1:1 And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the sons of Israel asked of [the Speech of] Yahweh, saying, Who will go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?
1:2 And Yahweh said, Judah will go up: look, I have delivered the land into his hand. 
1:3 And 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 And Judah went up; and Yahweh delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they struck of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 
1:5 And 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 And 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 repaid me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
1:8 \p And the sons 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 And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the lowland. 
1:10 And Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
1:11 \p And from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.) 
1:12 And Caleb said, He who strikes Kiriath-sepher, and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife. 
1:13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. 
1:14 And it came to pass, when she came [to him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she dismounted from off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, What do you want? 
1:15 And 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. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
1:16 \p And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negeb of Arad; and Amalek went and dwelt with them. 
1:17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and completely destroyed it. And 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 And [the Speech of] Yahweh 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 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken: and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 
1:21 And the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
1:22 \p And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el; and [the Speech of] Yahweh was with them.
1:23 And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el. (Now the name of the city formerly was Luz.) 
1:24 And 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 And 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 And 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 \p And 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 determined to dwell in that land. 
1:28 And it came to pass, when Israel was waxed strong, that they put the Canaanites to slave labor, and did not completely drive them out.
1:29 \p And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
1:30 \p Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became subject to slave labor.
1:31 \p Asher did not 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 dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
1:33 \p Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to slave labor.
1:34 \p And the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill-country; for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; 
1:35 but the Amorites determined to dwell in mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became subject to slave labor. 
1:36 And the border of the Amorites was the Edomites, from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.
2:1 \p And the angel of Yahweh came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And 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⁺ will make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you⁺ will break down their altars. But you⁺ haven't listened to [my Speech]: why have you⁺ done this?
2:3 Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you⁺; but they will be [as thorns] in your⁺ sides, and their gods will be a snare to you⁺. 
2:4 And it came to pass, when the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 
2:5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there to Yahweh.
2:6 \p Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the sons of Israel went every man to his inheritance to possess the land. 
2:7 And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh that he had wrought for Israel. 
2:8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the slave of Yahweh, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 
2:9 And 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 And also all that generation were gathered⁺ to their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, who didn't know Yahweh, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.
2:11 \p And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baalim; 
2:12 and they forsook Yahweh, 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 round about them, and bowed themselves down to them: and they provoked Yahweh to anger. 
2:13 And they forsook Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 
2:14 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 
2:15 Wherever they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them: and they were very distressed.
2:16 \p And Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who despoiled them. 
2:17 And yet they didn't listen to their judges; for they went whoring 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 Yahweh; [but] they did not so. 
2:18 And when Yahweh raised up judges for them, then [the Speech of] Yahweh was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented Yahweh because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and vexed them.
2:19 But it came to pass, 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 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel; and he said, Because this nation transgressed⁺ my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and did not accept [my Speech];
2:21 I also will not, from now on, 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 Yahweh to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not. 
2:23 So Yahweh left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither did he deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
3:1 \p Now these are the nations which Yahweh 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 sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as formerly knew nothing of it: 
3:3 [namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 
3:4 And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. 
3:5 And the sons of Israel dwelt 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 \p And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth. 
3:8 Therefore the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 
3:9 And when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the sons of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 
3:10 And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Yahweh delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand: and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim. 
3:11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
3:12 \p And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh: and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 
3:13 And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees. 
3:14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
3:15 \p But when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised them up a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 
3:16 And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he girded it under his raiment on his right thigh. 
3:17 And he offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man. 
3:18 And 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 message to you, O king. And he said, Keep silent. And all who stood by him went out from him. 
3:20 And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. And he arose out of his seat. 
3:21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: 
3:22 and the handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he did not 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 \p Now when he had gone out, his slaves came; and they saw, and noticed that the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is relieving himself in the upper chamber. 
3:25 And they tarried until they were ashamed; and saw that he didn't open the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened [them], and saw that their lord had fallen down dead on the earth.
3:26 \p And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah. 
3:27 And it came to pass, when he came, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he [was] before them. 
3:28 And he said to them, Follow after me; for Yahweh has delivered your⁺ enemies the Moabites into your⁺ hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn't allow a man to pass over. 
3:29 And they struck of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every robust man, and every man of valor; and not a man escaped. 
3:30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest 80 years.
3:31 \p And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel.
4:1 \p And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, when Ehud was dead. 
4:2 And Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 
4:3 And the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the sons of Israel.
4:4 \p Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 
4:5 And she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim: and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 
4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, Has not Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded, [saying,] Go and draw to mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun? 
4:7 And I will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand. 
4:8 And Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go. 
4:9 And she said, I will surely go with you: notwithstanding, the journey that you take will not be for your honor; for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. 
4:10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.
4:11 \p Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the sons of Hobab the brother-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.
4:12 \p And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to mount Tabor. 
4:13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon. 
