Bible in 90 Days
28 he told them, “Attack them, because the Lord has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control.” So the Israeli army[a] followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29 At that time they attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped. 30 As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 years.
Shamgar, Israel’s Third Judge
31 After Ehud,[b] Anath’s son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also delivered Israel.
Deborah, Israel’s Fourth Judge
4 After Ehud died, while the Lord was watching, the Israelis made the evil they had been practicing even worse, 2 so the Lord turned them over to domination by King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.[c] 3 The Israelis cried out to the Lord, because of his 900 iron chariots. Jabin[d] oppressed the Israelis forcefully for twenty years.
4 Deborah, a woman, prophet, and wife of Lappidoth, was herself judging Israel during that time. 5 She regularly took her seat[e] under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountainous region[f] of Ephraim, where the Israelis would approach her for decisions. 6 She sent word to Abinoam’s son Barak from Kedesh-naphtali, summoning him. She asked him, “The Lord God of Israel has commanded you, hasn’t he? He told you,[g] ‘Go out, march to Mount Tabor, and take 10,000 men with you from the tribes[h] of Naphtali and Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the commanding officer of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River, where I will drop him right into your hands.’”
8 “If you’ll go with me, I’ll go,” Barak replied. “But if you won’t go with me, then I’m not going.”
9 She responded, “I will surely go with you, but the road that you’re about to take will not lead to honor for you. The Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak toward Kedesh. 10 Barak called out the army of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to march on Kedesh, and 10,000 men went out to war with him, along with Deborah.
11 Meanwhile, Heber the Kenite had been separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law Hobab. He had pitched his tents far away, near the Elon-bezaanannim.[i] 12 Furthermore, Sisera had been informed that Abinoam’s son Barak had marched on Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered his iron chariots together from Harosheth-haggoyim[j]—all 900 of them, along with all the people who were assigned to them—and they assembled at the Kishon River.
14 “Get going!” Deborah told Barak. “Because today’s the day when the Lord has dropped Sisera into your hands! Look! The Lord has already gone out ahead of you!” So Barak left Mount Tabor, followed by 10,000 men, 15 and the Lord threw Sisera, all the chariots, and his entire army into a panic right in front of Barak. Then Sisera abandoned his chariot and escaped on foot 16 while Barak chased the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-haggoyim.[k] Sisera’s entire army died in the battle—not even one soldier[l] remained.
Heber’s Wife Jael Kills Sisera
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had escaped on foot to a tent belonging to Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, since there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the household of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera. “Turn aside, sir!” she told him. “Turn aside to me! Don’t be afraid.” So he turned aside to her and entered her tent, where she concealed him behind a curtain.[m]
19 He asked her, “Please give me some water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” Instead, she opened a leather container of milk, gave him a drink, and then covered him up. 20 He told her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks ‘Is anybody here?’ say ‘No’.”
21 But Heber’s wife Jael grabbed a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other,[n] crept up to him quietly, and drove the tent peg right through his temple into the ground below after he had fallen sound asleep from exhaustion. That’s how[o] he died.
22 Meanwhile, as Barak continued chasing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. “Come with me,” she told him, “and I’ll show you the man you’re looking for!” So he went with her, and there was Sisera, lying dead with the tent peg still embedded in his temple! 23 That’s how God subdued Jabin, king of Canaan right in front of the Israelis that day. 24 And the Israelis gained greater control over King Jabin of Canaan until they had eliminated him.
Deborah and Barak Celebrate in Song
5 Later that day, Deborah and Abinoam’s son Barak celebrated by singing this song:
2 “When hair grows long[p] in Israel,[q]
when the people give themselves willingly,
bless the Lord!
3 Listen, you kings!
Turn your ears to me, you rulers!
As for me, to the Lord I will sing!
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you left Seir,
when you marched out
from the grain field of Edom,
the earth quaked
and the heavens poured out rain;[r]
indeed, the clouds poured out water.
5 Mountains tremble at the presence of the Lord —
even[s] Sinai!—at the presence of the Lord God of Israel.
6 During the lifetime of Anath’s son Shamgar
and during the lifetime of Jael
highways remained deserted,
while travelers kept to back roads.
7 Rural populations plummeted[t] in Israel;
until I, Deborah, arose;
until I—an Israeli mother—arose.
8 New gods were chosen,
then war came to the city[u] gates,
but there wasn’t a shield or spear to be seen
among 40,000 soldiers[v] of Israel.
9 My heart is for the commanders of Israel,
to those who work willingly among the people.
Bless the Lord!
10 “Speak up, you who ride white donkeys,
sitting on cloth saddles[w]
while you travel on your way!
11 From the sound of those who divide their work loads
at the watering troughs,
there they will retell the righteous deeds of the Lord,
the righteous victories for his rural people in Israel.”
Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.
12 “Wake up! Wake up, Deborah!
Wake up! Wake up, Deborah!
Get up, Barak, and dispose of your captives,
you son of Abinoam!
13 Then the survivors approached the nobles;
the people of the Lord approached me in battle array.
14 Some came[x] from Ephraim
who had been harassed by[y] Amalek,
followed by Benjamin with your people.
Some commanders came[z] from Machir,
along with some from Zebulun
who carry a badge[aa] of office.[ab]
15 The officials of Issachar were with Deborah,
as was the tribe of Issachar and Barak.
They rushed out into the valley at his heels
along with divisions from Reuben’s army.
Great was their resolve of heart!
16 Why did you sit down among the sheepfolds?
To hear the bleating of the flocks?
Among the divisions of the army of Reuben
there was great searching of heart.
17 The tribe of Gilead remained
on the other side of the Jordan River.
As for the tribe of Dan,
why did they stay on board their ships?
The tribe of Asher sat by the seashore
and remained near its harbors.
