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DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

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THE BOOKS

OF

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I. and II. Samuel,
I. and II. Kings.
•^taryoT^
[YALE DIYMFi^SCHOOL
THE COMMON VERSION REVISED
WITH
AN INTRODUCTION AND OCCASIONAL NOTES.
BY
Thomas J. conant.

PHILADELPHIA :
American Baptist Publication Society,
No. 1420 Chestnut Stkeet.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by
THOMAS J. CONANT,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at "Washington.

TO THE READER.

In this volume is given the history of the occupation of Palestine
by the Hebrews, from their entrance into it under Joshua to their
subjugation and dispersion in foreign lands by the Assyria:i and
Babylonian conquests. It is complete in itself, and in many aspects
is the most interesting and instructive part of the history of that
remarkable race. The Introduction treats of the value of these books
as a part of Divine revelation ; of the grounds for the extermina
tion of the idolatrous races and its necessity ; of the composition of
these books, the authorship, sources, and dates.
The revised version is made in the familiar words of the common
English version, where that truly expresses the meaning of the sacred
•writer's language. That version is justly admired for "the rhythmic
beauty of its periods, and the instinctive art with which the style
rises and falls with, the subject." I trust it will be found that these
characteristics are not lost in the numerous corrections necessarily
made. Explanatory notes are added only where it seemed necessary for
the right understanding of the text ; and these are required more
in the later than in the earlier portions of the history.
On the alleged contradiction between vv. 3, 4 and v. 12 of the eighth
chapter of Joshua, see page xxiii. of the Introduction.
T. J. CONANT.
December, 1883.

INTRODUCTION.

! i-
Value of the historical books of the Old Testament.
Their place in the Divine Canon.
This volume contains the following historical books : — Joshua, Judges,
Euth, first and second Samuel, first and second Kings. In these books
is given the history of the conquest and occupation of Palestine by the
Hebrews, from their entrance into the land of Canaan under Joshua, to their
subjugation and dispersion in other lands by the Assyrian and Babylonian
conquests. The history is therefore complete in itself. It records, in
broad outlines as well as in minute details, all the varying fortunes of the
people, till the extinction of their nationality, and the overthrow of their
national institutions. It covers a period of about eight and a half cen
turies. The book of Joshua takes up the narrative where it was left near the
close of Deuteronomy. (See Deut. 31 : 1-8.) The new era in the sacred
history, commencing with the call of Abraham (Gen. 12 : 1), is here re
sumed ; and the development of the Divine purpose, in connection with
the history of his posterity, is thenceforward the great theme of the
Hebrew Scriptures.
It may be well, at this point, to trace the unity of design pervading
these sacred writings.
1. They reveal, in the book of Genesis, God's relation to the universe
as its creator, and its rightful proprietor and sovereign.
2. They then record the early history and the universal corruption of
mankind, and the manifestation of God's righteous abhorrence of evil in
the destruction of the guilty race.

vm INTRODUCTION.

3. They relate the history of the new race of man, till it becomes mani
fest that this signal lesson is without effect ; that the tendency to evil is
innate and universal, with no power of self-renovation.
4. They then record the initiatory steps for the renovation of man, and
for perpetuating the knowledge and worship of the true God.
5. Thenceforward they are occupied with the history of the individual
race, through which this Divine purpose was to be effected.
6. In the fullness of time, and after a protracted period of probation,
in which its necessity was fully shown, this purpose was accomplished in
the coming of the Divine Deliverer
This singleness of purpose, and continuity of plan, are seen running
through all these sacred Scriptures. All else is incidental, and subsidiary
to the main design. Without this prolonged test of man's inability for
self-renovation, the history of the Divine government would have been
fragmentary, incomplete, and unsatisfying.
The value of these books, in themselves and in their organic connection
with other parts of the Scriptures, may be briefly summarized as follows : —
1. Confirmation of sacred story, of a Supreme and overruling Power in
all its successive stages ; in the calling of Abraham and the promises to
him and his posterity ; in their predicted bondage in Egypt, and deliver
ance therefrom ; in their conquest of the promised land, and occupation
of its whole extent under Solomon's reign (Gen. 15 : 18, compared with
1 Kings 4 : 21) ; in their removal from it, and dispersion among other
peoples ; in their predicted restoration to it, that in them might be fulfilled
the promised coming of the great Deliverer ; in their rejection of him, and
rejection by him ; in their predicted sifting among the nations taking root
in none (Amos 9 : 9), witnessing to this day to the truth of Scriptural his
tory and of Scriptural prophecy. For another history like this, so inter
woven with the highest destinies of the human race, the records of all
nations would be searched in vain.
2. Continuity of the Divine purpose in human redemption. See the
final remarks at the end of second Kings.
3. Illustration in one people of the Divine dealings with all, by influ
ences of the same nature, differing only in degree and the methods
employed. 4. Failure of mental illumination, knowledge, and culture, to restrain,
or properly direct, the inherent tendencies to evil.
In harmony with the teachings of these Divine books are the teachings
of God in nature. All inquiry into the nature of man and springs of

INTRODUCTION. IX

human action, and observation of Divine providence, concur in showing that
God seeks the recovery of fallen man to rectitude and his favor. (2 Peter
3 : 9.) To this end he employs every means consistent with human free
dom and personal accouutability. In no age, and in no people, has he
"left himself without witness." (Acts 14 : 17.) If men would act in ac
cordance with the requirements of their own nature, and with the obvious
teachings of Divine providence, as in the common concerns of life, they
could not miss the right way. Daily experience teaches what are the con
ditions of individual welfare, and of the well-being of communities.
Thoughtful and observing men find in these facts of experience the
natural laws under which they live. They accept them as the laws of their
own being, to be strictly obeyed or the penalty suffered. It is no less cer
tain, that if men would give heed to the light that is in them, and that
shines around them in nature and Providence, they would rise above the
seen and temporal to the unseen and eternal. " That which may be known
of God is manifest in them ; for God manifested it to them." (Rom. 1 : 19.)
They who seek after God, following the light given them, do not seek him
in vain. It follows, that God's government is the same over all the races of men.
He governs all by the same motives, addressed to the intelligence and the
moral nature of man. The powers of observation, of reflection, of reason
ing, and of volition and purpose, are given to all. The rule of law is : Use
them aright, or incur the penalty. For the complete development of the
Divine economy of redemption, it was necessary that the power of law
should be fully tested under circumstances the most favorable. For this
end a people was set apart, whose origin, and the traditions of whose his
tory, peculiarly fitted them for the purpose. Their origin they traced from
one who was Divinely called from an idolatrous race to be a worshipper of
the true God, and received from him the prophetic promise that in his
posterity all nations should be blessed. By the favor of that God they were
delivered from an oppressive bondage, and were brought with many mani
festations of his presence and power into the possession of their ancestral
inheritance. All this they owed to the only true God, the Maker of heaven
and earth, before whom all the gods of the nations were vanity and a lie.
In the land of their inheritance they were still under his protection and
guidance. Divine teachers were appointed them, who made known his
will. Prophets were sent to warn them of the fatal consequences of diso
bedience, and show the bright destiny that awaited them if faithful to their
allegiance. Well might the prophet say : " What could have been done
more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? " (Isaiah 5 : 4.)

INTRODUCTION.

The attentive reader will find many instructive lessons in the books of
Kings. The inefficacy of law, under the most favorable conditions, to re
strain the innate tendencies to evil, was fully tested and proved. No nobler
mission, or weightier responsibilities, could be intrusted to any people.
They were a spectacle to the idolatrous nations around them ; and through
them, as representatives of the true God, was to be determined the choice
between Jehovah and idol-gods. But the service of a holy and righteous
God, salutary as were all its religious and moral requirements, imposed
restraints not willingly borne. That of idol-gods interposed no such bar
riers. It required no purity of spirit, or purity of life ; no denial of self,
no restraint of the appetites and passions ; these found unrestricted indul
gence in the impure rites of idol-worship. The same innate tendencies,
which had corrupted the neighboring nations, drew them also away from
the service of a pure and holy God. The Apostle Paul, in a few pregnant
words, sums up the whole : " What the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh." (Rom. 8:3.)
The dispensation of law, in its relation to the plan of redemption, is
thus brought to a close. See the concluding remarks at the end of second
Kings. § 2.
Subjugation and Occupation of the Promised Land.
The people had now come to the banks of the Jordan ; and Joshua is
directed to pass over with them, and take possession of their inheritance.
The language of Jehovah (Josh. 1 : 3, 4) is in substance a repetition of the
promise made to Abraham, as recorded in Gen. 15 : 18. He there says :
" To thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates."* That the promise was made cannot be questioned,
without denying the truth of the record in both of these passages. Its
validity cannot be doubted, without questioning the right of the Creator
and Supreme Ruler to govern the world which he has made, and to pre
scribe and enforce the conditions on which its possession may be held and
enjoyed. That he may rightfully dispossess those who refuse allegiance to
him, who disregard his authority and reject him as their lawgiver, is as
certain as that he created and governs all, and determined the bounds of
* " These are the terms of this Divine deed of gift. The subsequent history of the Israel
ites, taken in connection with it, is an instructive commentary on the relation of human action
to the declared purpose of God." The writer's note on Gen. 15 : 18.

INTRODUCTION.

XI

their habitation* (Acts 17:16.) On the part of the Israelites, there could
be no question of their right, and of their duty. " They took possession of
the land, because God bade them do so." (Speaker's Commentary.) They
were in turn dispossessed of their inheritance, when they had shown them
selves unworthy of it.
Extermination of the Idolatrous Races.
The grounds of this are to be sought,— -first, in the purpose of God in
giving this land to Abraham and his descendants ; second, in the character
of the inhabitants, and in the obstacles it opposed to the attainment of
that end.
Centuries before, Divine wisdom had made choice of this favored region
as the abode of his people, among whom his name and worship should be
perpetuated. In calling Abraham to this land, and giving it to him and
his posterity, God claimed and exercised his right so to give it. That he
might certify the gift to all, and himself as the giver, he recorded his name
upon it. For Abraham, on his entranco into the land under Divine direc
tion, and at his first halting-place, nearly in the geographical centre of the
country, erected an altar to Jehovah. (Gen. 12 : 7.) Wherever he halted
for a time in his subsequent journeyings, and fixed his temporary abode,
he "built there an altar to Jehovah, and called on the name of Jehovah."
(Ch. 12 : 8.) See chs. 13 : 4, 18 ; 21 : 33.f A like record is given of Isaac
(26 : 25), and of Jacob ( 33 : 20). Thus the land was dotted with Jehovah's
altars, and he was not left without witness there. Though idolatry was
prevalent in the land, it had not yet taken deep root overshadowing with
its baneful and corrupting influence the land and its inhabitants as in later
times. This is clearly shown in the history of the three patriarchs. There
is no indication of molestation from it in their worship of Jehovah, or of
hindrance in their journeyings from place to place, and in their free inter
course with the people. Abraham was a recognized prince among the
natives of the land. (Ch. 23 : 6.) He was confederate with ancestors of
the Amorites (14 : 13) ; and he was in covenant with one of the kings of
the Philistines (21 : 32), in whose land he was made free to dwell where he
pleased (20 : 15), and where he abode for a long time (21 : 34). The cove
nant was renewed with Isaac (26 : 28, 29) ; and in both cases, the Philistine
* Its duration, in time and in extent. (Meyer, on the passage.)
t "Every place where he dwelt became a temple of the Eternal God. Thus his life was a
witness to that faith in the One God, which is the groundwork of the civilization of our age,
and is diffusing its blessings around the world.'' The writer's note on Gen. 12.:. 6, 7.

Xll INTRODUCTION.

king acknowledged the favor of Jehovah as the cause of their temporal
prosperity, and as a reason for seeking and maintaining amicable relations
with them. (21 : 22 ; 26 : 28.) Such was then the feeling towards them,
on the part of the inhabitants of the land. " Arise," said God to Abraham,
"walk through the land, in its length and in its breadth." (Ch. 13 : 17.)
All was his and for his use, though a stranger in it.
Centuries had now passed, and all was changed. The germs of idolatry
had reached their complete development. They had effaced every vestige
of Jehovah's name and worship, and in place of them were the worst
abominations of heathenism. The iniquity of the Amorites (representing
all) was now full ;* in other words, they had " filled up the measure of their
fathers," and were fitting objects of the Divine displeasure, as an example
and a warning.
The Israelites, when they entered into the land of their inheritance,
were confronted by forms of heathenism, the most corrupting and debas
ing to humanity, and dishonoring to God. What originally was adoration
of the powers of nature, disowning nature's God, had by its own inherent
degeneracy become a worship of vice, in its most odious and revolting
forms. Where once stood the altar of Jehovah, now rose the temple of the
goddess of unchastity.f Her temples were numerous, and scattered over
the whole country. She is mentioned as worshipped at Zidon (1 Kings
11 : 33) ; by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31 : 10) ; on the east of the Jordan
(at Ashteroth-Karnaim,J Gen. 14 : 5) ; and her sculptured images were
found there by Mr. Porter among the ruins of ancient cities, showing the
wide prevalence of her worship. So numerous were her votaries, that her
temples were thronged ; and her worship, of which lewdness was the dis
tinguishing characteristic, was maintained from the wages of unchastity.
The service required of woman in these temples of impurity, if she would
win the favor of the goddess, was the sacrifice of her virtue. Even of
maidens this sacrifice was required in many temples, before they were
permitted to marry.

* See Gen. 15 : 16, and the writer's note :— " Is not yelfull. . . . This is the key to many
of the dark ways of Providence, as regards individuals as well as nations ; and all human
history is the illustration of this Divine forbearance and delayed but sure justice."
t Ashtoreth, the supreme female divinity and goddess of licentiousness, as Baal was the
supreme male divinity. See the writer's note on Gen. 14 : 5, fifth paragraph, and on Judges
2 : 13. t So-called by anticipation, as were Beth-el and Ai in Gen. 13 : 3, though neither was so
named till long after (Gen. 18 : 19 ; Josh. 8 : 28).

INTRODUCTION. Xiii
A special class of devotees of her temples here the distinctive appella
tion of the Consecrated ;* namely, to tha impure service of the goddess, to
the support of whose worship their guilty gains were devoted. Under the
same appellation was included also the class of male devotees of the idol-
temples, described by the Apostle in Rom. 1 : 27
Baal, the supreme male divinity of the idolatrous races, was among
them the natural rival and antagonist of Jehovah. The worship of Jeho
vah and that of Baal were in direct competition. Each claimed to be the
supreme deity. Neither could be acknowledged as such without subvert
ing the other. " If Jehovah be God, follow him ; and if Baal, then follow
him." (1 Kings 18 : 21.) There was no third choice. One or the other
must be God. Had the Israelites earned out the instructions given them,
this antagonism would have been put at rest. But through their disobe
dience and negligence Baal was left to contest the supremacy with Jehovah ;
and the fascinations of his worship were a snare to the people, withdrawing
them from the service of the true God.
The origin of this debasing and corrupting worship, in the adoration
of the sun and moon as representing the imparting and the receptive pow
ers of nature, is referred to in the following lines of Job, ch. 31 : 26-28 : 
26 If I saw the sun, how it shined,
And the moon walking in majesty ;
27 And my heart in secret was beguiled,
And my hand my mouth hath kissed ;
28 This, too, were a crime to be judged,
For I should have been false to God on high.
From the deification of the powers of nature, as active and generative,
or passive and susceptive, arose the distinction of male and female divini
ties. These were fashioned after the ideas and passions of their votaries,
and came to be worshipped in every form of sensuality and obscenity.
Such, for example, was the worship of the Phallus, as symbol of nature's
procreative power. Such, too, was the worship of Ashera, a female idol,
t lie goddess of concupiscence, represented by significant wooden images or
pillars ; and hence her image or pillar, erected for her worship, is often
meant by this word, as in Judges G : 25, 26. Her worship was naturally
V. 27. It was customary to kiss the idol, as a form of adoration. (1 Kings 19 : 18 ; Hos.
13 : 2 ) In the case of remote objects, as the sun and moon, the hand touched the mouth,
and waved to them a kiss in token of homage. The writer's note on Job 31 : 27.

* "The name, and the custom on which it was founded, only partially reveal the fearful
corruption of religion and morals wherever idolatry prevailed." The writer's note on Gen.
33 : 21, 22.

XIV INTRODUCTION.

associated with that of Baal, as in this passage. The word grove or its
plural, in the common version, is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word.*
The name Ashera, or its plural, should be retained in the version ; mean
ing either the goddess herself as in 2 Kings 21 : 7, " a carved image of
Ashera," or more commonly the pillars reared to her, the disgusting emblems
of her obscene rites. The pillar was a straight upright trunk of a tree stripped
bare, standing where it grew, or set in the ground. Some suppose the
idol to have been the same as Ashtoreth, and worshipped under this name
with Phallic emblems and rites. In Israel alone, as we are told in 1 Kings
18 : 19, her prophets numbered four hundred ; showing how widespread
was this foulest of the abominations of heathenism, f It is maintained by
some distinguished Hebraists, that the Hebrew word translated idol in
1 Kings 15 : 13, literally meaning something horrid, monstrous, was applied
to a Phallus-statue erected to Ashera by the dowager-queen MaachahJ
See notes on the Hebrew text.
Besides the more strictly national idols, whose temples and worship
overspread the land, there were also local ones. Famous among these was
Dagon. the fish-god of the Philistines. See 1 Sam. 5 : 1-4, and the writer's
note. Reference is made to his worship in Gaza (Judges 16 : 21-23), and
his temple at Ashdod is expressly mentioned in 1 Sam. 5 : 2, and 1 Chron.
10 : 10. That he was also worshipped elsewhere is implied in the name
Beth-Dagon (House of Dagon) in southern Judsea, Josh. 15 : 41, and in
Asher, Josh. 19 : 27. Long after, the kindred female idol Derceto, partly
human, partly fish, still had her temples at Ashkelon. The spirit of the
conflict, waged between the true and the false religions, is shown by the
triumph of Dagon's votaries in his imagined victory over the untruthful
representative of Jehovah's power. See Judges 16 : 23, 24, and the
writer's note on the 89th page.
Rimmon, an idol of the Syrians of Damascus, is mentioned in 2 Kings
5 : 18. His worship is thought by some to have been " a relic of the ancient
tree-worship," which prevailed in Palestine. Others suppose him to have
been the Sun-god of the Syrians. See the article Rimmon in Smith's Dic
tionary of the Bible, and in Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature.
* Except in two passages, Gen. 21 : 33, and 1 Sam. 22 : 6 (margin), where a different Hebrew
word is used.
t See the article Asheea, in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible.
t Filrst, Hebrew Lexicon :— " a horror, terror, monstrosity ; then the name of a Phallus-
statue for the idol Ashera."— Bahr, in Lange's Commentary, says that this word " means
horrendum, and no doubt refers to a Phallus-image, which was something terrible and detes
table to the Hebrews."— See also the article Idol, Imaoe, 4, in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible.

INTRODUCTION. XV

Chemosh, the idol-god and supreme deity of the Moabites. See 1 Kings
11 : 7, and the writer's note on the passage.*
Moloch, more properly written Molech,f the idol-god of the Ammonites,
was one of the chief divinities of the Phoenicians and the Canaanites. He
is rightly stigmatized as " the abomination of the Ammonites." (1 Kings
11 : 5.) No milder term could be apphed to this monstrous outgrowth of
heathenism. His rites were shocking to every instinct of humanity.
Wherever his name is mentioned, it is connected with the sacrifice of
children. (Lev. 20 : 2-5.) Infant children were offered up to him by fire.
Fathers and mothers could propitiate the idol, only by passing their chil
dren through the flames. That this was literally required as a propitiatory
sacrifice to appease the idol, and not a purification by passing unharmed
between the fires, is shown by many allusions to it. In Deut. 12 : 31, the
writer says of the idolatrous nations of Canaan : " Every abomination to
Jehovah which he hates have they done to their gods ; for even their sons
and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods." "They
have built the high places of Tophet, ... to burn their sons and their
daughters in the fire." (Jer. 7 :31.) "He (Ahaz) made his son pass
through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen." (2 Kings
16 : 3.) The same sacrifices were offered to Baal. "They have built also
the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt-offerings to
Baal." (Jer. 19 : 5.) The idol Chemosh of the Moabites was propitiated
by the same inhuman rites. When the Moabite king saw that the battle
was against him, " he took his eldest son, who would have reigned in his
stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall." 2 Kings 3 : 27,
and the writer's note.
Thus it is seen that this favored land, chosen of God to perpetuate his
name and worship, and haUowed by his altars, was now wrested from its
purpose, and his altars everywhere supplanted by those of false gods.
Idolatry, with its polluting and de-humanizing rites, had taken such hold
of the popular mind, infusing its poison into all the relations and condi
tions of life, from infancy to age, that nothing short of extirpation would
uproot and totally destroy the deadly evil. This was expressly commanded.
In Numbers 33 : 51-53, we read : "When ye have passed over the Jordan,
* " He seems to have been widely worshipped in Western Asia. His name occurs frequently
on the ' Moabite Stone.' Car-Chemish, ' the fort of Chemosh,' a great city of the northern
Hittites, must have been under his protection."— Speaker's Commentary.
t As in Lev. 18 : 21, and 20 : 2, 3, 4, 5 ; 1 Kings 11 : 7 ; 2 Kings 23 : 10 ; Jer. 32 : 35. He is
also named Milcom, 1 Kings 11 : 5, 33, and 2 Kings 23 : 13, and may be meant by the possibly
mis-pointed Malkam (their king), Jer. 49 : 1.— See the note on 1 Kings 11 : 5.

Xvi INTRODUCTION.

then shall ye drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and
destroy all their images of stone, and all their molten images shall ye de
stroy, and take away all their high places ; and ye shall take possession of
the land, and shall dwell therein ; for I have given you the land to possess
it." In v. 55 we find the ground for this mandate, and its imperative
necessity : " But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from
before you, then will they whom ye let remain of them be pricks in your
eyes, and thorns in your sides, and they will vex you in the land wherein
ye dwell. And it shall come to pass, that as I thought to do unto them, I
will do unto you." More explicitly it is said (Deut. 20 : 16-18) : " Of the
cities of these peoples . . . thou shalt save alive nothing that has
breath, but thou shalt utterly destroy them ; to the end that they may not
teach you to do after all their abominations which they have done unto
their gods."
So effectually did Divine wisdom provide against contamination from
all the multiform idolatries that had usurped the place of Jehovah's worship.
It is enough that God commanded it, and had the right to command it.
But it was no arbitrary mandate. Its justice is clearly manifest from what
has already been said. Its wisdom is no less evident, as the necessary
means of the highest good, both to that age and to all succeeding ones. It
has been well said by one who will not be suspected of bigotry or fanati
cism,* that " The Israelites' sword, in its bloodiest executions, wrought a
work of mercy for all the countries of the earth to the very end of the
world. . . . They preserved unhurt the seed of eternal life, and were
the ministers of blessing to all other nations. . . . Let us but think
what might have been our fate, and the fate of every other nation under
heaven at this hour, had the sword of the Israelites done its work more
sparingly." And on the other hand, how different would it have been with
them, and how changed would have been the current of human history,
had they been more faithful to the duty Divinely enjoined on them ! The
light that now shines so brilliantly from the pages of the few faithful and
obedient ones, would have had no dark margin of unbelief, disobedience,
and chastisement.
Was then the Divine purpose frustrated, and without effect ? Far from
it. The inefncacy of law, to elevate and direct aright the evil tendencies
of our nature, was fully proved. The richest treasures of Divine song, and

* Dr. Thomas Arnold, of Rugby. Sermons, vi. 35-37, quoted by Dean Stanley, Lectures on
the Jewish Church, Lect. XL, pp. 283-285.

