Bible in 90 Days

¹³ “We agree,” they answered. “We’ll only tie you up and hand you over to them. We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes. They led him up from the rock. ¹⁴ Samson approached Lehi. The Philistines came toward him shouting. Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. The ropes on his arms became like burned thread. They dropped off his hands. ¹⁵ He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men.

¹⁶ Then Samson said,

¹⁷ Samson finished speaking. Then he threw the jawbone away. That’s why the place was called Ramath Lehi.

¹⁸ Samson was very thirsty. So he cried out to the Lord. He said, “You have helped me win this great battle. Do I have to die of thirst now? Must I fall into the power of people who haven’t even been circumcised? They aren’t your people.” ¹⁹ Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi. Water came out of it. When Samson drank the water, his strength returned. He felt as good as new. So the spring was called En Hakkore. It’s still there in Lehi.

²⁰ Samson led Israel for 20 years. In those days the Philistines were in the land.

Samson and Delilah

16 One day Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. ² The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place. They hid and waited for him at the city gate all night long. They didn’t make any move against him during the night. They said, “Let’s wait until the sun comes up. Then we’ll kill him.”

³ But Samson stayed there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up. He took hold of the doors of the city gate. He also took hold of the two doorposts. He tore them loose, together with their metal bar. He picked them up and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

⁴ Some time later, Samson fell in love again. The woman lived in the Valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah. ⁵ The rulers of the Philistines went to her. They said, “See if you can get him to tell you the secret of why he’s so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. Then we can tie him up. We can bring him under our control. Each of us will give you 28 pounds of silver.”

⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of why you are so strong. Tell me how you can be tied up and controlled.”

⁷ Samson answered her, “Let someone tie me up with seven new bowstrings. They must be strings that aren’t completely dry. Then I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

⁸ So the Philistine rulers brought seven new bowstrings to her. They weren’t completely dry. Delilah tied Samson up with them. ⁹ Men were hiding in the room. She called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the bowstrings easily. They were like pieces of string that had come too close to a flame. So the secret of why he was so strong wasn’t discovered.

¹⁰ Delilah spoke to Samson again. “You have made me look foolish,” she said. “You told me a lie. Come on. Tell me how you can be tied up.”

¹¹ Samson said, “Let someone tie me tightly with new ropes. They must be ropes that have never been used. Then I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

¹² So Delilah got some new ropes. She tied him up with them. Men were hiding in the room. She called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms. They fell off just as if they were threads.

¹³ Delilah spoke to Samson again. “All this time you have been making me look foolish,” she said. “You have been telling me lies. This time really tell me how you can be tied up.”

He replied, “Weave the seven braids of my hair into the cloth on a loom. Then tighten the cloth with a pin. If you do, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while Samson was sleeping, Delilah took hold of the seven braids of his hair. She wove them into the cloth on a loom. ¹⁴ Then she tightened the cloth with a pin.

Again she called out to him, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” He woke up from his sleep. He pulled up the pin and the loom, together with the cloth.

¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you’? You won’t even share your secret with me. This is the third time you have made me look foolish. And you still haven’t told me the secret of why you are so strong.” ¹⁶ She continued to pester him day after day. She nagged him until he was sick and tired of it.

¹⁷ So he told her everything. He said, “My hair has never been cut. That’s because I’ve been a Nazirite since the day I was born. A Nazirite is set apart to God. If you shave my head, I won’t be strong anymore. I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

¹⁸ Delilah realized he had told her everything. So she sent a message to the Philistine rulers. She said, “Come back one more time. He has told me everything.” So the rulers returned. They brought the silver with them. ¹⁹ Delilah got Samson to go to sleep on her lap. Then she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair. That’s how she began to bring Samson under her control. And he wasn’t strong anymore.

²⁰ She called out, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!”

He woke up from his sleep. He thought, “I’ll go out just as I did before. I’ll shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the Lord had left him.

²¹ Then the Philistines grabbed him. They poked his eyes out. They took him down to Gaza. They put bronze chains around him. Then they made him grind grain in the prison. ²² His head had been shaved. But the hair on it began to grow again.

Samson Dies

²³ The rulers of the Philistines gathered together. They were going to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They were going to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed our enemy Samson over to us.”

²⁴ When the people saw Samson, they praised their god. They said,

²⁵ After they had drunk a lot of wine, they shouted, “Bring Samson out. Let him put on a show for us.” So they called Samson out of the prison. He put on a show for them.

They had him stand near the temple pillars. ²⁶ Then he spoke to the servant who was holding his hand. He said, “Put me where I can feel the pillars. I’m talking about the ones that hold up the temple. I want to lean against them.” ²⁷ The temple was crowded with men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there. About 3,000 men and women were on the roof. They were watching Samson put on a show. ²⁸ Then he prayed to the Lord. Samson said, “Lord and King, show me that you still have concern for me. Please, God, make me strong just one more time. Let me pay the Philistines back for what they did to my two eyes. Let me do it with only one blow.” ²⁹ Then Samson reached toward the two pillars that were in the middle of the temple. They were the ones that held up the temple. He put his right hand on one of them. He put his left hand on the other. He leaned hard against them. ³⁰ Samson said, “Let me die together with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might. The temple came down on the rulers. It fell on all the people in it. So Samson killed many more Philistines when he died than he did while he lived.