18 The tribe of Zebulun did not worry about their lives
at the price of death;
neither did the tribe of Naphtali also
on high places of the field.[ac]
19 “Kings came to fight,
then battled the kings of Canaan
at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo.
They took no silver
as the spoils of war.
20 The stars fought from heaven;
they fought against Sisera from their orbits.
21 The current[ad] of the Kishon River swept them downstream,
that ancient current, the Kishon’s current!
March on strongly, my soul!
22 Then loud was the beat of the horses’ hooves—
from the galloping, galloping war steeds!
23 “‘Meroz is cursed!’ declared the angel of the Lord.
‘Utterly and totally cursed are its inhabitants,
because they never came to the aid of the Lord,
to the aid of the Lord against the valiant warriors!’”
24 “Blessed above all women is Jael,
wife of Heber the Kenite;
most blessed is she among women who live in tents!
25 Sisera[ae] asked for water—
she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought him yogurt![af]
26 She reached out one hand for the tent peg,
and her other[ag] for the workman’s mallet.
Then she struck Sisera,
smashing his head,
shattering and piercing his temple.
27 He crumpled to the ground between her feet,
where he fell down and collapsed.
Between her feet he crumpled,
Fallen dead!
28 “Back at home,[ah] out the window Sisera’s mother peered,
lamenting through the lattice.
‘Why is his chariot delayed in returning?
‘Why do the hoof beats of his chariots wait?’
29 Her wise attendants[ai] find an answer for her;
in fact, she tells the same words to herself:
30 ‘They’re busy finding and dividing the war booty, aren’t they?
A girl or two for each valiant warrior,
and some dyed materials for Sisera—
perhaps dyed, embroidered war booty—
or some detailed embroidery for my neck
as the booty of war!
31 “May all of your enemies perish like this, Lord!
But may those who love him be
like the ascending sun in its strength!”
Then the land enjoyed quiet for 40 years.
Gideon, Israel’s Fifth Judge
6 Later on, the Israelis practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, so the Lord handed them over to the domination of Midian for seven years. 2 Midian’s control predominated throughout Israel, and because of Midian the Israelis went out to find temporary hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and fortified places.
3 Whenever the Israelis sowed their crops,[aj] the Midianites, the Amalekites, and certain groups[ak] from the east would come up and invade them. 4 They set up their military encampments to fight them, destroyed the harvest of the land as far as Gaza, and left nothing in Israel, whether harvested grain, sheep, oxen, or donkeys. 5 They would invade with their livestock and tents, swooping in as numerous as locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels—and they came into the land to destroy it. 6 Because Israel was deeply impoverished due to the Midianites, they[al] cried out to the Lord.
7 When the Israelis cried out to him about Midian, 8 the Lord sent a man who was a prophet to the Israelis and told them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I was the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, delivering you from the house of servitude. 9 I delivered you from the domination of Egypt and from the domination of all of your oppressors, expelling them right in front of you and giving their land to you. 10 I told you, “I am the Lord your God. You are not to fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you’ll be living.”’ But you haven’t obeyed what I said.”
Gideon is Visited by the Angel of the Lord
11 After this, the angel of the Lord arrived and sat down in the shade of[am] the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash, a descendant of Abiezer, while his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press in order to safeguard it[an] from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him, “The Lord is with you, you valiant warrior!”
13 But Gideon replied, “Right… Sir, if the Lord is with us, then why has all of this happened to us? And where are all of his miraculous works that our ancestors recounted to us when they said, ‘The Lord brought us up from Egypt, didn’t he?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us over to Midian!”
14 The Lord looked straight at him and replied, “Go with this determination[ao] of yours and deliver Israel from Midian’s domination. I’ve directed[ap] you, haven’t I?”
15 “Right…,” Gideon[aq] responded. “Sir, how will I deliver Israel? Look—my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my father’s household.”
16 The Lord told him, “Because I’ll be with you, and you’ll defeat Midian—every single one of them!”
17 So Gideon asked him, “Please, if I have received favor from you, then do a miracle for me that shows that you’re making this[ar] promise to me. 18 And please don’t leave here until I’ve come back to you, brought my offering, and set it down in front of you.”
The Lord[as] replied, “I’ll stay until you return.”
19 Then Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and poured the broth into a pot, and brought them to the angel[at] right under the oak tree. Then he made his offering. 20 The angel, who was God,[au] replied, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this boulder. Then pour out the broth.” So he did that. 21 The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread. Fire broke out from inside the boulder, consuming the meat and unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished in front of him.[av]
God Reassures Gideon
22 When Gideon realized that he had seen the angel of the Lord himself, he cried out, “Oh no! Lord God! I’ve been looking right at the angel of the Lord—and face-to-face at that!”
23 “Calm down![aw] Don’t be afraid.” the Lord replied. “You’re not going to die!” 24 So Gideon built an altar right there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is peace.” (To this very day it still stands in Ophrah, which belongs to the descendants of Abiezer.)
25 Later that very night, the Lord told Gideon,[ax] “Take the bull that belongs to your father, along with a second bull that’s seven years old. Then tear down the altar to Baal[ay] that your father owns, cut down the Asherah[az] that’s beside it, 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold in an orderly manner. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering using the wood from the Asherah that you’ll be cutting down.”
Gideon Destroys His Father’s Altar
27 So Gideon went with ten men who were his servants and did just what the Lord had told him to do, though he did it at night because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the leading[ba] men of the city to do it during the day. 28 When the leading[bb] men of the city got up early the next morning, the altar to Baal had been torn down, along with the Asherah that had stood beside it, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been erected.
29 They asked each other, “Who did this thing?” When they looked into it and asked around, they concluded, “Joash’s son Gideon did it.”[bc] 30 So the leading[bd] men of the city ordered Joash, “Bring us that son of yours. He’s going to die, because he tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah that stood beside it!”