INTRODUCTION. XVII

of prophetic vision, were the product of this period ; and these have be
come the light and glory of christian civilization, in the most advanced
stage of intellectual culture.
§3.
Composition of these Boohs.
As in some other portions of the Old Testament, the writers of these
books are not mentioned by name. The authority of a book claimed to be
Divine does not depend on the individual writer * Its credibihty, as an
historical narrative, is determined by those tests which historical criticism
applies to such compositions. These writings have borne, unshaken, the
most searching application of these tests. The narration is a simple state
ment of facts, everywhere consistent with itself, without exaggeration or
repression, free from partiality or prejudice in dealing with persons and
their acts, recording the frailties alike of the high and the low, the monarch
and the subject, the most honored and those of least account, with the same
freedom and impartiality.
These books have always formed a part of the Scriptures of the Old
Testament, called in the New Testament "the Oracles of God" (Rom. 3 : 2),
"the Scriptures" (Mat. 21 : 42), "the holy Scriptures" (Rom. 1 : 2 ; 2 Tim.
3 : 15). That they were familiar to writers of the New Testament is shown
by frequent references to incidents which they record. See, for example,
Heb. 11 : 30-38.
The book of Joshua bears evidence on its pages of having been com
mitted to writing by an eye-witness and actor in the scenes narrated, or
compiled from contemporaneous documents by a later hand. In either
case, its historical fidelity is fully assured. The natural supposition is, that
the one whose name it bears was responsible, either personally or by those
who acted by his direction and authority, for the record of his words and
acts. The book consists of three main divisions : first, the conquest of the
country ; second, partition of it among the several tribes ; third, the fare
well words of Joshua. In all these he himself was foremost ; every move
ment was made under his leadership and by his authority. Of preeminent
* " The authority of a writing, claimed to be Divine, does not in any case rest on the par
ticular writer or human instrumentality, but on the Divine attestation given to it ; and this
attestation can be given, as in many cases it has been, to writings which have come to us
anonymously, and of which the particular writer can not be determined with certainty." In
troduction to the writer's revised version of Genesis, § 2, foot-note.

Xviii INTRODUCTION.

importance among them was the distribution to the different tribes of their
several shares in the conquered territory. On this depended the peaceful
and unmolested occupation by each, of the portion thus guaranteed to it
for all future time. Inseparably interwoven with it was the whole subse
quent pohtical as well as religious life and history of the Jewish people. We
have the testimony of the eminent geographer, Carl Ritter, that the descrip
tions of these boundaries, on which so much depended, are found to be
accurate in the most minute particulars. See Dr. Hackett's addition to the
article Joshua, Book of, in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible.
The occasional addition of the words, "unto this day," indicates an
interval of time between the occurrence narrated and the record of it, but
not necessarily a long one. For example, it is said of Rahab (ch. 6 : 25),
"She dwells in Israel unto this day." A considerable lapse of time may
be intended in 4 : 9 and 7 : 26 ; as also in 8 : 28, 29 ; 9 : 27 ; 10:27; 14: 14;
15 : 63. But such incidental explanations, though of a later date, do not
affect the character of the narrative ; nor does the use of a later name of a
place, as in 14 : 14, 15, or the explanation of an earlier one, as in 15 : 8.
There is no discrepancy, as has been alleged, between what is said of
heathen nations yet unsubdued in ch. 23 : 4, 7, and 12, and the statements
in chs. 21 : 43-45, and 11 : 16, 17, 23. On the contrary, it is clearly shown
by the records of the book, that God had f ulfiUed on his part all his prom
ises, reiterated in Josh. 1 : 2-6. He had not failed his people, when obedi
ent to him, in their conflicts with their enemies. None had been able to
stand before them. The country had been overrun.* He had given them
the whole land ; and for the time they dwelt in it unmolested, for "the fear
of them and the dread of them " had fallen on all their enemies, who dared
not molest them while Joshua lived. The failure on their part, to carry
into effect what was required of them and was necessary to their full suc
cess, is one of many illustrations of the relation of human action to the
declared purpose of God. The promised gift of the whole land, deferred
for the time and fulfilled under Solomon's reign (1 Kings 4 : 21, and the
writer's note), was again and finally forfeited through their unbelief and
disobedience. Assuming the year 1500 (or 1490) before Christ to be nearly the date
of the Exodus, the passage of the Jordan forty years later would be about

* " There is no doubt that Joshua, during the first years of the entrance into Canaan, sub
dued the country on every side, and received the submission of all the Canaanites whose lives
were spared. It is very possible that in the first terror of surprise the Philistines, and even
the men of Sidon and the rest of the Phoenicians, may have paid homage."— Ewald, History
of Israel, Vol. II., p. 258.

INTRODUCTION. XIX

1460 (or 1450) before Christ. The war of subjugation is estimated to have
continued from five to seven years. The transactions recorded in the book,
as nearly as can be ascertained from the few imperfect data, are supposed
by some to cover a period of about twenty-five to thirty years. Another
estimate limits it to seventeen, and still another to thirteen years.* The
first estimate is probably nearest the truth.
The theories of the book, founded on arbitrary dissection of Elohistic
and Jehovistic documents (see the writer's Introduction to his revised ver
sion of Genesis, § 3, 2d and 4th paragraphs), may be found in Smith's
Dictionary of the Bible, article Pentateuch, p. 2410 and ff. (Am. ed. ) and
in Lange's Bible-work, Introduction to Joshua, § 2. These theories are
well characterized by Dr. Bliss in his note, pp. 13, 14. He adds (p. 14)
with just severity : " That one should gravely spht a verse in numerous
passages, so as to refer the various fragments to their respective authors,
and should be obliged to do it to save his theory, is to most minds slaugh
tering the theory at its birth."

Book of the Judges.
We learn from the book of Joshua (ch. 23 : 4, 7, 12), that at his death
the subjugation of the land was not fully effected. In v. 12 he speaks of
" the remnant of these nations, these that remain among you " ; with the
warning in v. 7, " that ye come not among these nations, these that remain
among you." These he had already distributed by lot ; for in v. 4 he says :
" See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inher
itance for your tribes." They were to go on, therefore, and complete the
subjugation of them, with the assurance that " Jehovah your God, he will
thrust them out from before you, and drive them from your presence, and
ye shall possess their land." (V. 5.)
At this point the book of Judges takes up the thread of narrative. It
naturally begins with a brief summary of what might be necessary to make
the connection ; the summary ending at ch. 2 : 8-10 with the death and
burial of Joshua, and introducing the main narrative with the significant
words, " and all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and there
arose another generation after them which knew not Jehovah, nor yet the
* See the computations from existing data, in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, article
Chronology, III., C. ; Speaker's Commentary, p. 7 ; and Lange's Bible-work, Joshua, p. 19.

XX INTRODUCTION.

works which he had wrought for Israel." This is the key-note to aU that
follows.* The book consists of three main divisions. First, chs. 1 — 2 : 10, intro
ductory summary. — Second, chs. 2 : 11 — 16, varying fortunes of the several
tribes under the jurisdiction of the Judges. — Third, chs. 17 — 21, an appen
dix, relating two remarkable occurrences of that period ; the introduction
of image-worship under Jehovah's name, and the unnatural and destructive
conflict with the tribe of Benjamin.
The book is irregular in its structure. It is not a consecutive narration
of events, in their order and mutual relations. It is rather a series of lead
ing occurrences of the time, characteristic of that unsettled and turbulent
period. It bears throughout the stamp of genuine and authentic history.
It was evidently drawn from contemporaneous records of the events nar
rated, and is mainly composed of them. They have the glow and animation,
and the minuteness of detail, that mark an actor in the scenes described,
or an interested and diligent observer. The compiler selected from them
those which were most adapted to the purpose of these books, to show
God's truthfulness and fidelity to his promises, his forbearance, and his
readiness to forgive and restore the repentant.
The want of union among the tribes for mutual defense, and their
animosities among themselves, are attributed to the want of a common
ruler, with power to unite all, to compel obedience, and to suppress disor
ders. The statement several times repeated, "In those days there was no
king in Israel" (chs. 17 : 6 ; 18 : 1 ; 19 : 1), with the addition in ch. 21 : 25,
" every man did that which was right in his own eyes", showed the neces
sity of such a ruler. This necessity led to the choice of a king by Samuel,
in obedience to the command of Moses in Deut. 17 : 15. The statement
also shows that the date of the compilation was near that time. See the
full view of the subject in Lange's Introduction to the book, § 2.-f-
§5.
The Book of Ruth.
In this beautiful pastoral we have a domestic history, belonging to the
age of the Judges, and giving us occasional glimpses of the peculiar man
ners and customs of the time and place. At what date in the history of
* There seems to be no sufficient ground for the assumption, that chs. 1-2 : 5 and the con
cluding chapters of Joshua belong to one and the same book, as claimed in the Speaker's
Commentary, p. 116, and note A, p. 123.
t The writer in the Speaker's Commentary claims a much later date. But he bases it on
his own doubtful understanding of the words, " captivity of the land" (ch. 18 : 30), which are
better explained by others.

INTEODUCTION. XXI

the Judges the incidents of the story occurred, and in what district of the
country, we are not told and there is no clue to either.
It was at a time when there was peace with Moab ; for there the exiled
family sought refuge from the famine in their own land. It was also a time
of peaceful prosperity in their home. When Naomi returned, after ten
years' absence, she found the people engaged in rural occupations. A kins
man of her deceased husband, a man of princely wealth, was gathering in
his harvests, and enjoying undisturbed the fruits of his husbandry.
Some of the usages described here were of very ancient date. The
levirate marriage, for example, ch. 4 : 5-8, was in use long before the time
of Moses, who only regulated its observance, and in some degree mitigated
its hardships. See Genesis 38 : 8, and the writer's note on the passage.
Compare Mat. 22 : 24 ; Mark 12 : 19 ; and Luke 20 : 28.
This charming eastern pastoral vindicates its claim to a place in the
Canon of Scripture, by its simple and lovely pictures of the family relation,
and of domestic and social life. Nowhere else in the Old Testament are
the tender ties of kindred, of the maternal and filial relations, so exquisitely
portrayed. Where else shall we find such truth and sincerity of unselfish
maternal love, such purity and fervor of filial devotion?
Ruth the Moabitess, trained from childhood in heathen ideas and habits,
was drawn by the example and teachings of Naomi to a behef and trust in
the true God. When tenderly besought to return to the shelter of the
maternal home, the ardor of her faith and love broke forth in the passionate
appeal, " Entreat me not to leave thee ; thy people shall be my people, and
thy God my God." Well did she merit the beautiful and primitive bene
diction of Boaz : " Jehovah recompense thy work ; and a full reward be
given thee of Jehovah God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust." Her name appears among the ancestors of our Lord, in the closing
verses. The quotation in the genealogy by Matthew (ch. 1 : 4-6), is a
recognition of the book as belonging to the Hebrew Scriptures ; for only
here is the record of David's descent from Ruth. The Divine purpose of
salvation for all the races of men, as is well said by Dr. Hackett,* "was sig
nificantly foretokened in the Savior's lineage, derived from gentile ancestors
as well as Jewish."
The incidents of the story belong to the age of the Judges. According
to the testimony of Jerome, it originally followed that book in the Jewish
canon, as it does in the Septuagint Greek version and in the Latin Vulgate.
* Article Ruth, Book or, Smith's Bible Dictionary (Am. ed.).

XXII INTRODUCTION.

In our Hebrew Bibles it is reckoned one of the Megilloth (Canticles, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther), commonly printed among the Hagi-
ographa at the end of the Bible. The second edition of the Bomberg
Hebrew Bible printed in 1521, now lying before me, has the Megilloth next
after the Pentateuch.
At what time the narrative was committed to writing is uncertain. The
appended genealogy decides nothing. See the note at the end of the book.

§6.
The Books of Samuel.
The history of the nation is here resumed from the end of the sixteenth
chapter of the book of the Judges. It carries forward the history of the
people under theocratic rule, and under the change to a monarchical gov
ernment. See the closing paragraph of § 4.
The contents of these books may be summarily grouped under three
divisions. First, restoration by Samuel of the theocratic rule from its de
pressed condition under former judges, and the founding of the Israelitish
kingdom, 1 Sam. chs. 1 — 7. Second, history of Saul and his kingdom,
1 Sam. chs. 8 — 31. Third, history of the kingdom under the government
of David, 2 Sam. chs. 2 — 25.
That these books were a part of the original Canon of Scripture has
never been questioned. They are authentic history, drawn from original
and contemporaneous records. Such records are frequently mentioned by
name. Among them are " the book of Samuel the seer ", " the book of
Nathan the prophet", "the book of Gad the seer", mentioned in 1 Chron.
29 : 29, and 2 Chron. 9:29; " the Chronicles of king David ", mentioned
in 1 Chron. 27 : 24 ; "the book of Shemaiah the prophet ", " of Iddo the
seer concerning genealogies", mentioned in 2 Chron. 12 : 15. To these
were added two special officers of the king ; namely, the recorder (2 Sam.
8 : 16), the king's annalist, whose business it was to record the events of
his reign, and the king's scribe (2 Sam. 8 : 17 ; 2 Kings 12 : 10), the royal
secretary, to write the king's commands and edicts, and do other services
of the pen as the second reference shows.
From these numerous original sources the narrative was compiled in its
present form. There are intimations of a later date than that of the
occurrences narrated. It is said in 1 Sam. 6 : 18, that " the great stone
whereon they set down the ark ... is a witness unto this day." The

INTRODUCTION. XX1U

same expression occurs elsewhere, as in chs. 5:5; 30 : 25. From the lan
guage in ch. 27 : 6, "has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day," it
may be inferred that the history was compiled after the division of the
kingdom at the end of Solomon's reign.
It was the object of the historian to trace the course of events, remark
able and instructive in themselves, which placed on the throne the most
illustrious of Israel's kings. Hence much was passed over, as not essential
to this purpose. Of the earlier years of Saul's reign no note is made
(except his one exploit, 1 Sam. 11 : 4-11), till from a young man (ch. 9 : 2)
he had become mature in years, with a son already grown to manhood
(ch. 13 : 2, 3). The fortunes of the kingdom meanwhile had greatly
changed, as may be seen by comparing ch. 11 : 8 with 13 : 2, 19-22.
There is a chasm in the narrative, which after an interval of some years is
resumed in the thirteenth chapter.
Much difficulty has been found in attempting to reconcile the statements
in chs. 11 : 14 ff. and 13 : 8 compared with 10 : 8, and taken in connection
with chs. 8 and 11 : 14. The full statement of the case is given in Lange's
Bible-work, pp. 11 and 12.
The solution is to be sought in the fact, elsewhere observable, that
characteristic incidents are not always set down in the natural order of
occurrence. Another difficulty lies in the extreme brevity of the narrative,
neglecting the needful connecting links.*
The translation of ch. 13 : 1, 2 follows what is regarded as the true
reading of the Hebrew text.
My theory of this difficult passage is as follows. The period of Saul's
entire reign is meant in the first verse, including its incipient stage over
his own little tribe of Benjamin. His reign "over Israel" (all Israel) is
the subject of the second verse. After two years he formed a regular
standing army of disciplined troops, in place of the rude untrained mass

* Such a case occurs in the eighth chapter of Joshua. It is claimed that there is a contra
diction between the two statements in vv. 3, I, and that in v. 12. But the explanation given
by Masius, and by Rosenmuller, doubtless states the case truly. The 30,000 were the men
sent away by night (v. 3) ; and the men placed in ambush were the 5,000 mentioned in v. 12.
That there should be an ambuscade behind the city was commanded them from the first ; and
they were not to go far from the city, but all were to be ready for any duty (v. 4).
The difficulty lies in the lack of details in describing a complicated military manoeuvre, the
principal feature repeated as that on which all depended. According to v. 11 the main army
( " all the people ") were massed on the high ground north of the city, with a deep chasm inter
vening. Toward the south-west, according to Dr. Robinson, there are other small ravines,
"in which the ambuscade might easily have been concealed." Biblical Researches in Pales
tine. Vol. II., p. 313.

XXIV INTRODUCTION.

occasionally called out in an emergency. My reasons are the following : —
After Saul's anointing there was an interval, how long is not said, of con
temptuous distrust and disloyalty, ch. 10 : 27. At this stage there were
not even the externals of royalty ; for Saul was foUowing the oxen from the
field, when tidings were brought him of the attack on Jabesh-gilead, ch.
11 : 4, 5. After his rescue of Jabesh-gilead, and apparently as the result
of the confidence thus inspired, the kingdom was renewed, ch. 11 : 14, 15.
At the call of Samuel, " all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made
Saul king before Jehovah." All the people made him king. He thus be
came king over all Israel ; and there is a significance in the wording of the
first clause of ch. 13 : 2, " Saul had reigned two years over Israel," which
does not otherwise appear.
If I have not cleared up the difficulty, I have failed in what many have
attempted and no one has succeeded.
The second book of Samuel is the history of David's long and prosper
ous reign. The pohtical condition of the country, at its commencement,
may be inferred from the closing paragraphs of the preceding book. Under
his administration it soon regained its political independence, and many of
the neighboring states became tributary. Moreover, he made ample pro
vision for the religious and moral elevation of the people. From the lowest
stage of rudeness and barbarism they were raised to culture and refinement.
The ordinances of Moses for the public services of religion were now, and
for the first time, fully carried into effect. To the inspiration of his genius,
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to the influence of his example
more than to that of any other, we owe that treasury of Divine song, the
Book of Psalms. So attractive became the services of the sanctuary, and
so widely diffused was the knowledge of the Divine law, that the people
were weaned from idolatry, and not a trace of it appears in the history of
his reign.

ST.
The Books of Kings.
That these books were a part of the original Canon of Scripture has
never been questioned. As was said of the Books of Samuel, they are
authentic history, drawn from the original and contemporaneous records
referred to in the third paragraph of § 6. To these are to be added, "the
book of the acts of Solomon," mentioned in 1 Kings 11 ; 41 j "the book

INTRODUCTION. XHV

of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel," mentioned in 1 Kings 14 : 19 ;
" the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah," mentioned in 1 Kings
14 : 29.
From these original records the compiler has drawn the materials of a
consecutive and well-digested narrative. The arrangment is chronological ;
at the same time exhibiting the mutual relations of simultaneous events,
wherever such occur.
The prophets were accustomed to record occurrences of general national
concern, as well as those bearing directly on the religious interests of the
people. They are sometimes more full than in the strictly historical books.
Compare the references in the notes on 2 Kings chs. 18 — 21, and on ch.
25 : 1-26.
The composition of these books, in their present form, could not be
earlier than B. C. 561, the date of the latest occurrence recorded in them,
2 Kings 25 : 27-30. They are composed in great part of the original
records ; but by whom is not known with certainty. According to Jewish
tradition, the prophet Jeremiah was the author. This is confirmed by many
internal evidences, which are fully stated in Smith's Bible Dictionary, article
Kings, first and second books of, III. Bahr's objections, Lange's Bible-
work, Introduction § 1, I think are obviated in the above article. See also
the Speaker's Commentary, Introduction § 4.
The leading object of all these historical books is kept steadily in view.
The religious aspects of the history are never lost sight of. Whatever tends
to the advancement of the true religion, to establish and perpetuate the
knowledge and worship of the true God, is made matter of permanent
record, as well as all that is of a contrary tendency. The great conflict of
the ages, between the one true religion and all false ones, between the
recognition of the One God, the Self-existent and Eternal, and countless gods
of human devising, is here brought to the direct issue, " choose ye whom ye
will serve." Under no circumstances more favorable to a fair decision could
this alternative be offered. Its failure showed clearly the inefficacy of law,
under the most favoring conditions, to restrain or properly direct the evil
tendencies of man's nature ; and it points forward to the ultimate end and
purpose of all Revelation, the coming of the great Deliverer. See the final
remarks at the end of second Kings.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
1 And it came to pass, after the death of Moses the servant
of Jehovah, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua the son of Nun,
2 Moses' minister, saying : Moses my servant is dead. And now
arise, pass over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto
the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon have
4 I given to you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness
and this Lebanon, and unto the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great
5 sea at the going down of the sun, shall be your border. No
man shall be able to stand before thee all the days of thy
life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee. I will
6 not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of good cour
age. For thou shalt cause this people to possess the land,
7 which I have sworn to their fathers to give them. Only be
thou strong and very courageous ; take heed that thou
mayest do according to all the law, which Moses my ser
vant commanded thee. Turn not from it right or left, that
8 thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest This book
of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth ; and thou shalt
meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest take heed
to do according to all that is written therein ; for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
9 good success. Have not I commanded thee ?. Be strong and
of good courage ; be not afraid, nor be thou faint-hearted ;
for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, say-
11 ing : Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the
people, saying : Prepare provision for* you ; for within three
Chs. i.-xiL Conquest of Canaan.

Chap. n. JOSHUA.

days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the
land, which Jehovah your God gives you to possess it.
12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half
13 tribe of Manasseh, spoke Joshua, saying : Remember the
word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you,
saying : Jehovah your God gives you rest, and has given to
14 you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your herds
shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the
Jordan. But ye shall pass over armed before your brethren,
15 all the strong men of war, and help them ; until Jehovah
shall give rest to your brethren, as to you, and they also shall
possess the land which Jehovah your God gives to them.
And ye shall return to the land of your possession, and shall
possess it, which Moses Jehovah's servant gave you beyond
the Jordan toward the sunrising.
16 And they answered Joshua, saying: All that thou hast
commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou shalt send
17 us, we will go. As in all things we hearkened to Moses, so
will we hearken to thee. Only let Jehovah thy God be with
18 thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever shall rebel against
thy commandment, and will not hearken to thy words in all
that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death. Only
be strong and of good courage.
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent from Shittim two men to
spy secretly, saying : Go view the land, and Jericho. And
they went ; and they came into the house of a harlot, and her
2 name was Rahab ; and they lodged there. And it was told
the king of Jericho, saying : Behold, men came in hither to-
3 night of the children of Israel to search out the land. And
the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying : Bring forth the
men that are come to thee, who entered into thy house ; for
4 they are come to search out all the land. And the woman
took the two men, and hid them ; and she said : Yea, the
W. 14, 15. Beyond the Jordan, — the other side of it,— may mean either side ; namely, the
west as in Moses' petition, Deut. 3 : 25, or the east as in Judg. 5 : 17 ; in both these cases mean
ing the side opposite to the speaker. But it may mean the side occupied by the speaker, as
in Josh. 1 : 14, 15. (The writer's note on Is. 9:1.) 2

JOSHUA. Chap. n.