³¹ Then his brothers went down to get him. So did his father’s whole family. All of them brought Samson back home. They buried him in the tomb of his father Manoah. It’s between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson had led Israel for 20 years.

Micah’s False Gods

17 A man named Micah lived in the hill country of Ephraim. ² He said to his mother, “Someone took 28 pounds of silver from you. I heard you curse the one who took it. I have the silver with me. I’m the one who took it.”

Then his mother said, “My son, may the Lord bless you!”

³ He gave the 28 pounds of silver back to his mother. She said to him, “I’m making a promise to set apart my silver to the Lord. My son, I want you to use it to cover a statue of a god made out of wood or stone. That’s why I’ll give the silver back to you.”

⁴ Micah gave the silver back to his mother. Then she gave five pounds of it to a skilled worker who made things out of silver. He used the silver for the statue. The statue was put in Micah’s house.

⁵ That same Micah had a small temple. He made a sacred linen apron and some statues of his family gods. He appointed one of his sons to serve as his priest. ⁶ In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.

⁷ A young Levite had been living in land that belonged to the tribe of Judah. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. ⁸ He left that town to look for some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.

⁹ Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”

“I’m a Levite,” he said. “I’m from Bethlehem in Judah. I’m looking for a place to stay.”

¹⁰ Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be my father and priest. I’ll give you four ounces of silver a year. I’ll also give you clothes and food.” ¹¹ So the Levite agreed to live with him. The young man became just like one of Micah’s sons to him. ¹² Then Micah appointed the Levite to serve as his priest. He lived in Micah’s house. ¹³ Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me. This Levite has become my priest.”

The People of Dan Make Their Homes in Laish

18 In those days Israel didn’t have a king.

And in those days the tribe of Dan was looking for a place where they could make their homes. They hadn’t been able to take over their own share of land among the tribes of Israel. ² So the people of Dan sent out five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol. They told the men to look over the land and check it out. Those men did it for all the people of Dan. Those people told the men, “Go. Check out the land.”

So they entered the hill country of Ephraim. They went to the house of Micah. That’s where they spent the night. ³ When they came near Micah’s house, they recognized a voice. It was the voice of the young Levite. So they turned off the road and stopped there. They asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

⁴ The Levite told them what Micah had done for him. He said, “He has hired me. I’m his priest.”

⁵ Then they said to him, “Please ask God for advice. Try to find out whether we’ll have success on our journey.”

⁶ The priest answered them, “Go in peace. The Lord is pleased with your journey.”

⁷ So the five men left. They came to Laish. There they saw that the people felt secure. They were living in safety. Like the people in Sidon, they were at peace. Their land had everything they needed. Things were going very well for them. They lived a long way from the people of Sidon. And they didn’t think they would ever need help from anyone else.

⁸ The men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol. Their people asked them, “What did you find out?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on! Let’s attack them! We’ve seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t wait any longer. Go there and take it over. ¹⁰ When you get there, you will find people who aren’t expecting anything bad to happen to them. Their land has plenty of room. God has handed it over to you. It’s a land that has everything you will ever need.”

¹¹ So 600 men from the tribe of Dan started out from Zorah and Eshtaol. They were prepared for battle. ¹² On their way they set up camp. Their camp was near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That’s why the place is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. It’s west of Kiriath Jearim. ¹³ From there they went to the hill country of Ephraim. They came to Micah’s house.

¹⁴ Then the five men who had looked over the land of Laish spoke to the other members of their tribe. They said, “Don’t you know that one of these houses has a sacred linen apron in it? Some statues of family gods are there. That house also has another statue of a god covered with silver. Now you know what to do.” ¹⁵ So they turned off the road and stopped there. They went to the house of the young Levite. He was at Micah’s place. They greeted the young man. ¹⁶ The 600 men from Dan stood at the entrance of the gate. They were prepared for battle. ¹⁷ The five men who had looked over the land went inside. They took the statue covered with silver. They also took the family gods and the linen apron. During that time, the priest stood at the entrance of the gate. The 600 men stood there with him. They were prepared for battle.

¹⁸ When the five men went into Micah’s house and took all those things, the priest spoke to them. He asked, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us. Be our father and priest. You can serve a whole tribe and family group in Israel as our priest. Isn’t that better than serving just one man’s family?” ²⁰ The priest was very pleased. He took the linen apron and the family gods. He also took the statue of the god that was covered with silver. Then the priest left with the people. ²¹ They put their little children and their livestock in front of them. They also put everything else they owned in front of them. And they turned and went on their way.

²² The men who lived near Micah were called together. Then they left and caught up with the people of Dan. That’s because Dan’s people hadn’t gone very far from Micah’s house. ²³ Those who lived near Micah shouted at them. The people of Dan turned around and asked Micah, “What’s the matter with you? Why did you call out your men to fight against us?”