4:14 And Deborah said to Barak, Rise up; for this is the day in which Yahweh has delivered Sisera into your hand; has not Yahweh gone out before you? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 
4:15 And Yahweh discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera dismounted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. 
4:16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, to Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.
4:17 \p Nevertheless Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 
4:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; don't be afraid. And he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 
4:19 And he said to her, Give me, I pray you, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. 
4:20 And he said to her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it will be, when any man comes and inquires of you, and says, Is there any man here? Then you will say, No. 
4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died. 
4:22 And, look, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek. And he came to her; and saw that Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.
4:23 \p So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. 
4:24 And the hand of the sons of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
5:1 \p Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, 
5:2 \q1 For the leaders took the lead in Israel, \q2 For the people offered themselves willingly, \q3 Bless you⁺ Yahweh. 
5:3 \q1 Hear, O you⁺ kings; \q2 give ear, O you⁺ princes; \q1 I, [even] I, will sing to Yahweh; \q2 I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 
5:4 \q1 Yahweh, when you went forth out of Seir, \q2 When you marched out of the field of Edom, \q1 The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, \q2 Yes, the clouds dropped water. 
5:5 \q1 The mountains quaked at the presence of Yahweh, \q2 this Sinai at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
5:6 \p \q1 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, \q2 In the days of Jael, \q1 the highways were unoccupied, \q2 And the travelers walked through byways. 
5:7 \q1 The villagers ceased in Israel, they ceased, \q2 Until I Deborah arose, \q3 I arose a mother in Israel. 
5:8 \q1 They chose new gods; \q2 Then there was war in the gates: \q3 Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? 
5:9 \q1 My heart is toward the governors of Israel, \q2 Who offered themselves willingly among the people: \q3 Bless⁺ Yahweh. 
5:10 \q1 Tell [of it], you⁺ who ride on white donkeys, \q2 You⁺ who sit on rich carpets, \q3 And you⁺ who walk by the way. 
5:11 \q1 Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, \q2 There they will rehearse the righteous acts of Yahweh, \q2 [Even] the righteous acts of his villagers in Israel. \q2 Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.
5:12 \p \q1 Awake, awake, Deborah; \q2 Awake, awake, utter a song: \q3 Arise, Barak, and capture your captives, you son of Abinoam. 
5:13 \q1 Then the survivor went down to the majestic ones, \q2 the people of Yahweh went down for me as warriors. 
5:14 \q1 Out of Ephraim their root [is] in Amalek; \q2 After you, Benjamin among your peoples; \q1 Out of Machir came down governors, \q2 And out of Zebulun those who handle the marshal's staff. 
5:15 \q1 And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah; \q2 As was Issachar, so was Barak; \q1 Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. \q2 By the watercourses of Reuben, There were great resolves of heart. 
5:16 \q1 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, \q2 To hear the pipings for the flocks? \q1 At the watercourses of Reuben, \q2 There were great searchings of heart. 
5:17 \q1 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan: \q2 And Dan, why did he remain in ships? \q1 Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, \q2 And stayed by his creeks. 
5:18 \q1 Zebulun was a people who jeopardized their souls to death, \q2 And Naphtali, on the high places of the field.
5:19 \p \q1 The kings came and fought; \q2 Then fought the kings of Canaan. \q3 In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: They took no gain of silver. 
5:20 \q1 From heaven fought the stars, \q2 From their courses they fought against Sisera. 
5:21 \q1 The river Kishon swept them away, \q2 That ancient river, the river Kishon. \q3 O my soul, march on with strength. 
5:22 \q1 Then the horsehoofs stamped \q2 By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones. 
5:23 \q1 Curse⁺ Meroz, said the angel of Yahweh. \q2 Curse⁺ bitterly its inhabitants, \q1 Because they didn't come to the help of Yahweh, \q2 To the help of Yahweh against the mighty.
5:24 \p \q1 Blessed above women will Jael be, \q2 The wife of Heber the Kenite; \q3 Blessed she will be above women in the tent. 
5:25 \q1 He asked water, [and] she gave him milk; \q2 She brought him butter in a majestic dish. 
5:26 \q1 She put her hand to the tent-pin, \q2 And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; \q1 And with the hammer she struck Sisera, she struck through his head; \q2 Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples. 
5:27 \q1 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; \q2 At her feet he bowed, he fell; \q3 Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
5:28 \p \q1 Through the window she looked forth, and cried, \q2 The mother of Sisera [cried] through the lattice, \q1 Why is his chariot so long in coming? \q2 Why do the wheels of his chariots tarry? 
5:29 \q1 Her wise ladies answered her, \q2 Yes, she returned answer to herself, 
5:30 \q1 Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil? \q2 A womb, [even] two wombs for each chief [able-bodied] man. \q1 A spoil of dyed garments for Sisera. \q2 A spoil of embroidered dyed garments, [even] double embroidered dyed garments for the neck of the queen. 