6 men came to me, and I knew not whence they were. And
the. gate was about to be shut when it was dark, and the men
went out. Whither the men went, I know not. Pursue after
6 them quickly ; for ye will overtake them. Now she had
brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them in
the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
7 And the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan
by the fords. And when those who pursued after them were
gone out, they shut the gate.
8 And they had not yet lain down ; and she came up to them
9 upon the roof. And she said to the men : I know that Jeho
vah has given you the land, and that the dread of you is
fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint
10 because of you. For we have heard how Jehovah dried up
the waters of the Red sea before you, when ye came out of
Egypt ; and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites,
that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom ye
11 utterly destroyed. And when we heard it, our hearts did
melt, and there remained no more spirit in any man, because
of you ; for Jehovah your God, he is God in the heavens
12 above, and on the earth beneath. And now, I pray you,
swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you,
that ye will also deal kindly with my father's house, and give
13 me a token of truth ; and save alive my father, and my
mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they
14 have, and deliver our souls from death. And the men said
to her : Our life for yours, if ye betray not this our business.
And it shall be, when Jehovah gives us the land, that we
15 will deal kindly and truly with thee. And she let them
down by a cord through the window. For her house was in
16 a recess on the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And
she said to them : Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers
meet you. And hide yourselves there three days, until the
17 pursuers return ; and afterward may ye go your way. And
the men said to her : We are free from this thine oath which
18 thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the
land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window
3

Chap. rn. JOSHUA.

by which thou didst let us down ; and thy father, and thy
mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, thou
19 shalt gather to thee into the house. And it shall be, that who
soever shall go forth out of the doors of thy house into the
street, his blood be upon his head, and we guiltless. And
whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood be on
20 our head, if any hand shall be upon him. And if thou be
tray this our business, then we are free from thine oath which
21 thou hast made us swear. And she said : According to your
words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed.
22 And she bound the scarlet line in the window. And they
went, and came to the mountain, and abode there three days,
until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers sought in all
the way, but found them not.
23 And the two men returned, and came down from the
mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of
24 Nun, and told him all that befell them. And they said to
Joshua : Jehovah has given the whole land into our hands ;
yea, and all the inhabitants of the land do faint because of
us.
1 And Joshua rose early in the morning ; and they removed
from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children
2 of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it
came to pass after three days, that the officers passed through
3 the midst of the camp ; and they commanded the people, say
ing : When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your
God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall re-
4 move from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a
space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by
measure. Come not near to it, that ye may know the way
by which ye must go ; for ye have not passed this way here-
5 tofore. And Joshua said to the people : Sanctify yourselves ;
6 for to morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. And
Joshua spoke to the priests, saying : Take up the ark of the
covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took
up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
4

JOSHUA. Chap. iv.

7 And Jehovah said to Joshua : This day will I begin to
magnify thee in the sight of all Israel ; that they may know
8 that as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou
shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant,
saying : When ye are come to the brink of the water of the
Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.
* And Joshua said to the children of Israel : Come hither,
10 and hear the words of Jehovah your God. And Joshua
said : Hereby shall ye know that a living God is among you,
and that he will certainly drive out from before you the Ca-
naanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites,
and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth
12 passes over before you in the Jordan. And now take for
you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every
13 tribe a man. And it shall be, as soon as the soles of the feet
of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all
the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the
waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters coming
down from above, and they shall stand in one heap.
14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their
tents, to pass over the Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of
15 the covenant before the people ; and as they that bore the ark
were come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing
the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for the Jordan
16 is full over all its banks all the time of harvest,) that the
waters coming down from above stood still ; they rose up in
one heap very far away by Adam, the city that is beside
Zaretan ; and those coming down toward the sea of the plain,
the salt sea, were wholly cut off. And the people passed
17 over right against Jericho. And the priests bearing the ark
of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the
midst of the Jordan. And all Israel passed over on dry
ground, until all the people had quite passed over the Jordan.
1 And it came to pass, when all the people had quite passed
2 over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying : Take
V 16 The plain. See the description in the writer's notes on Genesis, p. 79.
5

Chap. iv. JOSHUA

for you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a
3 man. And command ye them, saying : Take for you hence
out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the
•priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and bring them over
with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where ye
4 shall lodge this night. And Joshua called the twelve men,
whom he had appointed of the children of Israel, out of every
5 tribe a man. And Joshua said to them : Pass over before the
ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and
take up each one a stone upon his shoulder, according to the
6 number of the tribes of the children of Israel. That this may
be a sign among you. When your children shall ask in time to
7 come, saying : What mean ye by these stones ? Then shall
ye say to them, that the waters of the Jordan were cut off
before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah ; when it passed
through the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.
And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of
8 Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua
commanded. And they took up twelve stones out of the
midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spoke to Joshua, according
to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and
brought them over with them to the place where they lodged,
9 and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones
in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the
priests bearing the ark of the covenant stood ; and they are
there unto this day.
10 And the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the
Jordan, until every thing was finished that Jehovah com
manded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that
Moses commanded Joshua ; and the people hasted and passed
11 over. And it came to pass, when all the people had quite
passed over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the
12 priests before the people. And the children of Reuben, and
the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, passed
over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to
13 them. About forty thousand prepared for war passed over
before Jehovah for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
6

JOSHUA. Chap. v.

14 On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all
Israel ; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the
15 days of his life. And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying :
1G Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony, that
17 they come up out of the Jordan. And Joshua commanded
18 the priests, saying : Come up out of the Jordan. And it
came to pass, when the priests bearing the ark of the cove
nant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of the Jor
dan, and the soles of tli3 priests' feet were lifted up to the
dry. land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their
place, and flowed over all its banks, as before.
19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth
of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the eastern
20 border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took
21 out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal. And he spoke
to the children of Israel, saying : When your children shall
ask their fathers in time to come, saying : What mean these
22 stones ? Then ye shall let your children know, saying : Is-
23 rael passed over this Jordan on dry land. Because Jehovah
your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you, until
ye had passed over ; as Jehovah your God did to the Red sea,
24 which he dried up before us, until we had gone over ; that
all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah,
how strong it is ; that ye may fear Jehovah your God for
ever.
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites,
which were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings
of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that Jehovah
had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of
Israel, until we had passed over, that their heart melted, nei
ther was their spirit in them any more, before the children of
Israel.
2 At that time Jehovah said to Joshua : Make thee sharp
knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second

V. 16. Or, ark of the law.
V. 2. Or, knives of stone.

Chap. v. . JOSHUA.

3 time. And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised
4 the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is
the1 cause why Joshua did circumcise. All the people that
came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the
5 wilderness by the way, when they came out of Egypt. For
all the people that came out were circumcised ; but all the
people that were born in the wilderness, by the way when
6 they came forth out of Egypt, were not circumcised. For
the children of Israel went forty years in the wilderness, till
all 'the people that were men of war, which came out of
Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of
Jehovah ; to whom Jehovah swore that he would not show
them the land, which Jehovah had sworn to their fathers to
7 give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. And their
children he raised up in their stead. Them Joshua circum
cised ; for they were uncircumcised, because they did not
8 circumcise them by the way. And it came to pass when all
the people had done circumcising, that they abode in their
9 places in the camp till they were whole. And Jehovah said
to Joshua : This day have I rolled off the reproach of Egypt
from you. And the name of the place is called Gilgal unto
this day.
10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal ; and they
kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at
evening in the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the pro
duce of the land, on the morrow after the passover, unleav
ened cakes, and parched grain, on that very day.
And the manna ceased from the morrow after they had
eaten of the produce of the land ; nor had the children of
Israel manna any more, and they ate of the fruit of the land
of Canaan that year.
And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he
lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man
over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And
Joshua went to him, and said to him : Art thou for us, or for

n

12

13

V. i. Whfn they came out of Egypt ; extending to their entrance into Canaan.
V. 9. Gilgal ; a rolling away. 8

J03HUA. chap. vi.

14 our adversaries ? And he said, Nay ; for as prince of Jeho
vah's host am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to
the earth and worshipped, and said to him : What says my
15 lord to his servant ? And the prince of Jehovah's host said
to Joshua : Loose thy shoe from off thy foot ; for the place
whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
1 (Now Jericho shutting [the gates] and fast shut up against
the children of Israel, none went out, and none came in.)
2 And Jehovah said to Joshua : See, I have given into thy
hand Jericho, and her king, and the strong men of war.
3 And ye shall encompass the city, all the men of war, round
4 about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven
priests shall bear before the ark seven jubilee trumpets ; and
the seventh day ye shall encompass the city seven times, and
5 the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come
to pass, that when they make a long blast with the jubilee
horn, when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people
shall shout with a great shout ; and the wall of the city shall
fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight
before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to
them : Take up the ark of the covenant ; and let seven
priests bear seven trumpets of jubilee horns before the ark
7 of Jehovah. And they said to the people : Pass on, and en
compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before
the ark of Jehovah.
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the
people, that the seven priests bearing the seven jubilee
trumpets passed on before Jehovah, and blew with the
trumpets ; and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah followed
9 them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew
with the trumpets, and the rearward went after the ark, con-
10 tinually blowing with the trumpets. And Joshua had com
manded the people, saying : Ye shall not shout, nor make
your voice heard, nor shall any word proceed out of your
V. 4. Jubilee trumpet ; so called from its proclaiming the year of jubilee (Lev. 25 : 9, 10.)
.  Or, alarm trumpet. 9

Chap. vi. JOSHUA.

mouth, until the day I bid you shout ; then shall ye shout.
11 So the ark of Jehovah encompassed the city round about it
once ; and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests
13 took up the ark of Jehovah. And the seven priests bearing
the seven jubilee trumpets before the ark of Jehovah went
on blowing continually with the trumpets, and the armed
men went before them. The rearward came after the ark of
14 Jehovah, continually blowing with the trumpets. And the
second day they encompassed the city once, and returned
into the camp. So did they six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose
early at the dawning of the day, and encompassed the city in
this manner seven times ; only on that day they encompassed
16 the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh
time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said
to the people, Shout ; for Jehovah has given you the city.
17 And the city shall be accursed, it and all that are therein, to
Jehovah. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that
are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers
18 that we sent. Only do ye beware of the accursed thing, lest
ye make accursed and take of the accursed thing, and make
19 the camp of Israel accursed, and bring evil upon it. And
all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are
consecrated to Jehovah ; they shall come into Jehovah's
20 treasury. So the people shouted, and they blew with the
trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the
sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great
V. 17. Accursed. Or, devoted; namely, to Jehovah. For the law respecting a "devoted
thing," see Lev. 27 : 29, " shall surely be put to death." Hence, in accordance with that law,
it is here said (v. 21), " they utterly destroyed."
The application of this law in all its rigor, here and in the following chapters, was a neces
sity. It was inseparable from the Divine plan for perpetuating the knowledge of the true
God, aud all its beneficent influences on the destinies of the race. He had committed this
trust to a people peculiarly susceptible, and for that reason the better adapted to his purpose •
and with what ultimate results to the human race we see around us in every Christian land.
But this peculiar susceptibility made it the more needful to remove all the contaminating in
fluences of idolatry. Nothing short of extermination would do this. Had it been effected by
a flood as of old, or by earthquakes or volcanic fires, the Divine justice would not have been
questioned. In employing the agency of his people he impressed on them, and on the genera
tions following, the magnitude of the evils they were commanded to extirpate.
10

JOSHUA. Chap. vn.

shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went
up into the city, every man straight before him ; and they
21 took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the
city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and
sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
22 And Joshua had said to the two men that spied out the
land : Go into the house of the harlot, and bring out thence
the woman, and all that she has, as ye have sworn to her.
23 And the young men that were spies came, and brought out
Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and
all that she had ; and they brought out all her kindred, and
24 placed them without the camp of Israel. And they burned
the city with fire, and all that was therein. Only the silver,
and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put
25 into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. And Joshua
saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's house, and
all that she had ; and she dwelt in Israel unto this day ;
because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out
Jericho.
26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying : Cursed be
the man before Jehovah, that shall rise up and build this city
Jericho. With his firstborn he shall lay the foundation there
of, and with his youngestbom shall he set up the gates thereof.
27 So Jehovah was with Joshua ; and his fame was in all the
land.
1 And the children of Israel committed a trespass in the ac
cursed thing. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi,
the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed
thing ; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the
children of Israel.
2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside
Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and said to them : Go
up and view the land. And the men went up and viewed
3 Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said to him : Let not
V. 26. With, his firstborn ; as the price of his sacrilegious undertaking. With the death of
his firstborn he should pay the penalty of its beginning, and with that of his youngestbom
the penalty of its completion. 11

Chap. vn. JOSHUA.

all the people go up. Let about two or three thousand men
go up and smite Ai. Make not all the people labor thither ;
4 for they are but few. And there went up thither of the
people about three thousand men ; and they fled before the
5 men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty
and six men. And they chased them before the gate to the
stone-pits, and smote them at the steep descent. Wherefore
the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell upon his face to the
earth before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the
7 elders of Israel, and cast dust upon their heads. And Joshua
said : Alas, 0 Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought
this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorites, to destroy us ? Would we had been content, and
8 dwelt beyond the Jordan ! Beseech thee, Lord, what shall
I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies !
9 And the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will
hear, and will environ us round, and cut off our name from
the earth. And what wilt thou do to thy great name ?
10 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Get thee up ; wherefore
11 art thou fallen thus upon thy face ? Israel has sinned ; and
they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded
them ; and have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also
stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among
12 their own effects. And the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies ; they will turn their backs before their
enemies, for they are accursed. I will no more be with you,
except ye destroy the accursed thing from among you. Stand
up, sanctify the people, and say : Sanctify yourselves for the
morrow. For thus says Jehovah God of Israel : An accursed
thing is in the midst of thee, 0 Israel. Thou canst not stand
before thine enemies, until ye put away the accursed thing
14 from among you. In the morning ye shall be brought ac
cording to your tribes. And it shall be, that the tribe which
Jehovah takes shall come by families ; and the family which
Jehovah shall take shall come by households ; and the house-

13

V. 5. Stone-pUs ; or, Shebarim  Descent ; into the valley (8 • 11)
12

JOSHUA. Chap. vh.

15 hold which Jehovah shall take shall come man by man. And
it shall be, that he that is taken With the accursed thing shall
be burned with fire, he and all that are his, because he has
transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has
wrought folly in Israel.
16 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought
Israel by their tribes ; and the tribe of Judah was taken.
17 And he brought the family of Judah ; and he took the family
of the Zarhites ; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man
18 by man ; and Zabdi was taken. And he brought his house
hold man by man ; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of
Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19 And Joshua said to Achan : My son, give, I pray thee,
honor to Jehovah, God of Israel, and make confession to
him ; and tell me now what thou hast done ; hide it not from
20 me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said :. Truly, I have
sinned against Jehovah God of Israel, and thus and thus
21 have I done. I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish
garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of
gold of fifty shekels weight, and I coveted them, and took
them ; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of
my tent, and the silver under it.
22 And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent ;
and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought
them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid
24 them out before Jehovah. And Joshua took Achan the son
of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of
gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his
asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that was his, and
all Israel with him ; and they brought them to the valley of
25 Achor. And Joshua said : Why hast thou troubled us ?
Jehovah trouble thee this day ! And all Israel stoned him
with stones. And they burned them with fire, after they had
26 stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great
heap of stones, unto this day. So Jehovah turned from the
V. 17. Family of Judah ; family used laxly for tribe.
13

Chap. vm. JOSHUA.

fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place
was called Valley of Achor, unto this day.
1 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Fear not, nor be thou faint
hearted. Take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go
up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai,
2 and his people, and his city, and his land. And thou shalt do
to Ai and her king as thou didst to Jericho and her king ;
only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take a
prey for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.
3 And Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to
Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, strong men
4 of war, and sent them away by night. And he commanded
them, saying : Behold, ye are to lie in ambush against the
city, behind the city ; go not very far from the city, and be
5 ye all ready. And I, and all the people that are with me, will
approach to the city. And it shall be, when they come out
6 against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them. And
they will come out after us, till we have drawn them from
the city. For they will say : They flee before us, as at the
7 first ; therefore we will flee before them. And ye shall rise
up from the ambush, and seize upon the city ; and Jehovah
8 your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be,
when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire.
According to the commandment of Jehovah shall ye do. See,
I have commanded you.
9 And Joshua sent them forth ; and they went to lie in am
bush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of
10 Ai. And Joshua lodged that night among the people. And
Joshua rose up early in the morning, and mustered the peo
ple, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people
11 to Ai. And all the people of war that were with him, went
up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and encamped
on the north side of Ai. And the valley was between them
12 and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them
in ambush between Beth-cl and Ai, on the west side of the

V. 23. Achor ; meaning, trouble. 14

JOSHUA. Chap. vm.

13 city. And they set the people, all the host that was on the
north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the
city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the
valley.
14 And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that the
men of the city hasted and rose up early, and went out
against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the appointed
place, before the plain. And he knew not that there was an
15 ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all
Israel were smitten before them, and fled by the way of the
1G wilderness. And all the people that were in Ai were called
together to pursue after them ; and they pursued after Joshua,
17 and were drawn away from the city. And not a man was left
in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel ; and they left
the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Stretch out the spear that is
in thy hand toward Ai ; for I will give it into thy hand. And
Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward
19 the city. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place,
and they ran as soon as he stretched out his hand ; and they
entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the
20 city on fire. And the men of Ai looked behind them, and
saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city rose up to heaven.
and they had no strength to flee this way or that way ; and
the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the
21 pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the am
bush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city rose
22 up, they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. And the
others issued out of the city against them, so they were in
the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side.
And they smote them, so that they left none of them surviv-
23 ing or escaped. And the king of Ai they took alive, and
brought him to Joshua.
24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of
slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness
wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen on the
edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Is-
15

Chap. vni. JOSHUA.

raelites returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the
25 sword. And all that fell that day, both men and women,
26 were twelve thousand, all the men of Ai. And Joshua drew
not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until
27 he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the
cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took to themselves for
a prey, according to the word of Jehovah which he com-
28 manded Joshua. And Joshua burned Ai, and made it a
29 heap for ever, a desolation unto this day. And the king of
Ai he hanged on the tree until eventide. And as soon as the
sun was down, Joshua gave command and they took down
his carcass from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the
gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones,
unto this day.
30 And Joshua built an altar to Jehovah God of Israel on
31 mount Ebal ; as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded
the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law
of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man has
lifted up any iron ; and they offered thereon burnt offerings
32 to Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote
there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses which he
wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their
judges, stood on this side and on that side of the ark before
the priests the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of
Jehovah, as well the stranger as the native-born ; half of
them over against mount Gerizim, and the half of them over
against mount Ebal ; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had
commanded before, that they should bless the people of Is-
34 rael. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the
blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in
35 the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses
commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congrega
tion of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the
strangers that walked among them.

V. 34. , See Deut. 28 : 1-14, and 15-68. 16

JOSHUA. Chap. ix.

1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this
side of the Jordan, on the hills and in the low country, and
on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite,
and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite,
2 and the Jebusite, heard thereof ; that they gathered them
selves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with
one accord
3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had
4 done to Jericho and to Ai. They also dealt craftily, and''
went and made as if they journeyed, and took old sacks
upon their asses, and wine-skins, old, and rent, and patched ;
5 and old shoes and clouted on their feet, and old garments on'
them ; and all the bread of their provision was dry and
6 mouldy. And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, •
and said to him, and to the men of Israel : We are come from
7 a far country ; and now make ye a league with us. And the-
men of Israel said to the Hivites : Perhaps ye dwell among
8 us ; and how shall we make a league with you ? And they
said to Joshua, we are thy servants. And Joshua said to
9 them, who are ye ? And from whence come ye ? And they
said to him : From a very far country thy servants are come,
for the name of Jehovah thy God. For we have heard the
10 fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt ; and all that he
did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the
Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Ba-"
11 shan, who was at Ashtaroth. And our elders and all the in
habitants of our country said to us : Take provision in your
hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them,
we are your servants ; and now make ye a league with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses
on the day we came forth to go to you ; but now, behold, it
13 is dry, and it is mouldy. And these wine-skins, which we
filled, were new ; behold, they are rent. And these our gar
ments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very
14 long journey. And the men took of their provisions, and
V. 4. Wine-skins. See the writer's note on Gen. 21 : 14.
17

Chap. ix. JOSHUA.

15 asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah. And Joshua
made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let
them live ; and the princes of the congregation swore to
them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had
made a league with them, that they heard they were their
17 neighbors, and were dwelling among them. And the children
of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day.
Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth,
18 and Kirjath-jearim. And the children of Israel smote them
not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to
them by Jehovah God of Israel. And all the congregation
19 murmured against the princes. And all the princes said to
all the congregation : We have sworn to them by Jehovah
20 God of Israel ; and now we maj not touch them. This we
will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath be upon us, be-
21 cause of the oath which we have sworn to them. And the
princes said to them : Let them live. And they became hew
ers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation ; as
the princes had told them.
22 And Joshua called them ; and he said to them : Wherefore
have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you, when
23 ye are dwelling among us ? And now ye are cursed ; and
there shall none of you be freed from being a bondman, and
hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my
24 God. And they answered Joshua, and said : Because it was
certainly told thy servants, how that Jehovah thy God com
manded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to
destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, we
were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done
25 this thing. And now, behold, we are in thy hand ; as is good
26 and right in thine eyes to do to us, do. And so did he to
them ; and he delivered them out of the hand of the children
27 of Israel, and they slew them not. And Joshua made them
that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the con
gregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, in the
place which he should choose. 18

JOSHUA. Chap. x.

