Judges 6:15

6:15 Gideon ¹  said to him, “But Lord, ²  how ³  can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” ⁴ 

Judges 17:9

17:9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.” ⁵ 

Judges 8:5

8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give ⁶  some loaves of bread to the men ⁷  who are following me, ⁸  because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

Judges 11:27

11:27 I have not done you wrong, ⁹  but you are doing wrong ¹⁰  by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”

Judges 11:35

11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! ¹¹  You have brought me disaster! ¹²  I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” ¹³ 

Judges 17:10

17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser ¹⁴  and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” ¹⁵ 

[6:15]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:15]  ² 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.

[6:15]  ³ tn Heb “with what.”

[6:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “in my father’s house.”

[17:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “And I am going to reside in a place I can find.”

[8:5]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps, “sell.”

[8:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.

[8:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “who are at my feet.”

[11:27]  ¹³ tn Or “sinned against you.”

[11:27]  ¹⁴ tn Or “evil.”

[11:35]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.

[11:35]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”

[11:35]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the Lord and I am not able to return.”

[17:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “father.” “Father” is here a title of honor that suggests the priest will give advice and protect the interests of the family, primarily by divining God’s will in matters, perhaps through the use of the ephod. (See R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 257; also Gen 45:8, where Joseph, who was a diviner and interpreter of dreams, is called Pharaoh’s “father,” and 2 Kgs 6:21; 13:14, where a prophet is referred to as a “father.” Note also 2 Kgs 8:9, where a king identifies himself as a prophet’s “son.” One of a prophet’s main functions was to communicate divine oracles. Cf. 2 Kgs 8:9ff.; 13:14-19).

[17:10]  ²² tn The Hebrew text expands with the phrase: “and the Levite went.” This only makes sense if taken with “to live” in the next verse. Apparently “the Levite went” and “the Levite agreed” are alternative readings which have been juxtaposed in the text.