3:1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. 1 3:2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. 2 3:3 These were the nations: 3 the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. 4 3:4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. 5
3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3:6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; 6 they worshiped 7 their gods as well.
3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. 8 They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 9 3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel 10 and turned them over to 11 King Cushan-Rishathaim 12 of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects 13 for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he 14 raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued 15 them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 16 3:10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him 17 and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. 18 3:11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
3:12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 19 The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel 20 because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight. 3:13 Eglon formed alliances with 21 the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. 3:14 The Israelites were subject to 22 King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he 23 raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. 24 The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. 25 3:16 Ehud made himself a sword – it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. 26 He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. 3:17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)
3:18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 27 3:19 But he went back 28 once he reached 29 the carved images 30 at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, 31 “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon 32 said, “Be quiet!” 33 All his attendants left. 3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated 34 upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God 35 for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, 36 3:21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s 37 belly. 3:22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud 38 did not pull the sword out of his belly. 39 3:23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule, 40 he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
3:24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s 41 servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, “He must be relieving himself 42 in the well-ventilated inner room.” 43 3:25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. 44 Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! 45 3:26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah.
3:27 When he reached Seirah, 46 he blew a trumpet 47 in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. 48 3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” 49 They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River 50 opposite Moab, 51 and did not let anyone cross. 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites 52 – all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
3:31 After Ehud 53 came 54 Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, 55 delivered Israel.
4:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight 56 after Ehud’s death. 4:2 The Lord turned them over to 57 King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. 58 The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 59 4:3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera 60 had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, 61 and he cruelly 62 oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, 63 wife of Lappidoth, was 64 leading 65 Israel at that time. 4:5 She would sit 66 under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel 67 in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. 68
4:6 She summoned 69 Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun! 4:7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. 70 I will hand him over to you.” 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame 71 on the expedition you are undertaking, 72 for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” 73 Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 4:10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; 74 Deborah went up with him as well. 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away 75 from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived 76 near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
4:12 When Sisera heard 77 that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 4:13 he 78 ordered 79 all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 4:14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, 80 for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! 81 Has the Lord not taken the lead?” 82 Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 4:15 The Lord routed 83 Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. 84 Sisera jumped out of 85 his chariot and ran away on foot. 4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died 86 by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! 87
4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor 88 and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 89 4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, 90 my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera 91 stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’” 4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. 92 She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground 93 while he was asleep from exhaustion, 94 and he died. 4:22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, 95 and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead 96 with the tent peg in his temple.
4:23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm 97 King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with 98 him. 99
5:1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song: 100
5:2 “When the leaders took the lead 101 in Israel,
When the people answered the call to war –
Praise the Lord!
5:3 Hear, O kings!
Pay attention, O rulers!
I will sing to the Lord! 102
I will sing 103 to the Lord God of Israel!
5:4 O Lord, when you departed 104 from Seir,
when you marched from Edom’s plains,
the earth shook, the heavens poured down,
the clouds poured down rain. 105
5:5 The mountains trembled 106 before the Lord, the God of Sinai; 107
before the Lord God of Israel.
5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael caravans 108 disappeared; 109
travelers 110 had to go on winding side roads.
5:7 Warriors 111 were scarce, 112
they were scarce in Israel,
until you 113 arose, Deborah,
until you arose as a motherly protector 114 in Israel.
5:8 God chose new leaders, 115
then fighters appeared in the city gates; 116
but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, 117
among forty military units 118 in Israel.
5:9 My heart went out 119 to Israel’s leaders,
to the people who answered the call to war.
Praise the Lord!
5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets, 120
you who walk on the road, pay attention!
5:11 Hear 121 the sound of those who divide the sheep 122 among the watering places;
there they tell of 123 the Lord’s victorious deeds,
the victorious deeds of his warriors 124 in Israel.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –
5:12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, sing a song!
Get up, Barak!
Capture your prisoners of war, 125 son of Abinoam!
5:13 Then the survivors 126 came down 127 to the mighty ones; 128
the Lord’s people came down to me 129 as 130 warriors.
5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, 131
they follow 132 after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.
From Makir leaders came down,
from Zebulun came 133 the ones who march carrying 134 an officer’s staff.
5:15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah,
the men of Issachar 135 supported 136 Barak;
into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. 137
Among the clans of Reuben there was intense 138 heart searching. 139
5:16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, 140
listening to the shepherds playing their pipes 141 for their flocks? 142
As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.
5:17 Gilead stayed put 143 beyond the Jordan River.
As for Dan – why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards? 144
Asher remained 145 on the seacoast,
he stayed 146 by his harbors. 147
5:18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; 148
Naphtali charged on to the battlefields. 149
5:19 Kings came, they fought;
the kings of Canaan fought,
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, 150
but 151 they took no silver as plunder.
5:20 From the sky 152 the stars 153 fought,
from their paths in the heavens 154 they fought against Sisera.
5:21 The Kishon River carried them off;
the river confronted them 155 – the Kishon River.
Step on the necks of the strong! 156
5:22 The horses’ 157 hooves pounded the ground; 158
the stallions galloped madly. 159
5:23 ‘Call judgment down on 160 Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic 161 messenger;
‘Be sure 162 to call judgment down on 163 those who live there,
because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, 164
to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ 165
5:24 The most rewarded 166 of women should be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite!
She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.
5:25 He asked for water,
and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for a king, 167
she served him curds.
5:26 Her left 168 hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
She “hammered” 169 Sisera,
she shattered his skull, 170
she smashed his head, 171
she drove the tent peg through his temple. 172
5:27 Between her feet he collapsed,
he fell limp 173 and was lifeless; 174
between her feet he collapsed and fell limp,
in the spot where he collapsed,
there he fell limp – violently murdered! 175
5:28 Through the window she looked;
Sisera’s mother cried out through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so slow to return?
Why are the hoofbeats of his chariot-horses 176 delayed?’
5:29 The wisest of her ladies 177 answer;
indeed she even thinks to herself,
5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder 178 –
a girl or two for each man to rape! 179
Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, 180
he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth, 181
two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,
for the neck of the plunderer!’ 182
5:31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!
But may those who love you shine
like the rising sun at its brightest!” 183
And the land had rest for forty years.
6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, 184 so the Lord turned them over to 185 Midian for seven years. 6:2 The Midianites 186 overwhelmed Israel. 187 Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters 188 for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, 189 the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. 190 6:4 They invaded the land 191 and devoured 192 its crops 193 all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, 194 and they took away 195 the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 6:5 When they invaded 196 with their cattle and tents, they were as thick 197 as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. 198 They came to devour 199 the land. 6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 6:8 he 200 sent a prophet 201 to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt 202 and took you out of that place of slavery. 203 6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power 204 and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship 205 the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’” 206
6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger 207 came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon 208 was threshing 209 wheat in a winepress 210 so he could hide it from the Midianites. 211 6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, 212 but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster 213 overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, 214 ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 6:14 Then the Lord himself 215 turned to him and said, “You have the strength. 216 Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! 217 Have I not sent you?” 6:15 Gideon 218 said to him, “But Lord, 219 how 220 can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” 221 6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but 222 I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” 223 6:17 Gideon 224 said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, 225 then give me 226 a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back 227 with a gift 228 and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”
6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, 229 along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food 230 to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, 231 and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 232 6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. 233 Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared. 234
6:22 When Gideon realized 235 that it was the Lord’s messenger, he 236 said, “Oh no! 237 Master, Lord! 238 I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! 239 Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” 240 To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. 241 Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. 242 Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants 243 and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family 244 and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. 245
6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw 246 the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 6:29 They said to one another, 247 “Who did this?” 248 They investigated the matter thoroughly 249 and concluded 250 that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! 251 He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, 252 “Must you fight Baal’s battles? 253 Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause 254 will die by morning! 255 If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! 256 After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” 257 6:32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, 258 because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east 259 assembled. They crossed the Jordan River 260 and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 6:34 The Lord’s spirit took control of 261 Gideon. He blew a trumpet, 262 summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 263 6:35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. 264 He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, 265 as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. 266 6:37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it 267 is dry, then I will be sure 268 that you will use me to deliver Israel, 269 as you promised.” 6:38 The Lord did as he asked. 270 When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. 271 6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. 272 Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” 273 6:40 That night God did as he asked. 274 Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.