1 And it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem
heard that Joshua had taken Ai and destroyed it ; as he did
to Jericho and her king, he did to Ai and her king ; and that
the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and
2 were among them ; that they greatly feared, because Gibeon
was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it
was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
3 And Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of
Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king
4 of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying : Come up to
me, and help me, and we will smite Gibeon ; for it has made
5 peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. And five
kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of
Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king
of Eglon, assembled, and went up, they and all their hosts,
and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.
6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp, to
Gilgal, saying : Slacken not thy hand from thy servants ; come
up to us quickly, and save us, and help us. For all the kings
of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered
7 together against us. And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he
and all the people of war with him, and all the strong men
of war.
8 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Fear them not, for I have
given them into thy hand ; there shall not a man of them
9 stand before thee. And Joshua came against them suddenly.
10 All the night he went up from Gilgal. And Jehovah dis
comfited them before Israel ; and he smote them with a great
slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes
up to Beth-horon, and smote them unto Azekah, and unto
11 Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled before Israel,
they were at the descent from Beth-horon. And Jehovah
cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah,
and they died. More were they who died by hailstones than
they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12 Then spoke Joshua to Jehovah, in the day when Jehovah
19

Chap x. JOSHUA.

delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel ; and
he said in the sight of Israel :
Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon,
And thou moon, in the valley of Aijalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
Until the people were avenged on their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of the righteous ?
14 And the sun stood still in mid-heaven ;
And hasted not to go down for a whole day.
And no day was like that before it or after it,
That Jehovah hearkened to the voice of a man.
For Jehovah fought for Israel.
15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp,
16 to Gilgal. And those five kings fled, and hid themselves in
17 the cave at Makkedah. And it was told Joshua, saying : The
18 five kings are found hid in the cave at Makkedah. And
Joshua said : Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set
19 men over it to keep them. And do ye stay not ; pursue after
your enemies, and smite them in the rear ; suffer them not to
enter into their cities, for Jehovah your God has given them
20 into your hand. And it came to pass, when Joshua and the
children of Israel had made an end of smiting them with a
very great slaughter till they were consumed, and those of
21 them that escaped had entered into the fenced cities ; that all
the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in
peace ; none sharpened his tongue against any of the children
VV. 12-14. These verses contain a quotation from the book of the righteous, "book of
Jasher" in the common version ; poetic records of the deeds and words of those who were
eminent in the annals of the nation. See 2 Sam. 1 : 18. They are conceived in the boldly
figurative manner of Oriental poetry ; such as wo see in David's description of his victory
over his enemies, ascribing it to Jehovah's direct interposition by tempest and earthquake.
(Ps. 18 : 7-15). Nothing here said exceedB the boldneBS of the figures there used ; for exam
ple. " the earth shook and quaked,"—" the foundations of the mountains trembled and were
shaken," — " the foundations of the world were laid bare." To the Hebrew mind these were
greater marvels than the arrest of sun and moon, regarded by him as comparatively small,
revolving round the much larger earth.
Divested of their bold poetic imagery, the words state a plain matter of fact. In the heat
and enthusiasm of the conflict, and eager for the defeat of all his enemies, Joshua commands
sun and moon to stand still and wait till it be accomplished. The poet describes the effect of
his words as it appeared to the busy actors in the scene, to whom the stirring and shifting events
of the day made it seem unnaturally prolonged. Virtually it was so ; for it was by the special
favor of Jehovah, who "fought for Israel," that the day did not end till all was accomplished.
The words were understood in this poetical and figurative sense by the celebrated Jewish
scholar Maimonides in the twelfth century ; and it is now regarded by Hebrew scholars as the
true interpretation of the passage.
20

JOSHUA. Chap. x.

22 of Israel. And Joshua said : Open the mouth of the cave,
23 and bring out to me those five lungs out of the cave. And
they did so, and brought out to him those five kings out of
the cave ; the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the
king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.
24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings to
Joshua, that Joshua called all the men of Israel, and he said
to the leaders of the men of war that went with him : Come
near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they
25 came near, and put their feet on their necks. And Joshua
said to them : Fear not nor be faint-hearted, be strong and of
good courage ; for thus will the Lord do to all your enemies
26 against whom ye fight. And afterward Joshua smote them.
and slew them, and hanged them on five trees ; and they
27 were hanging on the trees until the evening. And it came
to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua
commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and
cast them into the cave wherein they hid themselves, and laid
great stones on the cave's mouth, unto this very day.
28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with
the edge of the sword ; and the king thereof he destroyed,
them and all the souls that were therein ; he left none remain
ing. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he did to the
29 king of Jericho. And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and
all Israel with him, to Libnah, and he fought with Libnah.
30 And Jehovah gave it also into the hand of Israel, and the
king thereof, and he smote it with the edge of the sword,
and all the souls that were therein ; he left none remaining
in it. And he did to the king thereof as he did to the king
of Jericho.
31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him,
to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it ;
32 and Jehovah gave Lachish into the hand of Israel. And he
took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the
sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all
that he did to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish ; and
21

Chap. xi. JOSHUA.
Joshua smote him and his people, until he left him none re
maining.
34 And from Lachish Joshua passed to EglOn, and all Israel
with him ; and they encamped against it, and fought against
35 it. And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge
of the sword ; and all the souls that were therein he utterly
destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to
36 Lachish. And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel
37 with him, to Hebron, and fought against it. And they took
it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king
thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were
therein ; he left none remaining, according to all that he had
done to Eglon ; and he destroyed it utterly, and all the souls
that were therein.
38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir,
39 and fought against it. And he took it, and the king thereof,
and all the cities thereof. And they smote them with the
edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that
were therein ; he left none remaining. As he had done to
Hebron, so he did to Debir and to the king thereof, and as he
did to Libnah and to her king.
40 And Joshua smote all the land, the hill country, and the
south, and the low country, and the declivities, and all their
kings ; he left none remaining, and utterly destroyed all that
41 had breath, as Jehovah God of Israel commanded. And
Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and
42 all the land of Goshen even unto Gibeon. And all these
kings and their land did Joshua take at one time ; for Jeho-
43 vah God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned,
and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard it,
that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of
2 Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings
that were on the north in the mountains, and on the plain
south of Chinneroth, and in the low country, and on the
3 heights of Dor westward, to the Canaanite on the east and
22

JOSHUA. Chap, xl

on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Periz-
zite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite at
4 the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. And they went
out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as
the sand that is on the sea shore for multitude, and horses
5 and chariots very many. And all these kings met together,
and they came and encamped together at the waters of Me-
rom, to fight with Israel.
6 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Be not afraid because of
them ; for to-morrow about this time will I deliver up all of
them slain before Israel. Thou shalt hough their horses, and
7 burn their chariots with fire. And Joshua, and all the people
of war with him, came upon them suddenly by the waters of
8 Merom ; and they fell upon them. And Jehovah gave them
into the hand of Israel ; and they smote them, and chased
them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto
the valley of Mizpeh eastward ; and they smote them, until
9 they left them none remaining. And Joshua did to them as
Jehovah said to him ; he houghed their horses, and burnt
their chariots with fire.
10 And Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and
smote the king thereof with the sword ; for Hazor was for-
11 merly the head of all those kingdoms. And they smote all
the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly
destroying them ; there was not any left that had breath ; and
12 Hazor he burned with fire. And all the cities of those kings,
and all their kings, did Joshua take. And he smote them
with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Mo-
13 ses the servant of Jehovah commanded. But as for the cities
that stood on their hill, Israel burned none of them, save
14 Hazor only ; that did Joshua burn. And all the spoil of
these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took as a
prey for themselves ; but every man they smote with the edge
of the sword, until they had destroyed them ; nor left they
any that had breath.
15 As Jehovah commanded Moses his servant, so Moses com-

V. 15. See Deut. 20 : 16, and 3 : 21.
23

Chap. xii. JOSHUA.
manded Joshua ; and so did Joshua. He left nothing undone
,16 of all that Jehovah commanded Moses. And Joshua took
all that land ; the hills, and all the south country, and all the
land of Goshen, and the low country, and the plain, and the
17 mountain of Israel, and its lowland ; from the bald moun
tain, that goes up to Seir, unto Baal-gad in the valley of
Lebanon at the foot of mount Hermon. And all their kings
he took, and smote them, and slew them.
18 A long time Joshua made war with all those kings. There
19 was not a city that submitted to the children of Israel, save
20 the Hivites inhabiting Gibeon ; all they took in battle. For
it was of Jehovah to strengthen their heart, that they should
come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them
utterly ; that they might have no favor, but that he might
destroy them, as Jehovah commanded Moses.
21 And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakim
from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab,
and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the moun
tains of Israel. Joshua destroyed them utterly with their
22 cities. There was none left of the Anakim in the land of the
children of Israel. They remained only in Gaza, in Gath,
23 and in Ashdod. And Joshua took the whole land, accord
ing to all that Jehovah said to Moses ; and Joshua gave it
for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions, by
their tribes. And the land rested from war.
1 And these are the kings of the land, which the children of
Israel smote, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan
toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto
2 mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east. Sihon king
of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, ruling from Aroer
V. 1 6. The plain ; of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, as in 3 : 1 6, and elsewhere.
V. 23. Gave it, for an inheritance lo Israel. See Gen. 13 : 14, 15. "Lift up now thine eyes
and look, from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and west
ward. For the whole land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever."
Thii promise to Abraham was renewed in a covenant, solemnly confirmed in the most impress
ive form known to the ancient world. (Gen. 15 : 9-21.) His seed inherited the promise, and
with it the title to the land conveyed by it. The land is therefore properly called their inherit
ance.
24

JOSHUA. Chap. xii.

which is on the bank of the river Arnon and in the midst of
the river, and over half Gilead unto the river Jabbok, the
3 border of the children of Amnion ; and over the plain to the
sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain,
the salt sea, on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth ; and on
4 the south under the declivities of Pisgah ; and the border of
Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the giants, who dwelt
5 at Ashtaroth and at Edrei. And he reigned in mount Her
mon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the
Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border
6 of Sihon king of Heshbon. Them did Moses the servant of
Jehovah and the children of Israel smite. And Moses the
servant of Jehovah gave it for a possession to the Reuben-
ites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
7 And these are the kings of the land which Joshua and
the children of Israel smote beyond the Jordan on the west,
from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the
bald mountain that goes up to Seir. And Joshua gave it
to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their
8 divisions ; in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in
the plain, and in the declivities, and in the wilderness, and in
the south country ; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the
Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites : —
9 The king of Jericho, one ; the king of Ai, which is beside
10 Beth-el, one ; the king of Jerusalem, one ; the king of
11 Hebron, one ; the king of Jarmuth, one ; the king of Lachish,
12 one ; the king of Eglon, one ; the king of Gezer, one ;
13 the king of Debir, one ; the king of Geder, one ; the king of
14 Hormah, one ; the king of Arad, one ; the king of Libnah,
15 one ; the king of Adullam one ; the king of Makkedah, one ;
16 the king of Beth-el, one ; the king of Tappuah, one ; the
17 king of Hepher, one ; the king of Aphek, one ; the
18 king of Lasharon, one ; the king of Madon, one ; the king
19 of Hazor, one ; the king of Shimron-meron, one ; the
20 king of Achshaph, one ; the king of Taanach, one ; the
21 king of Megiddo, one ; the king of Kedesh, one ; the king
22 of Jokneam on Carmel, one ; the king of Dor, on the height
25

Chap. xm. JOSHUA.

23 of Dor, one ; the king of the nations at Gilgal, one ; the king
24 of Tirzah, one. All the kings thirty and one.
1 And Joshua was old, far gone in years. And Jehovah
said to him : Thou art old, far gone in years, and there yet
2 remains very much land to be possessed. This is the land
that yet remains ; all the circuits of the Philistines, and all
3 Geshuri ; from Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the
border of Ekron northward, shall be counted to the Canaanite ;
five lords of the Philistines ; the Gazathites, and the Ash-
dothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites,
4 and the Avites ; on the south, all the land of the Canaanites,
and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the
5 borders of the Amorites ; and the land of the Giblites, and
all Lebanon toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad at the foot
6 of mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath. All the
inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephoth-
maim, all the Sidonians, them will I drive out before the
children of Israel ; only divide thou it by lot to the Israelites
7 for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee. And now
divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and
8 the half tribe of Manasseh ; with him the Reubenites and the
Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave
them beyond the Jordan on the east, even as Moses the
9 servant of Jehovah gave to them ; from Aroer, that is on the
bank of the river Amon, and the city that is in the midst of
10 the river, and all the plain of Medeba unto Dibon ; and all
the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in
11 Heshbon, unto the border of the children of Ammon ; and
Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites,
12 and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah ; all the
kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in
Edrei ; he remained of the remnant of the giants ; and
13 Moses smote them, and drove them out. And the children
of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites and the Maacha-
Ch. xiii. 1-6. Portions of the country remaining unsubdued.
Chs. xiii. 7,— xxii. Partition of the country among the tribes.
26

JOSHUA. Chap. xm.

thites ; and the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwelt among
14 the Israelites, unto this day. Only to the tribe of Levi he
gave no inheritance ; the sacrifices of Jehovah God of Israel
are their inheritance, as he said to them.
15 And Moses gave to the tribe of the children of Reuben
16 according to their families. And their border was from Aroer,
which is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that
is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba ;
17 Heshbon, and all her cities that are in the plain ; Dibon, and
18 Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, and Jahaza, and Kede-
19 moth, and Mephaath, and Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and
20 Zareth-shahar on the mount of the valley, and Beth-peor, and
21 the declivities of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, and all the
cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the
Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote, him
and the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and
22 Hur, and Reba, princes of Sihon, inhabiting the land. And
Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, the children of
Israel slew with the sword, among their slain.
23 And the border of the children of Reuben was the Jordan,
and what borders it. This was the inheritance of the children
of Reuben after their families, the cities and their villages.
24 And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, to the children of Gad,
25 according to their families. And their border was Jazer, and
all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of
26 Ammon, unto Aroer which is before Rabbah ; and from
Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim ; and from
27 Mahanaim unto the border of Debir ; and in the valley,
Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the
rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan
and what borders it unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth
28 beyond the Jordan on the east. This is the inheritance of
the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their
villages.
29 And Moses gave to the half tribe of Manasseh ; and it
became [the possession] of the half tribe, the children of
30 Manasseh by their families. And their border was from
27

Chap. xrv. JOSHUA.

Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan,
and all the villages of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore
31 cities ; and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of
the kingdom of Og in Bashan, came to the children of Machir
the son of Manasseh, to the half of the children of Machir by
32 their families. These are what Moses gave for inheritance
in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, by Jericho, on
33 the east. And to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inherit
ance. Jehovah God of Israel, he was their inheritance, as
he said to them.
1 And these are what the children of Israel were made to
inherit in the land of Canaan ; which Eleazar the priest, and
Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the
tribes of the children of Israel, gave for inheritance to them ;
2 their apportionment by lot, to the nine tribes and the half
3 tribe, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses. For
Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and a half
tribe beyond the Jordan ; and to the Levites he gave no in-
4 heritance among them. For the children of Joseph were two
tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no portion to
the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their
5 suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. As Jehovah
commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they
divided the land.
6 And the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal ; and
Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said to him : Thou
knowest the thing that Jehovah said to Moses the man of
7 God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years
old was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from
Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land ; and I brought him word
8 again as it was in my heart. And my brethren that went up
with me made the heart of the people melt ; but I wholly
9 followed Jehovah my God. And Moses swore on that day,
saying : Surely the land whereon thy foot has trodden shall
W. 6-8. See Num. 13 : 1-14 : 8, and 14 : 80.
V. 9. See Deut. 1 : 36. 28

JOSHUA. Chap. xv.

be thy inheritance, and thy children's for ever ; for thou hast
10 wholly followed Jehovah my God. And now, behold,
Jehovah has kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five
years, since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while Israel
wandered in the wilderness ; and now, lo, I am this day four-
11 score and five years old. Still am I strong this day as in
the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then so
is my strength now, for war and to go out and to come in.
12 And now give me this mountain, of which Jehovah spoke in
that day. For thou heardest in that day that the Anakim
were there, and great, fenced cities ; if so be Jehovah is with
13 me, then I shall drive them out, as Jehovah said. And
Joshua blessed him ; and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son
14 of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became
the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite
unto this day, because he wholly followed Jehovah God of
15 Israel. And the name of Hebron before was city of Arba.
He was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land
had rest from war.
1 And there was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah
by their families ; toward the border of Edom the wilderness
2 of Zin southward, at the extreme south. And their south
border was from the end of the salt sea, from the tongue that
3 turns southward. And it went out to the south side of the
ascent to Acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and went up on
the south side of Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron,
4 and went up to Adar, and turned toward Karka ; and it
passed over to Azmon, and went out to the river of Egypt ;
and the terminations of the border were at the sea ; this
5 shall be your south border. And the east border was the
salt sea, unto the end of the Jordan. And the border on
the northern side was from the tongue of the sea at the
6 mouth of the Jordan. And the border went up to Beth-
hoglah, and passed along northwardly to Beth-arabah. And
V. 12. If so be. See Num. 14 : 8.
V 15. UityofArba; Kirjath-arba. 29

Chap. xv. JOSHUA.

the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
7 And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of
Achor, and turning northward toward Gilgal, that is over
against the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side
of the river. And the border passed toward the waters of
En-shemesh, and the terminations thereof were at En-rogel.
8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom
unto the south side of the Jebusite ; the same is Jerusalem.
And the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies
before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end
9 of the valley of the giants northward ; and the border
stretched from the top of the hill to the fountain of the water
of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron ;
and the border stretched to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim ;
10 and the border turned from Baalah westward to mount Seir,
and passed along to the northern side of mount Jearim, which
is Chesalon, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on
11 to Timnah. And the border went out to the northern side
of Ekron. And the border stretched to Shicron, and passed
along to mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel ; and the
12 terminations of the border were at the sea. And the west
border was to the great sea, and what borders it. This is the
border of the children of Judah round about, according to
their families.
x3 And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion
among the children of Judah, according to the command of
Jehovah to Joshua, the city of Arba the father of Anak,
14 which is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons
of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of
15 Anak. And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir.
And the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.
18 And Caleb said : He that smites Kirjath-sepher, and takes
17 it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And
Othniel, the son of Kenaz the brother of Caleb, took it ; and
18 he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to
pass, when she had come, that she moved him to ask of her

V. 8. Valley of the giants ; valley of Bephaim
30

JOSHUA. Chap. xv.

father a field. And she alighted from the ass ; and Caleb
19 said to her, what wouldst thou ? And she answered : Give
me a present. For thou hast given me a south land ; give
me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs,
20 and the nether springs. This is the inheritance of the tribe
of the children of Judah according to their families.
21 And the cities from the extremity of the tribe of the chil
dren of Judah to the border of Edom in the south, were
22 Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, and Kinah, and Dimonah,
fi and Adadah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, Ziph, and
25 Telem, and Bealoth, and Hazor-hadattah, and Kerioth-hezron,
a? which is Hazor, Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, and Ha-
23 zar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-palet, and Hazar-shual,
29 and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
jjj and El-tolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, and Ziklag, and
32 Madmannah, and Sansannah, and Lebaoth, and Shilhim,
and Ain, and Rimmon ; all the cities twenty and nine, with
their villages.
33 And in the low country, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,
H and Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Enam, Jarmuth,
3i and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah, and Sharaim, and Adith-
aim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim, fourteen cities with their
E villages ; Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad, and Dilean,
39 and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eg-
X Ion, and Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish, and Gederoth,
Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah, sixteen cities with
% their villages ; Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan, and Jiphtah,
u and Ashnah, and Nezib, and Keilah, and Achzib, and Ma-
45 reshah, nine cities with their villages ; Ekron with her daugh-
45 ters and her villages ; from Ekron and to the sea, all that
47 was near Ashdod, with their villages ; Ashdod, her daughters
and her villages ; Gaza, her daughters and her villages, unto
the river of Egypt and the great sea, and what borders it.
% And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh, and
50 Dannah, and Kirjath-sannah, which is Debir, and Anab, and

V. 45. Daughters of a city were small towns in its vicinity, dependent on it and subject to
its jurisdiction. 31

Chap. xvi. JOSHUA.

51 Eshtemoh, and Anim, and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh,
62 eleven cities with their villages ; Arab, and Dumah, and
63 Eshean, and Janum, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah,
54 and Humtah, and Kirjath-arba which is Hebron, and Zior,
65 nine cities with their villages ; Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and
P Juttah, and Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah, Cain,
58 Gibeah, and Timnah, ten cities with their villages ; Halhul,
69 Beth-zur, and Gedor, and Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and
60 Eltekon, six cities with their villages ; Kirjath-baal which
is Kirjath-jearim, and Rabbah, two cities with their vil
lages.
62 In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, and
Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi, six cities with
their villages.
63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
children of Judah could not drive them out. And the
Jebusites dwelt with the children of Judah at Jerusalem
unto this day.
1 And the lot fell to the children of Joseph from the Jordan
by Jericho ; at the waters of Jericho on the east, to the wil
derness that goes up from Jericho on the mountain of Beth-el ;
2 and it went out from Beth-el to Luz, and passed along unto
3 the border of the Archite to Ataroth ; and it went -down west
ward to the border of the Japhletites, unto the border of Beth-
horon the lower, and unto Gezer ; and their terminations
4 were at the sea. And the children of Joseph, Manasseh
and Ephraim, took it for their possession.
5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to
their families, the border of their inheritance on the east side
6 was Ataroth-addar, unto Beth-horon the upper ; and the
border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north ;
and the border turned eastward unto Taanath-shiloh, and
7 passed by it eastward to Janohah ; and it went down from
Janohah to Ataroth and Naarath, and came to Jericho, and
8 went out at the Jordan. From Tappuah the border went
out westward unto the river Kanah ; and its terminations
V. 1. Waters of Jericho ; the fountain of Elisha (2 Kings 2 : 19-22).
S2

JOSHUA. Chap. xvn.

were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the
9 children of Ephraim by their families ; and the cities set
apart for the children of Ephraim in the midst of the inherit
ance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their
i° villages. And they did not drive out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer ; and the Canaanites dwelt among the Eph-
raimites unto this day, and became tributary servants.
i There was a lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the
firstborn of Joseph ; for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh,
the father of Gilead ; because he was a man of war, there-
2 fore he had Gilead and Bashan. There was also for the rest
of the children of Manasseh by their families ; for the chil
dren of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the
children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for
the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida ;
these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph
by their families.
3 And Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead,
the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but
daughters. And these are the names of his daughters ;
4 Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they
came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the
son of Nun, and before the princes, saying : Jehovah com
manded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.
And he gave them, according to the command of Jehovah,
5 an inheritance among the brethren of their father. And there
fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and
6 Bashan, which was beyond the Jordan ; because the daugh
ters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons ; and the
rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
7 And the border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michme-
thah, that lies before Shechem ; and the border went along
toward the right hand unto the inhabitants of En-tappuah.
8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah ; and Tappuah on
the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.
9 And the border went down to the river Kanah, southward of
the river. These were cities of Ephraim among the cities of
33

Chap. xvrn. JOSHUA.

Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side
10 of the river, and its terminations were at the sea. South
ward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's,
and the sea was his border ; and they touched upon Asher
11 on the north, and Issachar on the east. And Manasseh had
in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and her daughters, and
Ibleam and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Dor and
her daughters, and the inhabitants of Endor and her daugh
ters, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her daughters, and
the inhabitants of Megiddo and her daughters, the three
12 heights. And the children of Manasseh could not take pos
session of these cities ; and it was the will of the Canaanites
13 to dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when the chil
dren of Israel became strong, that they made the Canaanites
tributary, and did not utterly dispossess them.
14 And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying : Why
hast thou given me one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing
I am a great people, forasmuch as Jehovah has blessed me
15 hitherto ? And Joshua answered them : If thou art a great
people, get thee up to the woodland, and cut down for thy
self there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if
ifi mount Ephraim is too narrow for thee. And the children of
Joseph said : The mountain is not enough for us ; and all the
Canaanites that dwell in the valley-land have chariots of iron,
they who are of Beth-shean and her daughters, and they who
17 are of the valley of Jezreel. And Joshua spoke to the house
of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying : Thou art a
great people, and hast great power ; thou shalt not have one
18 lot. But a mountain shall be thine ; for it is a wood, and
thou shalt cut it down, and the farthest ends of it shall be
thine. For thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, because they
have iron chariots, and because they are strong.

i

And all the congregation of the children of Israel assembled
together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congre-

V. II. Daughters. See the note on 15 : 45.
V. 18. Farthest ends. Or, outgoings ; namely, outrunners, mountain spurs
34

OSHUA. Chap. xvm.

2 gation there. And the land was subdued before them. And
there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes,
3 which had not yet received their inheritance. And Joshua
said to the children of Israel : How long do ye show your
selves slack to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah God
4 of your fathers has given you ? Choose for you three men
for each tribe, and I will send them. And they shall rise up
and go through the land, and describe it according to their
5 inheritance, and shall come again to me. And they shall
divide it into seven parts. Judah shall abide in his border
on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their
6 border on the north. And ye shall describe the land in seven
parts, and bring it hither to me ; and I will cast lots for you
7 here before Jehovah our God. For the Levites have no part
among you ; for the priesthood of Jehovah is their inherit
ance. And Gad, and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan on the east,
which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.
8 And the men arose, and went away. And Joshua charged
them that went to describe the land, saying : Go and walk
through the land, and describe it, and come again to me ; and
9 I will here cast lots for you before Jehovah in Shiloh. And
the men went and passed through the land, and described it
by cities into seven parts in a book ; and they came again to
10 Joshua, to the camp at Shiloh. And Joshua cast lots for
them in Shiloh before Jehovah ; and there Joshua distributed
the land to the children of Israel, according to their divisions.
n And there came up the lot of the tribe of the children of
Benjamin according to their families. And the border of
their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the
i2 children of Joseph. And their border on the north side was
from the Jordan ; and the border went up to the side of
Jericho on the north, and went up on the mountain west
ward ; and the extremities thereof were at the wilderness
13of Beth-aven. And the border passed over from thence
toward Luz, to the south side of Luz, which is Beth-el.
And the border went down to Ataroth-addar, on the
35

Chap. xix. JOSHUA.

mountain that is on the south side of the lower Beth-horon.
14 And the border was stretched onward, and turned toward
the west side southward from the mountain that is before
Beth-horon on the south ; and its extremities were at Kir
jath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of
15 Judah. This was the west side. And the south was from
the end of Kirjath-jearim. And the border went out west
erly, and went out to the fountain of water of Nephtoah ;
16 and the border went down to the end of the mountain that
is before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the
valley of the giants on the north, and went down to the val
ley of Hinnom, to the south side of the Jebusites, and went
17 down to En-rogel. And it extended northerly, and went out
to En-shemesh, and went out toward Geliloth, which is over
against the ascent of Adummim, and went down to the stone
18 of Bohan the son of Reuben. And it passed along toward
the side over against Arabah northward, and went down to
19 Arabah. And the border passed along to the side of Beth-
hoglah northward. And the extremities of the border were
at the north tongue of the salt sea at the south end of the
20 Jordan. This was the south border. And the Jordan was its
border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the
children of Benjamin, by the borders thereof round about,
according to their families.
21 And the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin,
according to their families, were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah,
22 and Emek-Keziz, and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-
H el, and Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, and Chephar-haam-
monai, and Ophni, and Gaba, twelve cities with their villages ;
H Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth, and Mizpeh, and Chephirah,
as and Mozah, and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah, and Zelah;
Eleph, and Jebusite which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, Kirjath,
fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of
the children of Benjamin, according to their families.
1 And the second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of
the children of Simeon, according to their families ; and their
inheritance, was within the inheritance of the children of
36

JOSHUA. Chap. xix.

2 Judah. And they had in their inheritance, Beer-sheba, and
3 Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and Azem,
4 and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, and Ziklag, and Beth-
6 marcaboth, and Hazar-susah, and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen,
7 thirteen cities and their villages ; Ain, Remmon, and Ether,
8 and Ashan, four cities and their villages ; and all the villages
that were round about these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramath-
negeb. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children
9 of Simeon, according to their families. Out of the portion
of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children
of Simeon. For the part of the children of Judah was too
much for them ; therefore the children of Simeon inherited
within their inheritance.
10 And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun, ac
cording to their families. And the border of their inheritance
11 was unto Sarid. And their border went up toward the west,
and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the
12 river that is before Jokneam. And it turned from Sarid
eastward toward the sunrismg unto the border of Chisloth-
tabor, and went out to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.
13 And from thence it passed on easterly toward the sunrismg
to Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and went out to Remmon,
u that extends to Neah. And the border turned around it on
the north side to Hannathon ; and the extremities thereof
15 were in the valley of Jiphthah-el ; and Kattath, and Nahallal,
and Shimron, and Idalah, and Beth-lehem ; twelve cities with
16 their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of
Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their
villages.
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the children of
i8 Issachar according to their families. And their border was
19 toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem, and Haphraim,
20 and Shihon, and Anaharath, and Rabbith, and Kishion, and
21 Abez, and Remeth, and En-gannim, and En-haddah, and
22 Beth-pazzez. And the border reached to Tabor, and Sha-
hazimah, and Beth-shemesh ; and the extremities of their
border were at the Jordan •, sixteen cities with their villages.
37

Chap. xix. JOSHUA.

23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar,
according to their families, the cities with their villages.
24 And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of
25 Asher, according to their families. And their border was
26 Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph, and Alam-
melech, and Amad, and Mishal ; and it reached to Carmel
27 westward, and to Shihor-libnath. And it turned toward the
sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the
valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north of Beth-emek and
28 Neiel, and went out to Cabul on the left, and Hebron, and
29 Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, unto great Zidon. And
the border turned to Ramah, and unto the Tyrian-fortress.
And the border turned to Hosah ; and the extremities there-
30 of at the sea from the tract toward Achzib ; and Ummah, and
Aphek, and Rehob ; twenty and two cities with their villages.
3i This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher,
according to their families, these cities with their villages.
32 The sixth lot came out for the children of Naphtali, for the
33 children of Naphtali according to their families. And their
border was from Heleph, from the oak by Zaanannim, and
Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum ; and the extremities
34 thereof were at the Jordan ; and the border turned westward
to Aznoth-tabor, and went out from thence to Hukkok, and
reached to Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on
the west, and to Judah upon the Jordan toward the sunris-
35 ing. And the fenced cities were Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath,
36 Rakkath, and Chinnereth, and Adamah, and Ramah, and
fa Hazor, and Kedesh, and Edrei, and En-hazor, and Iron, and
Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh ; nine-
39 teen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the
tribe of the children of Naphtali, according to their families,
the cities with their villages.
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of
il Dan, according to their families. And the border of their
42 inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh, and

V. 29. Tyrian-fortress. See 2 Sam. 24 : 7, " stronghold of Tyre."
V. 33. The oak; oak forest.
38

JOSHUA. Chap. xx.

43 Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah, and Elon, and Thim-
44 nathah, and Ekron, and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath,
t? and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-rimmon, and Me-
47 jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho. And
the border of the children of Dan went out from them.
And the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem,
and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and
possessed it, and dwelt therein. And they called Leshem
48 Dan, after the name of Dan their father. This is the inherit
ance of the tribe of the children of Dan, according to their
families, these cities with their villages.
49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for in
heritance by its boundaries, the children of Israel gave an
50 inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. Accord
ing to the word of Jehovah they gave him the city which he
asked, Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim. And he built the
51 city, and dwelt therein. These are the inheritances, which
Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads
of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided
for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And they made
an end of dividing the country.

i And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying : Speak to the chil
dren of Israel, saying : Appoint for you cities of refuge,
3 whereof I spoke to you by the hand of Moses ; that the
slayer that kills any person unawares, unwittingly, may flee
thither ; and they shall be to you a refuge from the avenger
4 of blood. And when he that flees to one of these cities shall
stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and shall declare
his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take
him to them into the city, and give him a place, that he may
5 dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue
after him, then they shall not deliver up the slayer into his
hand ; because he smote his neighbor unwittingly, and hated
Ch. xx. Cities of refuge designated. See Num. 35 : 9-15.
39

Chap. xxi. JOSHUA.

6 him not beforetime. And he shall dwell in that city, until
he stand before the congregation for judgment, until the
death of the high priest that shall be in those days. Then
shall the slayer return, and come to his own city and to his
own house, to the city from whence he fled.
7 And they consecrated Kedesh in Galilee on mount Naphtali,
and Shechem on mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is
8 Hebron, in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jor
dan by Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilder
ness upon the plain, out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth
in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out
9 of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities assigned for
all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourns
among them ; that whosoever kills any person unawares may
flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood,
until he has stood before the congregation.
i And the heads of the fathers of the Levites came near to
Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the
heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel,
2 and spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying :
Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities
3 to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle. And the
children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance,
at the command of Jehovah, these cities and their suburbs.
4 And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And
the children of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, had by lot
out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon,
5 and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities. And the
rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families
of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and
6 out of the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities. And the chil
dren of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe
of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the
tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in
7 Bashan, thirteen cities. The children of Merari, by their
families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe
40

JOSHUA. Chap. xxi.

8 of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. And
the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities
with their suburbs, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of
Moses.
9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah,
and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities
i° which were called by name. And it came to the children of
Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, of the children of
n Levi, for theirs was the first lot ; and they gave them the city
of Arba the father of Anak, which is Hebron, in the hill
country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.
12 But the field of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they
to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.
13 And to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron
with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Libnah
14 with her suburbs, and Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa
15 with her suburbs, and Holon with her suburbs, and Debir
i6 with her suburbs, and Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with
her suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with her suburbs ; nine cities
n out of these two tribes. And out of the tribe of Benjamin,
18 Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, Anathoth
with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs ; four cities.
19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were
thirteen cities with their suburbs.
20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, the
rest of the children of Kohath, they had the cities of their
21 lot out of the tribe of Ephraim. And they gave them She
chem with her suburbs on mount Ephraim, a city of refuge
22 for the slayer, and Gezer with her suburbs, and Kibzaim with
her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs ; four cities.
23 And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gib-
24 bethon with her suburbs, Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath-rim-
25 mon with her suburbs ; four cities. And out of the half tribe
of Manasseh, Taanach with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon
26 with her suburbs ; two cities. All the cities were ten, with
their suburbs, for the families of the rest of the children of
Kohath. 41

Chap. xxi. JOSHUA.

27 And to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Le
vites, out of the half tribe of Manasseh [they gave] Golan
in Bashan with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer,
28 and Beeshterah with her suburbs ; two cities. And out of
the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Dabareh with
29 her suburbs, Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gannim with her
30 suburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal
3i with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, Helkath with her
32 suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs ; four cities. And out
of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs,
a city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth-dor with her
33 suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs ; three cities. All the
cities of the Gershonites, by their families, were thirteen cities
with their suburbs.
34 And to the families of the children of Merari the rest of
the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her
35 suburbs, Kartah with her suburbs, Dimnah with her suburbs,
36 Nahalal with her suburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe
of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her
37 suburbs, Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her
38 suburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth
in Gilead with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer,
39 and Mahanaim with her suburbs, Heshbon with her suburbs,
40 Jazer with her suburbs ; four cities in all. All the cities for
the children of Merari by their families, the rest of the fami-
4X lies of the Levites, were by their lot twelve cities. All the
cities of the Levites, within the possession of the children of
42 Israel, were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. These
cities were every one with their suburbs round about them ;
thus were all these cities.
43 And Jehovah gave to Israel all the land which he had
sworn to give to their fathers ; and they possessed it, and
44 dwelt therein. And Jehovah gave them rest round about,
according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. And
there stood not a man of all their enemies before them • Je-

V. 41. Forty and eight cities. As commanded in Num. 85 : 2, and 6-8.
42

JOSHUA. Chap. xxn.

45 hovah delivered all their enemies into their hands. There
failed not ought of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken
to the house of Israel ; all came to pass.
i Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and
2 the half tribe of Manasseh, and said to them : Ye have kept
all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and
3 have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. Ye
have not left your brethren these many days unto this day,
but have kept the charge, the commandment of Jehovah
4 your God. And now Jehovah your God has given rest to
your brethren, as he spoke to them. And now return ye,
and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which
Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan.
5 Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law,
which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love
Jehovah your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep
his commandments, and to cleave to him, and to serve him
6 with all your heart and with all your soul. And Joshua
blessed them, and let them go ; and they went to their tents.
7 And to the half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given
[possession] in Bashan ; and to the half thereof Joshua gave
it among their brethren beyond the Jordan westward. And
also when Joshua let them go to their tents, he blessed them.
8 And he spoke to them, saying : Return with much riches to
your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with
gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with raiment in great
abundance. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your
brethren.
9 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and
the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the
children of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Ca
naan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their posses
sion, wherein they took possessions according to the word of
w Jehovah by the hand' of Moses. And they came to the bor
ders of the Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan. And

Chs xxii.-xxiv. Administration of Joshua.— His death.
43

Chap. xxn. JOSHUA.

the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half
tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar
great in appearance.
n And the children of Israel heard say : Behold, the children
of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of
Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan,
in the borders of the Jordan, opposite the children of Israel.
i2 And when the children of Israel heard it, the whole congre
gation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together
13 at Shiloh, to go up an army against them. And the children
of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children
of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh into the land of
14 Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest ; and with him
ten princes, a prince for each ancestral house of all the tribes
of Israel ; and they were heads each one of them of their
ancestral houses, of the thousands of Israel.
15 And they came to the children of Reuben, and to the
children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the
X6 land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying : Thus say
all the congregation of Jehovah : What trespass is this that
ye have trespassed against the God of Israel, to turn away
this day from following Jehovah, in that ye have built for
17 you an altar, to rebel this day against Jehovah? Is the in
iquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed
to this day, and the plague was upon the congregation of Je-
i8 hovah, that ye should turn away this day from following
Jehovah? And it will be, that to day ye rebel against Jeho
vah, and to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congre-
19 gation of Israel. But, if the land of your possession is un
clean, pass over to the land of Jehovah's possession, wherein
dwells the tabernacle of Jehovah, and take possession among
us. And rebel not against Jehovah, nor rebel against us, in
building you an altar, besides the altar of Jehovah our God.
20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the ac
cursed thing, and wrath was on all the congregation of Israel?
And he perished not alone in his iniquity.
V. 17. Iniquity of Peor. See Num. 25 ; 2-4.
44

JOSHUA. Chap. xxn.

2X And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and
the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and spoke to the heads
22 of the thousands of Israel : God, God Jehovah, God, God
Jehovah, he knows, and Israel he shall know. If it be in
rebellion, or if in transgression against Jehovah, (save us not
23 this day,) that we have built us an altar to turn from follow
ing Jehovah, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat
offering, or if to make peace offerings thereon, let Jehovah
24 himself require it ; and if we have not done it from fear, for
a cause, saying, in time to come your children will speak to
our children, saying, what have ye to do with Jehovah God
25 of Israel? For Jehovah has made the Jordan a border be
tween us and you, ye children of Reuben, and children of
Gad ; ye have no part in Jehovah. And your children will
26 make our children cease from fearing Jehovah. And we
said : Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt
27 offering, nor for sacrifice ; but that it may be a witness be
tween us and you and our generations after us, that we do
the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt offerings,
and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings ; that
your children may not say to our children in time to come,
28 Ye have no part in Jehovah. And we said, if it be that
they shall so say to us and to our generations in time to come,
then we may say : Behold the pattern of the altar of Jeho
vah, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for
29 sacrifices ; but it is a witness between us and you. Far be it
from us, that we should rebel against Jehovah, and turn this
day from following Jehovah, to build an altar for burnt offer
ings, for meat offerings, and for sacrifices, besides the altar of
Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle.
30 And Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congrega
tion and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with
him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke ; and it
31 was good in their sight. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar
the priest, said to the children of Reuben, and to the children
of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh : This day we per-
45

Chap. xxm. JOSHUA.

ceive that Jehovah is among us, because ye have not com
mitted this trespass against Jehovah ; now ye have delivered
the children of Israel out of the hand of Jehovah.
32 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and the
princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the
children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, into the land of
Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to
33 them. And the thing was good in the sight of the children
of Israel. And the children of Israel blessed God, and no
longer purposed to go up an army against them, to lay waste
the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called
the altar, A witness between us that Jehovah is God.
1 And it came to pass, many years after Jehovah had given
rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua
2 was old, far gone in years ; that Joshua called all Israel, their
elders, and their heads, and their judges, and their officers,
3 and said to them : I am old, far gone in years. And ye have
seen all that Jehovah your God has done to all these nations
because of you ; for Jehovah your God is he that fought for
4 you. See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that
remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan,
and all the nations that I have cut off, and the great sea at
6 the going down of the sun. And Jehovah your God, he
will thrust them out from before you, and drive them from
your presence ; and ye shall possess their land, as Jehovah
6 your God has promised to you. Be ye therefore very stead
fast, to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the
law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right
7 hand or to the left ; that ye come not among these nations,
these that remain among you ; nor make mention of the name
of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, nor serve them,
8 nor bow yourselves to them ; but cleave unto Jehovah your
9 God, as ye have done to this day. And Jehovah has driven
out from before you great nations and strong ; and as for you,
no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One

JOSHUA. Chap. xxiv.

man of you shall chase a thousand ; for Jehovah your God,
n he it is that fights for you, as he has promised you. And
take good heed to yourselves, that ye love Jehovah your God.
i2 For if ye do in any manner go back, and cleave to the rem
nant of these nations, these that remain with you, and shall
make marriages with them, and go in with them, and they
13 with you ; know assuredly that Jehovah your God will no
more drive out these nations from your presence ; but they
will be snares and traps to you, and scourges in your sides,
and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish out of this good land
14 which Jehovah your God has given you. And, behold, this
day I am going the way of all the earth ; and ye know in all
your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing has failed
of all the good things which Jehovah your God spoke con
cerning you ; all are come to pass to you, not one thing has
15 failed thereof. And it shall come to pass, that as all good
things are come upon you, which Jehovah your God has
spoken to you ; so will Jehovah bring upon you every evil
thing, until he shall have destroyed you off from this good
16 land which Jehovah your God gave to you. When ye trans
gress the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he com
manded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow your
selves to them ; then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled
against you, and ye shall perish quickly off the good land
which he gave to you.
1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem ;
and he called the elders of Israel, and their heads, and their
judges, and their officers, and they presented themselves be-
2 fore God. And Joshua said to all the people : Thus says
Jehovah God of Israel, your fathers dwelt beyond the river
in old time, Terah the father of Abraham and the father of
3 Nahor ; and they served other gods. And I took your father
Abraham from beyond the river, and led him throughout
all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave
4 him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau ; and to
V. 2. River ; Euphrates, as in ch. 1 : 4.
47

Chap. xxiv. JOSHUA.

Esau I gave mount Seir, to possess it ; and Jacob and his
5 children went down into Egypt. And I sent Moses and
Aaron, and I smote Egypt, in that which I did in the midst
6 of them ; and afterward I brought you out. And I brought
your fathers out of Egypt. And ye came to the sea; and
the Egyptians pursued after your fathers, with chariots and
7 horsemen, unto the Red sea. And they cried to Jehovah ;
and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and
brought the sea upon them, and covered them ; and your
eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt. And ye dwelt
8 in the wilderness a long season. And I brought you into the
land of the Amorites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And
they fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, that
ye might possess their land ; and I destroyed them from before
9 you. And Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose up
and warred against Israel ; and he sent and called Balaam the
10 son of Beor to curse you. And I would not hearken to Ba
laam, and he still blessed you ; and I delivered you out of his
11 hand. And ye passed over the Jordan, and came to Jericho!
And the inhabitants of Jericho fought against you ; the Am
orites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I
X2 delivered them into your hand. And I sent before you the
hornets ; which drove them out from before you, the two
kings of the Amorites ; not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
13 And I gave you a land on which ye labored not, and cities
which ye built not, and ye dwell in them ; of vineyards and
oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
14 And now fear Jehovah, and serve him in sincerity and in
truth ; and put away the gods which your fathers served be-
15 yond the river, and in Egypt, and serve ye Jehovah. And
if it seem evil to you to serve Jehovah, choose for you this
day whom ye will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers
served, that were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amor
ites, in whose land ye dwell ; but as for me and my house,
we will serve Jehovah.
V. 12. The hornets ; metaphorically descriptive of the tenor and panic which preceded the
advance of the Israelites.
48

JOSHUA. Chap. xxrv.