5:31 \q1 So let all your enemies perish, O Yahweh: \q2 But let those who love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
6:1 \p And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 
6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. 
6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east; they came up against them; 
6:4 and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey. 
6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. 
6:6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh.
6:7 \p And it came to pass, when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian, 
6:8 that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel: and he said to them, This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, I brought you⁺ up from Egypt, and brought you⁺ forth out of the house of slaves; 
6:9 and I delivered you⁺ out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you⁺, and drove them out from before you⁺, and gave you⁺ their land; 
6:10 and I said to you⁺, I am Yahweh your⁺ God; you⁺ will not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you⁺ dwell. But you⁺ haven't accepted [my Speech].
6:11 \p And the angel of Yahweh came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 
6:12 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him, and said to him, [the Speech of] Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor.
6:13 And Gideon said to him, Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, then why does all this befall us? And where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt? But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. 
6:14 And Yahweh looked on him, and said, Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: haven't I sent you? 
6:15 And he said to him, Oh, Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Look, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 
6:16 And Yahweh said to him, Surely [my Speech] will be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one man.
6:17 And he said to him, If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talks with me. 
6:18 Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come to you, and bring forth my present, and lay it before you. And he said, I will tarry until you come again.
6:19 \p And Gideon went in, and made ready a young goat, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it. 
6:20 And the angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 
6:21 Then the angel of Yahweh put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Yahweh departed out of his sight. 
6:22 And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh; and Gideon said, Alas, O Sovereign Yahweh! Since I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.
6:23 And Yahweh said to him, Peace be to you; don't be afraid: you will not die. 
6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it Yahweh-shalom: to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 \p And it came to pass the same night, that Yahweh said to him, Take your father's bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; 
6:26 and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which you will cut down. 
6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his slaves, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
6:28 \p And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, look, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. 
6:29 And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing. 
6:30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it. 
6:31 And Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you⁺ contend for Baal? Or will you⁺ save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is yet] morning: if he is a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar. 
6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.
6:33 \p Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. 
6:34 But the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after him. 
6:35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
6:36 \p And Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, 
6:37 look, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there will be dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken. 
6:38 And it was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 
6:39 And Gideon said to God, Don't let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray you, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew. 
6:40 And God did so that night: for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
7:1 \p Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
7:2 \p And Yahweh said to Gideon, The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, or else Israel will vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me. 
7:3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
7:4 \p And Yahweh said to Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them for you there: and it will be, that of whom I say to you, This will go with you, the same will go with you; and of whomever I say to you, This will not go with you, the same will not go. 
7:5 So he brought down the people to the water: and Yahweh said to Gideon, Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him you will set by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink. 
7:6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water. 
7:7 And Yahweh said to Gideon, By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you⁺, and deliver the Midianites into your hand; and let all the people go every man to his place. 
7:8 And they took the provisions of the people in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
7:9 \p And it came to pass the same night, that Yahweh said to him, Arise, go down into the camp; for I have delivered it into your hand. 
7:10 But if you fear to go down, you and Purah your attendant go down to the camp: 
7:11 and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his attendant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp. 
7:12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude. 
7:13 And when Gideon came, look, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow soldier; and he said, Look, I dreamed a dream; and saw that a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat. 
7:14 And his fellow soldier answered and said, This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God has delivered Midian, and all the host.
7:15 \p And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshiped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Yahweh has delivered into your⁺ hand the host of Midian. 
7:16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches inside the pitchers. 
7:17 And he said to them, Look at me, and do likewise: and, see, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it will be that, as I do, so you⁺ will do. 
7:18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you⁺ blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Yahweh and for Gideon.
7:19 \p So Gideon, and the hundred men who were with him, came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. 
7:20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they cried, A sword of Yahweh and of Gideon. 
7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put [them] to flight. 
7:22 And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Yahweh set every man's sword against his fellow soldier, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 
7:23 And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.
7:24 \p And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. 
7:25 And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
8:1 \p And the men of Ephraim said to him, Why have you served us thus, that you didn't call us, when you went to fight with Midian? And they chided with him sharply. 
8:2 And he said to them, What have I now done in comparison with you⁺? Isn't the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 
8:3 God has delivered into your⁺ hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you⁺? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
8:4 \p And Gideon came to the Jordan, [and] passed over, he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing. 
8:5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you⁺, loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. 
8:6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army? 
8:7 And Gideon said, Therefore when Yahweh has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your⁺ flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 
8:8 And he went up from there to Penuel, and spoke to them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 
8:9 And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
8:10 \p Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the host of the sons of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen. 
8:11 And Gideon went up by the way of those who stayed in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and struck the host; for the host was secure. 
8:12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he routed all the host.
8:13 \p And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. 
8:14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and its elders, seventy and seven men. 
8:15 And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you⁺ taunted me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary? 
8:16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he flailed the men of Succoth. 