7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men 275 got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. 276 The Midianites 277 were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. 278 Israel might brag, 279 ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 280 7:3 Now, announce to the men, 281 ‘Whoever is shaking with fear 282 may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” 283 Twenty-two thousand men 284 went home; 285 ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. 286 Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. 287 When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; 288 when I say, 289 ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 290 7:5 So he brought the men 291 down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 292 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; 293 the rest of the men 294 kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army 295 and I will hand Midian over to you. 296 The rest of the men should go home.” 297 7:8 The men 298 who were chosen 299 took supplies 300 and their trumpets. Gideon 301 sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; 302 he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites 303 were camped down below 304 in the valley.
7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, 305 “Get up! Attack 306 the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 307 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave 308 and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 309 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. 310 Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. 311 The man 312 said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw 313 a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 314 7:14 The other man said, 315 “Without a doubt this symbolizes 316 the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. 317 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. 318 He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 319 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! 320 I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp 321 at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 322 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. 323 Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order 324 all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 325 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords 326 throughout 327 the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went 328 to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 329
7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. 330 Take control of the fords of the streams 331 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” 332 When all the Ephraimites had assembled, 333 they took control of the fords 334 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. 335 They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb 336 in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites 337 and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. 338
8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us 339 when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 8:2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes 340 are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 341 8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” 342 When he said this, they calmed down. 343
8:4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 344 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give 345 some loaves of bread to the men 346 who are following me, 347 because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give 348 bread to your army?” 349 8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, 350 after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh 351 your skin 352 with 353 desert thorns and briers.” 8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. 354 The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 355 8:9 He also threatened 356 the men of Penuel, warning, 357 “When I return victoriously, 358 I will tear down this tower.”
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. 359 8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads 360 east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 361 8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon 362 chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised 363 their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass 364 of Heres. 8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth 365 and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. 366 8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! 367 Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 368 8:16 He seized the leaders 369 of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 370 8:17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.
8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me 371 the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 372 8:19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, 373 as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! 374 Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, 375 because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, 376 “Come on, 377 you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” 378 So Gideon killed 379 Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.
8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 380 8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 8:24 Gideon continued, 381 “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” 382 (The Midianites 383 had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 8:25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” 384 So they 385 spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. 386 This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, 387 purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 388 8:27 Gideon used all this to make 389 an ephod, 390 which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites 391 prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it 392 there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. 393 The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 394 8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 395 8:30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 396 8:31 His concubine, 397 who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 398 8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very 399 old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith 400 their god. 8:34 The Israelites did not remain true 401 to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 8:35 They did not treat 402 the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 403 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 404 9:2 “Tell 405 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 406 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 407 9:3 His mother’s relatives 408 spoke on his behalf to 409 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 410 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 411 they said, “He is our close relative.” 412 9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous 413 men as his followers. 414 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 415 the seventy legitimate 416 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 417 because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar 418 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 419 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 420 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 421 and choose a king for themselves. 422 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 423 9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 424
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 425 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 426
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 427 9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 428
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 429 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 430 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 431 Otherwise 432 may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, 433 if you have properly repaid him 434 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 435 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 436 9:18 But you have attacked 437 my father’s family 438 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 439 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 440 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 441 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 442 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 443 to Beer and lived there to escape from 444 Abimelech his half-brother. 445
9:22 Abimelech commanded 446 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 447 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 448 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 449 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 450 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 451 bandits in 452 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 453
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 454 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 455 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 456 squeezed out the juice, 457 and celebrated. They came to the temple 458 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? 459 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 460 9:29 If only these men 461 were under my command, 462 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 463 “Muster 464 your army and come out for battle!” 465
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 466 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 467 reporting, “Beware! 468 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 469 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 470 9:32 Now, come up 471 at night with your men 472 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 473 9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” 474
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 475 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 476 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 477 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 478 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 479 of the land. A unit 480 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 481 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 482 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 483 you insulted? 484 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 485 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 486 ran from him. Many Shechemites 487 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 488 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 489
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 490 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 491 9:43 he took his men 492 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 493 he attacked and struck them down. 494 9:44 Abimelech and his units 495 attacked and blocked 496 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled 497 the city and spread salt over it. 498
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 499 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 500 of the temple of El-Berith. 501 9:47 Abimelech heard 502 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 503 9:48 He and all his men 504 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 505 took an ax 506 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 507 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 508 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 509 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 510 All the people 511 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 512 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 513 9:51 There was a fortified 514 tower 515 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone 516 down on his 517 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 518 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 519 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 520
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 521 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 522 on them.
10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 523 Tola son of Puah, grandson 524 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 525 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 526 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 527 – they are in the land of Gilead. 528 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 529 They worshiped 530 the Baals and the Ashtars, 531 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 532 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 533 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 534 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 535 and turned them over to 536 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 537 the Israelites that eighteenth year 538 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 539 Israel suffered greatly. 540
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 541 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 542 when they oppressed you? 543 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 544 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 545 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 546 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 547 but deliver us today!” 548 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 549 and worshiped 550 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 551
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 552 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders 553 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge 554 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 555 11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 556 him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, 557 because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left 558 his half-brothers 559 and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. 560
11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, 561 the leaders 562 of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back 563 from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, 564 “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 565 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 566 but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 567 Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 568 of all who live in Gilead.” 569 11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! 570 If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, 571 I will be your leader.” 572 11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, 573 if we do not do as you say.” 574 11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement 575 before the Lord in Mizpah.
11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have 576 you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole 577 my land when they 578 came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. 579 Now return it 580 peaceably!”
11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal 581 the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left 582 Egypt, Israel traveled 583 through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us 584 to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. 585 Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. 586 So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel 587 went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; 588 they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” 589 11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He 590 assembled his whole army, 591 camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took 592 all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. 593 11:23 Since 594 the Lord God of Israel has driven out 595 the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? 596 11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. 597 11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? 598 11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, 599 but you are doing wrong 600 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded 601 the message sent by Jephthah. 602
11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered 603 Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went 604 to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. 605 11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 11:31 then whoever is the first to come through 606 the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he 607 will belong to the Lord and 608 I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 11:32 Jephthah approached 609 the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 11:33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! 610 The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites. 611
11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out 612 to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. 613 She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! 614 You have brought me disaster! 615 I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” 616 11:36 She said to him, “My father, since 617 you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. 618 After all, the Lord vindicated you before 619 your enemies, the Ammonites.” 11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. 620 For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 621 11:38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave 622 for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. 623 11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. 624 Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. 625 11:40 Every year 626 Israelite women commemorate 627 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days. 628
12:1 The Ephraimites assembled 629 and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight 630 with the Ammonites without asking 631 us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over you!” 632
12:2 Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were entangled in controversy with the Ammonites. 633 I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me from their power. 634 12:3 When I saw that you were not going to help, 635 I risked my life 636 and advanced against 637 the Ammonites, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why have you come up 638 to fight with me today?” 12:4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying, 639 “You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s territory.” 640 12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River 641 opposite Ephraim. 642 Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive 643 said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked 644 him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” 645 If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word 646 correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead. 12:7 Jephthah led 647 Israel for six years; then he 648 died and was buried in his city in Gilead. 649
12:8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem 650 led 651 Israel. 12:9 He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, 652 and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. 653 Ibzan 654 led 655 Israel for seven years; 12:10 then he 656 died and was buried in Bethlehem.
12:11 After him Elon the Zebulunite led 657 Israel for ten years. 658 12:12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
12:13 After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite led 659 Israel. 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel for eight years. 12:15 Then Abdon 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 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight, 660 so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
13:2 There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was infertile and childless. 661 13:3 The Lord’s angelic 662 messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, “You 663 are infertile and childless, 664 but you will conceive and have a son. 13:4 Now be careful! Do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. 665 13:5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. 666 You must never cut his hair, 667 for the child will be dedicated to God 668 from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power 669 of the Philistines.”
13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God 670 came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. 671 I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 13:7 He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. 672 So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. 673 For the child will be dedicated 674 to God from birth till the day he dies.’”