²⁴ He replied, “You took away the gods I made. And you took away my priest. What do I have left? So how can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’ ”

²⁵ The people of Dan answered, “Don’t argue with us. Some of the men may get angry and attack you. Then you and your family will lose your lives.” ²⁶ So the people of Dan went on their way. Micah saw that they were too strong for him. So he turned around and went back home.

²⁷ The people of Dan took what Micah had made. They also took his priest. They continued on their way to Laish. They went there to fight against a people who were at peace and secure. The people of Dan struck them down with their swords. They burned down their city. ²⁸ No one could save those people and their city. They lived a long way from Sidon. And they didn’t think they would ever need help from anyone else. Their city was located in a valley near Beth Rehob.

The people of Dan rebuilt the city. Then they made their homes there. ²⁹ They named it Dan. That’s because they traced their family line back to Dan. He was a son of Israel. The city used to be called Laish. ³⁰ There the people of Dan set up for themselves the statue of the god that was covered with silver. Jonathan and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan. Jonathan was the son of Gershom, the son of Moses. Jonathan and his sons were priests until the time when the land was captured. ³¹ The people of Dan continued to use the statue Micah had made. They used it during the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

A Levite and His Concubine

19 In those days Israel didn’t have a king.

There was a Levite who lived deep in the hill country of Ephraim. He got a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. ² But she wasn’t faithful to him. She left him. She went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem in Judah. She stayed there for four months. ³ Then her husband went to see her. He tried to talk her into coming back with him. He had his servant and two donkeys with him. She took her husband into her parents’ home. When her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. ⁴ His father-in-law, the woman’s father, begged him to stay. So the Levite remained with him for three days. He ate, drank and slept there.

⁵ On the fourth day they got up early. The Levite prepared to leave. But the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat. It will give you strength. Then you can go on your way.” ⁶ So the two of them sat down. They ate and drank together. After that, the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight. Enjoy yourself.” ⁷ The man got up to go. But his father-in-law talked him into staying. So he stayed there that night. ⁸ On the morning of the fifth day, the Levite got up to go. But the woman’s father said, “Have something to eat. It will give you strength. Wait until this afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.

⁹ Then the man got up to leave. His concubine and his servant got up when he did. But his father-in-law, the woman’s father, spoke to him again. “Look,” he said. “It’s almost evening. The day is nearly over. So spend another night here. Please stay. Enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and go back home.” ¹⁰ But the man didn’t want to stay another night. So he left. He went toward Jebus. Jebus is also called Jerusalem. The Levite had his two donkeys and his concubine with him. The donkeys had saddles on them.

¹¹ By the time the travelers came near Jebus, the day was almost over. So the servant said to his master, “Come. Let’s stop at this Jebusite city. Let’s spend the night here.”

¹² His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city where strangers live. The people there aren’t Israelites. We’ll continue on to Gibeah.” ¹³ He added, “Come. Let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah. We can spend the night in one of those places.” ¹⁴ So they continued on. As they came near Gibeah in Benjamin, the sun went down. ¹⁵ They stopped there to spend the night. They went to the city’s main street and sat down. But no one took them home for the night.

¹⁶ That evening an old man came into the city. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim. But he was living in Gibeah. The people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin. ¹⁷ The old man saw the traveler in the main street. He asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”

¹⁸ The Levite answered, “We’ve come from Bethlehem in Judah. We’re on our way to Ephraim. I live deep in the hill country there. I’ve been to Bethlehem. Now I’m going to the house of the Lord. But no one has taken me home for the night. ¹⁹ We have straw and feed for our donkeys. We have food and wine for ourselves. We have enough for me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”

²⁰ “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “I’d be happy to supply anything you might need. But don’t spend the night in the street.” ²¹ So the old man took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After the travelers had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.

²² They were inside enjoying themselves. But some of the evil men who lived in the city surrounded the house. They pounded on the door. They shouted to the old man who owned the house. They said, “Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him.”

²³ The owner of the house went outside. He said to them, “No, my friends. Don’t do such an evil thing. This man is my guest. So don’t do this terrible thing. ²⁴ Look, here is my virgin daughter. And here’s the Levite’s concubine. I’ll bring them out to you now. You can have them. Do to them what you want to. But don’t do such a terrible thing to this man.”

²⁵ The men wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite sent his concubine out to them. They forced her to have sex with them. They raped her all night long. As the night was ending, they let her go. ²⁶ At sunrise she went back to the house where her master was staying. She fell down at the door. She stayed there until daylight.

²⁷ Later that morning her master got up. He opened the door of the house. He stepped out to continue on his way. But his concubine was lying there. She had fallen at the doorway of the house. Her hands were reaching out toward the door. ²⁸ He said to her, “Get up. Let’s go.” But there wasn’t any answer. Then he put her dead body on his donkey. And he started out for home.

²⁹ When he reached home, he got a knife. He cut up his concubine. He cut her into 12 pieces. He sent them into all the territories of Israel. ³⁰ Everyone who saw it spoke to one another. They said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen or done before. Nothing like this has happened since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So let’s hear your ideas!”