16 And the people answered and said : Far be it from us that
17 we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods. For Jeho
vah our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who
did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the
way wherein we went, and among all the people through
i8 whom we passed. And Jehovah drove out from before us all
the peoples, and the Amorites which dwelt in the land ; we
will also serve Jehovah, for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said to the people : Ye cannot serve Jehovah.
For he is a holy God ; he is a jealous God ; he will not for-
20 g[ve y0ur transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake Jeho
vah, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you
hurt, and consume you, after that he has done you good.
21 And the people said to Joshua : Nay ; for we will serve Je-
22 hovah. And Joshua said to the people : Ye are witnesses
against yourselves, that ye have chosen for you Jehovah, to
23 serve him. And they said : We are witnesses. And now
put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline
24 your heart to Jehovah God of Israel. And the people said
to Joshua: Jehovah our God will we serve, and his voice
25 will we obey. And Joshua made a covenant with the people
that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of
God ; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under
27 an oak, that was by the sanctuary of Jehovah. And Joshua
said to all the people : Behold, this stone shall be for a wit
ness against us ; for it has heard all the words of Jehovah
which he has spoken with us, and shall be for a witness
28 against you, lest ye deny your God. And Joshua let the
people depart, every man to his inheritance.
29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the
son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred
30 and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of
his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in mount Ephraim,
31 on the north side of mount Gaash. And Israel served Je
hovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders
49

Chap. xxiv. JOSHUA.

that long outlived Joshua, and who had known all the works
of Jehovah, that he had done for Israel.
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel
brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a part
of the field which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the
father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitas ; and it became the
33 inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazar the son
of Aaron died. And they buried him in Gibeah [the city] of
Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
V. 32. Kesitas. See the writer's note on Gen. 33 : 19.
50

BOOK OF THE JUDGES.
1 And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the
children of Israel inquired of Jehovah, saying: Who shall
first go up for us against the Canaanites, to fight against
2 them? And Jehovah said: Judah shall go up. Behold, I
3 have given the land into his hand. And Judah said to
Simeon his brother : Go up with me into my lot, and let us
fight against the Canaanites ; and I also will go with thee
4 into thy lot. And Simeon went with him. And Judah
went up ; and Jehovah gave the Canaanites and the Periz-
zites into their hand ; and they smote of them in Bezek ten
5 thousand men. And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek ; and
they fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and
G the Perizzites. And Adoni-bezek fled. And they pursued
after him, and caught him ; and they cut off his thumbs and
7 his great toes. And Adoni-bezek said : Threescore and ten
kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gath
ered [food] under my table. As I have done, so God has
requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and
8 there he died. And the children of Judah fought against
Jerusalem. And they took it, and smote it with the edge
of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight
against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the hill country, and in
i° the south, and in the lowland. And Judah went against
the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron ; and the name of He
bron formerly was city of Arba ; and they smote Sheshai,
11 and Ahiman, and Talinai. And from thence he went against
the inhabitants, of Debir ; and the name of Debir formerly
12 was Kirjath-sepher. And Caleb said : He that smites Kirjath-
V. 10. Vity of Arba. Or, Kirjath-arba. 51

Chap, l JUDGES.

sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter
13 to wife. And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother, took it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter to
u wife. And it came to pass, when she had come, that she
moved him to ask of her father the field. And she alighted
from the ass ; and Caleb said to her, What wouldest thou ?
15 And she said to him: Give me a present. For thou hast
given me a south land ; give me also springs of water. And
Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went
up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah
into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the south of Arad.
17 And they went and dwelt among the people. And Judah
went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanites
that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the
18 name of the city was called Hormah. And Judah took
Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the border
19 thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof. And Jehovah
was with Judah ; and he took possession of the hill country ;
for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, be-
20 cause they had chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron to
Caleb, as Moses said ; and he drove out thence the three
sons of Anak.
21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebu
sites that inhabited Jerusalem ; and the Jebusites dwell with
the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up to Beth-el;
23 and Jehovah was with them. And the house of Joseph sent
to spy out Beth-el. And the name of the city formerly was
24 Luz. And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the
city. And they said to him: Show us, we pray thee, the
entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee.
25 And he showed them the entrance into the city. And they
smote the city with the edge of the sword ; and they let the
26 man go and all his family. And the man went into the land
of the Hittites. And he built a city, and called its name
. Luz. That is its name to this day.
52

JUDGES. Chap. n.

27 Nor did Manasseh get possession of Beth-shean and her
daughters, nor Taanach and her daughters, nor [drive out]
the inhabitants of Dor and her daughters, nor the inhabit
ants of Ibleam and her daughters, nor the inhabitants of
Megiddo and her daughters. And it was the will of the
28 Canaanites to dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when
Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute,
and did not utterly drive them out.
29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in
Gezer ; and the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor
the inhabitants of Nahalol ; and the Canaanites dwelt among
them, and became tributary.
31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the
inhabitants of Zidon, and Ahlab, and Achzib, and Helbah,
32 and Aphik, and Rehob. And the Asherites dwelt among
the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land ; for they did not
drive them out.
33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh,
nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath ; and he dwelt among the
Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants
of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributary to them.
34 And the Amorites crowded the children of Dan into the hill
country ; for they would not suffer them to come down to the
35 valley. And it was the will of the Amorites to dwell in
mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. And the hand
of the house of Joseph was heavy, and they became tribu-
36 tary. And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent
to Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.

i

And an angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim,
and said : I made you go up out of Egypt, and have brought
you unto the land which I had sworn to your fathers ; and I
2 said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall
make no league with the inhabitants of this land ; ye shall
throw down their altars ; and ye have not obeyed my voice.

V. 27. Daughters. See the note on Josh. 15 : 45.
53

Chap. n. JUDGES.

3 What is this that ye have done? And I have also said: I
will not thrust them out from before you ; but they shall be
your adversaries, and their gods shall be a snare to you.
4 And it came to pass, when the angel of Jehovah had spoken
these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted
6 up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that
place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to Jehovah.
6 And Joshua let the people go ; and the children of Israel
7 went every man to his inheritance, to possess the land. And
the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the
days of the elders that long outlived Joshua, who saw all the
8 great works of Jehovah, that he wrought for Israel. And
Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being
9 a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the
border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of
10 Ephraim, on the north side of mount Gaash. And also all
that generation were gathered to their fathers ; and there
arose another generation after them, which knew not Jehovah,
nor yet the works which he had wrought for Israel.
n And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah,
12 and served the Baals. And they forsook Jehovah, the God
of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt,
and went after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that
were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them,
13 and provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah,
and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
14 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel ; and he
gave them into the hand of plunderers that plundered them,
and he sold them into the hand of their enemies round about,
15 and they could no longer stand before their enemies. Whith
ersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against
V. 5, ' Bochim ; Weepers.
V. 11. Baals. There were many temples of Baal, the supreme male divinity of those
idolatrous nations ; and he was worshipped under various local designations, and diversities
of character and attributes. Baalim, in our common version, is the Hebrew plural of Baal.
V. 13. Ashtoreth was the supreme female divinity of those nations. She was the goddess
of licentiousness as well as of good fortune ; and her numerous temples were thronged with
ber votaries. For Baal and Ashtoreth see the writer's note on Gen. 14 : 5.
54

JUDGES. Chap. m.

them for evil; as Jehovah had said, and as Jehovah had
sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.
16 And Jehovah raised up judges; and they rescued them
n from the hand of those that plundered them. And to their
judges also they hearkened not ; for they went adulterously
after other gods, and bowed themselves to them ; they turned
quickly from the way which their fathers walked in, obeying
18 the commandments of Jehovah ; not so did they. And when
Jehovah raised them up judges, then Jehovah was with the
judge, and rescued them from the hand of their enemies all
the days of the judge. For Jehovah had compassion, be
cause of their groanings on account of those that oppressed
19 them, and afflicted them. And it came to pass, when the
judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves
more than did their fathers, in going after other gods to serve
them, and to bow down to them. They ceased not from their
own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
20 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. And
he said : Because this people have transgressed my covenant
which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened to
21 my voice ; I also will no more drive out any from before
22 them, of the nations which Joshua left when he died ; that
by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way
of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.
23 And. Jehovah let those nations remain, without speedily driv
ing them out ; nor did he give them into the hand of Joshua.
1 And these are the nations which Jehovah let remain, to
prove Israel by them, as many [of Israel] as had not known
2 all the wars of Canaan ; only that the generations of the chil
dren of Israel might get knowledge, to teach them war, them
3 only who knew it not before: [Namely], five lords of the
Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians. and the
Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-her-
4 mon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were for
proving Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken
V. 17. Adulterously. See the writer's note on Ps. 73 : 27.
55

Chap. m. JUDGES.
unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded
their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5 And the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Ca
naanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites,
6 and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their
daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their
7 sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did
evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God,
and served the Baals and the Asheras.
8 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. And he
sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Meso
potamia ; and the children of Israel served Chushan-risha-
9 thaim eight years. And the children of Israel cried unto
Jehovah. And Jehovah raised up a deliverer to the chil
dren of Israel, who delivered them, Othniel the son of Kenaz,
10 Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of Jehovah was
upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war ;
and Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia
into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Chushan-risha-
11 thaim. And the land had rest forty years ; and Othniel the
son of Kenaz died.
i2 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight
of Jehovah, and Jehovah strengthened Eglon the king of
Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of
X3 Jehovah. And he gathered to him the children of Ammon
and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and took possession
14 of the city of palm trees. And the children of Israel served
15 Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. And the children
of Israel cried unto Jehovah. And Jehovah raised them up
a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-
handed. And by him the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon
ifi the king of Moab. And Ehud made him a dagger which had
two edges, of a cubit's length ; and he girded it under his
V. 7. Ashera was a female idol, the goddess of concupiscence, represented and worshipped
in the form of wooden images or pillars.
V. 12. Strengthened. See Joshua 11 : 20.
56

JUDGES. Chap. m.

17 raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present
to Eglon king of Moab. And Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had made an end of offering the present, he
19 sent away the people that bore the present. And he himself
turned back from the graven images that were by Gilgal, and
said : I have a secret message for thee, 0 king. And he said :
Silence! And all that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came in to him ; and he was sitting in a cool up
per chamber, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud
said: I have a message from God to thee. And he rose up
21 from the seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took
the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his bowels.
22 And the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed
upon the blade ; for he did not draw the dagger out of his
23 bowels, and it came out behind. And Ehud went out on the
balcony, and shut the doors of the upper chamber upon him,
24 and locked them. And he went out. And his servants came
in and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber were
locked ; and they said : Surely he covers his feet in his cool
25 inner chamber. And they waited till they were ashamed ;
and, behold, he opened not the doors of the chamber. And
they took the key, and opened them ; and, behold, their lord
26 was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped while
they delayed ; and he passed beyond the graven images, and
27 escaped to Seirath. And it came to pass, when he was come,
that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the
children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and
28 he before them. And he said to them : Hasten after me ; for
Jehovah has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your
hand. And they went down after him, and seized the fofds
of the Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass
29 over. And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thou
sand men, all robust, and all men of war ; and there escaped
30 not a man. And Moab was subdued that day under the hand
of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath ; and he
smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad.
And he also delivered Israel. 57

Chap. rv. JUDGES.

1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of
2 Jehovah; and Ehud was dead. And Jehovah sold them
into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Ha
zor ; and the captain of his host was Sisera, and he dwelt in
3 Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried
unto Jehovah. For he had nine hundred chariots of iron ;
and twenty years he violently oppressed the children of Israel.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she
5 judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm
tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el on mount Eph
raim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judg-
6 ment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam
out of Kedesh-naphtali. And she said to him : Has not Jeho
vah God of Israel commanded? Go and draw toward mount
Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children
7 of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will
draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera the captain of
Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude ; and I will
8 give him into thy hand. And Barak said to her: If thou
wilt go with me, then I will go ; and if thou wilt not go with
9 me, I will not go. And she said : I will surely go with thee.
But yet thine honor will not be on the way that thou goest ;
for Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And
Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
i° And Barak called together Zebulun and Naphtali to
Kedesh ; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet,
n and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite
had severed himself from the Kenites, of the children of
Hobab the father in law of Moses ; and he pitched his tent
i2 unto the oak of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they
made known to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was
13 gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera called together all his
chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people
that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the
14 river of Kishon. And Deborah said to Barak : Up ; for this
is the day in which Jehovah has given Sisera into thy hand.
58

JUDGES. Chap. rv.

Is not Jehovah gone out before thee? And Barak went
down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
15 And Jehovah discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all
his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak. And
Sisera alighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his
i6 feet. And Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the
host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles. And all the host of
Sisera fell by the edge of the sword ; there was not even a
17 man left. And Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of
Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. For there was peace
between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber
the Kenite.
18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him : Turn
aside, my lord, turn aside to me ; fear not. And he turned
aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with the car-
19 pet. And he said to her : Give me, I pray thee, a little
water to drink ; for I am thirsty. And she opened the skin
20 of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. And he said
to her : Stand in the door of the tent, and if any man shall
come and inquire of thee, and say : Is there any one here ?
2i thou shalt say, No one. And Jael, Heber's wife, took the tent-
pin, and put the hammer in her hand, and came softly to him,
and smote the pin into his temples, and it went down into
the ground. And he was in a deep sleep and weary ; and
22 he died. And, behold, Barak was pursuing Sisera. And
Jael came out to meet him ; and she said to him : Go, and I
will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And he came
in to her, and, behold, Sisera fallen dead, and the pin in his
23 temples. And God subdued on that day Jabin the king of
24 Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the
children of Israel grew more and more heavy against Jabin
the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Ca
naan.
V. 19. Skin of milk. See the writer's note on Gen. 21 : 14.
V. 21. Jael, Heber's wife. There is no reason to doubt that she, notwithstanding the course
taken by her husband (ch. 4:11, 12), remained faithful to the cause of God's people. This
was her motive for the act here described, and the ground of the commendation bestowed on
it in ch. 5 : 24. Neither the act itself, nor Deborah's approval, is to be judged by the rules of
our higher civilization.
59

Chap. v. JUDGES.

i Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that
day, saying :—
2 That leaders in Israel led on,
That the people freely gave themselves,
Bless ye Jehovah !
3 Hear, ye kings ; give ear, ye princes ;
I, to Jehovah will I sing ;
Will sing praise to Jehovah, God of Israel.
4 Jehovah, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou didst march from the field of Edom,
Earth trembled, yea the heavens dropped,
Yea the clouds dropped water.
6 The mountains quaked before Jehovah —
That Sinai before Jehovah, God of Israel.
6 _ In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, the highways had rest,
And travelers went through by-paths.
7 They ceased, a ruler in Israel, they ceased,
Until that I, Deborah, arose,
That I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods ;
Then was war in the gates ;
Was there seen a shield or a spear,
Among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is toward the commanders of Israel ;
To them of the people that freely gave themselves.
Bless ye Jehovah !
io Ye that ride on white asses,
Ye that sit on carpetings,
And ye that walk by the way,
Think thereon;
11 Of the shout of those parting the spoil with water-drawers —
There will they rehearse Jehovah's righteous acts,
The righteous acts of his rule in Israel.
Then came they down to the gates, the people of Jehovah.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah ;
Awake, awake, utter a song ;
Arise, Barak, and lead thy captured captive,
Thou son of Abinoam !
I3 Then came down a remnant of the nobles, a people ;
Jehovah came down to me among the valiant ;
1* Out of Ephraim, their seat in Amalek,
After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples ;
eo

JUDGES. Chap. v.

Out of Machir came down commanders,
And out of Zebulun those holding the musterer's staff.
18 And my chiefs in Issachar were with Deborah ;
And Issachar, the strength of Barak,
Rushed at his feet into the valley.
By the streams of Beuben
Great were the resolves of heart.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheep-folds,
To hear the bleatings of the flocks?
By the streams of Beuben
Great were the searchings of heart.
17 Gilead abode beyond the Jordan ;
And Dan, why sojourns he in ships?
Asher sat by the sea-shore,
And abode in his havens.
18 Zebulun, a people that scorned its life, unto death,
And Naphtali, in the high places of the field.
19 There came kings — they fought ;
Then fought the kings of Canaan,
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo ;
Spoil of silver they took not away.
20 From heaven they fought ;
The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
That ancient river, the river Kishon.
O my soul, thou shalt tread down the strong !
22 Then stamped the horses' hoofs
In the rush, the rush of their mighty ones.
23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah ;
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof ;
Because they came not to the help of Jehovah,
To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.
24 Blessed above women be Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite ;
Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked water, she gave him milk ;
She brought curdled milk in a lordly dish.
26 She stretched out her hand to the nail,
And her right hand to the workmen's hammer ;
And she smote Sisera, she smote through his head,
And she crushed and pierced through his temples.
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay ;
At her feet he bowed, he fell ;
Where he bowed, there he fell down slain.
28 The mother of Sisera looked out at the window,
And cried through the lattice : —
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
61

Chap. vi. JUDGES.

Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wise princesses answered,
Yea, she returned answer to herself : —
30 Have they not sped, divided the prey?
A damsel, two damsels, to every man ;
A prey of dyed garments to Sisera,
A prey of dyed garments of embroidery ;
A dyed garment of double embroidery,
For the neck of the spoiler.
31 So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah 1
But they that love him are as the sun,
When he goes forth in his might, i
And the land had rest forty years.
1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah ;
and Jehovah gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of
the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the
dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the
3 strongholds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the
Midianites came up and the Amalekites, and the sons of the
4 east they came up, against them. And they encamped against
them, and destroyed the produce of the earth, till thou com-
est to Gaza ; and they left no sustenance in Israel, neither
5 sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle
and their tents ; and they came as locusts for multitude.
They and their camels were without number ; and they came
6 into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly enfeebled
i This sublime ode, commemorating the greatest of the many victories won in Jehovah's
name, had a lasting influence on the spirit of the people, and of the national literature. See,
for example, the 68th Psalm in the writer's revised version, and his remarks there, and in its
republication in Dr. Schaff 's edition of Lange's volume on the Psalms  V. 4. Seir— Edom.
Compare Deut. 32 : 2  V. 10 includes all ranks. That ride on white asses, men of princely
rank, nobles ; that sit on carpetings, the wealthy, they that live luxuriously ; that walk by the
way, that go on foot, the common people.  V. 11. Even the water-drawers, as they divide
the spoils at the fountains, will there recount the deeds of Jehovah.  Then came they down
to the gates ; from the mountain retreats (ch. 6 : 2) to their towns, now freed from the van
quished enemy.  W. 15, 16. Great resolves ; that came to nothing.  Searchings of heart;
showing that they were not wholly indifferent to the call of duty, but they could not forego the
ease and security of their pastoral life.  V. 20. They fought from heaven, etc. A poetic
and figurative conception of deliverance wrought from on high  V. 23. Meroz. A place
mentioned only here ; nothing more is known of it.  V. 25. The nail. The iron pin, sharp
ened at the point, to which the tent^cord was fastened.  V. 30. Have they not sped ? Or, as
some translate, " Shall they not Bpeed? " But the same tense is properly rendered as past, in
the two next preceding clauses ; and I prefer not to change the familiar phraseology of the
common version.
62

JUDGES. Chap. vi.

because of the Midianites. And the children of Israel cried
unto Jehovah.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto
8 Jehovah on account of the Midianites, that Jehovah sent a
prophet to the children of Israel, and said to them: Thus
says Jehovah God of Israel. I brought you up from Egypt,
9 and I brought you forth out of the house of bondage. And
I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of
the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from
10 before you, and gave you their land. And I said to you : I,
Jehovah, am your God ; fear not the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell. And ye have not obeyed my voice.
n And there came an angel of Jehovah, and sat under the
oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abi-
ezrite ; and Gideon his son was threshing wheat by the wine-
i2 press, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of Je
hovah appeared to him, and said to him : Jehovah is with
13 thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said to him :
Beseech thee my Lord, if Jehovah be with us, why has all
this befallen us? And where are all his wonders of which
our fathers told us, saying: Did not Jehovah bring us up
from Egypt? And now Jehovah has forsaken us, and given
u us into the grasp of the Midianites. And Jehovah turned to
him, and said: Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save
Israel from the grasp of the Midianites. Have not I sent
15 thee ? And he said to him : Beseech thee my Lord, where
with shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the feeblest
16 in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And
Jehovah said to him: Surely I will be with thee, and thou
17 shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said to him :
If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign
18 that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee,
until I come to thee, and bring forth my present, and set it
before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou comest
19 again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid of the
goats, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The flesh
he put in the basket, and he put the broth in the pot, and
63

Chap. vi. JUDGES.

20 brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it. And
the angel of God said to him : Take the flesh and the unleav
ened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the
broth. And he did so.
21 And the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff
that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleav
ened cakes ; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and con
sumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the angel
22 of Jehovah departed out of his sight. And Gideon saw that
he was an angel of Jehovah. And Gideon said : Alas, 0
Lord Jehovah ; for therefore have I seen an angel of Jeho-
23 vah face to face. And Jehovah said to him : Peace be to
24 thee ; fear not, thou shalt not die. And Gideon built an al
tar there unto Jehovah ; and he called it Jehovah-shalom.
Unto this day it is yet at Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
25 And it came to pass on the same night, that Jehovah said
to him : Take the young bullock, which is thy father's, and
the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the
altar of Baal that is thy father's, and cut down the Ashera
26 that is by it. And build an altar to Jehovah thy God upon
the top of this rock, with the wood laid in order, and take
the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood
27 of the Ashera which thou shalt cut down. And Gideon took
ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had said to him.
And as from fear of his father's house, and of the men of the
city, he could not do it by day, he did it by night.
28 And the men of the city rose early in the morning, and
behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the Ashera was
cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered
29 on the altar that was built. And they said one to another :
Who has done this thing ? And they searched and made in
quiry ; and they said : Gideon the son of Joash has done this
thing. And the men of the city said to Joash : Bring out

30

V. 22. For therefore ; namely, for the reason implied in the despairing exclamation "Alas,"
and plainly indicated in the next verse. See the writer's note on Gen. 16 : 13, 14.
V. 24. Shalom, peace. Jehovah-shalom, Jehovah gives peace ; alluding to the words,
"peace be to thee," in v. 23.
V. 25. Ashera. See the note on ch. 3 : 7.
64

JUDGES. Chap. vn.

thy son, that he may die ; because he has cast down the altar
of Baal, and because he has cut down the Ashera that was
31 by it. And Joash said to all that stood by him : Will ye
strive for Baal ? Or will ye save him ? He that will strive
for him, let him be put to death after the morrow. If he be
a god, let him strive for himself, because one has cast down
32 his altar. And on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying:
Let Baal strive with him, because he has thrown down his
altar.
33 And all the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the sons
of the east, were gathered together, and went over, and en-
34 camped in the valley of Jezreel. And the Spirit of Jehovah
entered into Gideon. And he blew a trumpet, and Abi-ezer
36 was gathered after him.' And he sent messengers throughout
all Manasseh, and he also was gathered after him. And he
sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali,
and they came up to meet them.
36 And Gideon said to God : If thou wilt save Israel by my
37 hand, as thou hast said ; behold, I lay a fleece of wool in the
threshing-floor ; if dew be on the fleece only, and dryness on
all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel
38 by my hand, as thou hast said. And it was so. For he rose
up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and
wrung out the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said to God : Let not thine anger burn against
me, and I will speak but this once. Let me make trial, I
pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry
only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night. And it was dry on the fleece
only, and there was dew on all the ground.
i And Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, rose up early, and all the
people that were with him, and encamped by the fountain
Harod. And the camp of the Midianites was on the north
2 side of him, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And Jeho
vah said to Gideon : The people^ that are with thee are too

V. 32. He called him. Or, he was calledi m

Chap. vn. JUDGES.

many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel
vaunt themselves against me, saying : My own hand has saved
3 me. Now then, proclaim in the ears of the people, and say :
Whosoever is fearful and timid, let him return and go back
from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people
twenty and two thousand ; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And Jehovah said to Gideon : The people are yet too many.
Bring them down to the water, and I will try them for thee
there. And it shall be, that of whom I say to thee, this shall
go with thee, the same shall go with thee ; and of whomso
ever I say to thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall
5 not go. And he brought the people down to the water.
And Jehovah said to Gideon : Every one that laps of the
water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him shalt thou set by
himself, and also every one that bows down upon his knees
6 to drink. And the number of them that lapped, with their
hand to their mouth, were three hundred men ; and all the
rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink
7 water. And Jehovah said to Gideon : By the three hundred
men that lapped will I save you, and give the Midianites into
thy hand. And let all the people go, every man to his place.
8 And the people took provision in their hand, and their trump
ets : and he sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent,
and retained those three hundred men. And the camp of
Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 And it came to pass on the same night, that Jehovah said
to him : Arise, get thee down into the camp ; for I have given
i° it into thy hand. But if thou fearest to go down, go thou
11 with Phurah thy servant down to the camp. And thou shalt
hear what they say ; and afterward shall thy hands be strength
ened to go down to the camp. Then went he down, he and
Phurah his servant, to the outside of the armed men that
12 were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites,
and all the sons of the east, lay along in the valley like locusts
for multitude ; and their camels were without number, as the
13 sand on the sea shore for multitude. And Gideon came ;
and behold, a man was telling a dream to his fellow. And
66

JUDGES. Chap. vn.

he said : Behold, I dreamed a dream ; and, lo, a cake of bar
ley bread roiled itself into the camp of Midian, and came to
the tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the
14 tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said : This is
no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man
of Israel. God has given Midian, and all the camp into his
hand.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream,
and the interpretation of it, that he worshipped, and returned
into the camp of Israel, and said : Arise, for Jehovah has
16 given into your hand the camp of Midian. And he divided
the three hundred men into three companies ; and he put a
trumpet in every man's hand, and empty pitchers, and lamps
17 within the pitchers. And he said to them : Look on me, and
do likewise ; and, behold, when I come to the outside of the
18 camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow
with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say: For
Jehovah, and for Gideon.
T9 And Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him,
came to the outside of the camp at the beginning of the mid
dle night-watch ; and they had but just set the watch. And
they blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers that were
20 in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets,
and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands,
and the trumpets in their right hands to blow with ; and they
21 cried : The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon. And they
stood every man in his place round about the camp ; and all
22 the host ran, and cried out, and fled. And the three hun
dred blew the trumpets, and Jehovah set every man's sword
against his fellow, throughout all the host. And the host fled
to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meho-
23 lah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel came together, out
of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and
pursued after the Midianites.

