Judges

Judges

Chapter 1, After the death of Joshua, Judah is appointed by God to lead the Israelites to go up against the Canaanites.  And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.   And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Stay Tuned.

Chapter 2,   The angel of the Lord came  up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt; I led you to the land that I promised to your fathers; and I said, I'll never break my covenant with you, never!   And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?  Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

Chapter 2 continued, The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua. There arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.  They did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and provoked the LORD to anger. The LORD delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about.  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.   The LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. 

Chapter 3,  These are the nations that GOD left there, using them to test the Israelites who had no experience in the Canaanite wars.  He did it to train the descendants of Israel, the ones who had no battle experience, in the art of war.  Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.  They were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.   And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

 

Chapter 4, The children of Israel continues to fall back into their evil doings, and the Lord sold them into  the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan.  Deborah, a prophetess, judged Israel at that time. She dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah. The children of Israel came up to her for judgment.  She sent for Barak son of Abinoam and said to him, "It has become clear that GOD, commands you: Go to Mount Tabor and prepare for battle. Take ten companies of soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun.  I'll take care of getting Sisera, the leader of Jabin's army, to the Kishon River with all his chariots and troops. And I'll make sure you win the battle."  Barak said, "If you go with me, I'll go. But if you don't go with me, I won't go." She said, "Of course I'll go with you. But understand that with an attitude like that, there'll be no glory in it for you. GOD will use a woman's hand to take care of Sisera." Deborah got ready and went with Barak to Kedesh. The LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak.

 

Chapter 5,  Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.  So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

 

Chapter 6,   Yet again the People of Israel went back to doing evil in GOD's sight. GOD put them under the domination of Midian for seven years.   And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east.   And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.  And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

 

 Chapter 6 Continued: There came an angel of the LORD, and appeared unto Gideon who was threshing wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The LORD looked upon him, and said, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.  Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?   And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.  And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

 

Chapter 7,   Jerub-Baal (Gideon) got up early the next morning, all his troops right there with him. They set up camp at Harod's Spring.  GOD said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this, they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me.   Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. The LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there.  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. The number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. The LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

 

Chapter 8, The men of Ephraim said unto Gideon, why hast thou served us thus, that thou called us not, when thou went to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. Gideon replied, "What have I done compared to you?   God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.  Gideon persuded after the two kings of midian , Zebah and Zalmunna who had fled. He overtook them and discomfited all the host.  Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.  Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.   Gideon had seventy sons. He fathered them all, for he had many wives.  His concubine that was at Shechem, also bore him a son. He named him Abimelech.   And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Chapter 9,   Abimelech ,son of Jerub-Baal  (by his concubine) went to Shechem to all his mother's relatives and said to them,    'What do you think is best, that seventy men rule you—all those sons of Jerub-Baal—or that one man rule? You'll remember that I am your own flesh and blood.' The leaders of Shechem were inclined to take Abimelech. "Because," they said, "he is, after all, one of us." Abimeleche went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of JerubBaal seventy men. The youngest, Jotham son of Jerub-Baal, managed to hide, the only survivor.  All the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and made Abimelech king in Shechem. When Jotham heard of it, he went to the top of mount Gerizim and cried, Ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother.  If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.  But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.   Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 

 

Chapter 10, The children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.   And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. The LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
¹²  The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.  Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.  Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.  And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.  

  

Chapter 11,  Jephthah the Gileadite was one tough warrior. He was the son of a harlot, but Gilead was his father.   Meanwhile Gilead's legal wife had given him other sons, and when they grew up, his wife's sons threw Jephthah out.  So Jephthah fled from his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob.   And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob.  And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  Jephthah  vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,  then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.  So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.  Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels  and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

 

Chapter 12,  The men of Ephraim mustered their troops, crossed to Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go out to fight the Ammonites without letting us go with you? We're going to burn your house down on you!"  Jephthah said, "I and my people had our hands full negotiating with the Ammonites. And I did call to you for help but you ignored me.  When I saw that you weren't coming, I took my life in my hands and confronted the Ammonites myself. And GOD gave them to me! So why did you show up here today? Are you spoiling for a fight with me?"  So Jephthah got his Gilead troops together and fought Ephraim. And the men of Gilead hit them hard because they were saying, "Gileadites are nothing but half-breeds and rejects from Ephraim and Manasseh." Gilead captured the fords of the Jordan at the crossing to Ephraim. If an Ephraimite fugitive said, "Let me cross," the men of Gilead would ask, "Are you an Ephraimite?" and he would say, "No."   And they would say, "Say, 'Shibboleth.' " But he would always say, "Sibboleth"—he couldn't say it right. Then they would grab him and kill him there at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two Ephraimite divisions were killed on that occasion.   Jephthah judged Israel six years. Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city, Mizpah of Gilead.

