Bible in 90 Days

¹³ And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands ^[a]dropped from off his hands. ¹⁵ And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. ¹⁶ And Samson said,

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and ^[c]that place was called ^[d]Ramath-lehi. ¹⁸ And he was sore athirst, and called on Jehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. ¹⁹ But God clave the hollow place that is in ^[e]Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore ^[f]the name thereof was called ^[g]En-hakkore, which is in Lehi, unto this day. ²⁰ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

16 And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her. ² And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, ^[h]Let be till morning light, then we will kill him. ³ And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.

⁴ And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman ^[i]in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. ⁵ And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to ^[j]afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. ⁶ And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. ⁷ And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven ^[k]green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man. ⁸ Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. ⁹ Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it ^[l]toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

¹⁰ And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. ¹¹ And he said unto her, If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man. ¹² So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And the liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he brake them off his arms like a thread.

¹³ And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. ¹⁴ And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.

¹⁵ And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. ¹⁶ And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death. ¹⁷ And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

¹⁸ And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for ^[m]he hath told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand. ¹⁹ And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for ^[n]a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. ²⁰ And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he knew not that Jehovah was departed from him. ²¹ And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house. ²² Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

²³ And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. ²⁴ And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who hath slain many of us. ²⁵ And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pillars: ²⁶ and Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them. ²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

²⁸ And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may ^[o]be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. ²⁹ And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left. ³⁰ And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. ³¹ Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

17 And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. ² And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter ^[p]a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah. ³ And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I verily ^[q]dedicate the silver unto Jehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. ⁴ And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah. ⁵ And the man Micah had a house of ^[r]gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and ^[s]consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

⁷ And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there. ⁸ And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find a place, and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹ And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. ¹⁰ And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. ¹¹ And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. ¹² And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. ¹³ Then said Micah, Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

18 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. ² And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there. ³ When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? ⁴ And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest. ⁵ And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. ⁶ And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.

⁷ Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing ^[t]authority, ^[u]that might put them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man. ⁸ And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? ⁹ And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land. ¹⁰ When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.

¹¹ And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war. ¹² And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. ¹³ And they passed thence unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

¹⁴ Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. ¹⁵ And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. ¹⁶ And the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war. ¹⁸ And when these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What do ye? ¹⁹ And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? ²⁰ And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

²¹ So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them. ²² When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. ²³ And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, ^[v]that thou comest with such a company? ²⁴ And he said, ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say ye unto me, What aileth thee? ²⁵ And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest ^[w]angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. ²⁶ And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

²⁷ And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire. ²⁸ And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt therein. ²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. ³⁰ And the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of ^[x]Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set them up Micah’s graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

19 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. ² And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months. ³ And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak ^[y]kindly unto her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. ⁴ And his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. ⁵ And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way. ⁶ So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together: and the damsel’s father said unto the man, Be pleased, I pray thee, to tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry. ⁷ And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. ⁸ And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel’s father said, Strengthen thy heart, I pray thee, and tarry ye until the day declineth; and they did eat, both of them. ⁹ And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thy heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go ^[z]home.

¹⁰ But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him. ¹¹ When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. ¹² And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner, ^[aa]that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah. ¹³ And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. ¹⁴ So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. ¹⁵ And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the street of the city; for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge.

¹⁶ And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. ¹⁷ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? ¹⁸ And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am now going to the house of Jehovah; and there is no man that taketh me into his house. ¹⁹ Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man that is with thy servants: there is no want of anything. ²⁰ And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. ²¹ So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

²² As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him. ²³ And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this folly. ²⁴ Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not any such folly. ²⁵ But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. ²⁶ Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.

²⁷ And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold. ²⁸ And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. ²⁹ And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, ^[ab]limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel. ³⁰ And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider it, take counsel, and speak.

20 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. ² And the ^[ac]chiefs of all the people, ^[ad]even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. ³ (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass? ⁴ And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. ⁵ And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about me by night; me they thought to have slain, and my concubine they forced, and she is dead. ⁶ And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. ⁷ Behold, ye children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.

⁸ And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn unto his house. ⁹ But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot; ¹⁰ and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to ^[ae]Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. ¹¹ So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

¹² And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the ^[af]tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is come to pass among you? ¹³ Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, that are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But ^[ag]Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. ¹⁴ And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. ¹⁵ And the children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. ¹⁶ Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.

¹⁷ And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war. ¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up first.

¹⁹ And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. ²¹ And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men. ²² And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. ²³ And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; and they asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.

²⁴ And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. ²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ²⁷ And the children of Israel asked of Jehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸ and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand.

²⁹ And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about. ³⁰ And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. ³¹ And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel. ³² And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the highways. ³³ And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers-in-wait of Israel brake forth out of their place, even out of ^[ah]Maareh-geba. ³⁴ And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was ^[ai]close upon them. ³⁵ And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.

³⁶ So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the liers-in-wait whom they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷ And the liers-in-wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in-wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. ³⁸ Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city. ^39 [aj]And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle. ⁴⁰ But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. ⁴¹ And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil was come upon them. ⁴² Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and ^[ak]they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof. ⁴³ They inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and ^[al]trod them down ^[am]at their resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. ⁴⁴ And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. ⁴⁵ And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand men. ⁴⁶ So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor. ⁴⁷ But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both ^[an]the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.