8:17 And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
8:18 \p Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom you⁺ slew at Tabor? And they answered, As you are, so they were; each one resembled the sons of a king. 
8:19 And he said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother: as Yahweh lives, if you⁺ had saved them alive, I would not slay you⁺. 
8:20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, Rise up, and slay them. But the youth did not draw his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 
8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, You rise, and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.
8:22 \p Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son's son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian. 
8:23 And Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you⁺, neither will my son rule over you⁺: Yahweh will rule over you⁺. 
8:24 And Gideon said to them, I would make a request of you⁺, that you⁺ would give me every man the earrings of his spoil. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 
8:25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and cast in it every man the earrings of his spoil. 
8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks. 
8:27 And Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went whoring after it there; and it became a snare to Gideon, and to his house. 
8:28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
8:29 \p And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 
8:30 And Gideon had seventy sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives. 
8:31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 
8:32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 \p And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel turned again, and went whoring after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 
8:34 And the sons of Israel didn't remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; 
8:35 neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, [who was] Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown to Israel.
9:1 \p And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, 
9:2 Speak, I pray you⁺, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether it is better for you⁺, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you⁺, or that one rule over you⁺? Remember also that I am your⁺ bone and your⁺ flesh. 
9:3 And his mother's brothers spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. 
9:4 And they gave him seventy [shekels] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and wild fellows, who followed him. 
9:5 And he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 
9:6 And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.
9:7 \p And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them, Listen to me, you⁺ men of Shechem, that God may listen to you⁺. 
9:8 One time the trees went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, Reign over us. 
9:9 But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, which by me they honor God and men, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? 
9:10 And the trees said to the fig tree, You come, and reign over us. 
9:11 But the fig tree said to them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? 
9:12 And the trees said to the vine, You come, and reign over us. 
9:13 And the vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? 
9:14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, You come, and reign over us. 
9:15 And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you⁺ anoint me king over you⁺, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 
9:16 Now therefore, if you⁺ have dealt truly and uprightly, in that you⁺ have made Abimelech king, and if you⁺ have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands 
9:17 (for my father fought for you⁺, and adventured his soul, and delivered you⁺ out of the hand of Midian: 
9:18 and you⁺ have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your⁺ brother); 
9:19 if you⁺ then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice⁺ in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you⁺: 
9:20 but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 
9:21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
9:22 \p And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. 
9:23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem betrayed Abimelech: 
9:24 that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers. 
9:25 And the men of Shechem set ambushers for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
9:26 \p And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. 
9:27 And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod [the grapes], and held a festival, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. 
9:28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerubbaal? And Zebul his officer? You⁺ serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve him? 
9:29 And if only this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase your army, and come out.
9:30 \p And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 
9:31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem; and, see, they are inciting the city against you. 
9:32 Now therefore, rise up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field: 
9:33 and it will be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you will rise early, and rush on the city; and, look, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you will find occasion.
9:34 \p And Abimelech rose up, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. 
9:35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people who were with him, from the ambush. 
9:36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, You see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 
9:37 And Gaal spoke again and said, See, people are coming down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the Psychics' Oak. 
9:38 Then Zebul said to him, Where now is your mouth, that you said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Isn't this the people that you have despised? Go out now, I pray, and fight with them. 
9:39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
9:40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
9:41 \p And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 
9:42 And it came to pass on the next day, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 
9:43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid in wait in the field; and he looked, and saw that the people came forth out of the city; And he rose up against them, and struck them. 
9:44 And Abimelech, and the companies with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed on all who were in the field, and struck them. 
9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people who were in it: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
9:46 \p And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered into the stronghold of the house of El-berith. 
9:47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 
9:48 And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took axes in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said to the people who were with him, What you⁺ have seen me do, hurry, and do as I have done. 
9:49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire on them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
9:50 \p Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 
9:51 But there was a strong tower inside the city, and there fled all the men and women, and all those of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. 
9:52 And Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 
9:53 And a certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. 
9:54 Then he called hastily to the young man his armorbearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword, and kill me. Or else men will say of me, A woman slew him." And his attendant thrust him through, and he died. 
9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place. 
9:56 Thus God returned the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in slaying his seventy brothers; 
9:57 and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God return on their heads: and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
10:1 \p And after Abimelech, there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim. 
10:2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 \p And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years. 
10:4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 
10:5 And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 \p And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Yahweh, and didn't serve him. 
10:7 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the sons of Ammon. 
10:8 And they vexed and oppressed the sons of Israel that year: eighteen years [they oppressed] all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 
10:9 And the sons of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was very distressed.
10:10 \p And the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim. 
10:11 And Yahweh said to the sons of Israel, [Did] not [I save you⁺] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 
10:12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, had oppressed you⁺; and you⁺ cried to me, and I saved you⁺ out of their hand. 
10:13 Yet you⁺ have forsaken me, and served other gods: therefore I will save you⁺ no more. 
