Judges 1:1

Judah Takes the Lead

1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked ¹  the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” ² 

Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation ³  would again ⁴  act more wickedly than the previous one. ⁵  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ⁶  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ⁷  their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 8:33

Israel Returns to Baal-Worship

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ⁸  their god.

Judges 10:1

Stability Restored

10:1 After Abimelech’s death, ⁹  Tola son of Puah, grandson ¹⁰  of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, ¹¹  rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country.

Judges 13:11

13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met ¹²  the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” ¹³  He said, “Yes.” ¹⁴ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the Lord through a prophetic oracle; cf. NAB “consulted.”

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”

[2:19]  ³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:19]  ⁴ tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to turn”) is sometimes translated “turn back” here, but it is probably used in an adverbial sense, indicating that the main action (“act wickedly”) is being repeated.

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “their fathers.”

[2:19]  ⁶ tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”

[2:19]  ⁷ tn Or “drop.”

[8:33]  ⁵ 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.

[10:1]  ⁷ tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[10:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “son.”

[10:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”

[13:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “came to.”

[13:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the woman.”

[13:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I [am].”