Abimelech slain. Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people. that were with him, What ye have seen 14 me do, make haste, and do as I have done. JUDGES, X. 14 I have done. h 2Sa.11.21. i lSa.31.4. 49 And all the people likewise cut k ver.24. down every man his bough, and fol- Job.31.3. lowed Abimelech, and put them to Ps.94 23. the hold, and set the hold on fire Pr.5.22. upon them; so that all the men of Mat.7.2. the tower of Shechem died also, Gal.6.7. about a thousand men and women. ver.20,45. 50Then went Abimelech to (CHAP. 10.) Thebez, and encamped against i save, or, Thebez, and took it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. deliver. a ch.5.10. 2 53 And h a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abime- c lech's head, and all to break his skull. 12.14. Deut.3. 14. or, the vil lages of Jair. Nu.32.41. 3.7. Israel oppressed. 6 And c 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 ofd 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. 7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold e them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and 3 oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan, to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim: so that Israel was sore distressed f 10 And the children of Israel ch.2.11-14. cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 4.1. 6.1. 13.1. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, d 1Ki. 11.33. and slay me, that men say not of e 1Sa. 12.9,10. me, A woman slew him. And his 3 crushed. young man thrust him through, and he died. f 1Sa.28.15. 55 And when the men of Israel g Ex. 14.30. saw that Abimelech was dead, they h Nu.21.21departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered k the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. CHAPTER X. AND after Abimelech there arose, to 1 defend Israel, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years. 4 And he had thirty sons that rode a on thirty ass-colts, and they had thirty cities, which bare called 2 Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. 25. i ch.3.12-15, 31. ch.5.19. 38 4 q 11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, g and from the Amorites, h from the children of Ammon, i and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians k also and the Amalekites, and the Maonites did oppress m you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, n and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them o deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thoup unto us whatsoever 4 seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away g the 5strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was 6 grieved r for the miscry of Israel. 17 Then the children of Ammon were 7 gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.s 18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. Jephthah chosen captain. CHAPTER XI. The covenant between Jephthah and NOW the Gileadites. JUDGES, XI. B. C. 1161. (CHAP. 11.) TOW Jephthah a the Gileadite was b a mighty man of valour, a He.11.32, and he was the son of 1 an harlot and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him. Thou shalt not c inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3 Then Jephthali fled 2 from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob and there were gathered vain d men to Jephthah, and went out with him. 4 And it came to pass 3 in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: war called Jepthae. b ch.6.12. 2Ki.5.1. 1 a woman, an harlot. c Ge.21.10. Gal.4.30. 2 from the face of. d ch.9.4. 1Sa.22.2. 3 after days, e Ge.26.27. f Luke 17.4. 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that weg ch. 10.18. may fight with the children of Am mon. 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did e not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? h Jer.42.5. the hearer. i ver.S. k ch.20.1. 1Sa.10.17. 8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn Nu.21.24. again f to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head g over all the inhabitants of m Ge.32.22. Gilead. Nu. 14.25. Deut. 1.40. 9 And Jephthah said unto the el-n De.2.9,19. ders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against theo children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The h LORD be 4 witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain overs them and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in k Mizpeh. 12 T And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? Jos.5.6. 13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the mes-w Nu.22.2, sengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when &c. Jephthah's treaty. they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, m and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14 And Jephthah sent inessengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not n away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked o through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came p to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not consent. And Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed q the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the borderr of Moab for Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 And Israel sent s messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they Smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 21 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosht thy god giveth thee to possess? So u whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive v out from before us, them will we pos sess. 25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak w the son of Zippor king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon Jephthah's vow. z and her towns, and in Aroer y and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge z be judge a this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 23 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 Then the Spirit b of the LORD came upon Jephthah,c and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Ghead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. JUDGES, XII. B. C. 1143. Nu.21.25. y Deut.2.36. Ge. 18.25. Ps.75.7. Ec. 12.14. a Ge, 16.5. 1Sa.24.12, 15. b ch.3.10. d e seems to judge only 1Sa. 1.11.. 5 that which com th forth, which shall come forth. Lev.27.2,3. 1Sa. 1.11,28. Ps.66 13,14 6 or, or. Eze.27.17. or, Abel. 30 And Jephthah vowed d a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that 5 what-f soever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I re- g ver.11. h Ex.15.20. turn in peace from the children of 1Sa. 18.6. Ammon, shall e surely be the Ps.68.25. LORD'S, 6 and I will offer it up for a Jer.31.4. burnt offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them: and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer even till thougome to Minnith feven twenty cities, and unto 7 the plain of the vineyards, with a very great! slaughter. Thus the children of Aminon were subdued before the children of Israel. 8 i of himself, or, he had not of his own either son or daughter. Ge.37.29,34 Nu.30.2. Ps. 15.4. 25a. 18. 19, 31. m ver.31. 34 And Jephthah came to Miz-9 go and go down. pehg unto his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with h timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; } beside her he had neither son nor Caughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent i his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou rt one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot k go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according 'o that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasinuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let ISa. 1.22,24. 