13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, 675 “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God 676 to visit 677 us again, so he can teach 678 us how we should raise 679 the child who will be born.” 13:9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. 680 God’s angelic messenger visited 681 the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. 13:10 The woman ran at once and told her husband, 682 “Come quickly, 683 the man who visited 684 me the other day has appeared to me!” 13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met 685 the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” 686 He said, “Yes.” 687 13:12 Manoah said, “Now, when your announcement comes true, 688 how should the child be raised and what should he do?” 689 13:13 The Lord’s messenger told 690 Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. 691 13:14 She should not drink 692 anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. 693 She should obey everything I commanded her to do.” 13:15 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Please stay here awhile, 694 so we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.” 695 13:16 The Lord’s messenger said to Manoah, “If I stay, 696 I will not eat your food. But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it.” (He said this because Manoah did not know that he was the Lord’s messenger.) 697 13:17 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Tell us your name, so we can honor you when your announcement comes true.” 698 13:18 The Lord’s messenger said to him, “You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.” 699 13:19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord. The Lord’s messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched. 700 13:20 As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the Lord’s messenger went up in it 701 while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown 702 to the ground.
13:21 The Lord’s messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the Lord’s messenger. 703 13:22 Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, because we have seen a supernatural being!” 704 13:23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us. 705 He would not have shown us all these things, or have spoken to us like this just now.”
13:24 Manoah’s wife 706 gave birth to a son and named him Samson. 707 The child grew and the Lord empowered 708 him. 13:25 The Lord’s spirit began to control him 709 in Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
14:1 Samson went down to Timnah, where a Philistine girl caught his eye. 710 14:2 When he got home, 711 he told his father and mother, “A Philistine girl in Timnah has caught my eye. 712 Now get her for my wife.” 14:3 But his father and mother said to him, “Certainly you can find a wife among your relatives or among all our 713 people! You should not have to go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines.” 714 But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, 715 because she is the right one for me.” 716 14:4 Now his father and mother did not realize this was the Lord’s doing, 717 because he was looking for an opportunity to stir up trouble with the Philistines 718 (for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).
14:5 Samson went down to Timnah. When he approached 719 the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. 720 14:6 The Lord’s spirit empowered 721 him and he tore the lion 722 in two with his bare hands 723 as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
14:7 Samson continued on down to Timnah 724 and spoke to the girl. In his opinion, she was just the right one. 725 14:8 Some time later, when he went back to marry 726 her, he turned aside to see the lion’s remains. He saw 727 a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass, as well as some honey. 14:9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned 728 to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. 729
14:10 Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. 730 Samson hosted a party 731 there, for this was customary for bridegrooms 732 to do. 14:11 When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen who kept him company. 733 14:12 Samson said to them, “I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, 734 I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty sets 735 of clothes. 14:13 But if you cannot solve it, 736 you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes.” They said to him, “Let us hear your riddle.” 737 14:14 He said to them,
“Out of the one who eats came something to eat;
out of the strong one came something sweet.”
They could not solve the riddle for three days.
14:15 On the fourth 738 day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. 739 If you refuse, 740 we will burn up 741 you and your father’s family. 742 Did you invite us here 743 to make us poor?” 744 14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder 745 and said, “You must 746 hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men 747 a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” 748 14:17 She cried on his shoulder 749 until the party was almost over. 750 Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. 751 Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. 752 14:18 On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
He said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer, 753
you would not have solved my riddle!”
14:19 The Lord’s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes 754 and gave them 755 to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. 756 14:20 Samson’s bride was then given to his best man. 757
15:1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, 758 Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. 759 He said to her father, 760 “I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!” 761 But her father would not let him enter. 15:2 Her father said, “I really thought 762 you absolutely despised 763 her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!” 764 15:3 Samson said to them, 765 “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!” 766 15:4 Samson went and captured three hundred jackals 767 and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair. 768 15:5 He lit the torches 769 and set the jackals loose in the Philistines’ standing grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. 15:6 The Philistines asked, 770 “Who did this?” They were told, 771 “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because the Timnite 772 took Samson’s 773 bride and gave her to his best man.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father. 774 15:7 Samson said to them, “Because you did this, 775 I will get revenge against you before I quit fighting.” 776 15:8 He struck them down and defeated them. 777 Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.
15:9 The Philistines went up and invaded 778 Judah. They arrayed themselves for battle 779 in Lehi. 15:10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking 780 us?” The Philistines 781 said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.” 15:11 Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?” He said to them, “I have only done to them what they have done to me.” 15:12 They said to him, “We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me 782 you will not kill 783 me.” 15:13 They said to him, “We promise! 784 We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff. 15:14 When he arrived in Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they approached him. But the Lord’s spirit empowered 785 him. The ropes around his arms were like flax dissolving in 786 fire, and they 787 melted away from his hands. 15:15 He happened to see 788 a solid 789 jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it 790 and struck down 791 a thousand men. 15:16 Samson then said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey
I have left them in heaps; 792
with the jawbone of a donkey
I have struck down a thousand men!”
15:17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone down 793 and named that place Ramath Lehi. 794
15:18 He was very thirsty, so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given your servant 795 this great victory. But now must I die of thirst and fall into hands of the Philistines?” 796 15:19 So God split open the basin 797 at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he took a drink, his strength 798 was restored and he revived. For this reason he named the spring 799 En Hakkore. 800 It remains in Lehi to this very day. 15:20 Samson led 801 Israel for twenty years during the days of Philistine prominence. 802
16:1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her. 803 16:2 The Gazites were told, 804 “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town 805 and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. 806 They relaxed 807 all night, thinking, 808 “He will not leave 809 until morning comes; 810 then we will kill him!” 16:3 Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle of the night and left. 811 He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all. 812 He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron. 813
16:4 After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley. 16:5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate 814 him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”
16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.” 815 16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh 816 bowstrings 817 that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 16:8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried and they tied him up with them. 16:9 They hid 818 in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, 819 Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. 820 The secret of his strength was not discovered. 821
16:10 Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you deceived 822 me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.” 16:11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used, 823 I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 16:12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here, 824 Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.) 825 But he tore the ropes 826 from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.
16:13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair 827 into the fabric on the loom 828 and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.” 16:14 So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are here, 829 Samson!” 830 He woke up 831 and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.
16:15 She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you will not share your secret with me? 832 Three times you have deceived me and have not told me what makes you so strong.” 16:16 She nagged him 833 every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it. 834 16:17 Finally he told her his secret. 835 He said to her, “My hair has never been cut, 836 for I have been dedicated to God 837 from the time I was conceived. 838 If my head 839 were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all other men.” 16:18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, 840 she sent for 841 the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me 842 his secret.” 843 So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands. 16:19 She made him go to sleep on her lap 844 and then called a man in to shave off 845 the seven braids of his hair. 846 She made him vulnerable 847 and his strength left him. 16:20 She said, “The Philistines are here, 848 Samson!” He woke up 849 and thought, 850 “I will do as I did before 851 and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him. 16:21 The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison. 16:22 His hair 852 began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
16:23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.” 16:24 When the people saw him, 853 they praised their god, saying, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!” 854
16:25 When they really started celebrating, 855 they said, “Call for Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained them. 856 They made him stand between two pillars. 16:26 Samson said to the young man who held his hand, “Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple. 857 Then I can lean on them.” 16:27 Now the temple 858 was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were three thousand men and women on the roof watching Samson entertain. 16:28 Samson called to the Lord, “O Master, Lord, 859 remember me! Strengthen me just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge 860 against the Philistines for my two eyes!” 16:29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple 861 and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard 862 and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life. 863 16:31 His brothers and all his family 864 went down and brought him back. 865 They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led 866 Israel for twenty years.
1 tn Heb “did not know the wars of Canaan.”
2 tn The Hebrew syntax of v. 2 is difficult. The Hebrew text reads literally, “only in order that the generations of the Israelites might know, to teach them war – only those who formerly did not know them.”
3 tn The words “These were the nations,” though not present in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Or “the entrance to Hamath.”
5 tn Heb “to know if they would hear the commands of the
6 tn Heb “to their sons.”
7 tn Or “served”; or “followed” (this term occurs in the following verse as well).
8 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
9 sn The Asherahs were local manifestations of the Canaanite goddess Asherah.
10 tn Or “The
11 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
12 tn Or “Cushan the Doubly Wicked.”
13 tn Or “they served Cushan-Rishathaim.”
14 tn Heb “the
15 tn Or “delivered.”
