Shofetim, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} It happened after the death of Yehoshua, the children of
Yisra'el asked of the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us first
against the Kana`anim, to fight against them? {1:2} The LORD said,
Yehudah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
{1:3} Yehudah said to Shim`on his brother, Come up with me into my
lot, that we may fight against the Kana`anim; and I likewise will go
with you into your lot. So Shim`on went with him. {1:4} Yehudah went
up; and the LORD delivered the Kana`anim and the Perizzi 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 Kana`anim and the Perizzi. {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 God has requited me." They brought him to
Yerushalayim, and he died there. {1:8} The children of Yehudah fought
against Yerushalayim, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the
sword, and set the city on fire. {1:9} Afterward the children of
Yehudah went down to fight against the Kana`anim who lived in the
hill-country, and in the South, and in the lowland. {1:10} Yehudah
went against the Kana`anim who lived in Hevron (now the name of Hevron
before was Kiryat-Arba); and they struck Sheshai, and Achiman, and
Talmai. {1:11} From there he went against the inhabitants of Devir.
(Now the name of Devir before was Kiryat-Sefer.) {1:12} Kalev said, He
who strikes Kiryat-Sefer, and takes it, to him will I give `Akhsah my
daughter as wife. {1:13} `Otni'el the son of Kenaz, Kalev's younger
brother, took it: and he gave him `Akhsah 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 Kalev said
to her, What would you? {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. Kalev gave her the upper springs and the lower
springs. {1:16} The children of the Keni, Moshe' brother-in-law, went
up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Yehudah into the
wilderness of Yehudah, which is in the south of `Arad; and they went
and lived with the people. {1:17} Yehudah went with Shim`on his
brother, and they struck the Kana`anim who inhabited Tzefat, and
utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. {1:18}
Also Yehudah took `Aza with the border of it, and Ashkelon with the
border of it, and `Ekron with the border of it. {1:19} The LORD was
with Yehudah; 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 Hevron to Kalev, as Moshe had
spoken: and he drove out there the three sons of `Anak. {1:21} The
children of Binyamin did not drive out the Yevusi who inhabited
Yerushalayim; but the Yevusi dwell with the children of Binyamin in
Yerushalayim to this day. {1:22} The house of Yosef, they also went up
against Beit-El; and the LORD was with them. {1:23} The house of Yosef
sent to spy out Beit-El. (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, Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we
will deal kindly with you. {1:25} He shown 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 Hitti, and built a city, and called the name of it Luz, which
is the name of it to this day. {1:27} Menashsheh did not drive out
[the inhabitants of] Beit-She'an and its towns, nor [of] Ta`nakh and
its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the
inhabitants of Yivle`am and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo
and its towns; but the Kana`anim would dwell in that land. {1:28} It
happened, when Yisra'el had grown strong, that they put the Kana`anim
to forced labor, and did not utterly drive them out. {1:29} Efrayim
didn't drive out the Kana`anim who lived in Gezer; but the Kana`anim
lived in Gezer among them. {1:30} Zevulun didn't drive out the
inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the
Kana`anim lived among them, and became subject to forced labor. {1:31}
Asher didn't drive out the inhabitants of `Akko, nor the inhabitants
of Tzidon, nor of Achlav, nor of Akhziv, nor of Helbah, nor of Afik,
nor of Rechov; {1:32} but the Asheri lived among the Kana`anim, the
inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. {1:33}
Naftali didn't drive out the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh, nor the
inhabitants of Beit-`Anat; but he lived among the Kana`anim, the
inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh
and of Beit-`Anat became subject to forced labor. {1:34} The Amori
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 Amori would
dwell in Mount Heres, in Ayalon, and in Sha`alvim: yet the hand of the
house of Yosef prevailed, so that they became subject to forced labor.
{1:36} The border of the Amori was from the ascent of `Akrabbim, from
the rock, and upward.