The Israelites Punish the Tribe of Benjamin

20 Then all the Israelites came out. They came from the whole land between Dan and Beersheba. They also came from the land of Gilead. All of them gathered together in front of the Lord at Mizpah. ² The leaders of all the tribes of Israel came. They took their places among the people of God gathered together. There were 400,000 men carrying swords. ³ The tribe of Benjamin heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites said, “Tell us how this awful thing happened.”

⁴ So the Levite spoke. He was the husband of the woman who had been murdered. He said, “I and my concubine went to Gibeah in Benjamin. We spent the night there. ⁵ During the night the men of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house. They were planning to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. ⁶ I took my concubine and cut her into pieces. I sent one piece to each part of Israel’s territory. I did it because the men of Gibeah had done a very terrible thing in Israel. ⁷ All you men of Israel, speak up now. Tell me what you have decided to do.”

⁸ All the men got up together. They said, “None of us will go home. Not one of us will return to his house. ⁹ Here is what we’ll do to Gibeah. We’ll cast lots to tell us how to attack the city. ¹⁰ We’ll take ten men out of every 100 from all the tribes of Israel. We’ll take 100 from every 1,000. We’ll take 1,000 from every 10,000. The men we take will get supplies for the army. Then the army will go to Gibeah in Benjamin. They’ll give Gibeah exactly what they should get because of the terrible thing they did in Israel.” ¹¹ So all the men of Israel came together to fight against the city.

¹² The tribes of Israel sent people to carry a message through the whole tribe of Benjamin. They said, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you? ¹³ Hand over to us those evil men of Gibeah. We’ll put them to death. In that way we’ll get rid of those evil people.”

But the people of Benjamin wouldn’t listen to the other Israelites. ¹⁴ They came together at Gibeah from their towns. They came to fight against the other Israelites. ¹⁵ Right away the people of Benjamin gathered together 26,000 men from their towns. They were carrying swords. These men were added to the 700 capable young men from Gibeah. ¹⁶ Among all these men there were 700 who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ Israel gathered 400,000 men together. They were carrying swords. All of them were trained for battle. That number didn’t include the tribe of Benjamin.

¹⁸ The Israelites went up to Bethel. There they asked God, “Who should go up first and fight against the people of Benjamin?”

The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah will go first.”

¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites got up. They set up camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The Israelites went out to fight against the men of Benjamin. They took up their battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The men of Benjamin came out of Gibeah. They killed 22,000 Israelites on the field of battle that day. ²² But the Israelites cheered one another on. They again took up their positions in the places where they had been the first day. ²³ The Israelites went and wept in front of the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we go up again to fight against the men of Benjamin? They are our fellow Israelites.”

The Lord answered, “Go up and fight against them.”

²⁴ The Israelites came near the men of Benjamin on the second day. ²⁵ The men of Benjamin came out from Gibeah to oppose them. That time they killed 18,000 more Israelites. All the men who died had been carrying swords.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel. They sat there and wept in front of the Lord. They didn’t eat anything that day until evening. Then they brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the Lord. ²⁷ Again the Israelites spoke to the Lord. In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there. ²⁸ Phinehas was serving as priest at the ark. He was the son of Eleazar. Eleazar was the son of Aaron. The Israelites asked, “Should we go up again to fight against the men of Benjamin? They are our fellow Israelites.”

The Lord answered, “Go. Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

²⁹ Then Israel hid some men and had them wait all around Gibeah. ³⁰ They went up to fight against the men of Benjamin on the third day. They took up their positions against Gibeah, just as they had done before. ³¹ The men of Benjamin came out to fight against them. They were drawn away from the city. They began to wound and kill the Israelites just as they had done before. About 30 men fell in battle. They fell in the open fields and on the roads. One of the roads led to Bethel. The other led to Gibeah. ³² The men of Benjamin said, “We’re winning the battle over them, just as we did before.” But the men of Israel said, “Let’s pull back. Let’s draw them away from the city to the roads.”

³³ All the men of Israel moved away from their places. They took up new battle positions at Baal Tamar. The men who had been hiding charged out. They came from west of Gibeah. ³⁴ Then 10,000 of Israel’s capable young men attacked Gibeah. The men of Benjamin didn’t realize they were about to be destroyed. The fighting was very heavy. ³⁵ The Lord helped Israel win the battle over Benjamin. On that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 men of Benjamin. All the men who died had been carrying swords. ³⁶ Then the men of Benjamin saw that they had lost the battle.

The men of Israel had moved away from their positions in front of Benjamin. They had depended on the men they had hidden near Gibeah. ³⁷ Suddenly those men who had been hiding rushed into Gibeah. They spread out. Then they killed everyone in the city with their swords. ³⁸ The Israelites had made a plan with those who had been hiding. They had told them to send up a large cloud of smoke from the city. ³⁹ Then the Israelites would turn around and attack.