16 tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb’s nephew).
17 tn Heb “was on him.”
18 tn Heb “his hand was strong against Cushan-Rishathaim.”
19 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
20 tn Heb “strengthened Eglon…against Israel.”
21 tn Heb “and he gathered to him.”
22 tn Or “the Israelites served Eglon.”
23 tn Heb “the
24 tn The phrase, which refers to Ehud, literally reads “bound/restricted in the right hand,” apparently a Hebrew idiom for a left-handed person. See Judg 20:16, where 700 Benjaminites are described in this way. Perhaps the Benjaminites purposely trained several of their young men to be left-handed warriors by restricting the use of the right hand from an early age so the left hand would become dominant. Left-handed men would have a distinct military advantage, especially when attacking city gates. See B. Halpern, “The Assassination of Eglon: The First Locked-Room Murder Mystery,” BRev 4 (1988): 35.
25 tn Heb “The Israelites sent by his hand an offering to Eglon, king of Moab.”
26 tn The Hebrew term גֹּמֶד (gomed) denotes a unit of linear measure, perhaps a cubit (the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger – approximately 18 inches [45 cm]). Some suggest it is equivalent to the short cubit (the distance between the elbow and the knuckles of the clenched fist – approximately 13 inches [33 cm]) or to the span (the distance between the end of the thumb and the end of the little finger in a spread hand – approximately 9 inches [23 cm]). See BDB 167 s.v.; HALOT 196 s.v.; B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 142.
27 tn Heb “the tribute payment.”
28 tn Or “returned” (i.e., to Eglon’s palace).
29 tn The words “when he reached” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text simply reads “from.”
30 tn Or “idols.”
31 tn The words “to Eglon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eglon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33 tn Or “Hush!”
34 tn Or “cool.” This probably refers to a room with latticed windows which allowed the breeze to pass through. See B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 144.
35 tn Heb “word of [i.e., from] God.”
36 tn Or “throne.”
37 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Eglon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn The Hebrew text has “and he went out to the [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew word פַּרְשְׁדֹנָה (parshÿdonah) which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. The noun has the article prefixed and directive suffix. The word may be a technical architectural term, indicating the area into which Ehud moved as he left the king and began his escape. In this case Ehud is the subject of the verb “went out.” The present translation omits the clause, understanding it as an ancient variant of the first clause in v. 23. Some take the noun as “back,” understand “sword” (from the preceding clause) as the subject, and translate “the sword came out his [i.e., Eglon’s] back.” But this rendering is unlikely since the Hebrew word for “sword” (חֶרֶב, kherev) is feminine and the verb form translated “came out” (וַיֵּצֵא, vayyetse’) is masculine. (One expects agreement in gender when the subject is supplied from the preceding clause. See Ezek 33:4, 6.) See B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 146-48, for discussion of the options.
40 tn Again the precise meaning of the Hebrew word, used only here in the OT, is uncertain. Since it is preceded by the verb “went out” and the next clause refers to Ehud closing doors, the noun is probably an architectural term referring to the room (perhaps a vestibule; see HALOT 604 s.v. מִסְדְּרוֹן) immediately outside the king’s upper chamber. As v. 24 indicates, this vestibule separated the upper room from an outer room where the king's servants were waiting.
41 tn Heb “his.”
42 tn Heb “covering his feet” (i.e., with his outer garments while he relieves himself).
43 tn The Hebrew expression translated “well-ventilated inner room” may refer to the upper room itself or to a bathroom attached to or within it.
44 tn The words “the doors” are supplied.
45 tn Heb “See, their master, fallen to the ground, dead.”
46 tn Heb “When he arrived.”
47 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
48 tn Heb “now he was before them.”
49 tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the
50 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.
51 tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.
52 tn Heb “They struck Moab that day – about ten thousand men.”
53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Heb “was.”
55 tn Heb “also he”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
56 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the
57 tn Heb “the
58 tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”
59 tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.”
60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
62 tn Heb “with strength.”
63 tn Heb “ a woman, a prophetess.” In Hebrew idiom the generic “woman” sometimes precedes the more specific designation. See GKC 437-38 §135.b.
64 tn Heb “she was.” The pronoun refers back to the nominative absolute “Deborah.” Hebrew style sometimes employs such resumptive pronouns when lengthy qualifiers separate the subject from the verb.
65 tn Or “judging.”
66 tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”
67 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
68 tn Heb “for judgment.”
69 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
70 tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”
71 tn Or “honor.”
72 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
73 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the
74 tn Heb “went up at his feet.”
75 tn Or “separated.”
76 tn Heb “pitched his tent.”
77 tn Heb “and they told Sisera.”
78 tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
79 tn Or “summoned.”
80 tn Heb “Arise!”
81 tn The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the
82 tn Heb “Has the
83 tn Or “caused to panic.”
84 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
85 tn Heb “got down from.”
86 tn Heb “fell.”
87 tn Heb “was left.”
88 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
89 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
90 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
91 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
92 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
93 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
94 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
95 tn Heb “he went to her.”
96 tn Heb “fallen, dead.”
97 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
98 tn Heb “cut off.”
99 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
100 tn The words “this victory song” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
101 tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת (bifroa’ pÿra’ot) is uncertain. Numerous proposals are offered by commentators. (For a survey of opinions, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 223-27.) The next line refers to the people who responded to Barak’s summons to war, so a reference to the leaders who issued the summons would provide a natural poetic parallel. In v. 9 the leaders (חוֹקְקֵי, khoqÿqey) of the people and these same volunteers stand in poetic parallelism, so it is reasonable to assume that the difficult Hebrew term פְּרַעוֹת (pÿra’ot, v. 2a) is synonymous with חוֹקְקֵי (khoqÿqey) of v. 9 (see Lindars, 227).
102 tn Heb “I, to the
103 tn Or “make music.”
104 tn Or “went out.”
105 tn Heb “water.”
106 tn Or “quaked.” The translation assumes the form נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) from the root זָלַל (zalal, “to quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). The LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum also understood the word this way. (See Isa 63:19 and 64:2 for other occurrences of this form.) Some understand here the verb נָזַל (nazul, “to flow [with torrents of rain water]”).
107 tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the
108 tc The translation assumes the form אֳרְחוֹת (’orÿkhot, “caravans”) rather than אֳרָחוֹת (’orakhot, “roadways”) because it makes a tighter parallel with “travelers” in the next line.
109 tn Or “ceased.”
110 tn Heb “Ones walking on paths.”
111 tn The meaning of the Hebrew noun פְרָזוֹן (fÿrazon) is uncertain. Some understand the meaning as “leaders” or “those living in rural areas.” The singular noun appears to be collective (note the accompanying plural verb). For various options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 237-38.
112 tn Or “ceased.”
113 tn The translation assumes that the verb is an archaic second feminine singular form. Though Deborah is named as one of the composers of the song (v. 1), she is also addressed within it (v. 12). Many take the verb as first person singular, “I arose” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV).
114 tn Heb “mother.” The translation assumes that the image portrays Deborah as a protector of the people. It is possible that the metaphor points to her prophetic role. Just as a male prophet could be called “father,” so Deborah, a prophetess, is called “mother” (B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239).
115 tn Or “warriors.” The Hebrew text reads literally, “He chose God/gods new.” Some take “Israel” as the subject of the verb, “gods” as object, and “new” as an adjective modifying “gods.” This yields the translation, “(Israel) chose new gods.” In this case idolatry is the cause of the trouble alluded to in the context. The present translation takes “God” as subject of the verb and “new” as substantival, referring to the new leaders raised up by God (see v. 9a). For a survey of opinions and a defense of the present translation, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40.
116 tn The translation of this difficult line is speculative because the second word, לָחֶם (lakhem), appears only here. The line in the Hebrew text literally reads, “Then [?] gates.” Interpretations and emendations of the Hebrew text abound (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40). The translation assumes a repointing of the form as a Qal participle לֹחֵם (lokhem) from the verbal root לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) and understands a substantival use (“fighter”). “Fighter” is a collective reference to the military leaders or warriors mentioned in the preceding line and in v. 9. (For other occurrences of the Qal of לָחַם, see Pss 35:1; 56:2-3.)
117 tn Heb “A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) introduces an oath of denial (see GKC 472 §149.e).