31 But Joash responded to everyone who was opposing him, “Do you really intend to fight on Baal’s behalf? Do you really intend to rescue him by ordering[be] that whoever fights him will be executed by morning? If Baal[bf] is a god, let him fight for himself. After all, it was his altar that was torn down.” 32 So that very day he named Gideon[bg] Jerubbaal, that is, “Let Baal fight,” since he had torn down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and certain groups[bh] from the east gathered together, crossed the Jordan River, and set up camp in the Jezreel Valley. 34 So the Spirit of the Lord took control of[bi] Gideon, who blew a trumpet, mustering the descendants of Abiezer to follow him into battle.[bj] 35 He sent messengers to the entire tribe of Manasseh, calling them to follow him, and he also sent word to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, calling them to meet him.
Gideon Asks for a Sign from God
36 Then Gideon told God, “If you intend to deliver Israel by my efforts[bk] as you’ve said, 37 then take a look at this wool fleece that I’m placing on the threshing floor. If dew appears only on the fleece—and it’s dry on the ground all around it—then I’ll know that you’ll deliver Israel by my efforts[bl] like you’ve said.” 38 And that is what happened:[bm] When he got up early the next morning, he wrung out the fleece to drain the dew from it and extracted[bn] a bowl full of water.
39 Then Gideon told God, “Don’t let yourself be angry with me! I want to ask you once again: please let me make a test with the fleece just once more. Cause it to be dry only on the fleece, but let there be dew all around on the ground.” 40 And God did it just like that later that night. It was dry only on the fleece, but dew was all around on the ground.
God Chooses Gideon’s 300 Soldiers
7 Then Jerubbaal, also known as Gideon, got up early along with all of his soldiers. They encamped near the Harod Spring. The Midian encampment lay in the valley to their north, near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord told Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you for me to drop Midian into their hands, because Israel would become arrogant and say, ‘It was my own abilities that delivered me.’ 3 That’s why you’re to ask in full view of the soldiers, “Whoever is afraid or is trembling may go back from Mount Gilead and return home.”[bo] So 22,000 soldiers left and 10,000 remained.
4 “There are still too many soldiers,” the Lord told Gideon. “Bring them down to the water and I’ll refine them for you there. Therefore when I say to you, ‘This one will be going with you,’ he’ll go with you, but no one may go about whom I tell you, ‘This one won’t be going with you.’”
5 So he brought his soldiers down to the water, and the Lord told Gideon, “You are to cull out everyone who laps up water with his tongue like a dog from everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 The contingent of soldiers who lapped water[bp] with their hands to their mouths numbered 300 men, but everyone else kneeled to drink water.
7 Then the Lord told Gideon, “I’m going to deliver you with the 300 soldiers who lapped by giving the Midianites into your control. Send everyone else back to their own homes.”[bq]
8 So the soldiers took provisions with them, along with their trumpets, and Gideon[br] sent all the rest of the soldiers of Israel back to their own tents, but he retained the 300 men. And the Midian encampment was below him in the valley.
Gideon Sneaks Down to the Midianite Encampment
9 Later that same night, the Lord directed Gideon,[bs] “Get up and go down to the Midianite[bt] encampment, because I’ve given it into your control. 10 But if you’re afraid to go down there, you may take your servant Purah with you to their encampment, 11 where you will hear what they’re talking about. That way, you’ll be encouraged to attack the encampment.” So he and his servant Purah went down to the perimeter outposts of the encamped army.
12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and certain groups[bu] from the east lay encamped in the valley, as thick as locusts. The number of their camels couldn’t be calculated—they seemed as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 Gideon arrived just as a soldier was talking to a friend about a dream. “Look!” he was saying. “I had a dream that went like this: A loaf of barley bread rolled into the Midianite encampment, came to a tent, and collided with it. The loaf of bread fell down, turned upside down, and the tent collapsed!”
14 Then his friend replied, “Can this be anything else than the sword of Joash’s son Gideon, that man from Israel? God must have given Midian and the entire encampment into his control!”
15 When Gideon[bv] heard the tale of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship and then returned to the Israeli encampment.
Gideon’s 300 Attack
There he announced, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite army into your control!” 16 Then he separated the 300 men into three companies, gave them each trumpets to carry, along with jars into which he placed lit torches.
17 He instructed them, “Watch me, and do what I do. When we come to the outer perimeter of the encampment, do what I do. 18 When I sound my trumpet, accompanied by everyone who is with me, you must blow your trumpets all around the entire encampment. Then shout out, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
19 So Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the outer perimeter of the encampment at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had posted sentries. They blew their trumpets and smashed the jars that they were carrying in their hands. 20 When the three companies sounded their trumpets and broke the jars, they held the torches in their left hands and sounded their trumpets with their right hands. Then they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood up, each soldier in his assigned[bw] place surrounding the encampment, and the entire army ran away, sounding the alarm to retreat.
22 As the 300 trumpets were being sounded, the Lord turned the swords of the Midianite[bx] soldiers against one another throughout the entire army, and the army ran away as far as Beth-shittah in the direction of Zererah. They got as far as the outskirts of Abel-meholah, near Tabbath. 23 Israeli soldiers were called out from the territories of[by] Naphtali, Asher, and throughout Manasseh, and they chased after the Midianites.
24 Gideon dispatched messengers throughout the mountainous region[bz] of Ephraim, notifying them, “Come down to fight Midian. Capture the water crossings[ca] as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan River before they can get to them.” 25 They captured two Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. While they were pursuing the Midianites, they executed Oreb at Oreb’s Rock and Zeeb at Zeeb’s Winepress, and then they carried the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from the east bank[cb] of the Jordan River.