10 or, ordi 11 nance. from year to year. 12 or, talk with. ch.5.11. (CHAP. 12.) a ch.8.1. were called. IS. 19.5.1 Job 13. 14. Ps. 119.109. c ch.3.25. Jos.22.11. 2 Which signifieth a stream, or, flod, Ps.69.2,15. Is.27.12. The Ephraimites slain. me alone two months, that I may 9 go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, whom did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a 10 custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went 11 yearly to 12 lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. A CHAPTER XII. The Ephraimites quarrelling with Jephthah, and discerned by Shibboleth, are slain by the Gileadites. NDa the men of Ephrain 1 gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. 2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. 3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put b my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? 4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead sinote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. 5 And the Gileadites took the passages c of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said. Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; 6 Then said they unto him, Say now 2 Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan. And there fell at that time of the Ephraunites forty and two thousand. Jephthah's death. JUDGES, XIII. And Jephthah judged Israel six! B. C. 1143. years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of d He seems the cities of Gilead. 8 T And after him Tbzan d of Beth-lehem judged Israel. 9 And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem. 11 And after him Elon, e a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon ƒ in the country of Zebulun. 13 And after him Abdong the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. to have e A civil f 1Ch.8.13. g A civil east Israel. 3 sons sons. 10.4. 14 And he had forty sons and h ch.5.10. thirty 3 nephews, that rode hon threescore and ten ass colts: and i ch.3.13.27. he judged Israel eight years. 15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount i of the Amalekites. CHAPTER XIII. 1 Israel is in the hand of the Philistines. 24 Samson is born. the children Israel 1 did evil again a in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered b them into c the hand of the Philistines forty years. 5.14. (CHAP. 13.) commit, a Jer. 13.23. b This seems c 1Sa. 12.9. d Jos. 19.41. 2 And there was a certain man e Lu. 1. 11,&c. of Zorah,d of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; f 1.Sa. 1.11. and his wife was barren, and bareg Nu.6.2,&c. not. 3 And the angel e of the LORD ap-h IKI.17.24. peared unto the woman, and said; Mat.28.3. unto her, Behold, now, thou art Acts 6.15. barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and nof razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a g Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 6 2 what shall 3 what shall he do. A ver.4. 1 ch.6.18,&c. Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, Ah man of God came unto me, and his m Ge.32.29. countenance i was like the coun- 5 or, wontenance of an angel of God, very terrible but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: 7 But he said unto me, Behold, derful, Manoah's sacrifice. thou shalt conceive and bear a son: and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. 8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. 9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the wo man as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 And the woman made haste. and ran, and shewed her husband. and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. 12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. 2 How shall we order the child, and 3 how shall we do unto him? 13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that 1 said unto the woman, let her be ware. 14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink. nor eat any unclean thing: all tha I commanded her let her observe. 15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let! us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid 4 for thee. 16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thon detain me, I will not eat of thy bread and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. 17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What m is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee honour? 18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is 5 secret? 19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and n offered it upon ja rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For it came to pass, when the n ch.6.19-23. flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Samson born. LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell o on their faces to the ground. 21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. 22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall p surely die because we have seen God. JUDGES, XIV. o Lev.9.24. Eze. 1.28. 27.13. Pr.3.32. Jno.15.15. Heb. 11.32. 23 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at ours 1Sa.3.19. hands, q neither would he have t ch.3.10. shewed us all these things, nor 6 Mahanehwould as at this time have told us such things as these. 24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson. 7 And s the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. a 25 And the Spirit t of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorahub and Eshtoal. CHAPTER XIV. Samson desireth a wife of the Philis tines. ND Samson went down to a dan, as ch.18.12. u ch. 18.11. Jos. 15.33. (CHAP. 14.) Ge.38. 13. Jos. 15.10. Ge.34.1,2. c Ge.24.3,4. d Ge.34.14. Ex.34.12, 16. Deut.7.3. a woman is right in 4 But his father and his mother k Es.1.7,&c. knew not that it was of the LORD,e that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the f Philistines had dominion over m Ge.29.27. Israel. 2Ch.7.8. 5 Then went Samson down, and 3 or, shirts. his father and his mother to Tim-n Ge.45.22. hath, and came to the vineyards o ch.16.5. of Timnath and behold, a young Pr. 1. 10. hion roared 2 against him. ch. 15.6. 6 And the Spirit g of the LORD came mightily upon him, and h he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. p possess us, or, impoverish us. ch. 16.15. or, the rest of the. r Lu.11.8. 18.4.5. 7 And he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleaseds ver.6. Samson well. Samson's marriage. 8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion and behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. 10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; k for so used the young men to do. 11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 T And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven m days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty 3 sheets, and thirty change n of garments: 13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. 14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice o thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest p we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to 4 take that we have? is it not so? 16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou q dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? 17 And she wept before him 5 the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it come to pass on the seventh day that he told her because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. 19 And s the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down |