:

'bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the ce16 dars of Lebanon. Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly', in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving (17 of his hands; (for my father fought

for you, and 2adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Mid18 ian and 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, be19 cause he is your brother ;) if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let 20 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 Abim21 elech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

22) And Abimelech was prince over 23 Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with 24 Abimelech that the violence done

to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that' their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, which Istrengthened his hands to slay his 25 brethren. And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him 'on' the 'tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

"And

28 drink, and cursed Abimelech. Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why 29 should we serve him? And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of 31 Ebed, his anger was kindled. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech

30

craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren larel come to Shechem; and, behold, they 6constrain the city to take part 32 against thee. Now therefore, up by

night, thou and the people that is with * 33 thee, and lie in wait in the field; and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against She35 chem in four companies. And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the am36 bushment. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the 37 mountains as if they were men. And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company 'cometh! by the way of the oak of Meonenim. 8) Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I 3pray, and fight with them. ° And

Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abime40) lech. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there

count

8 Heb. navel.

That is, the augurs' oak or terebinth.

fell many wounded, even unto the 41 entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul Idrave out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in She42 chem. And it came to pass on the

morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people came forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, (44 and smote them. And Abimelech,

and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two companies 'rushed' upon all that were in the field, and Ismote! 45 them. And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

46

And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard 'thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of 47 El-berith. And it was told Abime

lech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took 2an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up', and laid it on his shoulder: and he' said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make 49 haste, and do as I have done. And

50

all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and 51 took it. 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 themselves in', and gat them up to the roof of * 52 the tower. "And Abimelech came

unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the (53 tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and

1 See ch. viii. 33.

2 Heb. the axes.

54 brake his skull. "Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and 'kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, 55 and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto 56 his place. Thus God requited' the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his 57 seventy brethren: and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

10 1

And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar ; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill 2 country of Ephraim. And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

3 And after him arose Jair, 'the' Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty 4 and two years. And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which 5 are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon. 6) And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baalim, and the 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 they forsook 7 the LORD, and served him not. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon. 8) And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were beyond Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is 9 in Gilead. And 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. 10 °And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, leven because we have forsaken our God, and have served

11 the Baalim. And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I save 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 unto me, and I 13 saved you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no 14 more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them 'save' you in the time of your distress'. 15) And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, 16 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.

17

Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and 18 encamped in Mizpah. And the people, the 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.

111 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a

mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot and Gilead begat 2 Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and 'when' his wife's sons grew up, they drave out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman. 3 °Then Jephthah fled from his brethren,

4

and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain 'fellows' to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

And it came to pass 'after a while', that the children of Ammon made war 5 against Israel. 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 6 of Tob: and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. 7 °And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and Idrive me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now

1 The Sept. has, Midianites.

8 when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore are we turned' again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children of Ammon, and thou shalt be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, 10) shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD shall be witness between us; Isurely according to thy word so 11 will we do. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them and Jephthah 'spake all his words before the LORD in Mizpah".

12)

And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come unto me to fight 13 against my land? And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands 14 again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the 15 children of Ammon: and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16) but when they came up from Egypt,

and Israel walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to (17 Kadesh; then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom hearkened not. And in like manner hel sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not and Israel abode in 18 Kadesh. Then he walked through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they pitched on the other side of Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for 19 Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through

2 Heb. hearer.

20 thy land unto my place. But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his 'border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, 21 and fought against Israel. And the LORD, the 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 coun22 try.

And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wil23 derness even unto Jordan. So now the LORD, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou 24 possess them? Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will 25 we possess. And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight 26 against them? °While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her 'towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that are along by the 'side' of Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me the LORD, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the 30 children of Ammon. And Jephthah

vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the chil(31 dren of Ammon into mine 'hand', '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, it shall be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a 32 burnt offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD 33 delivered them into his 'hand'.

1 Heb. daughters. Or, whosoever

"And

31

he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

And Jephthah came to Mizpah 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 35 neither son nor daughter. "And it came to pass, when he saw her, that 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 (36 go back. And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Am37) mon. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may 'depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my com38 panions'. And he said, Go.

And

he sent her away for two months: and she 'departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity 39 upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had not known man. And it was a custom 40 in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

121

And the men of Ephraim werel gathered together, and 'passed' northward; and they 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 2 fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye 'saved me not 3 out of their 'hand'. And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand', and passed over against

Or, lament 6 Or, Ito Zaphon

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 smote Ephraim, because they said, 'Ye' are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim', (5 and in the midst of Manasseh'. And the Gileadites took the 'fords of Jordan against the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he 6 said, Nay; then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right; then they 'laid hold on him, and slew him at the 'fords of Jordan: and there fell at that time of 'Ephraim' forty and two thousand.

11

And after him Elon 'the Zebulunite! judged Israel; and he judged Israel 12 ten years. And Elon the Zebulunitel died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel 'the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 And he had forty sons and thirty 'sons' sons', that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Is15 rael eight years. And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country' of the Amalekites.

131) And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

1 Or, Itoward Ephraim\ 2 See Num. vi. 2.

2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his 3 wife was barren, and bare not. 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

4 son. "Now therefore beware, I pray

Then

thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 °for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be a 21 Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to 'save' Israel out 6 of the hand of the Philistines. the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told 7 he me his name: but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat 'not' any unclean thing: for the child shall be a 'Nazirite unto God from the womb (8 to the day of his death. Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, Oh Lord, I pray thee', let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall 9 be born. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her 10 husband was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and 'told' 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 * 12 said, I am. And Manoah said,

Now let thy words come to pass: 'what shall be the manner of the child, and what shall be his work!? 13 °And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the 14 woman let her beware. She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the "vine, neither let her drink wine or

5 Or, how shall we do unto him Or, grape-vine See Num. vi. 4.