  

Chapter 13,  After the death of Jephthah, the People of Israel were back at it again, doing what was evil in GOD's sight. GOD put them under the domination of the Philistines for forty years. There was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless.   And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.   Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:   For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb to the day of his death.   And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Chapter 14,   Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl.  He came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife."   His parents said to him, "Isn't there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the one I want—she's the right one."  (His father and mother had no idea that GOD was behind this, that he was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines.  His father went on down to make arrangements with the woman, while Samson prepared a feast there. That's what the young men did in those days. Samson said to them: "Let me put a riddle to you. If you can figure it out during the seven days of the feast, I'll give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing.   But if you can't figure it out then you'll give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing." They said, "Put your riddle. Let's hear it."   So Samson's bride turned on the tears, saying to him, "You hate me. You don't love me. You've told a riddle to my people but you won't even tell me the answer." He said, "I haven't told my own parents—why would I tell you?"   But she turned on the tears all the seven days of the feast. On the seventh day, worn out by her nagging, he told her. Then she went and told it to her people who gave Samson the answer. Samson said, If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, You wouldn't have found out my riddle.  Then the Spirit of GOD came powerfully on him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, stripped them, and gave their clothing to those who had solved the riddle. Stalking out, smoking with anger, he went home to his father's house. Samson's bride became the wife of the best man at his wedding.

Chapter 15,   Later on during the wheat harvest, Samson visited his bride, bringing a young goat. He said, "Let me see my wife, show me her bedroom." But her father wouldn't let him in.  He said, "I concluded that by now you hated her with a passion, so I gave her to your best man. But her little sister is even more beautiful. Why not take her instead?"  Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.   And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. The philistine then took Samson’s wife and her father and burned them to death. Samson then smote them with a great slaughter.  Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.   And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, ⁵  And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.  And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

Chapter 16, And it came to pass that Samson  loved a woman, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth.  Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth. This went on for 3 occasions where in Samson told her falsely.  She said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?  Thou hast mocked me these three times.  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;  that he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite 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.  Delilah  then made Samson  sleep upon her knees; and caused the seven locks of his head to be shaved off. She began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. The Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.  Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.   And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.   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 which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

 

Chapter 17, There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah.  This man, Micah, had a private chapel. He had made an ephod and some teraphim-idols and had ordained one of his sons to be his priest.   In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.   And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.   And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.  And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.  And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

 

Chapter 18, In those days, the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, to spy out the land, and to search it; and when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.  As they neared Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall  be prosperous.  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.  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.  And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?  And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?   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.

 

Chapter 19,   It was an era when there was no king in Israel. A Levite, living as a stranger in the backwoods hill country of Ephraim, got himself a concubine.  His concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house, and was there four months. Her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again. When the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him, and, retained him for several days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. They departed late in the evening on the 5^th day. He said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.   And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.   And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, and said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

   

Chapter 19 Continued: As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.   And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.  Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, 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 so vile a thing.   But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took 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.  Her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and, behold, the woman (his concubine)  was fallen down at the door of the house, dead. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.  And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.   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 of it, take advice, and speak your minds.   

Chapter 20, All the People of Israel came out. The congregation met in the presence of GOD at Mizpah. They were all there, from Dan to Beersheba, as one person!  The People of Israel said,  "Now tell us. How did this outrageous evil happen?"  The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke: "My concubine and I came to spend the night at Gibeah, a Benjaminite town.
 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.  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 into his house.  But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;  And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

 

Chapter 21,   Back at Mizpah the men of Israel had taken an oath: "No man among us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage."   Now, back in Bethel, the people sat in the presence of God until evening. They cried loudly; there was widespread lamentation.  They said, "Why, O GOD, God of Israel, has this happened? Why do we find ourselves today missing one whole tribe from Israel?"   And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.  How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?   Stay Tuned.   biblesnapshot.blogspot.com.

And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, because they came not up to the assembly at Mizpeh.  And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.   And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.  And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.  And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribe of Israel.