The men of Benjamin had begun to wound and kill the men of Israel. They had struck down about 30 of them. They had said, “We’re winning the battle over them, just as we did the first time.” ⁴⁰ But a large cloud of smoke began to go up from the city. The men of Benjamin turned around. They saw the whole city going up in smoke. ⁴¹ Then the Israelites turned around and attacked them. The men of Benjamin were terrified. They realized they were going to be destroyed. ⁴² So they ran away from the men of Israel. They ran toward the desert. But they couldn’t escape the battle. Other Israelites came out of the towns. There they struck down the men of Benjamin. ⁴³ Here’s how it happened. The Israelites had surrounded them. They had chased them and easily caught up with them east of Gibeah. ⁴⁴ So 18,000 men of Benjamin fell in battle. All of them were brave fighters. ⁴⁵ Some men of Benjamin turned back. They ran toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon. As they did, the Israelites struck down 5,000 of them along the roads. They kept chasing the men of Benjamin all the way to Gidom. Along the way they struck down 2,000 more.

⁴⁶ On that day 25,000 men of Benjamin fell in battle. They had been carrying swords. All of them were brave fighters. ⁴⁷ But 600 of them turned back. They ran into the desert to the rock of Rimmon. They stayed there for four months. ⁴⁸ The men of Israel went back to Benjamin. In all the towns they killed the people with their swords. They even killed the animals. So they killed everything they found. They set on fire all the towns they came to.

Wives for the Men of Benjamin

21 The men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah. They had said, “Not one of us will give his daughter to be married to a man from Benjamin.”

² The people went to Bethel. They sat there until evening in front of God. They wept loudly and bitterly. ³ “Lord, you are the God of Israel,” they cried. “Why has this happened to Israel? Why is one tribe missing from Israel today?”

⁴ Early the next day the people built an altar. They brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.

⁵ Then the Israelites asked, “Has anyone failed to come here in front of the Lord? Is anyone missing from all the tribes of Israel?” The people had made a promise. They had said that anyone who failed to come to Mizpah in front of the Lord must be put to death.

⁶ The Israelites were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. After all, they were their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel,” they said. ⁷ “How can we provide wives for the men who are left? We’ve made a promise in front of the Lord. We’ve promised not to give any of our daughters to be married to them.” ⁸ Then they asked, “Has any tribe of Israel failed to come here to Mizpah in front of the Lord?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come. No one from there had gathered together with the others in the camp. ⁹ They counted the people. They found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead had come to Mizpah.

¹⁰ So the community sent 12,000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They directed them to take their swords and kill those living there. That included the women and children. ¹¹ “Here is what you must do,” they said. “Kill every male. Also kill every woman who is not a virgin.” ¹² They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead who had never slept with a man. So they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.

¹³ Then the whole community sent an offer of peace to the men of Benjamin. The men were at the rock of Rimmon. ¹⁴ So the men of Benjamin returned at that time. They were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there weren’t enough women for all of them.

¹⁵ The people were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord had left a gap in the tribes of Israel. They weren’t complete without Benjamin. ¹⁶ The elders of the community spoke up. They said, “All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out. So how will we find wives for the men who are left? ¹⁷ The men of Benjamin who are still alive need to have children,” they said. “If they don’t, a tribe of Israel will be wiped out. ¹⁸ But we can’t give them our daughters to be their wives. We Israelites have made a promise. We’ve said, ‘May anyone who gives a wife to a man from Benjamin be under the Lord’s curse.’ ¹⁹ Look, a feast is celebrated every year in Shiloh to honor the Lord. Shiloh is north of Bethel. It’s east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. It’s south of Lebonah.”

²⁰ So they told the men of Benjamin what to do. They said, “Go. Hide in the vineyards ²¹ and watch. The young women of Shiloh will come out. They’ll join in the dancing. When they do, run out of the vineyards. Each of you grab a young woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. ²² Their fathers or brothers might not be happy with what we’re doing. If they aren’t, we’ll say to them, ‘Do us a favor. Help the men of Benjamin. We didn’t get wives for them during the battle. You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. After all, you didn’t give your daughters to them. Your daughters were stolen from you.’ ”

²³ So that’s what the men of Benjamin did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one. He carried her away to be his wife. Then the men returned to their own share of land. They built the towns again. They made their homes in them.

²⁴ At that time the Israelites also left. They went home to their tribes and family groups. Each one went to his own share of land.

²⁵ In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

1 There was a time when Israel didn’t have kings to rule over them. But they had leaders to help them. This is a story about some things that happened during that time. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Judah. So a man went to live for a while in the country of Moab. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. His wife and two sons went with him. ² The man’s name was Elimelek. His wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites whose home had been in Bethlehem in Judah. They went to Moab and lived there.

³ Naomi’s husband Elimelek died. So she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They married women from Moab. One was named Orpah. The other was named Ruth. Naomi’s family lived in Moab for about ten years. ⁵ Then Mahlon and Kilion also died. So Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

⁶ While Naomi was in Moab, she heard that the Lord had helped his people. He had begun to provide food for them again. So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law prepared to go from Moab back to her home. ⁷ She left the place where she had been living. Her daughters-in-law went with her. They started out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

⁸ Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Both of you go back. Each of you go to your own mother’s home. You were kind to your husbands, who have died. You have also been kind to me. So may the Lord be just as kind to you. ⁹ May the Lord help each of you find rest in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed them goodbye. They broke down and wept loudly. ¹⁰ They said to her, “We’ll go back to your people with you.”