10:14 Go and cry to the gods which you⁺ have chosen; let them save you⁺ in the time of your⁺ distress. 
10:15 And the sons of Israel said to Yahweh, We have sinned: you do to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, we pray you, this day. 
10:16 And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Yahweh; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
10:17 \p Then the sons of Ammon had gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel had assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah. 
10:18 And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He will be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
11:1 \p Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a whore: and Gilead begot Jephthah. 
11:2 And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said to him, You will not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of another woman. 
11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
11:4 \p And it came to pass after awhile, that the sons of Ammon made war against Israel. 
11:5 And it was so, that, when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob; 
11:6 and they said to Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the sons of Ammon. 
11:7 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Didn't you⁺ hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? And why have you⁺ come to me now when you⁺ are in distress? 
11:8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Therefore we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us, and fight with the sons of Ammon; and you will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 
11:9 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you⁺ bring me home again to fight with the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh delivers them before me, shall I be your⁺ head? 
11:10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, [the Speech of] Yahweh will be witness between us; surely according to your word so we will do.
11:11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.
11:12 \p And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What do you have to do with me, that you have come to me to fight against my land? 
11:13 And the king of the sons of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and to the Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands] again peacefully. 
11:14 And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon; 
11:15 and he said to him, Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon, 
11:16 but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh; 
11:17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray you, pass through your land; but the king of Edom didn't listen. And in like manner he sent to the king of Moab; but he would not: and Israel remained in Kadesh. 
11:18 Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they didn't come inside the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 
11:19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray you, through your land to my place. 
11:20 But Sihon didn't trust Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 
11:21 And Yahweh, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 
11:22 And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan. 
11:23 So now Yahweh, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them? 
11:24 Will not you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomever Yahweh our God has dispossessed from before us, them we will possess. 
11:25 And now are you anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 
11:26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; why didn't you⁺ recover them within that time? 
11:27 I therefore haven't sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me: Yahweh, the Judge, will be judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon. 
11:28 Nevertheless the king of the sons of Ammon didn't listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
11:29 \p Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the sons of Ammon. 
11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, If you will indeed deliver the sons of Ammon into my hand, 
11:31 then it will be, that whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it will be Yahweh's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering. 
11:32 So Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and Yahweh delivered them into his hand. 
11:33 And he struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
11:34 \p And Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and saw that his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only [child]; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 
11:35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can't go back. 
11:36 And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, since Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the sons of Ammon. 
11:37 And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions. 
11:38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 
11:39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had no sex with a man. And it was a custom in Israel, 
11:40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
12:1 \p And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said to Jephthah, Why did you pass over to fight against the sons of Ammon, and didn't call us to go with you? We will burn your house on you with fire. 
12:2 And Jephthah said to them, I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; and when I called you⁺, you⁺ didn't save me out of their hand. 
12:3 And when I saw that you⁺ didn't save me, I put my soul in my hand, and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand: why then have you⁺ come up to me this day, to fight against me? 
12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, You⁺ are fugitives of Ephraim, you⁺ Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh. 
12:5 And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? If he said, No; 
12:6 then they said to him, Now say, "Shibboleth"; and he said "Sibboleth"; for he did not accomplish correct pronunciation: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.
12:7 \p And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in his city, in Zepheh of Gilead.
12:8 \p And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. 
12:9 And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 
12:10 And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. 
12:11 And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 
12:12 And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
12:13 \p And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 
12:14 And he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons, that rode on seventy donkey colts: and he judged Israel eight years. 
12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.
13:1 \p And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
13:2 \p And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and had not given birth. 
13:3 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and said to her, Look now, you are barren, and have not given birth; but you will become pregnant, and give birth to a son. 
13:4 Now therefore beware, I pray you, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don't eat any unclean thing: 
13:5 for, look, you will become pregnant, and give birth to a son; and no razor will come upon his head; for the lad will be a Nazirite to God from the womb: and he will begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 
13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very awesome; and I did not ask him from where he was, neither did he tell me his name: 
13:7 but he said to me, Look, you will become pregnant, and give birth to a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and don't eat any unclean thing; for the lad will be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
13:8 \p Then Manoah entreated Yahweh, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray you, let the man of God whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we will do to the lad that will be born. 
13:9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field: but her husband Manoah wasn't with her. 
13:10 And the woman hurried, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, Look, the man has appeared to me, who came to me the [other] day. 
13:11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Are you the man who spoke to the woman? And he said, I am. 
13:12 And Manoah said, Now let your words come to pass: what will be the ordering of the lad, and [how] shall we do to him? 
13:13 And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, Of all that I said to the woman let her beware. 
13:14 She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.
13:15 \p And Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, I pray you, let us detain you, that we may prepare a young goat for you. 
13:16 And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, Though you detain me, I will not eat of your bread; and if you will prepare a burnt-offering, you must offer it to Yahweh. For Manoah didn't know that he was the angel of Yahweh. 
