Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation¹ would again² act more wickedly than the previous one.³ They would follow after other gods, worshiping them⁴ and bowing down to them. They did not give up⁵ their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 5:14

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek,⁶

they follow⁷ after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came⁸ the ones who march carrying⁹ an officer’s staff.

Judges 5:23

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on¹⁰ Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic¹¹ messenger;

‘Be sure¹² to call judgment down on¹³ those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle,¹⁴

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’¹⁵

Judges 7:14

7:14 The other man said,¹⁶ “Without a doubt this symbolizes¹⁷ the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Judges 11:27

11:27 I have not done you wrong,¹⁸ but you are doing wrong¹⁹ by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”

Judges 11:34

11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out²⁰ to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines.²¹ She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.

Judges 12:5

12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River²² opposite Ephraim.²³ Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive²⁴ said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked²⁵ him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Judges 19:1

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite²⁶ living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine²⁷ from Bethlehem²⁸ in Judah.

Judges 19:29

19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces.²⁹ Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel.³⁰

¹tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to turn”) is sometimes translated “turn back” here, but it is probably used in an adverbial sense, indicating that the main action (“act wickedly”) is being repeated.

³tn Heb “their fathers.”

⁴tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”

⁵tn Or “drop.”

⁶tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (’amaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).

⁷tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁸tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁹tn Or possibly “who carry.”

¹¹tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”

¹²tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

¹³tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.

¹⁴tn Heb “[to] curse.”

¹⁵tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”

¹⁶tn Or “along with the other warriors.”

¹⁶tn Heb “answered and said.”

¹⁷tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”

²¹tn Or “sinned against you.”

²²tn Or “evil.”

²⁶tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”

²⁷tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”

³¹tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

³²tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

³³tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

³⁴tn Heb “say to.”

³⁶tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”

³⁷sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.

³⁸map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

⁴¹tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.”

⁴²tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.”