118 tn Traditionally “forty thousand,” but this may be an instance where Hebrew term אֶלֶף (’elef) refers to a military unit. This is the view assumed by the translation (“forty military units”).
119 tn The words “went out” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
120 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.
121 tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
122 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.
123 tn Or perhaps “repeat.”
124 tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.
125 tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)
126 tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).
127 tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.
128 sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.
129 sn The speaker may be Deborah here.
130 tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.
131 tn 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).
132 tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
133 tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
134 tn Or possibly “who carry.”
135 tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
136 tn Or “was true to.”
137 tn Heb “at his feet.”
138 tn Heb “great was.”
139 tc The great majority of Hebrew
140 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishpÿtayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”
141 tn Or “whistling.”
142 tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”
143 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”
144 tn Heb “Dan, why did he live as a resident alien, ships.” The verb גּוּר (gur) usually refers to taking up residence outside one’s native land. Perhaps the Danites, rather than rallying to Barak, were content to move to the Mediterranean coast and work in the shipyards. For further discussion, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 262.
145 tn Heb “lived.”
146 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”
147 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.”
148 tn Heb “Zebulun was a people which despised its life even unto death.”
149 tn Heb “Naphtali was on the heights of the field.”
150 map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.
151 tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive.
152 tn Or “from heaven.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
153 tn The MT takes “the stars” with what follows rather than with the first colon of v. 20. But for metrical reasons it seems better to move the atnach and read the colon as indicated in the translation.
154 tn The words “in the heavens” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
155 tn Possibly “the ancient river,” but it seems preferable in light of the parallel line (which has a verb) to emend the word (attested only here) to a verb (קָדַם, qadam) with pronominal object suffix.
156 tn This line is traditionally taken as the poet-warrior’s self-exhortation, “March on, my soul, in strength!” The present translation (a) takes the verb (a second feminine singular form) as addressed to Deborah (cf. v. 12), (b) understands נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in its well-attested sense of “throat; neck” (cf. Jonah 2:6), (c) takes the final yod (י) on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy) as an archaic construct indicator (rather than a suffix), and (d) interprets עֹז (’oz, “strength”) as an attributive genitive (literally, “necks of strength,” i.e., “strong necks”). For fuller discussion and various proposals, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 270-71.
157 tc The MT as it stands has a singular noun, but if one moves the prefixed mem (מ) from the beginning of the next word to the end of סוּס (sus), the expected plural form is achieved. Another possibility is to understand an error of scribal haplography here, in which case the letter mem should appear in both places.
158 tn The words “the ground” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
159 tn Heb “galloped, galloped.” The repetition is for emphasis and is more appropriately indicated in English with an adverb.
160 tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”
161 tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.
162 tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.
163 tn Heb “[to] curse.”
164 tn Heb “to the help of the
165 tn Or “along with the other warriors.”
166 tn Or “blessed.”
167 tn Or “for mighty ones.”
168 tn The adjective “left” is interpretive, based on the context. Note that the next line pictures Jael holding the hammer with her right hand.
169 tn The verb used here is from the same root as the noun “hammer” in the preceding line.
170 tn Or “head.”
171 tn The phrase “his head” (an implied direct object) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
172 tn Heb “she pierced his temple.”
173 tn Heb “he fell.” The same Hebrew expression occurs two more times in this verse.
174 tn Heb “and he lay.
175 tn Or “dead, murdered.”
176 tn Heb “chariots.”
177 tn Or “princesses.”
178 tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”
179 tn Heb “a womb or two for each man.” The words “to rape” are interpretive. The Hebrew noun translated “girl” means literally “womb” (BDB 933 s.v. I. רַחַם), but in this context may refer by extension to the female genitalia. In this case the obscene language of Sisera’s mother alludes to the sexual brutality which typified the aftermath of battle.
180 tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”
181 tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”
182 tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”
183 tn Heb “But may those who love him be like the going forth of the sun in its strength.”
184 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
185 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
186 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
187 tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”
188 tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
189 tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”
190 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (vÿ’alu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ’alayv).
191 tn Heb “They encamped against them.”
192 tn Heb “destroyed.”
193 tn Heb “the crops of the land.”
194 tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.”
195 tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
196 tn Heb “came up.”
197 tn Heb “numerous.”
198 tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.”
199 tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
200 tn Heb “the
201 tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.
202 tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (me’erets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]).
203 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
204 tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).
205 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
206 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
207 tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.
208 tn Heb “Now Gideon his son…” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing.
209 tn Heb “beating out.”
210 sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63.
211 tn Heb “Midian.”
212 tn Heb “But my lord.”
213 tn Heb “all this.”
214 tn Heb “saying.”
215 sn Some interpreters equate the
216 tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.”
217 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
218 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
219 tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”) in v. 13.
220 tn Heb “with what.”
221 tn Heb “in my father’s house.”
222 tn Or “certainly.”
223 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
224 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
225 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
226 tn Heb “perform for me.”
227 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
228 tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.
229 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
230 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
231 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
232 tn Heb “and he did so.”
233 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
234 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
235 tn Heb “saw.”
236 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
237 tn Or “Ah!”
238 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15],
239 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
240 tn Heb “The
241 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
242 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
243 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
244 tn Heb “house.”
245 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
246 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
247 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
248 tn Heb “this thing.”
249 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
250 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
251 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
252 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
253 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
254 tn Heb “fights for him.”
255 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
256 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
257 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
258 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub-Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight!”
259 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”
260 tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
261 tn Heb “clothed.”
262 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
263 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
264 tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.”
265 tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.”
266 tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
267 tn Heb “all the ground.”
268 tn Or “know.”
269 tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.”
270 tn Heb “And it was so.”
271 tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece – a bowl full of water.”
272 tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”
273 tn Heb “let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”
274 tn Heb “God did so that night.”
275 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
276 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
277 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
278 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
279 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
280 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
281 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
282 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
283 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
284 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
285 tn Or “turned around, back.”
286 tn Heb “too many people.”
287 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
288 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
289 tn Heb also has “to you.”
290 tn Heb “he should not go.”
291 tn Heb “the people.”
292 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
293 tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.
294 tn Heb “the people.”
295 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
296 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
297 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
298 tn Heb “The people.”
299 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
300 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
301 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
302 tn Heb “tents.”
303 tn Heb “Midian.”
304 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
305 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
306 tn Heb “Go down against.”
307 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
308 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
309 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
310 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
311 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
312 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
313 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
314 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
315 tn Heb “answered and said.”
316 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
317 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
318 tn Heb “heads.”
319 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
320 tn Or “look.”
321 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
322 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
323 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
324 tn Heb “each in his place.”
325 tn Or “fled.”
326 tn Heb “the
327 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
328 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
329 tn Heb “Midian.”
330 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
331 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
332 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
333 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
334 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
335 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
336 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
337 tn Heb “Midian.”
338 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).
339 tn Heb “by not summoning us.”
340 tn Heb “gleanings.”
341 sn Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest. Gideon employs an agricultural metaphor. He argues that Ephraim’s mopping up operations, though seemingly like the inferior grapes which are missed initially by the harvesters or left for the poor, are actually more noteworthy than the military efforts of Gideon’s family.
342 tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”
343 tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”
344 tn Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and chasing.” The English past perfect (“had crossed”) is used because this verse flashes back chronologically to an event that preceded the hostile encounter described in vv. 1-3. (Note that 7:25 assumes Gideon had already crossed the Jordan.)
345 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
346 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.
347 tn Heb “who are at my feet.”
348 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
349 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your army bread?” Perhaps the reference to the kings’ “palms” should be taken literally. The officials of Succoth may be alluding to the practice of mutilating prisoners or enemy corpses (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 155).
350 tn Heb “Therefore.”
351 sn I will thresh. The metaphor is agricultural. Threshing was usually done on a hard threshing floor. As farm animals walked over the stalks, pulling behind them a board embedded with sharp stones, the stalks and grain would be separated. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63-65. Gideon threatens to use thorns and briers on his sledge.
352 tn Or “flesh.”
353 tn This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (’et, note the use of ב [bet] in v. 16). Some, however, argue that אֵת more naturally indicates accompaniment (“together with”). In this case Gideon envisions threshing their skin along with thorns and briers, just as the stalks and grain are intermingled on the threshing floor. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 229-30.