Gideon Assuages the Anger of Ephraim
8 Later on, the descendants of Ephraim spoke to Gideon.[cc] They argued vehemently, “What are you doing to us? You never called us! But you went out to fight Midian!”
2 “What have I accomplished compared to you?” he responded. “Isn’t what’s left from Ephraim’s harvest better than the best vintage of Abiezer? 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the leaders of Midian, into your control. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he said this, their anger calmed down.
4 Meanwhile, Gideon and the 300 soldiers with him came to the Jordan, exhausted but continuing their pursuit. 5 He told the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the soldiers who are following behind me. They’re tired, and I’m pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 But the officials of Succoth replied, “Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody[cd] already, so that we should give food to your army?”
7 So Gideon responded, “Very well then, but when the Lord has turned over Zebah and Zalmunna into my control, I’m going to whip you with thorns and briers from the desert!”
8 Then he left there to go to Penuel and asked the same thing from them, but the men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth did. 9 So he responded the same way to the men of Penuel, “When I come back safely,[ce] I’m going to tear down this tower.”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, along with their armies, about 15,000 men who survived from the entire army of the group from[cf] the east, since 120,000 swordsmen had already fallen. 11 Gideon went up by a caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their encampment when they were off guard. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna escaped, he pursued them, captured those two kings of Midian,[cg] and threw the entire army into a panic.
13 Then Joash’s son Gideon returned from the battle along the Heres Ascent. 14 He caught a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. He wrote out for Gideon[ch] a list of the 77 officials of Succoth, including its elders. 15 Then Gideon[ci] approached the men of Succoth and announced, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You criticized me about them when you said, ‘Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody[cj] already, so that we should give food to your weary army?’” 16 So he took the elders of the city and disciplined the men of Succoth with thorns and briers from the desert. 17 He also demolished the tower in Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Afterwards, he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were the men like whom you killed at Tabor?”
They answered, “Like you, each one like the son of a king…”
19 Gideon replied, “They were my brothers—sons from my own mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn’t be killing you.” 20 Then he told his firstborn son Jether, “Get up and kill them!” But he was afraid, since he was still only a youngster.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna responded, “Get up and attack us yourself, since a man’s valor is only as good as the man himself.” So Gideon got up, killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the crescent-shaped necklaces that adorned the necks of their camels.
22 Then the men of Israel asked Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandsons—because you have delivered us from Midian’s domination.”
23 But Gideon told them, “I won’t rule over you and my son won’t rule over you. The Lord will rule you.”
Gideon Falls into Idolatry
24 But Gideon also added, “I would like to ask that each of you give me a ring from his war booty” because, as Ishmaelites, the Midianites[ck] had been wearing gold rings.
25 They responded, “We’ll be happy to give them.” So they laid out a garment, and each of them contributed a ring from his war booty. 26 The weight of the rings that he had asked for was 1,700 gold coins,[cl] not counting the crescent-shaped necklaces, pendants, and purple garments worn by the Midian kings, and also not counting the bands adorning the necks of their camels.
27 Gideon crafted the booty into an ephod[cm] and enshrined it in his home town of Ophrah. Then all of Israel committed spiritual adultery with it there, and it became a snare for Gideon and his household.
Gideon Dies
28 Midian remained subjugated to the Israelis, and they didn’t so much as raise their heads anymore, so the land was peaceful for 40 years during the lifetime of Gideon. 29 Afterwards, Joash’s son Jerubbaal went home and retired.[cn] 30 Gideon raised 70 sons as his direct descendants, since he had many wives. 31 His mistress[co] in Shechem bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.[cp] 32 Later, Joash’s son Gideon died at a ripe[cq] old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah, which belonged to the descendants of Abiezer.
33 Later on, as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis again committed spiritual adultery with various Canaanite deities[cr] and appointed Baal-berith[cs] to be their god. 34 The Israelis did not remember the Lord their God, who continually delivered them from the domination of their enemies who surrounded them on every side. 35 And they showed no gracious love to the household of Jerubbaal—also known as Gideon—despite all the good that he had done for Israel.
Abimelech Attempts to Become King
9 Then Jerubbaal’s son Abimelech went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem. He spoke to the entire family of his mother’s father, telling them, 2 “Ask all the “lords”[ct] of Shechem, ‘What’s better for you? That 70 men, each of them Jerubbaal’s sons, rule over you? Or that one man rule over you?’ Keep in mind that I’m like your own close relative.”[cu]
3 So his mother’s relatives spoke all of this on his behalf in the presence[cv] of all the “lords” of Shechem. Since they were inclined to follow Abimelech, they said, “He’s our relative!” 4 and they gave him 70 silver coins from the temple that they had built to[cw] Baal-berith. Abimelech hired some worthless and useless men, who followed him 5 to his father’s house in Ophrah. There he murdered his own brothers, Jerubbaal’s sons—all 70 of them—in one place.[cx] But Jerubbaal’s youngest son Jotham survived by hiding himself.
6 All the men from Shechem and Beth-millo[cy] gathered together and set up Abimelech as king near the pillar erected[cz] in Shechem. 7 When Jotham was informed about this, he went out, took his stand on top of Mount Gerizim, and cried out loudly, “Listen to me, you “lords” of Shechem, and God will listen to you.
“So they told the olive tree,
‘Reign over us!’
9 But the olive tree asked them,
‘Should I stop producing my rich oils
by which both God and men are honored
and go take dominion over trees?’
10 “So the trees told the fig tree,
‘Hey you! Come and reign over us!’
11 But the fig tree asked them,
‘Should I leave my sweet, good fruit
and go take dominion over trees?’
12 “So the trees told the grape vine,
‘Hey you! Come and reign over us!’
13 But the grape vine asked them,
‘Should I leave my new wine,
which cheers God and man,
and go take dominion over trees?’