¹¹ But Naomi said, “Go home, my daughters. Why would you want to come with me? Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? ¹² Go home, my daughters. I’m too old to have another husband. Suppose I thought there was still some hope for me. Suppose I married a man tonight. And later I had sons by him. ¹³ Would you wait until they grew up? Would you stay single until you could marry them? No, my daughters. My life is more bitter than yours. The Lord’s power has turned against me!”

¹⁴ When they heard that, they broke down and wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth held on to her.

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi. “Your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t try to make me leave you and go back. Where you go I’ll go. Where you stay I’ll stay. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I’ll die. And there my body will be buried. I won’t let even death separate you from me. If I do, may the Lord punish me greatly.” ¹⁸ Naomi realized that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her. So she stopped trying to make her go back.

¹⁹ The two women continued on their way. At last they arrived in Bethlehem. The whole town was stirred up because of them. The women in the town asked, “Can this possibly be Naomi?”

²⁰ “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara. The Mighty One has made my life very bitter. ²¹ I was full when I went away. But the Lord has brought me back empty. So why are you calling me Naomi? The Lord has made me suffer. The Mighty One has brought trouble on me.”

²² So Naomi returned from Moab. Ruth, her daughter-in-law from Moab, came with her. They arrived in Bethlehem just when people were beginning to harvest the barley.

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

2 Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side of the family. The relative’s name was Boaz. He was a very important man from the family of Elimelek.

² Ruth, who was from Moab, spoke to Naomi. Ruth said, “Let me go out to the fields. I’ll pick up the grain that has been left. I’ll do it behind anyone who is pleased with me.”

Naomi said to her, “My daughter, go ahead.” ³ So Ruth went out to a field and began to pick up grain. She worked behind those cutting and gathering the grain. As it turned out, she was working in a field that belonged to Boaz. He was from the family of Elimelek.

⁴ Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted those cutting and gathering the grain. He said, “May the Lord be with you!”

“And may the Lord bless you!” they replied.

⁵ Boaz spoke to the man in charge of his workers. He asked, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

⁶ The man replied, “She’s from Moab. She came back from there with Naomi. ⁷ The young woman said, ‘Please let me walk behind the workers. Let me pick up the grain that is left.’ She came into the field. She has kept on working here from morning until now. She took only one short rest in the shade.”

⁸ So Boaz said to Ruth, “Dear woman, listen to me. Don’t pick up grain in any other field. Don’t go anywhere else. Stay here with the women who work for me. ⁹ Keep your eye on the field where the men are cutting grain. Walk behind the women who are gathering it. Pick up the grain that is left. I’ve told the men not to bother you. When you are thirsty, go and get a drink. Take water from the jars the men have filled.”

¹⁰ When Ruth heard that, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why are you being so kind to me? In fact, why are you even noticing me? I’m from another country.”

¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about you. I’ve heard about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. I know that you left your father and mother. I know that you left your country. You came to live with people you didn’t know before. ¹² May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May the Lord, the God of Israel, bless you richly. You have come to him to find safety under his care.”

¹³ “Sir, I hope you will continue to be kind to me,” Ruth said. “You have made me feel safe. You have spoken kindly to me. And I’m not even as important as one of your servants!”

¹⁴ When it was time to eat, Boaz spoke to Ruth again. “Come over here,” he said. “Have some bread. Dip it in the wine vinegar.”

She sat down with the workers. Then Boaz offered her some grain that had been cooked. She ate all she wanted. She even had some left over. ¹⁵ Ruth got up to pick up more grain. Then Boaz gave orders to his men. He said, “Let her take some stalks from what the women have tied up. Don’t tell her she can’t. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her. Leave them for her to pick up. Don’t tell her she shouldn’t do it.”

¹⁷ So Ruth picked up grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the barley from the straw. The barley weighed 30 pounds. ¹⁸ She carried it back to town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the food left over from the lunch Boaz had given her. She gave it to Naomi.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? Where did you work? May the man who noticed you be blessed!”

Then Ruth told her about the man whose field she had worked in. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

²⁰ “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “The Lord is still being kind to those who are living and those who are dead.” She continued, “That man is a close relative of ours. He’s one of our family protectors.”

²¹ Then Ruth, who was from Moab, said, “He told me more. He even said, ‘Stay with my workers until they have finished bringing in all my grain.’ ”

²² Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth. She said, “That will be good for you, my daughter. Go with the women who work for him. You might be harmed if you go to someone else’s field.”

²³ So Ruth stayed close to the women who worked for Boaz as she picked up grain. She worked until the time when all the barley and wheat had been harvested. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi spoke to her. She said, “My daughter, I must find a home for you. It should be a place where you will be provided for. ² You have been working with the women who work for Boaz. He’s a relative of ours. Tonight he’ll be separating the straw from his barley on the threshing floor. ³ So wash yourself. Put on some perfume. And put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let Boaz know you are there. Wait until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ Notice where he lies down. Then go over and uncover his feet. Lie down there. He’ll tell you what to do.”