V. 13. The tent. The chief tent in the encampment, that of the chief in command.
67

Chap. vm. JUDGES.

24 And Gideon sent messengers through all mount Ephraim,
saying : Come down against the Midianites, and take from
them the waters unto Beth-barah and the Jordan. And all
the men of Ephraim came together, and took the waters unto
25 Beth-barah and the Jordan. And they took two princes of
Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And they slew Oreb upon the rock
Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pur
sued Midian. And they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb
to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
i And the men of Ephraim said to him : What is this thou
hast done to us, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest
to fight with the Midianites ? And they did chide with him
2 sharply. And he said to them : What have I done now in
comparison with you ? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim
3 better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? God has given into
your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb ; and what
was I able to do in comparison with you ? And their anger
abated toward him, when he said that.
4 And Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the
three hundred men that were with him ; faint, and pursuing.
5 And he said to the men of Succoth : Give, I pray you, loaves
of bread to the people that follow me ; for they are faint,
and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of
6 Midian. And the princes of Succoth said : Are the hands of
Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give
7 bread to thine army ? And Gideon said : Therefore when
Jehovah has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then
I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and
8 with briars. And he went up thence to Penuel, and spoke
to them likewise. And the men of Penuel answered him as
9 the men of Succoth had answered. And he spoke also to
the men of Penuel, saying : When I come again in peace, I
will break down this tower.
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts
with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left of all the
host of the sons of the east. And the fallen were a hundred
68

JUDGES. Chap, vnx

u and twenty thousand men that drew the sword. And Gideon
went up by the way of the dwellers in tents on the east of
Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the camp, while the camp
i2 was secure. And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued
after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and
Zalmunna, and put all the camp in fear.
13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle,
u from the ascent of Heres. And he caught a young man of
the men of Succoth, and inquired of him. And he described
to him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, three-
15 score and seventeen men. And he came to the men of Suc
coth, and said : Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, wherewith ye
upbraided me, saying: Are the hands of Zebah and Zal
munna now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy
iG men that are weary ? And he took the elders of the city,
and thorns of the wilderness, and briars, and with them he
17 taught the men of Succoth. And he beat down the tower
of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
i8 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna : What manner of men
were they whom ye slew at Tabor ? And they answered :
As thou art, so were they ; each in form like the children of
19 a king. And he said : They were my brothers, the sons of
my mother. As Jehovah lives, if ye had saved them alive
20 I would not slay you. And he said to Jether his firstborn :
Rise up, slay them. But the youth drew not his sword ; for
21 he feared, because he was yet a youth. And Zebah and Zal
munna said : Rise ihou, and fall upon us ; for as the man is,
so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and
Zalmunna. And he took away the crescents that were on
their camels' necks.
22 And the men of Israel said to Gideon : Rule thou over us,
both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also. For thou
23 hast saved us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said
to them : I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over
you ; Jehovah shall rule over you.
V. 16. He taught the men of Succoth. Gave them a lesson ; as in the margin of the writer's
revised version of the Book of Proverbs, and the explanatory note.
69

Chap. ix. JUDGES.

24 And Gideon said to them : I would make a request t>f you ;
that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey.
(For they had golden earrings ; for they were Ishmaelites).
25 And they answered : We will willingly give them. And they
spread out a mantle, and cast therein every man the earrings
26 of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings, which
he requested, was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of
gold ; besides crescents, and ear-drops, and purple garments
that were on the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that
27 were about their camels' necks. And Gideon made an ephod
thereof, and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel went
thither adulterously after it ; and it became a snare to Gideon,
and to his house.
28 And Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and
they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest
forty years in the days of Gideon.
29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his
30 own house. And Gideon had threescore and ten sons, that
31 came forth from his loins ; for he had many wives. And his
concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, and
he called his name Abimelech.
32 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
33 the Abi-ezrites. And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was
dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went adul-
34 terously after the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. And
the children of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God,
who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies
35 on every side. Nor showed they kindness to the house of
Jerubbaal-Gideon, according to all the goodness which he
had shown to Israel.
i And Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem to
the brothers of his mother, and spoke to them, and to all the
V. 24. They had golden earrings ; namely, the enemies, from whom the spoils were taken.
V. 27. Ephod. The high-priest's official garment, assumed by Gideon without warrant,
wi'hdrawing the people from the place selected by Jehovah for his worship.
V. 33. Baal-berith ; lord of covenants.
70

JUDGES. Chap. a.

2 family of the house of his mother's father, saying : Speak, I
pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem : Which is
better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, threescore and
ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you?
3 And remember that I am your bone and your flesh. And the
brothers of his mother spoke of him in the ears of all the
men of Shechem all these words. And their heart inclined
4 after Abimelech ; for they said : He is our brother. And
they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the
house of Baal-berith. And Abimelech hired therewith vain
6 and reckless persons, who followed him. And he came to
his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brothers, the sons
of Jerubbaal, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone ;
and there was left Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal,
6 for he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem came to
gether, and all the dwellers in the castle, and went and made
Abimelech king, by the monument-oak that was in Shechem.
7 And it was made known to Jotham. And he went, and
stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice,
and cried aloud, and said to them : Hearken to me, ye men
8 of Shechem, that God may hearken to you. The trees would
needs go forth to anoint a king over them. Arid they said to
9 the olive tree : Reign thou over us. And the olive tree said
to them : Should I forsake my fatness, wherewith by me they
10 honor God and man, and go to wave over the trees ? And
u the trees said to the fig tree : Come thou, reign over us. And
the fig tree said to them : Should I forsake my sweetness, and
i2 my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees ? And the trees
13 said to the vine : Come thou, reign over us. And the vine
said to them : Should I forsake my new wine, which cheers
u god and man, and go to wave over the trees ? And all the
13 trees said to the bramble : Come thou, reign over us. And
the bramble said to the trees : If in truth ye anoint me king
V. 8. Would ne ds go ; possessed with the idea, that they could not do without a king, and
must needs get one.  The peculiar and expressive form of the Hebrew is overlooked in the
common English version.
V. 9. Wherewith in me. Or, [I] in whom.
V 13. Cheers god and man. An idol god is meant.
71

Chap. ix. JUDGES.

over you, come, take refuge in my shadow ; and if not, let
fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of
i6 Lebanon. And now, if ye have done truly and uprightly, in
that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well
with Jerubbaal and with his house, and have done to him ac-
17 cording to the desert of his hands ; (for that my father fought
for you, and cast his life from him, and delivered you out of
18 the hand of Midian ; and ye have 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 maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because
19 he is your brother ;) if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly
with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye
20 in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you ; and if not, let
fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of She
chem, and the dwellers in the castle, and let fire come out
from the men of Shechem, and from the dwellers in the castle,
21 and devour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled,
and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his
brother.
^ And Abimelech reigned three years over Israel. And God
sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of She
chem. 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 their blood be laid, upon
Abimelech their brother, who slew them,. and upon the men
of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers.
25 And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him in the tops
of the mountains ; and they robbed all that passed by them
on the way. And it was told Abimelech.
26 And Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brothers, and
passed over to Shechem. And the men of Shechem con-
27 tided in him. And they went out into the fields, and gath
ered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held merry
festivals, and A/ent into the house of their god, and ate and
V. 17. Cast his life from him. Adventured it, as a thing of no account.
72

JUDGES. Chap. rx.

28 drank, and cursed Abimelech. And 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 the men of Hamor the father of Shechem ;
29 and wherefore should we serve him ? And would that this
people were under my hand ! Then would I remove Abime
lech. And he said to Abimelech : Increase thine army, and
come out.
30 And Zebul the prefect of the city heard the words of Gaal
31 the son of Ebed, and his anger was kindled. And he sent
messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying : Behold, Gaal
the son of Ebed and his brothers are come to Shechem ; and,
32 behold, they are stirring up the city against thee. And now
rise up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and
33 lie in wait in the field. And it shall be, that in the morning,
at the rising of the sun, thou shalt rise early, and fall upon
the city. And, behold, he and the people that are with him,
will come out against thee, and thou mayest do to him as thy
hand shall find.
34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were him,
by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem, in four com-
35 panies. And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and stood at
the entrance of the gate of the city. And Abimelech rose up,
36 and the people that were with him, from the ambush. And
Gaal saw the people ; and he said to Zebul : Behold, there
come people down from the tops of the mountains. And
Zebul said to him : The shadow of the mountains thou seest
37 as men. And Gaal spoke again and said : See, there come
people down from the height of the land, and one company
38 come along by the magicians-oak. And Zebul said to him :
Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst : Who is
Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not this the people
that thou hast despised? Go forth now, I pray, and fight
39 with him. And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem,
40 and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech pursued after
him, and he fled before him. And many fell down slain,
4i even unto the entrance of the gate. And Abimelech re-
73

Chap. ix. JUDGES.

mained at Arumah. And Zebul thrust out Gaal and his
42 brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem. And it
came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into
43 the fields ; and it was told to Abimelech. And he took the
people, and divided them into three companies, and lay in
wait in the field. And he looked, and, behold, the people
coming forth out of the city ; and he rose up against them,
44 and smote them. And Abimelech, and the company that
was with him, spread out, and stood at the entrance of the
gate of the city ; and two companies spread out against all
45 that were in the fields, and smote them. And Abimelech
fought against the city all that day ; and he took the city,
and slew the people that were in it, and destroyed the city,
and sowed it with salt.
40 And all the men of the tower of Shechem heard it. And
47 they entered into a hold of the house of the god Berith. And
it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of She-
48 chem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to
mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him ;
and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a
bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoul
der, and said to the people that were with him: What ye
49 have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And
all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and
went after Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the
hold on fire over them. And all the men of the tower of
Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.
50 And Abimelech went to Thebez ; and he encamped against
61 Thebez, and took it. And there was a strong tower within
the city. And all the men and women fled thither, and all
they of the city, and shut it behind them, and went up to the
52 roof of the tower. And Abimelech came to the tower, and
fought against it. And he went near to the door of the tower,

V. 46. The god Berith ; god of covenants, and therefore they sought asylum there.  A
hold. It is not certain what part of the temple is meant. It was a place of refuge (1 Sam.
13 : 6, "high place"), partly owing to its position, and partly to the sanctity of the temple,
which Abimelech disregarded.
74

JUDGES. Chap. x.

63

to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast a piece of a
54 millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. And
he called hastily to the servant that bore his armor, and said
to him : Draw thy sword, and slay me, that they may not say
of me : A woman slew him. And his servant thrust him
55 through, and he died. And the men of Israel saw that
Abimelech was dead ; and they went every man to his place.
66 And God requited the evil of Abimelech, which he did to
57 his father, in slaying his seventy brothers. And all the evil
of the men of Shechem did God return upon their heads ;
and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerub
baal.
i And after Abimelech there arose to deliver Israel Tola the
son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar. And he
dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. And he judged Israel
twenty and three years. And he died, and was buried in
Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite. And he judged
4 Israel twenty and two years. And he had thirty sons that
rode on thirty young asses, and they had thirty cities. They
are called Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of
5 Gilead. And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of
Jehovah. And they served the Baals, and the Ashtoreths,
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 Jehovah, and
7 served him not. And the anger of Jehovah burned against
Israel. And he sold them into the hand of the Philistines,
8 and into the hand of the sons of Ammon. And that year
they oppressed and harassed the children of Israel ; eighteen
years, all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan
V. 53. A piece of a millstone. According to some authorities, " an upper millstone." But
that rendering is doubtful.
V. 4. Havoth-jair, towns of Jair ; originally named from Jair, the son of Manasseh. Num.
32 : 41 ; Deut. 3 : 14 ; Josh. 13 : 30 ; 1 K. 4 : 13.  V. 6. The Baals and the Ashtoreths. See
the note onch. 2 : 11, 13. 75

Chap. xi. JUDGES.

9 in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. And the
sons of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against
Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Eph
raim. And Israel was sorely distressed.
i° And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying:
We have sinned against thee, in that we have forsaken our
n God, and have served the Baals. And Jehovah said to the
children of Israel : Have not I delivered you from the Egyp
tians, and from the Amorites, from the sons of Ammon, and
i2 from the Philistines ? And the Zidonians, and the Amalek
ites, and the Maonites, oppressed you ; and ye cried to me,
i3 and I delivered you out of their hand. And ye have for
saken me, and have served other gods. Therefore I will de-
14 liver you no more. Go, and cry unto the gods which ye
have chosen ; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.
15 And the children of Israel said to Jehovah : We have sin
ned. Do thou to us according to all that is good in thy sight ;
i6 only deliver us, we pray thee, this day. And they put away
the strange gods from among them, and served Jehovah ; and
17 his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. And the chil
dren of Ammon were summoned together, and encamped in
Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves,
X8 and encamped in Mizpeh. And the people, princes of Gilead,
said one to another : Who is the man that will begin to fight
against the sons of Ammon? He shall be head of all the
inhabitants of Gilead.
1 And Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a strong and heroic man.
And he was the son of a harlot ; and Gilead had begotten
2 Jephthah. And the wife of Gilead bore him sons. And
the sons of the wife grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah,
and said to him : Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house,
3 for thou art the son of another woman. And Jephthah fled
from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob ; and vain
men gathered to Jephthah, and went forth with him.
4 And it came to pass, after a time, that the sons of Ammon
5 made war with Israel. And so it was, that when the sons
76

JUDGES. " Chap. xi.

of Ammon made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went
6 to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob. And they said
to Jephthah : Come, and be our leader, that we may fight
7 against the sons of Ammon. And Jephthah said to the
elders of Gilead : Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of
my father's house ? And why are ye come to me now, when
8 ye are in distress ? And the elders of Gilead said to Jeph
thah : Therefore do we now turn again to thee, that thou
mayest go with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and
9 be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jeph
thah said to the elders of Gilead : If ye bring me back again
to fight against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah gives them
10 up before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of
Gilead said to Jephthah : Jehovah be witness between us, if
u we do not so according to thy word. And Jephthah went
with the elders of Gilead. And the people set him over
them for a head and leader. And Jephthah uttered all his
words before Jehovah in Mizpeh.
X2 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of
Ammon, saying : What hast thou to do with me, that thou
13 comest to me, to fight against my land ? And the king of
the sons of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah :
Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out
of Egypt, from Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the
14 Jordan. Now therefore return them again peaceably. And
Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of
15 Ammon. And he said to him : Thus says Jephthah ; Israel
took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of
i6 Ammon. For, when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went
through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh.
17 And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying: Let
me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; and the king of
Edom hearkened not. And he also sent to the king of Moab ;
and he would not consent. And Israel abode in Kadesh.
ig And he went along through the wilderness, and went round
the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came on the
east side of the land of Moab. And they encamped on the
77

Chap. xi. JUDGES.

other side of Arnon, and came not within the border of
19 Moab ; for Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent
messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king at Hesh
bon ; and Israel said to him : Let us pass, I pray thee,
20 through thy land into my place. And Sihon trusted not
Israel to pass through his border. And Sihon gathered all
his people, and they encamped at Jahaz ; and he fought with
21 Israel. And Jehovah, God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his
people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them. And
Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites inhabiting that
22 land. And they possessed all the country of the Amorites,
from Arnon unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness unto
23 the Jordan. And now Jehovah, God of Israel, has dispos
sessed the Amorites before his people Israel ; and shouldest
24 thou dispossess him ? Wilt not thou possess that which Che
mosh thy god gives thee to possess ? And all that Jehovah,
25 our God, has given us to possess, we will possess it. And
now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor,
king of Moab ? Did he at all contend against Israel, or did
26 he at all fight against them ? While Israel dwelt in Hesh
bon and her daughters, and in Aroer and her daughters, and
in all the cities that are along by the shores of Arnon, three
hundred years, wherefore did ye not recover them within
27 that time ? And I have not sinned . against thee, but thou
doest me wrong to Avar against me. Jehovah, the Judge,
be judge this day between the children of Israel and the
28 sons of Ammon. And the king of the sons of Ammon heark
ened not to the words of Jephthah, which he sent to him.
29 And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah. And
he passed over Gilead and Manasseh ; and he passed over
Mizpeh of Gilead ; and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed
30 over to the sons of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow
unto Jehovah, and said : If thou wilt surely give the sons
31 of Ammon into my hand ; then it shall be, that whatsoever
shall go out from the doors of my house, to meet me when I

V. 26. Her daughters. See the note on Josh. 15 : 45.
78

JUDGES. Chap. xi.

return in peace from the sons of Ammon, shall be Jehovah's,
and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
And Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight
33 against them. And Jehovah gave them into his hand. And
he smote them from Aroer till thou comest to Minnith, twenty
cities, and unto Abel-keramim, with a very great slaughter.
And the sons of Ammon were subdued before the children
of Israel.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house ; and, behold,
his daughter going 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 so it was, 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. I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I
30 cannot go back. And she said to him : My father, if thou
hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah, do to me according to
that which has gone forth from thy mouth ; forasmuch as
Jehovah has taken vengeance for thee of thy enemies, of the
37 sons of Ammon. And she said to her father : Let this thing
be done for me ; release me for two months, that I may go
up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity,
33 I and my companions. And he said, Go. And he sent her
away for two months. And she went, she and her compan-
39 ions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And
it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned
to her father. And he did to her according to his vow which
he had vowed. And she knew not a man. And it was a
40 custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to
commemorate the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, four
days in the year.
Ch. xi. 34-40. The circumstances here narrated place the fate of Jephthah's daughter in a
clear light. She was devoted to Jehovah in a life of celibacy. This was in striot accordance
with the import of Jephthah's vow, that whatevi-r met him should be Jehovah's ; and in no
other way could the vow be fulfilled in the person of a human being. To the Hebrew maiden
this had an import which is not apparent to us. It meant the sacrifice of what was dearest in
life, and gave to life its highest charm. The language of V3. 37 and 38 shows that it was not
death in her youthful prime, that was the subject of lamentation. They "bewailed her vir
ginity" ; cut off as she was, in her maiden prime, from all that gave brightness to the future.
The brief resoite she asked, and her manner of spending it, have no significance in any other
79

Chap. xn. JUDGES.

