the city was called Hormah. {1:18} Also Judah took Gaza with its
border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.
{1:19} The LORD was with Judah; and drove out [the inhabitants of] the
hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the
valley, because they had chariots of iron. {1:20} They gave Hebron to
Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out there the three sons of
Anak. {1:21} The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites
who inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of
Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
{1:22} The house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel; and
the LORD was with them. {1:23} The house of Joseph sent to spy out
Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) {1:24} The watchers
saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him, "Please
show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you."
{1:25} He showed them the entrance into the city; and they struck the
city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his
family. {1:26} The man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a
city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.
{1:27} Manasseh did not drive out [the inhabitants of] Beth Shean
and its towns, nor [of] Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of
Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor
the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would
dwell in that land. {1:28} It happened, when Israel had grown strong,
that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not utterly
drive them out. {1:29} Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites who
lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. {1:30}
Zebulun didn't drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the
inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and
became subject to forced labor. {1:31} Asher didn't drive out the
inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor
of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; {1:32} but the
Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for
they did not drive them out. {1:33} Naphtali didn't drive out the
inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he
lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless
the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to
forced labor. {1:34} The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the
hill country; for they would not allow them to come down to the
valley; {1:35} but the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres, in
Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph
prevailed, so that they became subject to forced labor. {1:36} The
border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock,
and upward.
{2:1} The angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said,
"I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land
which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break my
covenant with you: {2:2} and you shall make no covenant with the
inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you
have not listened to my voice: why have you done this? {2:3} Therefore
I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall
be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."
{2:4} It happened, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words to
all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and
wept. {2:5} They called the name of that place Bochim: and they
sacrificed there to the LORD. {2:6} Now when Joshua had sent the
people away, the children of Israel went every man to his inheritance
to possess the land. {2:7} The people served the LORD all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had
seen all the great work of the LORD that he had worked for Israel.
{2:8} Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one
hundred ten years old. {2:9} They buried him in the border of his
inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the
north of the mountain of Gaash. {2:10} Also all that generation were
gathered to their fathers: and there arose another generation after
them, who didn't know the LORD, nor yet the work which he had worked
for Israel. {2:11} The children of Israel did that which was evil in
the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; {2:12} and they forsook
the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land
of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were
around them, and bowed themselves down to them: and they provoked the
LORD to anger. {2:13} They forsook the LORD, and served Baal and the
Ashtaroth. {2:14} The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel,
and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers who despoiled them;
and he sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that
they could not any longer stand before their enemies. {2:15} Wherever
they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the
LORD had spoken, and as the LORD had sworn to them: and they were very
distressed. {2:16} The LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of
the hand of those who despoiled them. {2:17} Yet they didn't listen to
their judges; for they played the prostitute after other gods, and
bowed themselves down to them: they turned aside quickly out of the
way in which their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of the
LORD; [but] they didn't do so. {2:18} When the LORD raised them up
judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the
hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it grieved the
LORD because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them
and troubled them. {2:19} But it happened, when the judge was dead,
that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in
following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them; they
didn't cease from their doings, nor from their stubborn way. {2:20}
The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; and he said,
"Because this nation have transgressed my covenant which I commanded
their fathers, and have not listened to my voice; {2:21} I also will
not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that
Joshua left when he died; {2:22} that by them I may prove Israel,
whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their
fathers did keep it, or not." {2:23} So the LORD left those nations,
without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the
hand of Joshua.
{3:1} Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel
by them, even as many [of Israel] as had not known all the wars of
Canaan; {3:2} only that the generations of the children of Israel
might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew
nothing of it: {3:3} [namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and
all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on
Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. {3:4}
They were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would
listen to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their
fathers by Moses. {3:5} The children of Israel lived among the
Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and
the Hivites, and the Jebusites: {3:6} and they took their daughters to
be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served
their gods. {3:7} The children of Israel did that which was evil in
the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the
Baals and the Asheroth. {3:8} Therefore the anger of the LORD was
kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan
Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served
Cushan Rishathaim eight years. {3:9} When the children of Israel cried
to the LORD, the LORD raised up a savior to the children of Israel,
who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother. {3:10} The Spirit of the LORD came on him, and he judged
Israel; and he went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan
Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed
against Cushan Rishathaim. {3:11} The land had rest forty years.
Othniel the son of Kenaz died. {3:12} The children of Israel again did
that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD
strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had
done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. {3:13} He gathered
to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck
Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees. {3:14} The children
of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. {3:15} But
when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up
a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. The
children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
{3:16} Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length;
and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh. {3:17} He
offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat
man. {3:18} When he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent
away the people who bore the tribute. {3:19} But he himself turned
back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret
errand to you, king."
The king said, "Keep silence!" All who stood by him went out from
him.
{3:20} Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the
cool upper room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God to you." He
arose out of his seat. {3:21} Ehud put forth his left hand, and took
the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: {3:22}
and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the
blade, for he didn't draw the sword out of his body; and it came out
behind. {3:23} Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors
of the upper room on him, and locked them.
{3:24} Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw,
and behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said,
"Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room." {3:25} They waited
until they were ashamed; and behold, he didn't open the doors of the
upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened [them], and
behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
{3:26} Ehud escaped while they waited, and passed beyond the
quarries, and escaped to Seirah. {3:27} It happened, when he had come,
that he blew a [3>]shofar[<3] in the hill country of Ephraim; and the
children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he
before them.
{3:28} He said to them, "Follow me; for the LORD has delivered your
enemies the Moabites into your hand." They followed him, and took the
fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn't allow any man to
pass over. {3:29} They struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand
men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a
man. {3:30} So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. The
land had rest eighty years.
{3:31} After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck of the
Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad: and he also saved Israel.
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Footnotes:
[1] {1:1} "LORD" or "GOD" (all capital letters) indicate the 4-letter
Holy Name of God
[2] {1:7} The Hebrew word rendered "God" is "Elohim."
[3] {3:27} or, trumpet
________________________________________________________________________
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