13:17 And Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, What is your name, that, when your words come to pass, we may honor you? 
13:18 And the angel of Yahweh said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful? 
13:19 So Manoah took the young goat with the meal-offering, and offered it on the rock to Yahweh: and [the angel] did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. 
13:20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
13:21 \p But the angel of Yahweh did not appear anymore to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. 
13:22 And Manoah said to his wife, We will surely die, because we have seen God. 
13:23 But his wife said to him, If Yahweh desired to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have shown us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these. 
13:24 And the woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the lad grew, and Yahweh blessed him. 
13:25 And the Spirit of Yahweh began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
14:1 \p And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 
14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me as wife. 
14:3 Then his father and his mother said to him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said to his father, Get her for me; for she pleases me well. 
14:4 But his father and his mother didn't know that it was of Yahweh; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.
14:5 \p Then Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, look, a young lion roared against him. 
14:6 And the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and he rent him as he would have rent a young goat; and he had nothing in his hand: but he didn't tell his father or his mother what he had done. 
14:7 And he went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well. 
14:8 And after awhile he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and saw that there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 
14:9 And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave to them, and they ate: but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.
14:10 \p And his father went down to the woman: and Samson made a feast there; for so the young men used to do. 
14:11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty friends to be with him. 
14:12 And Samson said to them, Let me now put forth a riddle to you⁺: if you⁺ can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you⁺ thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment; 
14:13 but if you⁺ can't declare it to me, then you⁺ will give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said to him, Put forth your riddle, that we may hear it. 
14:14 And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle. 
14:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, or else we will burn you and your father's house with fire: have you⁺ called us to impoverish us? Or not? 
14:16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You only hate me, and don't love me: you have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and haven't told it to me. And he said to her, Look, I haven't told it to my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you? 
14:17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him intensely; and she told the riddle to the sons of her people. 
14:18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you⁺ did not plow with my heifer, You⁺ did not find out my riddle.
14:19 \p And the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and struck thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes [of raiment] to those who declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 
14:20 But Samson's wife was [given] to his friend, whom he had used as his best man.
15:1 \p But it came to pass after awhile, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a young goat; and he said, I will enter my wife in the chamber. But her father would not allow him to enter. 
15:2 And her father said, I truly thought that you had completely hated her; therefore I gave her to your friend: isn't her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray you, instead of her. 
15:3 And Samson said to them, This time I will be innocent in regard of the Philistines, when I do them a mischief. 
15:4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails. 
15:5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the oliveyards. 
15:6 Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his friend. And the Philistines came up, and burned her and her father with fire. 
15:7 And Samson said to them, If you⁺ act after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you⁺, and after that I will cease. 
15:8 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
15:9 \p Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 
15:10 And the men of Judah said, Why have you⁺ come up against us? And they said, we have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us. 
15:11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Don't you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us? And he said to them, As they did to me, so I have done to them. 
15:12 And they said to him, We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me, or else you⁺ will fall on me yourselves. 
15:13 And they spoke to him, saying, No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand: but surely we will not kill you. And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.
15:14 \p When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burned with fire, and his bindings dropped from off his hands. 
15:15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put forth his hand, and took it, and struck a thousand men with it. 
15:16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of a donkey, I have thrashed them good, With the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.
15:17 \p And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath-lehi. 
15:18 And he was very thirsty, and called on Yahweh, and said, You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your slave; and now I will die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. 
15:19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he drank, his spirit came again, and he revived: therefore its name was called En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day. 
15:20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
16:1 \p And Samson went to Gaza, and there saw a whore, and entered her. 
16:2 The Gazites [were told], saying, Samson has come here. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, [Wait] until morning light, then we will kill him. 
16:3 And Samson lay until midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
16:4 \p And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 
16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in what his great strength lies, and how we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you eleven hundred [shekels] of silver. 
16:6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray you, in what your great strength lies, and with which you might be bound to afflict you. 
16:7 And Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven fresh cords that were never dried, then I will become weak, and be as one of man. 
16:8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 
16:9 Now she had ambushers waiting in the inner chamber. And she said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And he broke the cords, as a string of flax is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength wasn't known.
16:10 \p And Delilah said to Samson, Look, you have mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray you, with which you might be bound. 
16:11 And he said to her, If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then I will become weak, and be as one of man. 
16:12 So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And the ambushers were waiting in the inner chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.
16:13 \p And Delilah said to Samson, Until now you have mocked me, and told me lies: tell me with which you might be bound. And he said to her, If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and fasten them with the pin on the loom, I will become weak as any man. 
16:14 And as he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them with the web and she fastened them with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin, the loom, and the web.
16:15 \p And she said to him, How can you say, I love you, when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and haven't told me in what your great strength lies. 
16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed to death. 