14 “So all the trees told the bramble bush,
‘Hey you! Come and reign over us!’
15 Then the bramble bush replied to the trees,
‘If you really are consecrating[dc] me to rule you,
come and put your confidence in my shade;
but if not, may fire spring out from the bramble bush
and burn up the cedars[dd] of Lebanon…’
16 “Now then, if you have been acting in good faith and integrity by making a king out of Abimelech, if you have treated Jerubbaal and his household appropriately by acting toward him as he deserved[de]— 17 because my father fought on your behalf, throwing away all concern for his own life, and delivered you from Midian’s domination.
18 “But now as for you, you’ve rebelled against my father’s house today. You’ve murdered his sons—70 men—in one place,[df] and you’ve installed Abimelech, the son of his mistress, as king to rule over the “lords” of Shechem, since he’s related to you. 19 So if you’ve acted in good faith and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his household today, then you’re welcome to[dg] Abimelech, and he’s welcome to[dh] you… 20 But if not, may fire spring out from Abimelech and consume the “lords” of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire spring out from the “lords” of Shechem and Beth-millo to consume Abimelech.” 21 Then Jotham escaped by running away. He went to Beer and remained there because of his brother Abimelech.
The Destruction of Shechem
22 Abimelech dominated Israel for three years. 23 Then God sent an evil spirit to divide Abimelech and the “lords” of Shechem 24 so that the violence committed against the 70 sons of Jerubbaal might come back on their brother Abimelech, who murdered them, and so it might come back on the “lords” of Shechem, who provoked him to murder his brothers. 25 The “lords” of Shechem sent out men to ambush him on the mountain tops, and they robbed everyone who came by them along the roads, and this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Meanwhile, Ebed’s son Gaal arrived with his relatives and crossed over into Shechem. The “lords” of Shechem put their faith in him. 27 They went out into the fields, harvested their vineyards, made some wine, and threw a party. Then they went into the temple of their god, ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28 Then Ebed’s son Gaal remarked, “Who is this Abimelech? And who is Shechem? Should we serve him? Isn’t he Jerubbaal’s son? Isn’t Zebul his lieutenant? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem’s ancestor—but why are we serving him? 29 If only authority over this people were given to me. Then I would remove Abimelech!” Then he challenged Abimelech: “Build up your army and then come out and fight!”
30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard what Ebed’s son Gaal had said, he flew into a rage. 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech in secret[di] and told him, “Look out! Ebed’s son Gaal and his family have arrived here in Shechem. Watch out! They’re stirring up the city against you. 32 So get up at night, take your soldiers with you, and wait in ambush out in the field. 33 Tomorrow morning when the sun is up, get up early and attack the city. When Gaal[dj] and his army come out to fight you, do whatever you can to them.”
34 So Abimelech and his entire army got up that night and waited in ambush against Shechem in four separate companies.
35 Ebed’s son Gaal went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate while Abimelech and his army were creeping out of their ambush. 36 When Gaal saw the army, he observed to Zebul, “Look there! People are coming down from the top of the mountains.”
But Zebul replied to him, “You’re looking at morning shadows cast by the mountains. They just look[dk] like men to you.”
37 Gaal spoke up again to say, “Look! People are coming down from the highest part of the land, and there’s a company approaching from the diviner’s oak tree.”[dl]
38 So Zebul replied, “Right... So where’s your boasting now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech? Should we serve him?’ Isn’t this the army that you insulted? So go out right now and fight them!”
39 So Gaal went out in full view of the “lords” of Shechem and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran away from him. Many fell wounded right up to the entrance to the city gate. 41 Afterwards, Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul expelled Gaal and his family so they couldn’t remain in Shechem.
42 The next day, the people went out to the field, and Abimelech learned about it. 43 So he took his army, divided it into three separate companies, and laid in ambush out in the field. When Abimelech[dm] noticed the people coming out from the city, his[dn] army attacked them and killed them. 44 Then Abimelech and the soldiers who were with him rushed forward and commandeered the entrance to the city gate while the other two companies ran out to kill everyone who was in the field. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day, captured the city, killed the people in it, then tore the city to the ground and sowed it with salt.
46 When all the “lords” at the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they retreated into the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith. 47 Abimilech was told that all of the “lords” of the Shechem Tower had assembled there. 48 So he[do] went up to Mount Zalmon, accompanied by his entire army. Abimelech had an axe in his hand, so he cut down a branch from a tree, lifted it up, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he told the army that had accompanied[dp] him, “You’ve seen what I just did. Hurry up! Do the same thing!”
49 Then his entire army also cut down a branch for each soldier, followed Abimelech to the inner chamber, and set fire to it[dq] while they were inside. As a result, all the men of the tower of Shechem died, including about a thousand men and women.
The Death of Abimelech
50 Later on, Abimelech went to Thebez, set up a siege encampment there, and captured it. 51 But there was a fortified tower in the center of the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city escaped to it, shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. 52 So Abimelech approached the tower, attacked it, and approached the tower’s gate, intending[dr] to burn it down. 53 But a certain woman threw an upper millstone down on Abimelech’s head, fracturing his skull.
54 So he cried out to his young armor bearer and ordered him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so no one will say about me that ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man pierced him through, and he died. 55 When the men of Israel noticed that Abimelech was dead, they each left for home.[ds] 56 That’s how God repaid Abimelech for the evil thing he did to his father by killing his 70 brothers. 57 God also repaid[dt] the men of Shechem for their wickedness, and the curse of Jerubbaal’s son Jotham came true for them.
Tola, Israel’s Sixth Judge
10 A man from the tribe of Issachar, Puah’s son Tola, grandson of Dodo, arose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the mountainous region[du] of Ephraim. 2 He governed Israel for 23 years and then died. He was buried in Shamir.