21 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. ² And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. ³ And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel? ⁴ And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. ⁵ And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death. ⁶ And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. ⁷ How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

⁸ And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. ⁹ For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. ¹⁰ And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. ¹¹ And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall ^[ao]utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. ¹² And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹³ And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. ¹⁴ And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. ¹⁵ And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? ¹⁷ And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. ¹⁸ Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. ¹⁹ And they said, Behold, there is ^[ap]a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. ²⁰ And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, ²¹ and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. ²² And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to ^[aq]complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them ^[ar]graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty. ²³ And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. ²⁴ And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the ^[as]country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. ² And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife ^[at]Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. ³ And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁴ And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years. ⁵ And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread. ⁷ And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. ⁸ And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. ⁹ Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept. ¹⁰ And they said unto her, Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people. ¹¹ And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹² Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons; ¹³ would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it ^[au]grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me. ¹⁴ And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.

¹⁵ And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law. ¹⁶ And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; ¹⁷ where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. ¹⁸ And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.

¹⁹ So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the women said, Is this Naomi? ²⁰ And she said unto them, Call me not ^[av]Naomi, call me ^[aw]Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went out full, and Jehovah hath brought me home again empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? ²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

2 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of ^[ax]wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. ² And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. ³ And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ⁴ And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. ⁵ Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? ⁶ And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: ⁷ and she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.

⁸ Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. ⁹ Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. ¹⁰ Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? ¹¹ And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. ¹² Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. ¹³ Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken ^[ay]kindly unto thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.

¹⁴ And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and ^[az]they reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. ¹⁵ And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. ¹⁶ And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not.

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ And she took it up, and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed. ¹⁹ And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. ²⁰ And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, ^[ba]one of our near kinsmen. ²¹ And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. ²² And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. ²³ So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

3 And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek ^[bb]rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? ² And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. ³ Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. ⁴ And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. ⁵ And she said unto her, All that thou ^[bc]sayest I will do.

⁶ And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. ⁷ And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. ⁸ And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was ^[bd]afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. ⁹ And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art ^[be]a near kinsman. ¹⁰ And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the ^[bf]city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. ¹² And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. ¹³ Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.

¹⁴ And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. ¹⁵ And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and ^[bg]he went into the city. ¹⁶ And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, ^[bh]Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. ¹⁷ And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he ^[bi]said, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law. ¹⁸ Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. ³ And he said unto the near kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: ⁴ and I thought to ^[bj]disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if ^[bk]thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. ⁵ Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. ⁶ And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I cannot redeem it.

⁷ Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸ So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe. ⁹ And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. ¹¹ And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and ^[bl]do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: ¹² and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman.

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. ¹⁴ And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. ¹⁵ And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. ¹⁶ And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. ¹⁷ And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of ^[bm]Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron, ¹⁹ and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, ²⁰ and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat ^[bn]Salmon, ²¹ and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, ²² and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: ² and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Jehovah, were there. ⁴ And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: ⁵ but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb. ⁶ And her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. ⁷ And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. ⁸ And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

⁹ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah. ¹⁰ And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a ^[bo]man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

¹² And it came to pass, as she continued praying before Jehovah, that Eli marked her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. ¹⁴ And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. ¹⁵ And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Jehovah. ¹⁶ Count not thy handmaid for a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken hitherto. ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him. ¹⁸ And she said, Let thy handmaid find favor in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat; and her countenance was no more sad.

¹⁹ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before Jehovah, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Jehovah remembered her; ²⁰ and it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bare a son; and she called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of Jehovah.

²¹ And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto Jehovah the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. ²² But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned; and then I will bring him, that he may appear before Jehovah, and there abide for ever. ²³ And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only Jehovah establish his word. So the woman tarried and gave her son suck, until she weaned him. ²⁴ And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with ^[bp]three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a ^[bq]bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of Jehovah in Shiloh: and the child was young. ²⁵ And they slew the bullock, and brought the child to Eli. ²⁶ And she said, Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto Jehovah. ²⁷ For this child I prayed; and Jehovah hath given me my petition which I asked of him: ²⁸ therefore also I have ^[br]granted him to Jehovah; as long as he liveth he is granted to Jehovah. And he worshipped Jehovah there.

2 And Hannah prayed, and said:

¹¹ And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest.

¹² Now the sons of Eli were base men; ^[bv]they knew not Jehovah. ¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; ¹⁴ and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. ¹⁵ Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. ¹⁶ And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat ^[bw]first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then ^[bx]he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. ¹⁷ And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah; for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.

¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went unto their own home. ^21 [by]And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.

²² Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. ²³ And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. ²⁴ Nay, my sons; for it is no good report ^[bz]that I hear: ye make Jehovah’s people to transgress. ²⁵ If one man sin against another, ^[ca]God shall judge him; but if a man sin against Jehovah, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because Jehovah was minded to slay them. ²⁶ And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men.

²⁷ And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt ^[cb]in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? ^28 [cc]and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to ^[cd]go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? ^[ce]and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? ²⁹ Wherefore ^[cf]kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?