354 tn Heb “and spoke to them in the same way.”
355 tn Heb “The men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered.”
356 tn Heb “said to.” The translation “threatened” is interpretive, but is clearly indicated by the context.
357 tn Heb “saying.”
358 tn Or “safely.” Heb “in peace.”
359 tn Heb “About fifteen thousand [in number] were all the ones remaining from the army of the sons of the east. The fallen ones were a hundred and twenty thousand [in number], men drawing the sword.”
360 tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”
361 tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.
362 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
363 tn Or “routed”; Heb “caused to panic.”
364 tn Or “ascent.”
365 tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”
366 tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
367 tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
368 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”
369 tn Heb “elders.”
370 tc The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”
371 tn Heb “Where are?”
372 tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”
373 tn The words “I swear” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
374 tn Or “Arise!”
375 tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”
376 tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
377 tn Or “Arise.”
378 tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”
379 tn Heb “arose and killed.”
380 tn Heb “hand.”
381 tn Heb “said to them.”
382 tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
383 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
384 tn Heb “We will indeed give.”
385 tc In the LXX the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
386 sn Seventeen hundred gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.
387 tn Or “pendants.”
388 tn Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”
389 tn Heb “made it into.”
390 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.
391 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
392 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
393 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
394 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
395 tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”
396 tn Heb “Gideon had seventy sons who went out from his thigh, for he had many wives.” The Hebrew word יָרֵךְ (yarekh, “thigh”) is a euphemism here for the penis.
397 sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
398 sn The name Abimelech means “my father is king.”
399 tn Heb “good.”
400 sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.
401 tn Heb “remember.”
402 tn Heb “did not do loyalty with,” or “did not act faithfully toward.”
403 tn Heb “brothers.”
404 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
405 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
406 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
407 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
408 tn Heb “brothers.”
409 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
410 tn Heb “and all these words.”
411 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
412 tn Heb “our brother.”
413 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
414 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
415 tn Heb “his brothers.”
416 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
417 tn Heb “remained.”
418 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
419 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
420 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
421 tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”
422 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
423 tn Or “Rule over us!”
424 tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
425 tn Or “and rule over us!”
426 tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees? The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
427 tn Or “and rule over us!”
428 tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
429 tn Or “and rule over us!”
430 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
431 tn Heb “in my shade.”
432 tn Heb “If not.”
433 tn Heb “house.”
434 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
435 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
436 tn Heb “hand.”
437 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
438 tn Heb “house.”
439 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
440 tn Heb “your brother.”
441 tn Heb “house.”
442 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
443 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
444 tn Heb “from before.”
445 tn Heb “his brother.”
446 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
447 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
448 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
449 tn Heb “their brother.”
450 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
451 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
452 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
453 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
454 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
455 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
456 tn Heb “vineyards.”
457 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
458 tn Heb “house.”
459 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
460 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
461 tn Heb “people.”
462 tn Heb “in my hand.”
463 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”
464 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
465 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
466 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
467 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
468 tn Heb “Look!”
469 tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.
470 tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).
471 tn Heb “arise.”
472 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
473 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
474 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
475 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
476 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
477 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
478 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
479 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
480 tn Heb “head.”
481 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
482 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
483 tn Heb “the people.”
484 tn Or “despised.”
485 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
486 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
487 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
488 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
489 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
490 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
491 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
492 tn Heb “his people.”
493 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
494 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
495 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
496 tn Heb “stood [at].”
497 tn Or “destroyed.”
498 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”
499 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
500 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
501 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
502 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
503 tn Heb “were assembled.”
504 tn Heb “his people.”
505 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
506 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
507 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
508 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
509 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
510 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
511 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
512 tn Or “went.”
513 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
514 tn Or “strong.”
515 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
516 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
517 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
518 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
519 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
520 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
521 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
522 tn Heb “came.”
523 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
524 tn Heb “son.”
525 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
526 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
527 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
528 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
529 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
530 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
531 sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
532 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
533 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
534 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
535 tn Or “the
536 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
537 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
538 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
539 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
540 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
541 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
542 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
543 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the
544 tn Heb “hand.”
545 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
546 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
547 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
548 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
549 tn Heb “from their midst.”
550 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
551 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
552 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
553 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
554 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
555 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
556 tn Heb “bore.”
557 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
558 tn Or “fled from.”
559 tn Heb “brothers.”
560 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
561 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
562 tn Or “elders.”
563 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
564 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
565 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
566 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).
567 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
568 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
569 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
570 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
571 tn Heb “places them before me.”
572 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
573 tn Heb “The
574 sn The
575 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the
576 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
577 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
578 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
579 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
580 tc The translation assumes a singular suffix (“[return] it”); the Hebrew text has a plural suffix (“[return] them”), which, if retained, might refer to the cities of the land.
581 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
582 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
583 tn Or “went.”
584 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
585 tn Heb “did not listen.”
586 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
587 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
588 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
589 tn Heb “to my place.”
590 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
591 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
592 tn That is, took as its own possession.
593 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
594 tn Heb “Now.”
595 tn Or “dispossessed.”
596 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
597 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the
598 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation.
599 tn Or “sinned against you.”
600 tn Or “evil.”
601 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
602 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
603 tn Heb “was on.”
604 tn Heb “passed through.”
605 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
606 tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.
607 tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.
608 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the
609 tn Heb “passed over to.”
610 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
611 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
612 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
613 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
614 tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
615 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
616 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the
617 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
618 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the
619 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
620 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
621 tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity – I and my friends.”
622 tn Heb “he sent her.”
623 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
624 tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.
625 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
626 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
627 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
628 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in the year.” This is redundant (note “every year” at the beginning of the verse) and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
629 tn Heb “the men of Ephraim were summoned [or “were mustered”].”
630 tn Heb “cross over to fight.”
631 tn Or “calling”; or “summoning.”
632 tn Heb “Your house we will burn over you with fire.”
633 tn Heb A man of great strife I was and my people and the Ammonites.”
634 tn Heb “hand.”
635 tn Heb “you were no deliverer.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX has “no one was helping.”
636 tn Heb “I put my life in my hand.”
637 tn Heb “crossed over to.”
638 tn The Hebrew adds “against me” here. This is redundant in English and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
639 tn Heb “because they said.”
640 tc Heb “Refugees of Ephraim are you, O Gilead, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” The LXX omits the entire second half of the verse (beginning with “because”). The words כִּי אָמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם (ki ’amru pÿlitey ’efrayim, “because they said, ‘Refugees of Ephraim’”) may have been accidentally copied from the next verse (cf. כִּי יֹאמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם, ki yo’mÿru pelitey ’efrayim) and the following words (“you, O Gilead…Manasseh”) then added in an attempt to make sense of the verse. See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 307-8, and C. F. Burney, Judges, 327. If the Hebrew text is retained, then the Ephraimites appear to be insulting the Gileadites by describing them as refugees who are squatting on Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s land. The present translation assumes that “Ephraim” is a genitive of location after “refugees.”
641 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
642 tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.
643 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.
644 tn Heb “say to.”
645 sn The inability of the Ephraimites to pronounce the word shibboleth the way the Gileadites did served as an identifying test. It illustrates that during this period there were differences in pronunciation between the tribes. The Hebrew word shibboleth itself means “stream” or “flood,” and was apparently chosen simply as a test case without regard to its meaning.
646 tn Heb “and could not prepare to speak.” The precise meaning of יָכִין (yakhin) is unclear. Some understand it to mean “was not careful [to say it correctly]”; others emend to יָכֹל (yakhol, “was not able [to say it correctly]”) or יָבִין (yavin, “did not understand [that he should say it correctly]”), which is read by a few Hebrew
647 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
648 tn Heb “Jephthah the Gileadite.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
649 tc The Hebrew text has “in the cities of Gilead.” The present translation has support from some ancient Greek textual witnesses.
650 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
651 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
652 tn Heb “thirty daughters he sent off outside.” Another option is to translate, “He arranged for his thirty daughters…” It is not clear if he had more than the “thirty daughters” mentioned in the text.
653 tn Heb “and thirty daughters he brought for his sons from the outside.”
654 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ibzan) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for English stylistic reasons.