16:17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb: if I were shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak, and be like one of man. 
16:18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the silver in their hand. 
16:19 And she made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 
16:20 And she said, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he didn't know that Yahweh had departed from him. 
16:21 And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground in the prison-house. 
16:22 Nevertheless the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.
16:23 \p And the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 
16:24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god has delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us. 
16:25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may entertain us. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he entertained them. And they set him between the pillars: 
16:26 and Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, Allow me that I may feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean on them. 
16:27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, watching Samson amuse [them].
16:28 \p And Samson called to Yahweh, and said, O Sovereign Yahweh, remember me, I pray you, and strengthen me, I pray you, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 
16:29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and leaned on them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left. 
16:30 And Samson said, Let my soul die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than those who he slew in his life. 
16:31 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
17:1 \p And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 
17:2 And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred [shekels] of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, look, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Yahweh. 
17:3 And he restored the eleven hundred [shekels] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I truly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you. 
17:4 And when he restored the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver, and gave them to the goldsmith, who made of it a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah. 
17:5 And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and talismans, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 
17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
17:7 \p And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there. 
17:8 And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 
17:9 And Micah said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place]. 
17:10 And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten [shekels] of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and your victuals. So the Levite went in. 
17:11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 
17:12 And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 
17:13 Then Micah said, Now I know that Yahweh will do me good, seeing I have a Levite for my priest.
18:1 \p In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for itself an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [its] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel. 
18:2 And the sons of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 
18:3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him, Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here? 
18:4 And he said to them, Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest. 
18:5 And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray you, of [the Speech of] God, that we may know whether our way which we go will be prosperous.
18:6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before Yahweh is your⁺ way in which you⁺ go.
18:7 \p Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people who were in it, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no one possessing authority that might put [them] to shame in anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with man. 
18:8 And they came to their brothers to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brothers said to them, What [say] you⁺? 
18:9 And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, look, it is very good: and are you⁺ still? Don't be slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land. 
18:10 When you⁺ go, you⁺ will come to a people secure, and the land is large; for God has given it into your⁺ hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.
18:11 \p And six hundred men girded with weapons of war set forth from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol. 
18:12 And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: therefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, to this day; look, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. 
18:13 And they passed from there to the hill-country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
18:14 \p Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered, and said to their brothers, Do you⁺ know that there is in these houses an ephod, and talismans, and a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you⁺ have to do. 
18:15 And they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. 
18:16 And the six hundred men girded with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 
18:17 And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the talismans, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girded with weapons of war. 
18:18 And when these went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the talismans, and the molten image, the priest said to them, What are you⁺ doing? 
18:19 And they said to him, Hold your peace, put your hand on your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?
18:20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the talismans, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
18:21 \p So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them. 
18:22 When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near to Micah's house had gathered together, and stuck to the sons of Dan. 
18:23 And they cried to the sons of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What ails you, that you come with such a company? 
18:24 And he said, You⁺ have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what more do I have? And how then do you⁺ say to me, What ails you? 
18:25 And the sons of Dan said to him, Don't let your voice be heard among us, or else men angry of soul will fall on you⁺, and you will lose your soul, with the souls of your household. 
18:26 And the sons of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
18:27 \p And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. 
18:28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with man; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt in it. 
18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: nevertheless the name of the city was Laish at the first. 
18:30 And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 
18:31 So they set themselves up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
19:1 \p And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. 
19:2 And his concubine prostituted against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months. 
19:3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly to her, to bring her again, having his attendant with him, and a couple of donkeys: and she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 
19:4 And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he remained with him three days: so they ate and drank, and lodged there. 
19:5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said to his son-in-law, Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you⁺ will go your⁺ way. 
19:6 So they sat down, and ate and drank, both of them together: and the damsel's father said to the man, Be pleased, I pray you, to tarry all night, and let your heart be merry. 
19:7 And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. 
19:8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Strengthen your heart, I pray you, and tarry⁺ until the day declines; and they ate, both of them. 
19:9 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his attendant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said to him, Look, now the day draws toward evening, I pray you⁺ tarry all night: see, the day grows to an end, lodge here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow rise⁺ early on your⁺ way, that you may go home.
19:10 \p But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came opposite Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of donkeys saddled; his concubine also was with him. 
19:11 When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the attendant said to his master, Come, I pray you, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
19:12 And his master said to him, We will not turn aside into a city of the foreigner, who is not of the sons of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah. 
19:13 And he said to his attendant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
19:14 So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 
19:15 And they turned aside there, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat down in the street of the city; for there was no man who took them into his house to lodge.
19:16 \p And, look, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. 
19:17 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Where do you go? And where do you come from? 
19:18 And he said to him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah to the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim; I am from there, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am going to the house of Yahweh; and there is no man who takes me into his house. 
19:19 Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for your female slave, and for the attendant who is with your slaves: there is no want of anything. 