⁵ “I’ll do everything you say,” Ruth answered. ⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor. She did everything her mother-in-law had told her to do.

⁷ When Boaz had finished eating and drinking, he was in a good mood. He went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Then Ruth approached quietly. She uncovered his feet and lay down there. ⁸ In the middle of the night, something surprised Boaz and woke him up. He turned and found a woman lying there at his feet!

⁹ “Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Ruth,” she said. “You are my family protector. So take good care of me by making me your wife.”

¹⁰ “Dear woman, may the Lord bless you,” he replied. “You are showing even more kindness now than you did earlier. You didn’t run after the younger men, whether they were rich or poor. ¹¹ Dear woman, don’t be afraid. I’ll do for you everything you ask. All the people of my town know that you are an excellent woman. ¹² It’s true that I’m a relative of yours. But there’s a family protector who is more closely related to you than I am. ¹³ So stay here for the night. In the morning if he wants to help you, good. Let him help you. But if he doesn’t want to, then I’ll do it. You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that I’ll help you. Lie down here until morning.”

¹⁴ So she stayed at his feet until morning. But she got up before anyone could be recognized. Boaz thought, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵ He said to Ruth, “Bring me the coat you have around you. Hold it out.” So she did. He poured more than fifty pounds of barley into it and helped her pick it up. Then he went back to town.

¹⁶ Ruth came to her mother-in-law. Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her everything Boaz had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “He gave me all this barley. He said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law with your hands empty.’ ”

¹⁸ Naomi said, “My daughter, sit down until you find out what happens. The man won’t rest until he settles the whole matter today.”

Boaz Marries Ruth

4 Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there. Right then, the family protector he had talked about came by. Then Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend. Sit down.” So the man went over and sat down.

² Boaz brought ten of the elders of the town together. He said, “Sit down here.” So they did. ³ Then he spoke to the family protector. He said, “Naomi has come back from Moab. She’s selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. ⁴ I thought I should bring the matter to your attention. I suggest that you buy the land. Buy it while those sitting here and the elders of my people are looking on as witnesses. If you are willing to buy it back, do it. But if you aren’t, tell me. Then I’ll know. No one has the right to buy it back except you. And I’m next in line.”

“I’ll buy it,” he said.

⁵ Then Boaz said, “When you buy the property from Naomi, you must also marry Ruth. She is from Moab and is the dead man’s widow. So you must marry her. That’s because his property must continue to belong to his family.”

⁶ When the family protector heard that, he said, “Then I can’t buy the land. If I did, I might put my own property in danger. So you buy it. I can’t do it.”

⁷ In earlier times in Israel, there was a certain practice. It was used when family land was bought back and changed owners. The practice made the sale final. One person would take his sandal off and give it to the other. That was how people in Israel showed that a business matter had been settled.

⁸ So the family protector said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he took his sandal off.

⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses. You have seen that I have bought land from Naomi. I have bought all the property that had belonged to Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ I’ve also taken Ruth, who is from Moab, to become my wife. She is Mahlon’s widow. I’ve decided to marry her so the dead man’s name will stay with his property. Now his name won’t disappear from his family line or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”

¹¹ Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. The woman is coming into your home. May the Lord make her like Rachel and Leah. Together they built up the family of Israel. May you be an important person in Ephrathah. May you be famous in Bethlehem. ¹² The Lord will give you children through this young woman. May your family be like the family of Perez. He was the son Tamar had by Judah.”

Naomi Gains a Son

¹³ So Boaz married Ruth. Then he slept with her. The Lord blessed her so that she became pregnant. And she had a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi, “We praise the Lord. Today he has provided a family protector for you. May this child become famous all over Israel! ¹⁵ He will make your life new again. He’ll take care of you when you are old. He’s the son of your very own daughter-in-law. She loves you. She is better to you than seven sons.”

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child in her arms and took care of him. ¹⁷ The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.

¹⁸ Here is the family line of Perez.

Samuel Is Born

1 A certain man from Ramathaim in the hill country of Ephraim was named Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Elihu. Elihu was the son of Tohu. Tohu was the son of Zuph. Elkanah belonged to the family line of Zuph. Elkanah lived in the territory of Ephraim. ² Elkanah had two wives. One was named Hannah. The other was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah didn’t.

³ Year after year Elkanah went up from his town to Shiloh. He went there to worship and sacrifice to the Lord who rules over all. Hophni and Phinehas served as priests of the Lord at Shiloh. They were the two sons of Eli. ⁴ Every year at Shiloh, the day would come for Elkanah to offer a sacrifice. On that day, he would give a share of the meat to his wife Peninnah. He would also give a share to each of her sons and daughters. ⁵ But he would give two shares of meat to Hannah. That’s because he loved her. He also gave her two shares because the Lord had kept her from having children. ⁶ Peninnah teased Hannah to make her angry. She did it because the Lord had kept Hannah from having children. ⁷ Peninnah teased Hannah year after year. Every time Hannah would go up to the house of the Lord, Elkanah’s other wife would tease her. She would keep doing it until Hannah cried and wouldn’t eat. ⁸ Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why don’t you eat? Why are you so unhappy? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

⁹ One time when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. ¹⁰ Hannah was very sad. She wept and wept. She prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ She made a promise to him. She said, “Lord, you rule over all. Please see how I’m suffering! Show concern for me! Don’t forget about me! Please give me a son! If you do, I’ll give him back to the Lord. Then he will serve the Lord all the days of his life. He’ll never use a razor on his head. He’ll never cut his hair.”