Jair, Israel’s Seventh Judge
3 After him, Jair the Gileadite arose and governed Israel for 22 years. 4 His 30 sons rode on 30 donkeys, controlling 30 cities in the territory of Gilead named Havvoth-jair[dv] to this day. 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
Israel Descends into Apostasy
6 Later on, the Israelis again practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by serving the Baals, the stars, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the descendants of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. In doing so, they ignored[dw] the Lord and wouldn’t serve him. 7 In his burning anger against Israel, he sold them into domination by the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who trampled and troubled the Israelis during that year—eighteen years for the Israelis who lived east of the Jordan River in Gilead, the land occupied by[dx] the Amorites. 9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan River to fight against the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. As a result, Israel was deeply distressed. 10 Then the Israelis cried out to the Lord and told him,[dy] “We have sinned against you because we have abandoned our God to serve the Baals.”
11 The Lord replied to the Israelis, “Aren’t you away from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? 12 And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites harassed you, you cried out to me, and I delivered you from under their domination. 13 But you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will no longer be delivering you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods that you have chosen for yourselves. Let them deliver you in your time of trouble.”
15 The Israelis replied to the Lord, “We have sinned, so do to us anything that’s right to do in your opinion, just please deliver us right now.” 16 When they put away their foreign gods and served the Lord, he brought Israel’s misery to an end. 17 The Ammonites were summoned and they encamped in Gilead. The Israelis assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 The people and Gilead’s officials inquired among themselves, “Who will begin our attack against the Ammonites? He’ll become head over everyone who lives in Gilead.”
Jephthah, Israel’s Eighth Judge
11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant soldier, but he was also the son of a prostitute and Jephthah’s father Gilead. 2 Gilead’s wife bore two sons through him, but when his wife’s sons grew up, they expelled Jephthah and declared to him, “You won’t have an inheritance in this[dz] house, since you’re the son of a different woman.” 3 So Jephthah escaped from his brothers and lived in the territory of Tob, where worthless men gathered themselves around him and went out on raiding parties with him.
4 Later on, the Ammonites attacked Israel. 5 When this happened,[ea] the elders of Gilead went to the territory of Tob to find Jephthah. 6 They told him, “Come and be our commander so we can fight the Ammonites!”
7 But Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Weren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me out of my father’s house? And you come to me now that you’re in trouble?”
8 So the elders of Gilead told Jephthah, “Well, we’re coming back to you now so you can accompany us, fight the Ammonites, and become the head of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9 Then Jephthah asked the elders of Gilead, “If you all send me to fight against the Ammonites and the Lord hands them over right in front of me, will I really become your head?”
10 The elders of Gilead responded to Jephthah, “May the Lord serve[eb] as a witness that we’re making this agreement between ourselves to do as we’ve said.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people appointed him head and military commander over them. Jephthah uttered everything he had to say with the solemnity of an oath[ec] in the Lord’s presence at Mizpah.
Jephthah’s Dialogue with the Ammonites
12 Afterwards, Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to ask him, “What’s your dispute between us that prompted you to come and attack my land?”
13 The king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “We’re here[ed] because Israel took away my land from the Arnon River as far as the Jabbok River and as far as the Jordan River when they came up from Egypt! So restore it as a gesture of good will.”[ee]
14 But Jephthah sent additional messengers again to the king of the Ammonites 15 and they informed him, “This is Jephthah’s response:
‘Israel didn’t seize the land of Moab nor the land of the Ammonites. 16 Here’s what happened:[ef] When Israel came up from Egypt, passed through the desert to the Red[eg] Sea, and arrived at Kadesh, 17 Israel sent a delegation to the king of Edom and asked him, “Please let us pass through your territory.”
‘But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen. So they also sent word to the king of Moab, but he wouldn’t consent, either. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 18 Then they went through the desert, circumventing the territory belonging to Edom and Moab. They encamped on the other side of the Arnon River, but never entered the territory of Moab because the Arnon River is the border of Moab.
19 ‘Then Israel sent a delegation to Sihon, king of the Amorites and king of Heshbon. Israel requested of him, “Please let us pass through your territory to our place.” 20 But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory, so he assembled his entire army, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his entire army into the control of Israel, and defeated them. As a result, Israel took control over the entire land of the Amorites, who were living in that country. 22 They took possession of the entire territory of the Amorites from the Arnon River as far as the Jabbok River and from the desert as far as the Jordan River.
23 ‘Now then, since the Lord God of Israel expelled the Amorites right in front of his people Israel, are you going to control their territory? 24 Don’t you control what your god Chemosh gives you? In the same way, we’ll take control of whomever the Lord our God has driven out in front of us. 25 Also ask yourselves:[eh] do you have a better case[ei] than Zippor’s son Balak, king of Moab? Did he ever have a quarrel with Israel or ever win a[ej] fight against them? 26 When Israel was living in Heshbon and its surrounding villages, in Aroer and its surrounding villages, and in all the cities that line the banks of the Arnon River these past three hundred years, why didn’t you retake them during that time? 27 I haven’t sinned against you, but you are acting wrongly against me by declaring war on me. May the Lord, the Judge, sit in judgment today between the Israelis and the Ammonites.’”
28 But the king of the Ammonites wouldn’t heed the message that Jephthah had sent to him.
Jephthah’s Vow
29 The Spirit of the Lord came[ek] on Jephthah, so he swept through Gilead and the territory of[el] Manasseh, then swept through Mizpah in Gilead, and from Mizpah in Gilead he proceeded toward where the Ammonites were encamped. 30 Jephthah made this solemn vow to the Lord: “If you truly give the Ammonites into my control, 31 then if I return from the Ammonites without incident,[em] whatever comes[en] out the doors of my house to meet me will become the Lord’s, and I will offer it[eo] up as a burnt offering.”