19:20 And the old man said, Peace be to you; however let all your wants lie on me; only don't lodge in the street. 
19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
19:22 \p As they were making their hearts merry, look, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man who came into your house, that we may have sex with him. 
19:23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, No, my brothers, I pray you⁺, don't do so wickedly; seeing that this man has come into my house, don't do this depravity.
19:24 Look, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; I will bring them out now, and humble⁺ them, and do with them what seems good to you⁺: but to this man don't do any such depravity.
19:25 But the men would not listen to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth to them; and they had sex with her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 
19:26 Then the woman came in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, until it was light.
19:27 \p And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and saw that the woman his concubine had fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 
19:28 And he said to her, Rise up, and let us be going; but there was no answer: then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place. 
19:29 And when he came into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel. 
19:30 And it was so, that all who saw [it] said, [Such a thing] has not happened nor been seen like that from the day the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day. And he commanded the men he sent saying, This is what you will say to every man of Israel, Has such [a thing] ever happened from the day the sons of Israel came up from Egypt until this day? Consider it, take counsel, and speak.
20:1 \p Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to Yahweh at Mizpah. 
20:2 And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew a sword. 
20:3 (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass? 
20:4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 
20:5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about me by night; they wanted to kill me, and they raped my concubine to death. 
20:6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and depravity in Israel. 
20:7 Look, you⁺ sons of Israel, all of you⁺, give here your⁺ advice and counsel.
20:8 \p And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn to his house. 
20:9 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: [we will go up] against it by lot! 
20:10 And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Geba of Benjamin, according to all the depravity that they have wrought in Israel. 
20:11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, joined together as one man.
20:12 \p And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that has come to pass among you⁺? 
20:13 Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the sons of Israel. 
20:14 And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. 
20:15 And the sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand swordsmen, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 
20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred left-handed chosen men; every one could sling stones at a hair-width, and not miss.
20:17 \p And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand swordsmen: all these were men of war. 
20:18 And the sons of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of [the Speech of] God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the sons of Benjamin? And Yahweh said, Judah [will go up] first.
20:19 \p And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 
20:20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 
20:21 And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men. 
20:22 And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 
20:23 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of [the Speech of] Yahweh, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother? And Yahweh said, Go up against him.
20:24 \p And the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin the second day. 
20:25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the sons of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. 
20:26 Then all the sons of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Yahweh. 
20:27 And the sons of Israel asked of [the Speech of] Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
20:28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Yahweh said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.
20:29 \p And Israel set ambushers against Gibeah round about. 
20:30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 
20:31 And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to strike and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 
20:32 And the sons of Benjamin said, They are being struck down before us, as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways. 
20:33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the ambushers of Israel broke forth out of their place, even out from the clearing of Geba. 
20:34 And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was intense; but they didn't know that evil was close on them. 
20:35 And Yahweh struck Benjamin before Israel; and the sons of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these [were] swordsmen.
20:36 \p So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were struck; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted to the ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah. 
20:37 And the ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the ambushers drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 
20:38 Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city. 
20:39 And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle. 
20:40 But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and saw that the whole city went up [in smoke] to heaven. 
20:41 And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil came upon them. 
20:42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle stuck [close] to them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. 
20:43 They enclosed the Benjamites round about, chased them, [and from their] resting-place they trod them down, near Gibeah toward the sunrising. 
20:44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these [were] men of valor. 
20:45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and stuck [closely] after them to Gidom, and struck of them two thousand men. 
20:46 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand swordsmen; all these [were] men of valor. 
20:47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained in the rock of Rimmon four months. 
20:48 And the men of Israel turned again on the sons of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword in the town: men to cattle, to all they found. Moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.
21:1 \p Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, Not any of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as wife. 
21:2 And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept intensely. 
21:3 And they said, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel? 
21:4 And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 
21:5 And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn't come up in the assembly to Yahweh? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, He will surely be put to death. 
21:6 And the sons of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 
21:7 What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by [the Speech of] Yahweh that we will not give them our daughters as wives?
21:8 \p And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah? And, look, not a man from Jabesh-gilead came to the assembly at the camp. 
21:9 For when the people were numbered, look, there was not a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 
21:10 And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 
21:11 And this is the thing that you⁺ will do: you⁺ will completely destroy every male, and every woman who has had any sex with a male. 
21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not had any sex with a man; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
21:13 \p And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. 
21:14 And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet they did not suffice them. 
21:15 And the people repented for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
21:16 \p Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women were destroyed out of Benjamin? 
21:17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 
21:18 Nevertheless we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 
21:19 And they said, Look, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 
21:20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 
21:21 and see, and watch if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come⁺ out of the vineyards, and you⁺ catch every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 
21:22 And it will be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man [of them] his wife in battle, neither did you⁺ give them to them, or else you⁺ would now be guilty. 
21:23 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 
21:24 And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
21:25 \p In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