{2:1} The angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bokhim. He said,
I made you to go up out of Mitzrayim, 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 Yisra'el, that the people lifted up their voice, and
wept. {2:5} They called the name of that place Bokhim: and they
sacrificed there to the LORD. {2:6} Now when Yehoshua had sent the
people away, the children of Yisra'el went every man to his
inheritance to possess the land. {2:7} The people served the LORD all
the days of Yehoshua, and all the days of the Zakenim who outlived
Yehoshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD that he had
worked for Yisra'el. {2:8} Yehoshua 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 Timnat-Heres, in the hill- country of
Efrayim, on the north of the mountain of Ga`ash. {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 Yisra'el. {2:11} The children of Yisra'el did
that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Ba`alim;
{2:12} and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who
brought them out of the land of Mitzrayim, and followed other gods, of
the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed
themselves down to them: and they provoked the LORD to anger. {2:13}
They forsook the LORD, and served Ba`al and the `Ashtarot. {2:14} The
anger of the LORD was kindled against Yisra'el, and he delivered them
into the hands of spoilers who despoiled them; and he sold them into
the hands of their enemies round about, 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 sore 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 [1>]mitzvot[<1] 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 repented the LORD
because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and
vexed 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 Yisra'el; 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 Yehoshua left when
he died; {2:22} that by them I may prove Yisra'el, 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 Yehoshua.
{3:1} Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove
Yisra'el by them, even as many [of Yisra'el] as had not known all the
wars of Kana`an; {3:2} only that the generations of the children of
Yisra'el might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before
knew nothing of it: {3:3} [namely], the five lords of the Pelishtim,
and all the Kana`anim, and the Tzidonim, and the Hivvi who lived on
Mount Levanon, from Mount Ba`al-Hermon to the entrance of Hamat. {3:4}
They were [left], to prove Yisra'el by them, to know whether they
would listen to the [1>]mitzvot[<1] of the LORD, which he commanded
their fathers by Moshe. {3:5} The children of Yisra'el lived among the
Kana`anim, the Hitti, and the Amori, and the Perizzi, and the Hivvi,
and the Yevusi: {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 Yisra'el did that which was evil in the sight of
the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Ba`alim and
the Asherot. {3:8} Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against
Yisra'el, and he sold them into the hand of Kushan-Rish`atayim king of
Aram-Naharayim: and the children of Yisra'el served Kushan-Rish`atayim
eight years. {3:9} When the children of Yisra'el cried to the LORD,
the LORD raised up a savior to the children of Yisra'el, who saved
them, even `Otni'el the son of Kenaz, Kalev's younger brother. {3:10}
The Spirit of the LORD came on him, and he judged Yisra'el; and he
went out to war, and the LORD delivered Kushan-Rish`atayim king of
Aram-Naharayim into his hand: and his hand prevailed against
Kushan-Rish`atayim. {3:11} The land had rest forty years. `Otni'el the
son of Kenaz died. {3:12} The children of Yisra'el again did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened
`Eglon the king of Mo'av against Yisra'el, 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 Yisra'el, and
they possessed the city of palm trees. {3:14} The children of Yisra'el
served `Eglon the king of Mo'av eighteen years. {3:15} But when the
children of Yisra'el cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a
savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Binyamini, a man left-handed. The
children of Yisra'el sent tribute by him to `Eglon the king of Mo'av.
{3:16} Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length;
and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh. {3:17} He
offered the tribute to `Eglon king of Mo'av: 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. He 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 chamber. {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 [2>]eretz[<2]. {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 Efrayim; and the children of
Yisra'el went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.
{3:28} He said to them, Follow after me; for the LORD has delivered
your enemies the Mo`avim into your hand. They went down after him, and
took the fords of the Yarden against the Mo`avim, and didn't allow a
man to pass over. {3:29} They struck of Mo'av at that time about ten
thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valor; and there
escaped not a man. {3:30} So Mo'av was subdued that day under the hand
of Yisra'el. The land had rest eighty years. {3:31} After him was
Shamgar the son of `Anat, who struck of the Pelishtim six hundred men
with an ox-goad: and he also saved Yisra'el.
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Footnotes:
[1] {2:17} commandments
[1] {3:4} commandments
[2] {3:25} earth
[3] {3:27} trumpet
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