32 Then Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites and attacked them. The Lord gave them into his control. 33 He attacked them from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith—twenty cities in all[ep]—even as far as Abel-keramim. As a result, the Ammonites were subdued right in front of the Israelis. 34 When Jephthah arrived at his home in Mizpah—surprise!—it was his daughter who came out to meet him, playing tambourines and dancing. She was his one and only child. Except for her, he had no other son or daughter. 35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and cried out, “Oh no! My daughter! You have terribly burdened me! You’ve joined those who are causing me trouble, because I’ve given my word[eq] to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.[er]
36 She told him, “My father, you have given your word[es] to the Lord. Do to me according to what has come out of your own mouth, considering that the Lord has paid back your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 Then she continued talking with her father, “Do this for me: leave me alone by myself for two months. I’ll go up to the mountains and cry there because I’ll never marry.[et] My friends and I will go.”[eu]
38 So he said, “Go!” He sent her away for two months. She left with her friends and cried there on the mountains because she would never marry.[ev] 39 Later, after the two months were concluded, she returned to her father, and he fulfilled what he had solemnly vowed—and she never married.[ew] That’s how the custom arose in Israel 40 that for four days out of every year the Israeli women would go to mourn the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite in commemoration.
Jephthah’s Dispute with the Tribe of Ephraim
12 A little while later, the army of Ephraim was mustered, and they crossed to Zaphon. They confronted Jephthah and asked, “Why did you cross over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to accompany you? We’re going to burn your house down around you!”
2 But Jephthah replied to them, “My army and I were engaged in a serious fight with the Ammonites. I called for you, but you didn’t deliver me from their control. 3 When I saw that you wouldn’t be delivering me, I took my own life in my hands, crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my control. So why have you come here today to fight me?” 4 Then Jephthah mustered all the men of Gilead, fought the tribe of Ephraim, and defeated them, because they had been claiming, “You descendants of Gilead are fugitives in the midst of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
Shibboleth vs. Sibboleth
5 The descendants of Gilead seized control of the Jordan River’s fords along the border of Ephraim’s territory.[ex] Later on, when any fugitive from Ephraim asked them, “Let me cross over,” the men from Gilead would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said “No,” 6 they would order him, “Pronounce the word ‘Shibboleth’ right now.” If he said “Sibboleth,” not being able to pronounce it correctly, they would seize him and slaughter him there at the fords of the Jordan River. During those days 42,000 descendants of Ephraim died that way. 7 Jephthah governed Israel for six years. Then Jephthah died and was buried somewhere in the cities of Gilead.
Ibzan, Israel’s Ninth Judge
8 After he died,[ey] Ibzan from Bethlehem governed Israel for ten years. 9 He had 30 sons and 30 daughters, but he gave his daughters[ez] in marriage to outsiders and brought in 30 outsiders[fa] for his sons. He governed Israel for seven years, 10 then he died and was buried in Bethlehem.
Elon, Israel’s Tenth Judge
11 Elon the Zebulunite governed Israel after him for ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon within the territory of Zebulun.
Abdon, Israel’s Eleventh Judge
13 Hillel the Pirathonite’s son Abdon governed Israel after him. 14 He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys. He governed Israel for eight years. 15 Then he died and was buried at Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim, in the mountainous region[fb] of the Amalekites.
The Birth of Samson, Israel’s Twelfth Judge
13 Some time later, the Israelis again practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, so the Lord handed them over into the domination of the Philistines for 40 years. 2 There was one man from Zorah, from the family of the descendants of Dan, whose name was Manoah. Since his wife was infertile, she hadn’t borne children.[fc] 3 One day the angel of the Lord presented himself to the woman. “Hello!” he greeted[fd] her. “Though you are infertile at this time and haven’t borne a child, you’re about to conceive and give birth to a son. 4 So be sure that you don’t drink wine or anything intoxicating, and don’t eat anything unclean 5 because—surprise!—you’re going to conceive and give birth to a son! Don’t put a razor to his head, because the young man will be a Nazirite, dedicated[fe] to God from inside the womb. He will begin to deliver Israel from domination by the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman went to tell her husband. She said, “A man of God appeared[ff] to me. He looked like what an angel of God would look like—very frightening.[fg] I didn’t ask him where he had come from and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 He told me, ‘Surprise!—you’re going to conceive and give birth to a son!’ and as for you, ‘Be sure that you don’t drink wine or anything intoxicating, and don’t eat anything unclean,’ ‘because the young man will be a Nazirite dedicated to God from inside the womb’ until the day he dies.”
8 So Manoah prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, have the man of God whom you sent before[fh] come again so he can instruct us what to do on behalf of the child who is to be born.”
9 God listened to Manoah’s request,[fi] and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting out in the pasture. But her husband Manoah wasn’t with her, 10 so the woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Look! The man who came the other[fj] day appeared to me!”
11 So Manoah got up quickly and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he told him, “Are you the man who spoke to my[fk] wife?”
He replied, “I am.”
12 Manoah asked, “Now, when what you’ve said occurs, what is to be the young man’s way of life and work?”
13 The angel of the Lord replied to Manoah, “Just have your wife[fl] be careful to carry out everything that I told her. 14 She must not consume anything extracted from grape vines, including wine or anything intoxicating, and she must not eat anything unclean, doing everything that I commissioned her to do.”
15 Manoah responded to the angel of the Lord, “Please, let us detain you while we prepare a young goat for you.”
16 The angel of the Lord answered Manoah, “If you detain me, I won’t be eating your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, you’ll be making a sacrifice to the Lord.” The angel of the Lord[fm] said this[fn] because Manoah didn’t know that he was the angel of the Lord.
17 Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What’s your name, because when what you’ve said happens, we’ll glorify[fo] you?”