655 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
656 tn Heb “Ibzan.” The pronoun “he” is used in the translation in keeping with English style, which tends to use a proper name first in a sentence followed by a pronoun rather than vice versa.
657 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
658 tn Heb “…led Israel. He led Israel for ten years.”
659 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
660 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
661 tn Heb “and had not given birth.”
662 tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive (also in vv. 6, 9).
663 tn Heb “Look, you.”
664 tn Heb “and have not given birth.”
665 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
666 tn Another option is to translate, “you are already pregnant and will have a son.” The earlier reference to her being infertile (v. 3) suggests that her conception is still future, but it is possible that the earlier statement only reflects her perspective (as far as she is concerned, she is infertile). According to this interpretation, in v. 5 the angel reveals the truth to her – actually she has recently conceived and is now pregnant (see the translation in R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 217). Usage favors this interpretation. The predicate adjective הָרָה (harah, “[be/become] pregnant”) elsewhere has a past (1 Sam 4:19) or present (Gen 16:11; 38:25; 2 Sam 11:5) translation value. (The usage in Isa 7:14 is debated, but a present translation is definitely possible there.) A final, but less likely possibility, is that she miraculously conceived during the angel’s speech, sometime between his statements recorded in vv. 3 and 5.
667 tn Heb “a razor should not go up on his head.”
668 tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).
669 tn Heb “hand.”
670 tn Heb “The man of God.”
671 tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”
672 tn See the note on the word “son” in 13:5, where this same statement occurs.
673 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
674 tn Traditionally “a Nazirite.”
675 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
676 tn Heb “the man of God.”
677 tn Heb “come to.”
678 tc The LXX has “enlighten,” understanding the Hebrew to read וִיאִירֵנוּ (vi’irenu, “to give light”) rather than the reading of the MT, וְיוֹרֵנוּ (vÿyorenu, “to teach”).
679 tn Heb “what we should do for.”
680 tn Heb “God listened to the voice of Manoah.”
681 tn Heb “came to.”
682 tn Heb “and said to him.” This phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
683 tn Heb “Look.”
684 tn Heb “came to.”
685 tn Heb “came to.”
686 tn Heb “the woman.”
687 tn Heb “I [am].”
688 tn Heb “Now, [when] your word comes [to pass].”
689 tn Heb “what will be the child’s rule [i.e., way of life] and his work?”
690 tn Or “said to.”
691 tn Heb “To everything I said to the woman she should pay attention.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes “to everything,” probably because Manoah’s wife did not tell her husband everything the angel had said to her (cf. vv. 3-5 with v. 7). If she had, Manoah probably would not have been so confused about the child’s mission.
692 tn Heb “eat.”
693 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
694 tn Heb “Please allow us to detain you.”
695 tn Heb “so we can prepare before you a young goat of the goats.”
696 tn Heb “If you detain me.”
697 tn The words “he said this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Manoah should have known from these words that the messenger represented the
698 tn Heb “Who your name? For [when] your word comes [to pass], we will honor you.” Manoah apparently gets tongue-tied and uses the wrong pronoun (“who” instead of “what”). He starts to say, “Who are you?” But then he switches to “your name” as if he began the sentence with “what.” See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 222.
699 tn Heb “Why do you ask for my name, for it is incomprehensible?” The Hebrew adjective פִּלְאִי (pile’iy, “wonderful, incomprehensible”) refers to what is in a category of its own and is beyond full human understanding. Note the use of this word in Ps 139:6, where God’s knowledge is described as incomprehensible and unattainable.
700 tc Heb “Doing an extraordinary deed while Manoah and his wife were watching.” The subject of the participle is missing. The translation assumes that the phrase “the
701 tn Heb “in the flame from the altar.”
702 tn Heb “on their faces.”
703 tn Heb “Then Manoah knew that he was the
704 tn Or “seen God.” Some take the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) as the divine name (“God”) here, but this seems unlikely since v. 21 informs us that Manoah realized this was the
705 tn Heb “our hand.”
706 tn Heb “the woman.” For clarity this has been specified in the translation as “Manoah’s wife.”
707 tn The name appears to mean “sun-like” or “solar.”
708 tn Traditionally, “blessed.”
709 tn Or “move him to action”; or “stir him.”
710 tn Heb “and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
711 tn Heb “and he went up.”
712 tn Heb “I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
713 tn Heb “my.” The singular may seem strange, since the introduction to the quotation attributes the words to his father and mother. But Samson’s father apparently speaks for both himself and his wife. However, the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta have a second person pronoun here (“you”), and this may represent the original reading.
714 tn Heb “Is there not among the daughters of your brothers or among all my people a woman that you have to go to get a wife among the uncircumcised Philistines?”
715 tn “Her” is first in the Hebrew word order for emphasis. Samson wanted this Philistine girl, no one else. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 357.
716 tn Heb “because she is right in my eyes.”
717 tn Heb “this was from the LORD.”
718 tn Heb “for an opportunity he was seeking from the Philistines.”
719 tc The MT reads, “Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they approached…” Verse 6b states that Samson did not tell his parents about his encounter with the lion (vv. 5b-6a), but v. 5a gives the impression they would have seen the entire episode. One could assume that Samson separated from his parents prior to the lion’s attack, but the Hebrew text does not indicate this. It seems more likely that the words “with his father and his mother” were accidentally copied into the text, perhaps under the influence of v. 4a, where the same phrase appears. An original singular verb (“he approached”) may have been changed to the plural form (“they approached”) after the words “his father and his mother” were accidentally added to the text.
720 tn Heb “and look, a young lion of the lions was roaring to meet him.”
721 tn Heb “rushed on.”
722 tn Heb “him” or “it”; the referent (the lion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
723 tn Heb “and there was nothing in his hand.”
724 tn Heb “He went down.”
725 tn Heb “She was the right one in the eyes of Samson.”
726 tn Heb “get.”
727 tn Heb “and look, a swarm of bees…”
728 tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.
729 sn Touching the carcass of a dead animal undoubtedly violated Samson’s Nazirite status. See Num 6:6.
730 tn Heb “And his father went down to the woman.”
731 tn Or “[wedding] feast.”
732 tn Heb “the young men.”
733 tn Heb “When they saw him, they gave him thirty companions and they were with him.” Instead of כִּרְאוֹתָם (kir’otam, “when they saw”) some ancient witnesses (e.g., some
734 tn Heb “If you really can tell it to me [during] the seven days of the feast and you find [its answer].”
735 tn Heb “changes.”
736 tn Heb “you are unable to tell me.”
737 tn Heb “Give your riddle so we can hear it.”
738 tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (rÿvi’i, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (shÿvi’i, “seventh”). Some ancient textual witnesses (e.g., LXX and the Syriac Peshitta) read “fourth,” here, which certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse (cf. “for three days”) and with v. 17. Another option is to change שְׁלֹשֶׁת (shÿloshet, “three”) at the end of v. 14 to שֵׁשֶׁת (sheshet, “six”), but the resulting scenario does not account as well for v. 17, which implies the bride had been hounding Samson for more than one day.
739 tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”
740 tn Heb “lest.”
741 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement: “burn up with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.
742 tn Heb “house.”
743 tc The translation assumes the Hebrew form הֲלֹם (halom, “here,” attested in five Hebrew
744 tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.
745 tn Heb “on him.”
746 tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”
747 tn Heb “the sons of my people.”
748 tn Heb “Should I tell you?”
749 tn Heb “on him.”
750 tn Heb “the seven days [during] which they held the party.” This does not mean she cried for the entire seven days; v. 15 indicates otherwise. She cried for the remainder of the seven day period, beginning on the fourth day.
751 tn Heb “because she forced him.”
752 tn Heb “she told the riddle to the sons of her people.”
753 sn Plowed with my heifer. This statement emphasizes that the Philistines had utilized a source of information which should have been off-limits to them. Heifers were used in plowing (Hos 10:11), but one typically used one’s own farm animals, not another man’s.
754 tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”
755 tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”
756 tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”
757 tn Heb “to his companion who had been his attendant.”
758 sn The wheat harvest took place during the month of May. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 37, 88.
759 tn Heb “Samson visited his wife with a young goat.”
760 tn The words “to her father” are supplied in the translation (see the end of the verse).
761 tn Heb “I will go to my wife in the bedroom.” The Hebrew idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations. The cohortative form used by Samson can be translated as indicating resolve (“I want to go”) or request (“let me go”).