¹² As Hannah kept on praying to the Lord, Eli watched her lips. ¹³ She was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving. But she wasn’t making a sound. Eli thought Hannah was drunk. ¹⁴ He said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Stop drinking your wine.”

¹⁵ “That’s not true, sir,” Hannah replied. “I’m a woman who is deeply troubled. I haven’t been drinking wine or beer. I was telling the Lord all my troubles. ¹⁶ Don’t think of me as an evil woman. I’ve been praying here because I’m very sad. My pain is so great.”

¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel give you what you have asked him for.”

¹⁸ She said, “May you be pleased with me.” Then she left and had something to eat. Her face wasn’t sad anymore.

¹⁹ Early the next morning Elkanah and his family got up. They worshiped the Lord. Then they went back to their home in Ramah. Elkanah slept with his wife Hannah. And the Lord blessed her. ²⁰ So after some time, Hannah became pregnant. She had a baby boy. She said, “I asked the Lord for him.” So she named him Samuel.

Hannah Gives Samuel to the Lord

²¹ Elkanah went up to Shiloh to offer the yearly sacrifice to the Lord. He also went there to keep a promise he had made. His whole family went with him. ²² But Hannah didn’t go. She said to her husband, “When the boy doesn’t need me to breast-feed him anymore, I’ll take him to the Lord’s house. I’ll give him to the Lord there. He’ll stay there for the rest of his life.”

²³ Her husband Elkanah told her, “Do what you think is best. Stay here at home until Samuel doesn’t need you to breast-feed him anymore. May the Lord make his promise to you come true.” So Hannah stayed home. She breast-fed her son until he didn’t need her milk anymore.

²⁴ When the boy didn’t need her to breast-feed him anymore, she took him with her to Shiloh. She took him there even though he was still very young. She brought him to the Lord’s house. She brought along a bull that was three years old. She brought 36 pounds of flour. She also brought a bottle of wine. The bottle was made out of animal skin. ²⁵ After the bull was sacrificed, Elkanah and Hannah brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ Hannah said to Eli, “Pardon me, sir. I’m the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. And that’s just as sure as you are alive. ²⁷ I prayed for this child. The Lord has given me what I asked him for. ²⁸ So now I’m giving him to the Lord. As long as he lives he’ll be given to the Lord.” And there Eli worshiped the Lord.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed. She said,

¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.

Eli’s Evil Sons

¹² Eli’s sons were good for nothing. They didn’t honor the Lord. ¹³ When any of the people came to offer a sacrifice, here is what the priests would do. While the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a large fork in his hand. ¹⁴ He would stick the fork into the pan or pot or small or large kettle. Then the priest would take for himself everything the fork brought up. That’s how Eli’s sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵ Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come over. He would speak to the person who was offering the sacrifice. He would say, “Give the priest some meat to cook. He won’t accept boiled meat from you. He’ll only accept raw meat.”

¹⁶ Sometimes the person would say to him, “Let the fat be burned first. Then take what you want.” But the servant would answer, “No. Hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it away from you by force.”

¹⁷ That sin of Eli’s sons was very great in the Lord’s sight. That’s because they were not treating his offering with respect.

¹⁸ But the boy Samuel served the Lord. He wore a sacred linen apron. ¹⁹ Each year his mother made him a little robe. She took it to him when she went up to Shiloh with her husband. She did it when her husband went to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman. May they take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹ The Lord was gracious to Hannah. Over a period of years she had three more sons and two daughters. During that whole time the boy Samuel grew up serving the Lord.

²² Eli was very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to all the Israelites. He also heard how his sons were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So Eli said to his sons, “Why are you doing these things? All the people are telling me about the evil things you are doing. ²⁴ No, my sons. The report I hear isn’t good. And it’s spreading among the Lord’s people. ²⁵ If a person sins against someone else, God can help that sinner. But if anyone sins against the Lord, who can help them?” In spite of what their father Eli said, his sons didn’t pay any attention to his warning. That’s because the Lord had already decided to put them to death.

²⁶ The boy Samuel continued to grow stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to the Lord and to people.

Prophecy Against Eli’s Family

²⁷ A man of God came to Eli. He told him, “The Lord says, ‘I made myself clearly known to your relatives who lived long ago. I did it when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s rule. ²⁸ At that time, I chose Aaron from your family line to be my priest. I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel. I told him to go up to my altar. I told him to burn incense. I chose him to wear a linen apron when he served me. I also gave his family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why don’t you treat my sacrifices and offerings with respect? I require them to be brought to the house where I live. Why do you honor your sons more than me? Why do you fatten yourselves on the best parts of every offering that is made by my people Israel?’