18 The angel of the Lord answered him, “Why are you asking this about my name? It’s ‘Wonderful.’”[fp]
19 So Manoah prepared a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a boulder to the Lord, who kept on performing miracles while Manoah and his wife watched continually. 20 When the burnt offering was engulfed in flames that sprang up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame that came from the altar. When Manoah and his wife observed this, they collapsed on their faces to the ground. 21 The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah or to his wife, and then Manoah knew confidently that the visitor[fq] had been the angel of the Lord.
22 Then Manoah told his wife, “We’re going to die for sure, because we’ve seen God!”
23 But his wife replied to him, “If the Lord had intended to kill us, he wouldn’t have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from us,[fr] he wouldn’t have shown us all these things, and he wouldn’t have permitted us to hear things[fs] like this, now would he?”[ft]
24 Later on, the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson.[fu] The child grew strong and the Lord blessed him. 25 Then the Spirit of the Lord began to rouse him where the tribe of Dan was encamped,[fv] between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Samson’s Marriage
14 A while later, Samson went down to Timnah and observed a woman in Timnah who was of Philistine origin.[fw] 2 Then he returned and told his father and mother, “In Timnah I saw a woman of Philistine origin.”[fx] He ordered them, “Get her for me as a wife. Now!”[fy]
3 His father and mother asked him, “Isn’t there a woman suitable[fz] among the daughters of your relatives or among all of our people, since you’re going to get your[ga] wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”
But Samson retorted to his father, “Get her for me, since she looks fine to me.” 4 Meanwhile, his father and mother did not know that she was from the Lord, because he had been seeking a favorable opportunity concerning the Philistines, since[gb] the Philistines were dominating Israel at that time.
5 Then Samson went down in the direction of Timnah with his father and mother and arrived as far as the vineyards of Timnah. And—surprise!—a young lion came roaring at him! 6 The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he ripped the lion[gc] apart as one might dissect a young goat, even though he carried nothing in his hand. But he didn’t tell his father and mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked to the woman, and she looked fine to Samson. 8 When he came back later to marry[gd] her, he turned aside to observe the lion’s carcass. Amazingly, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, complete with honey. 9 So he scraped some out into his hands and went on his way, eating all the while. When he met his father and mother, he gave some[ge] to them, and they ate it, too. But he didn’t inform them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.
Samson’s Riddle
10 Later on, when his father went down to visit[gf] the woman, Samson threw a party there, since young men customarily did this. 11 When they saw him, they brought 30 companions to accompany him. 12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson told them. “If you can solve it during this week-long festival, I’ll give you 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.[gg] 13 But if you don’t solve it,[gh] then you’ll give me 30 linen garments and 30 formal garments.”[gi]
“Tell us your riddle and we’ll solve it,” they responded.
14 So he told them:
From the eater came something edible;
from the strong something sweet.
For three days they couldn’t solve the riddle.
15 The next[gj] day, they told Samson’s wife, “Coax your husband to explain the riddle or we’ll set fire to your father’s house—with you in it! You’ve invited us here to make us paupers, haven’t you?”
16 So Samson’s wife cried in front of him and accused him, “You only hate me. You don’t love me. You’ve told a riddle to my relatives, but you haven’t told the solution[gk] to me.”
Samson responded, “Look, I haven’t told my parents,[gl] either. Why[gm] should I tell you?”
17 So she kept on crying in front of him for the entire seven days of the wedding party. On the seventh day he told the solution[gn] to her because she nagged him, and then she told the solution to[go] the riddle to her relatives.
18 Then the men of the city answered him just before sunset on the seventh day:
“What is sweeter than honey?
What are stronger than lions?”
Samson[gp] responded,
“If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer,
you wouldn’t have solved my riddle.”
19 Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed 30 men, took their belongings, and gave the garments to those who had told him the solution to[gq] the riddle. He remained furious, left for his father’s house, 20 and Samson’s wife went to the best man at his wedding.[gr]
Samson Burns the Philistine Harvest
15 A while later during the wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife, bringing along a young goat, and told his father-in-law,[gs] “I’m going into my wife’s room.” But her father wouldn’t give permission for him[gt] to go.
2 Her father said, “Because I honestly thought that you hated her deeply, I gave her in marriage to your best man.[gu] Isn’t her younger sister better than she? Please then, let her be yours instead.”
3 Samson replied to them, “This time I’ll be blameless when I do something evil to the Philistines.” 4 So Samson went out, caught 300 foxes, grabbed some torches,[gv] tied[gw] the foxes together in pairs at their tails,[gx] and fastened a torch[gy] between each pair of tails. 5 Then he ignited the torches, set the foxes loose into the Philistines’ unharvested grain, and burned up both the harvested shocks and the standing grain, along with their vineyards and olive groves.
6 Then the Philistines demanded, “Who did this?”
Someone said, “Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite, because his father-in-law[gz] took Samson’s[ha] wife and gave her to the best man at Samson’s wedding.”[hb] In retaliation, the Philistines came up and burned her and her father to death.
7 Samson replied to them, “Because you did this, I’m not going to stop until I get my revenge against you!” 8 So he attacked them ruthlessly[hc] in a massive slaughter, then left to live in the caves of Etam. 9 In response, the Philistines went up, encamped in the territory of[hd] Judah, and raided[he] Lehi.
10 The leading[hf] men of Judah asked, “Why have you invaded us?”
They replied, “We’re here to arrest Samson. Then we’re going to do to him what he did to us.”
11 In response, 3,000 soldiers from the tribe of Judah went down to the caves of the rock of Etam and asked Samson, “Don’t you know that the Philistines have us in their control? What have you done to us?”
“I did to them what they did to me,” he answered.
12 They responded, “We’ve come here to arrest you and transfer you to the custody of the Philistines.”
Samson told them, “Promise me that you won’t kill me.”
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