762 tn Heb “saying, I said.” The first person form of אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) sometimes indicates self-reflection. The girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
763 tn Heb “hating, you hated.” Once again the girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
764 tn Heb “Is her younger sister not better than her? Let her [i.e., the younger sister] be yours instead of her [i.e., Samson’s ‘bride’]).”
765 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the singular “to him.”
766 tn Heb “I am innocent this time from the Philistines when I do with them harm.”
767 tn Traditionally, “foxes.”
768 tn Heb “He turned tail to tail and placed one torch between the two tails in the middle.”
769 tn Heb “He set fire to the torches.”
770 tn Or “said.”
771 tn Heb “and they said.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
772 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Timnite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
773 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Samson) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
774 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement with the additional phrase “burned with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons. Some textual witnesses read “burned…her father’s house,” perhaps under the influence of 14:15. On the other hand, the shorter text may have lost this phrase due to haplography.
775 tn The Niphal of נָקָם (naqam, “to avenge, to take vengeance”) followed by the preposition ב (bet) has the force “to get revenge against.” See 1 Sam 18:25; Jer 50:15; Ezek 25:12.
776 tn Heb “and afterward I will stop.”
777 tn Heb “He struck them, calf on thigh, [with] a great slaughter.” The precise meaning of the phrase “calf on thigh” is uncertain.
778 tn Or “camped in.”
779 tn Or “spread out.” The Niphal of נָטָשׁ (natash) has this same sense in 2 Sam 5:18, 22.
780 tn Or “come up against.”
781 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
782 tn Or “swear to me.”
783 tn Heb “meet [with hostility]”; “harm.” In light of v. 13, “kill” is an appropriate translation.
784 tn Heb “No,” meaning that they will not harm him.
785 tn Heb “rushed on.”
786 tn Heb “burned with.”
787 tn Heb “his bonds.”
788 tn Heb “he found.”
789 tn Heb “fresh,” i.e., not decayed and brittle.
790 tn Heb “he reached out his hand and took it.”
791 tn The Hebrew text adds “with it.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
792 tn The precise meaning of the second half of the line (חֲמוֹר חֲמֹרָתָיִם, khamor khamoratayim) is uncertain. The present translation assumes that the phrase means, “a heap, two heaps” and refers to the heaps of corpses littering the battlefield. Other options include: (a) “I have made donkeys of them” (cf. NIV; see C. F. Burney, Judges, 373, for a discussion of this view, which understands a denominative verb from the noun “donkey”); (b) “I have thoroughly skinned them” (see HALOT 330 s.v. IV cj. חמר, which appeals to an Arabic cognate for support); (c) “I have stormed mightily against them,” which assumes the verb חָמַר (khamar, “to ferment; to foam; to boil up”).
793 tn Heb “from his hand.”
794 sn The name Ramath Lehi means “Height of the Jawbone.”
795 tn Heb “you have placed into the hand of your servant.”
796 tn Heb “the uncircumcised,” which in context refers to the Philistines.
797 tn The word translated “basin” refers to a circular-shaped depression in the land’s surface.
798 tn Heb “spirit.”
799 tn Heb “named it”; the referent (the spring) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
800 sn The name En Hakkore means “Spring of the one who cries out.”
801 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
802 tn Heb “in the days of the Philistines.”
803 tn Heb “and he went in to her.” The idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations.
804 tc Heb “To the Gazites, saying.” A verb is missing from the MT; some ancient Greek witnesses add “it was reported.”
805 tn Heb “And they surrounded.” The rest of the verse suggests that “the town” is the object, not “the house.” Though the Gazites knew Samson was in the town, apparently they did not know exactly where he had gone. Otherwise, they would could have just gone into or surrounded the house and would not have needed to post guards at the city gate.
806 tn Heb “and they lay in wait for him all night in the city gate.”
807 tn Heb “were silent.”
808 tn Heb “saying.”
809 tn The words “He will not leave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
810 tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”
811 tn Heb “And Samson lay until the middle of the night and arose in the middle of the night.”
812 tn Heb “with the bar.”
813 tn Heb “which is upon the face of Hebron.”
814 tn Heb “subdue him in order to humiliate him.”
815 tn Heb “how you can be subdued in order to be humiliated.”
816 tn Or “moist.”
817 tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.
818 tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting for her.” The grammatically singular form וְהָאֹרֵב (vÿha’orev) is collective here, referring to the rulers as a group (so also in v. 16).
819 tn Heb “are upon you.”
820 tn Heb “when it smells fire.”
821 tn Heb “His strength was not known.”
822 tn See Gen 31:7; Exod 8:29 [8:25 HT]; Job 13:9; Isa 44:20; Jer 9:4 for other uses of this Hebrew word (II תָּלַל, talal), which also occurs in v. 13.
823 tn Heb “with which no work has been done.”
824 tn Heb “are upon you.”
825 tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting in the bedroom.”
826 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the ropes) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
827 tn Heb “head” (also in the following verse). By metonymy the head is mentioned in the Hebrew text in place of the hair on it.
828 tn Heb “with the web.” For a discussion of how Delilah did this, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 381, and G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 353-54.
829 tn Heb “are upon you.”
830 tc The MT of vv. 13b-14a reads simply, “He said to her, ‘If you weave the seven braids of my head with the web.’ And she fastened with the pin and said to him.” The additional words in the translation, “and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.’ 16:14 So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom,” which without doubt represent the original text, are supplied from the ancient Greek version. (In both vv. 13b and 14a the Greek version has “to the wall” after “with the pin,” but this is an interpretive addition that reflects a misunderstanding of ancient weaving equipment. See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 353-54.) The Hebrew textual tradition was accidentally shortened during the copying process. A scribe’s eye jumped from the first instance of “with the web” to the second, causing him to leave out inadvertently the intervening words.
831 tn The Hebrew adds, “from his sleep.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
832 tn Heb “when your heart is not with me.”
833 tn Heb “forced him with her words.”
834 tn Heb “and his spirit was short [i.e., impatient] to the point of death.”
835 tn Heb “all his heart.”
836 tn Heb “a razor has not come upon my head.”
837 tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).
838 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother.”
839 tn Heb “I.” The referent has been made more specific in the translation (“my head”).
840 tn Heb “all his heart.”
841 tn Heb “she sent and summoned.”
842 tc The translation follows the Qere, לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the Kethib, לָהּ (lah, “to her”).
843 tn Heb “all his heart.”
844 tn Heb “on her knees.” The expression is probably euphemistic for sexual intercourse. See HALOT 160-61 s.v. בֶּרֶךְ.
845 tn Heb “she called for a man and she shaved off.” The point seems to be that Delilah acted through the instrumentality of the man. See J. A. Soggin, Judges (OTL), 254.
846 tn Heb “head.” By metonymy the hair of his head is meant.
847 tn Heb “She began to humiliate him.” Rather than referring to some specific insulting action on Delilah’s part after Samson’s hair was shaved off, this statement probably means that she, through the devious actions just described, began the process of Samson’s humiliation which culminates in the following verses.
848 tn Heb “are upon you.”
849 tn The Hebrew adds, “from his sleep.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
850 tn Heb “and said.”
851 tn Heb “I will go out as before.”
852 tn Heb “the hair of his head.”
853 tn Most interpret this as a reference to Samson, but this seems premature, since v. 25 suggests he was not yet standing before them. Consequently some prefer to see this statement as displaced and move it to v. 25 (see C. F. Burney, Judges, 387). It seems more likely that the pronoun refers to an image of Dagon.
854 tn Heb “multiplied our dead.”
855 tn Heb “When their heart was good.”
856 tn Heb “before them.”
857 tn Heb “the pillars upon which the house is founded.”
858 tn Heb “house.”
859 tn The Hebrew has אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה (’adonay yehovih, “Lord Yahweh”).
860 tn Heb “so I can get revenge with one act of vengeance.”
861 tn Heb “the pillars upon which the house was founded.”
862 tn Heb “he stretched out with strength.”
863 tn Heb “And the ones whom he killed in his death were many more than he killed in his life.”
864 tn Heb “and all the house of his father.”
865 tn Heb “and lifted him up and brought up.”
866 tn Traditionally, “judged.”