Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation ¹  would again ²  act more wickedly than the previous one. ³  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ⁴  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ⁵  their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 5:14

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

they follow ⁷  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ⁸  the ones who march carrying ⁹  an officer’s staff.

Judges 5:23

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ¹⁰  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ¹¹  messenger;

‘Be sure ¹²  to call judgment down on ¹³  those who live there,

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

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

Judges 7:14

7:14 The other man said, ¹⁶  “Without a doubt this symbolizes ¹⁷  the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Judges 11:27

11:27 I have not done you wrong, ¹⁸  but you are doing wrong ¹⁹  by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”

Judges 11:34

11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out ²⁰  to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. ²¹  She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.

Judges 12:5

12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River ²²  opposite Ephraim. ²³  Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive ²⁴  said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked ²⁵  him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Judges 19:1

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite ²⁶  living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine ²⁷  from Bethlehem ²⁸  in Judah.

Judges 19:29

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

[2:19]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:19]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “their fathers.”

[2:19]  ⁴ tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Or “drop.”

[5:14]  ⁶ 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).

[5:14]  ⁷ tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:14]  ⁸ tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:14]  ⁹ tn Or possibly “who carry.”

[5:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”

[5:23]  ¹² tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

[5:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.

[5:23]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[to] curse.”

[5:23]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”

[5:23]  ¹⁶ tn Or “along with the other warriors.”

[7:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[7:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”

[11:27]  ²¹ tn Or “sinned against you.”

[11:27]  ²² tn Or “evil.”

[11:34]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”

[11:34]  ²⁷ tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”

[12:5]  ³¹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:5]  ³² tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

[12:5]  ³³ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

[12:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “say to.”

[19:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”

[19:1]  ³⁷ sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.

[19:1]  ³⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:29]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.”

[19:29]  ⁴² tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.”