1 And the men of Ephraim came together, and passed over
northward, and said to Jephthah : Wherefore didst thou pass
over to fight against the sons of Ammon, and didst not call
us to go with thee ? Thy house we will burn over thee with
2 fire. And Jephthah said to them : I was in great strife, I
and my people, with the sons of Ammon ; and I cried to you,
3 and ye delivered me not out of their hand. And I saw that
ye would not save ; and I put my life in my hand, and passed
over to the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah gave them into my
hand. Wherefore then are ye come up to me this day, to
4 fight against me ? And Jephthah gathered all the men of
Gilead, and fought with Ephraim. And the men- of Gilead
smote Ephraim ; because they said : Ye Gileadites are fugi
tives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the
6 Manassites. And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan
to Ephraim. And it was so, when the fugitives of Ephraim
said, Let me go over, that the men of Gilead said to him,
6 Art thou an Ephraimite ? If he said, Nay, they said to him,
Say now Shibboleth ; and he said Sibboleth, for he could not
frame to pronounce it right. And they seized him, and slew
him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time
7 of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. And Jephthah
judged Israel six years. And Jephthah the Gileadite died,
and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
9 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. And he
had thirty sons ; and thirty daughters he let go abroad, and
brought in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And
view. She sought solace for her grief in the sympathy of her young companions, among those
mountain solitudes, where they might freely share a sorrow, which could not properly be in
dulged and find expression in the abodes and company of men. For mourning her untimely
death, the place was her father's house, in the companionship of her kindred.  And she
knew not a man has a marked significance, if it is meant that she passed her life in celibacy ;
but it has no pertinency on any other supposition.
" Whatsoever shall go out from the doors of my houBe," is the true expression of the Hebrew
in the twenty-seventh verse. A person might be meant, or an animal. But Jephthah, it is
probable, thought only of its worth ; vowing to withhold nothing, however valuable it might
be. His demeanor, on seeing his daughter, his only child, is explained by what has already
been said ; for he knew what it portended, to himself as well as to her.  " To meet " does
not in itself imply a purpose or intention of meeting, but only a concurrence, accidental or
intended. V. 9. Let go abroad. Gave them in marriage. 80

JUDGES. Chap. xm.

i° he judged Israel seven years. And Ibzan died, and was
buried at Beth-lehem.
n And after him Elon, the Zebulonite, judged Israel. And
i3 he judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebulonite died,
and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, the Pirathonite,
14 judged Israel. And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons,
that rode on threescore and ten young asses. And he judged
i5 Israel eight years. And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pira
thonite died, and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Eph
raim, on the mount of the Amalekites.
1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of
Jehovah. And Jehovah gave them into the, hand of the
Philistines forty years.
2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the
Danites, whose name was Manoah ; and his wife was barren,
3 and did not bear. And an angel of Jehovah appeared to the
woman, and said to her : Behold now, thou art barren, and
4 bearest not ; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. And
now beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong
5 drink, and eat nothing unclean. For, lo, thou shalt conceive,
and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head ; for
the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb. And
he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Phil
istines.
6 And the woman came and told her husband, saying : A
man of God came to me, and his countenance was like the
countenance of an angel of God, very terrible. And I asked
7 him not whence he was, nor did he tell me his name. And
he said to me : Lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. And
now drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean ;
for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God, from the womb to
the day of his death.
8 And Manoah prayed to Jehovah, and said : Beseech thee
Lord, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again
V 5. Naiajrite unto God. One consecrated to God.
81

Chap. xm. JUDGES.

to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child that shall
9 be born. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah. And
the angel of God came again to the woman ; and she was
sitting in the field, and Manoah her husband was not with
10 her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her
husband, and said to him : Behold, the man has appeared
n to me, who came to me on that day. And Manoah arose,
and went after his wife. And he came to the man, and said
to him : Art thou the man that spoke to the woman ? And
X2 he said, I am. And Manoah said : Now when thy words
come to pass, what shall be the rule for the child, and the
X3 treatment of him ? And the angel of Jehovah said to Ma-
14 noah : Of all that I said to the woman let her beware. She
may not eatfof any thing that comes from the vine, nor drink
wine or strong drink, nor eat any thing unclean. All that I
commanded her she shall observe.
15 And Manoah said to the angel of Jehovah : I pray thee,
let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid of the
16 goats for thee. And the angel of Jehovah said to Manoah :
If thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread ; and if thou
wilt make a burnt offering to Jehovah, thou mayest offer it.
For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of Jehovah.
17 And Manoah said to the angel of Jehovah : What is thy
name ? That when thy words come to pass, we may do thee
28 honor. And the angel of Jehovah said to him : Why askest
19 thou thus after my name, since it is wonderful ? And Ma
noah took the kid of the goats and the meat offering, and
offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah. And he did won-
20 drously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it was so,
when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that
the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar ;
and Manoah and his wife looked on, and they fell on their
21 faces to the ground. And the angel of Jehovah appeared
no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew
22 that he was an angel of Jehovah. And Manoah said to his
23 wife : We shall surely die ; for we have seen God. And his
wife said to him : If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he
82

JUDGES. Chap. xiv.

would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offeiing
at our hands ; and he would not have made us see all these
things, nor at this time have told us such things as these.
21 And the woman bore a son ; and she called his name Sam
son. And the child grew up, and Jehovah blessed him.
25 And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him, in the camp
of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
1 And Samson went down to Timnath. And he saw a
2 woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines. And
he came up, and told his father and his mother. And he
said : I have seen a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of
3 the Philistines ; and now get her for me for a wife. And his
father and his mother said to him : Is there no woman among
the daughters of thy brethren, and among all my people, that
thou goest to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?
And Samson said to his father : Get her for me ; for she
4 pleases me well. And his father and his mother knew not
that it was from Jehovah. For he sought an occasion from
the Philistines. And at that time the Philistines had dominion
over Israel.
5 And Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to
' Timnath. And they came to the vineyards of Timnath ; and,
6 behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of
Jehovah came suddenly upon him, and he rent him as one
rends a kid, and there was nothing in his hand. And he
7 told not his father or his mother what he had done. And
he went down, and talked with the woman ; and she pleased
Samson well.
8 And after a time he returned to take her. And he turned
aside to see the carcass of the lion ; and, behold, a swarm of
0 bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took thereof
in his hands, and went on eating as he went, and came to his
father and his mother. And he gave to them, and they did
V. 4. For he sought. Samson is meant.
V. 8. In the body of the lion. In that climate, the powerful heat of the sun soon dries up
all the moisture in the flesh of a dead animal. Putrefaction does not follow ; and in this case,
the dried up carcass was occupied by a swarm of bees.
83

Chap. xrv. JUDGES.

eat ; and he told them not that he took the honey out of the
body of the lion.
10 And his father went down to the woman. And Samson
n made there a feast ; for so used the young men to do. And
so it was, when they saw him, that they brought thirty com
panions to be with him.
i2 And Samson said to them : I will now put forth a riddle
to you ; if ye shall certainly declare it to me in the seven
days of the feast, and have found it out, then I will give you
13 thirty shirts and thirty changes of raiment. And if ye shall
not be able to declare it to me, then shall ye give me thirty
shirts and thirty changes of raiment. And they said to him:
14 Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said to
them : Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the
strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three
15 days declare the riddle. And it was so on the seventh day,
that they said to the wife of Samson : Entice thy husband, that
he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy
father's house with fire. Have ye called us to take all that
X6 we have ? Is it not so ? And Samson's wife wept before
him, and said : Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not.
Thou hast put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and
to me thou hast not made it known. He said to her : Be
hold, I have not made it known to my father nor my mother •
17 and shall I make it known to thee ? And she wept before
him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And it was so on
the seventh day, that he made it known to her, because she
sorely pressed him. And she made known the riddle to the
T8 sons of her people. And the men of the city said to 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 to them : If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had
not found out my riddle.
19 And the Spirit of Jehovah came suddenly upon him ; and
he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them,
and took their spoil ; and he gave the changes of raiment to
them that made known the riddle. And his anger was
84

JUDGES. Chap. xv.

20 kindled, and he went up to his father's house. And Samson's
wife was given to his companion, whom he had made his
friend.
i And it came to pass after some days, in the time of wheat
harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid of the goats.
And he said : Let me go into the chamber to my wife. And
2 her father would not suffer him to go in. And her father
said : I thought thou didst utterly hate her, and I gave her
to thy friend. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Let
her be thine, I pray thee, instead of her.
3 And Samson said to them : I am this time free of blame
4 from the Philistines, if I do them an evil. And Samson went
and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, and
turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between the
5 two tails. And he set fire to the torches, and let them go
into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up
both the sheaves, and also the standing grain, and the vine-
6 yards and olive-yards. And the Philistines said : Who has
done this ? And they said : Samson, the son in law of the
Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his
friend. And the Philistines came up, and burned her and
7 her father with fire. And Samson said to them : If ye do
thus, I will surely be avenged on you, and after that I will
8 cease. And he smote them leg on thigh, with a great slaugh
ter. And he went down, and abode in the cleft of the rock
Etam.
9 And the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and
i° they spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah
said : Why are ye come up against us ? And they said : To
bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done
n to us. And three thousand men of Judah went down to the
cleft of the rock Etam. And they said to Samson : Knowest
thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us ? And what
is this that thou hast done to us ? And he said to them : As
V. 4. Foxes. Or jackals.  V. 7. After that I will cease. And will not rest before, is the
meaning.  V. 8. Leg on thigh; piled confusedly one upon another. Compare in v. 16, "a
heap, two heaps."
85

Chap. xvi. JUDGES.

i2 they did to me, so have I done to them. And they said to
him : We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver
thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said to
them: Swear to me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
13 And they said to him : No, but we will bind thee, and give !
thee into their hand ; and we will not kill thee. And they
bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the
rock.
u He was come to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted toward
him. And the Spirit of Jehovah came suddenly upon him,
and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that
was burned with fire, and his bands melted from his hands.
15 And he found a new jaw-bone of an ass ; and he put forth his
hand and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. And
Samson said : —
16 With the jaw-bone of an ass,
A heap, two heaps ;
With the jaw-bone of an ass I smote
A thousand men.
17 And it was so, when he had made an end of speaking, that
he cast away the jaw-bone out of his hand ; and he called
that place Ramath-lehi.
i8 And he was sore athirst. And he called on Jehovah, and
said : Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand
of thy servant ; and now shall I die of thirst, and fall into
19 the hand of the uncircumcised ? And God clave the hollow
that was in Lehi, and there came out water therefrom. And
he drank, and his spirit came again, and he revived. There
fore he called its name En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto
20 this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines
twenty years.
1 And Samson went to Gaza. And he saw there a harlot,
2 and came in unto her. It was told the Gazites, Samson is
V. 16. A heap, two heaps means, in the Hebrew idiom, any number of heaps  V. 17.
Ramath-lehi; jaw-bone height, from the resemblance of its tooth-like ridges.  V. 19. The
hollow. A depression in the rock, similar in shape to the household mortar, for which the
same Hebrew verb is used in Prov. 27 : 22.  En-hakkore. Invocation spring ; fountain
where one invoked Jehovah.
V. 1. Came in unto her ; into her house as a lodging-place for the night. Compare Josh.
2 : 1-3. 86

JUDGES. Chap. xvi.

come hither. And they encompassed him, and lay in wait
for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept
quiet all the night, saying : At the morning light we shall
3 kill him. And Samson lay till midnight. And he arose at
midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the city gate, and
the two posts, and pulled them up with the bar, and laid
them on 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 in
5 the valley of Sorek ; and her name was Delilah. And the
lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her : En
tice him, and see wherein is his great strength, and how we
may prevail against him and bind him, to subdue him. And
we will each one give thee eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson : Tell me, I pray thee, where
in is thy great strength, and wherewith thou mightest be
7 bound to subdue thee. And Samson said to her : If they
bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried,
8 then shall I be weak, and be as any other man. And the
lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords
which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 And men lying in wait sat in her chamber. And she said to
him : Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he rent the
cords, as a thread of tow is rent when it touches the fire.
i° And his strength was not known. And Delilah said to Sam
son : Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me lies. Now
tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said to her : If they bind me fast with new ropes,
with which no work has been done, then shall I be weak,
i2 and be as any other man. And Delilah took new ropes, and
bound him therewith. And she said to him : Philistines are
upon thee, Samson. And men lying in wait sat in the cham-
i3 ber. And he broke them off his arms like a thread. And
Delilah said to Samson : Hitherto thou hast deceived me, and
told me lies. Tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.

V 9 Was not known. . Its secret was not discovered.
87

Chap. xvi. JUDGES.

And he said to her : If thou weavest the seven locks of my
14 head with the warp. And she fastened them with the pin.
And she said to him : Philistines are upon thee, Samson.
And he awaked out of his sleep, and tore away the woof-pin
and the warp.
15 And she said to him : How canst thou say, I love thee,
when thy heart is not with me ? Thou hast deceived me
these three times, and hast not told me wherein is thy. great
16 strength. And it came to pass, when she urged him from
day to day with her words, and pressed him, and his soul
n was vexed unto death, that he told her all his heart. And
he said to her : There has not come a razor upon my head ;
for I am a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb. If I
be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall he
weak, and be as any other man.
ig And Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart. And
she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying : Come
up this once, for he has told me all his heart. And the lords
of the Philistines came up to her ; and they brought up the
19 money in their hand. And she let him sleep on her knees.
And she called the man, and made him shave off the seven
locks of his head. And she began to afflict him ; and his
20 strength departed from him. And she said : 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 loose.
21 And he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him. And
the Philistines laid hold of him, and dug out his eyes, and
brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with double fet-
22 ters of brass. And he ground in the prison house. And
the hair of his head began to grow again, after it was shorn.
23 And the lords of the Philistines assembled together, to
offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and for a festival.
And they said : Our god has delivered Samson our enemy
24 into our hand. And the people saw him, and they praised
their god. For they said : Our god has given into our hand
V. 14. The pin ; which fastened down the woof.  V. 17. JS'azarite. See ch. 13 : 5. 
V. 19. The man; who was lying in wait, vs. 9, 12.

JUDGES. Chap. xvn.

our enemy, and him that laid waste our land, and who slew
25 many of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were
merry, that they said : Call Samson, that he may make us
sport. And they called Samson out of the prison house ; and
he made them sport. And they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said to the lad that had hold of his hand : Suf
fer me that I may feel the pillars whereon the house stands,
27 that I may lean upon them. And the house was full of men
and women ; and all the lords of the Philistines were there ;
and on the roof were about three thousand men and women,
28 that looked on while Samson made sport. And Samson called
to Jehovah, and said : 0 Lord Jehovah, remember me I pray
thee, and strengthen me I pray thee, only this once, 0 God,
that I may be at once avenged on the Philistines for my two
29 eyes. And Samson clasped the two middle pillars on which
the house stood, and on which it was borne up, the one with
30 his right hand, and the other with his left. And Samson
said : Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed him
self mightily ; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon
all the people that were therein. And the dead which he
slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his
31 life. And his brothers and all his father's house went clown,
and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between
Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father.
And he judged Israel twenty years.
1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was
2 Micah. And he said to his mother : The eleven hundred
pieces of silver that were taken from thee, and thou didst
invoke a curse and saidst it also in my ears, behold the silver
is with me ; I took it. And his mother said : Blessed be thou

V 25. May make us sport ; that is, may be sport for us.  The history of the Judges
closes with this chapter. The struggle between the true and false religions was necessarily,
for the time, a conflict of power. See, for example, 16 : 23, 24. An avowed trust m Jehovah,
as the Supreme God and source of all power, was the required test of his representative, aside
from all personal qualities. It is this inspired faith in Jehovah that is commended in Heb.
H . 32  The book closes with the account of two remarkable events of that unsettled
period- the introduction of image worship under the name of Jehovah into the northern
tribe of Dan, chs. xvu., xviu., and the destructive war with the tribe of Benjamin, chs.

xix. — xxi.
89

Chap. xvin. JUDGES.

3 of Jehovah, my son. And he restored the eleven hundred
pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said : I have
consecrated the silver to Jehovah, from my hand for my son
to make a graven image and a molten image. Now therefore
4 I will return it to thee. And he gave the money back to his
mother. And his mother took two hundred pieces of silver,
and gave them to the founder. And he made thereof a
• graven image and a molten image ; and they were in the
5 house of Micah. And the man Micah had a house of gods.
And he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one
of his sons, and he became his priest.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did
7 that which was right in his own eyes. And there was a
young man of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah ; and
8 he was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And the man de
parted from the city, from Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn
where he might find a place. And he came to mount Eph-
9 raim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah
said to him : Whence comest thou ? And he said to him : I
am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where
10 I may find a place. And Micah said to him : Abide with me,
and be to 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
11 victuals. And the Levite went. And the Levite was con
tent to abide with the man ; and the young man was to him
12 as one of his sons. And Micah consecrated the Levite ; and
the young man became his priest, and was in the house of
13 Micah. And Micah said : Now know I that Jehovah will do
me good since I have the Levite for a priest.
i In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those
days the tribe of the Danites sought for them an inheritance
to dwell in ; for unto that day no inheritance had fallen to
2 them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan
V. 5. Teraphim ; small images, kept as domestic idols, or household gods. See the writer's
note on Gen. 31: 19.  Consecrated; literaily,filledthehandof. To fill the hand means to
give it full employment, to the exclusion of all else. Hence to fill the hand of one means, to
invest him with the priestly office, to consecrate him to it ; as in Ex. 28 : 41 ; 29 : 9.
90

JUDGES. Chap. xvm.

sent of their family five men out of their number, men of
valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and
to search it. And they said to them : Go, search the land.
And they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and
3 they lodged there. They were by the house of Micah, and
they knew the voice of the young man the Levite. And
they turned in thither, and said to him : Who has brought thee
hither ? And what doest thou in this place ? And what hast
4 thou here ? And he said to them : Thus and thus has Micah
5 done to me, and has hired me, and I am his priest. And
they said to him : Ask of God, we pray thee, that we may
know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6 And the priest said to them : Go in peace ; before Jehovah
is your way wherein ye go.
7 And the five men departed, and came to Laish. And they
saw the people that were therein, dwelling carelessly after
the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure, and none
having power to do aught of harm in the land ; and they
were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any
8 man. And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol.
9 And their brethren said to them : What say ye ? 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 ?
i° Be not slothful to go, to enter in to possess the land. When
ye go in ye will come to a people secure, and the land is
broad on all sides ; for God has given it into your hands, a
place where there is no want of any thing that is in the
earth.
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites,
out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men equipped
i2 with weapons of war. And they went up, and encamped in
Kirjath-jearim, in Judah. Therefore they have called that
place Mahaneh-Dan unto this day. Behold, it is back of Kir-
13 jath-jearim. And they passed on thence to mount Ephraim,
and came to the house of Micah.

V. 6. Before Jehovah ; that is, acceptable to him.  V. 12. Mahaneh-Dan: or, camp of
Dan. 91

Chap. xvm. JUDGES.

14 And the five men that went to spy out the land of Laish,
answered and said to their brethren : Do ye know that there
is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven im
age, and a molten image ? And now consider what ye have
i5 to do. And they turned thither, and came to the house of
the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, and asked
16 him of his welfare. And the six hundred men equipped with
their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood
17 at the entrance of the gate. And the five men that went to
spy out the land went up, came in thither, took the graven
image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten im
age ; and the priest stood at the entrance of the gate, and
the six hundred men that were equipped with weapons of
a8 war. And these came into the house of Micah, and took the
graven image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten
19 image. And the priest said to them : What do ye ? And
they said to 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 a priest to the house of one man,
or that thou be a priest to 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
21 of the people. And they turned and departed ; and they put
the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them.
22 They were far from the house of Micah, when the men
that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered
23 together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they
called to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces,
and said to Micah : What meanest thou by this assemblage ?
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 what is this that ye say to me, What meanest thou ?
25 And the children of Dan said to him : Let not thy voice be
heard among us, lest men of fierce spirit fall upon you, and
26 thou lose thy life, and the lives of thy household. And the
children of Dan went their way. And Micah saw that they
were too strong for him, and he turned and went back to his
92

JUDGES. Chap. xix.

27 house. And they took what Micah had made, and the priest
whom he had. And they came upon Laish, upon a people
that were quiet and secure ; and they smote them with the
28 edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire. And there
was no deliverer ; for it was far from Zidon, and they had no
business with any man. And it was in the valley that [ex
tends] to Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt
29 therein. And they called the name of the city Dan, after
the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. But
the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image. And
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and
his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day
31 of the captivity of the land. And they set up for themselves
Micah's graven image which he made, all the days that the
house of God was in Shiloh.

l

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king
in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the
sides of mount Ephraim ; and he took to him a concubine
2 out of Beth-lehem-judah. And his concubine played the
harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's
house, to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four months' time.
3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly
to her, to bring her back. And his servant was with him,
and a pair of asses. And she brought him into her father's
house. And the father of the damsel saw him, and rejoiced
4 to meet him. And his father in law, the damsel's father,
constrained him, and he abode with him three days. And
they ate and drank, 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 to his son in law : Strengthen thy heart with a
G morsel of bread, and after that thou mayest go. And they
sat down, and ate and drank both of them together. And
V. 1. Sides of mount Ephraim. Or, recesses of mount Ephraim. He was a roving Levite,
dwelling in his tent (v. 9) wherever he could best find employment and a livelihood.
93

Chap. xix. JUDGES.

the damsel's father said to the man : Be content, I pray thee,
7 and tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry. And the
man rose up to depart, and his father in law urged him, and
8 he lodged there again. 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 they delayed till the
9 declining day ; and they ate, both of them. And the man
rose up to depart, he and his concubine and his servant. And
his father in law, the damsel's father, said to him : Behold,
now the day draws toward evening ; I pray you tarry all
night. Behold, the day grows to an end ; lodge here, that
thy heart may be merry ; and to morrow be early on your
i° way, that thou mayest go to thy tent. And the man would
not tarry that night. And he rose up and went, and came
over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem. And with him was
a pair of asses saddled ; and his concubine was with him.
n When they were by Jebus the day was far spent. And the
servant said to his master : Come, I pray thee, and let us
X2 turn aside to this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And
his master said to him : We will not turn aside into a city of
strangers, who are not of the children of Israel. We will
13 pass over unto Gibeah. And he said to his servant : Come,
and we will draw near to one of the places, and lodge in
14 Gibeah, or in Ramah. And thejr passed on and went their
way. And the sun went down upon them by Gibeah, which
15 belonged to Benjamin. And they turned aside thither to go
in, to lodge in Gibeah. And he went in, and sat down in a
street of the city. And there was no man that took them
into the house to lodge.
i6 And, behold, an old man came out of the field from his
work, at even. And he was of mount Ephraim, and he so
journed in Gibeah. And the men of the place were Benjam-
17 ites. And he raised his eyes and saw the wayfaring man in
the street of the city. And the old man said : Whither goest
18 thou ? And whence comest thou ? And he said to him :
We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah to the sides of mount
Ephraim. I am from thence, and I went to Beth-lehem-
91

JUDGES. Chap. xix.

judah. And I attend on the house of Jehovah ; and there
19 is no man that receives me to his house. Yet there is both
straw and provender for our asses ; and there is also bread
and wine for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man
who is with thy servant. There is no want of any thing.
20 And the old man said : Peace be to thee. Only let all thy
21 wants be upon me. Only lodge not in the street. And he
brought him to his house. And he gave provender to the
asses ; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
22 They were making their hearts merry, and behold, men of
the city, certain lawless men, beset the house round about,
beating on the door. And they spoke to the master of the
house, the old man, saying : Bring out the man that came
23 into thy house, that we may know him. And the man, the
master of the house, went out to them, and said to them :
Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly ; seeing
24 that this man is come into my house, do not this folly. Be
hold, my daughter the maiden, and his concubine ; them I will
bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what
seems good to you. But to this man do not so vile a thing.
25 And the men would not hearken to him. And the man laid
hold of his concubine, and brought her out to them on the
street. And they knew her, and abused her all the night
until the morning. And at the dawning of the day, they let
26 her go. And the woman came at the approach of dawn, and
fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was,
27 till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and
opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his
way. And, behold, the woman, his concubine, fallen down
at the door of the house, and her hands on the threshold.
28 And he said to her : Rise up, and let us go. And none an
swered. And the man took her upon the ass, and rose up,
and went to his place.
29 And he came into his house. And he took a knife, and

V. 18. / attend on the house of Jehovah. Literally, " I walk the house of Jehovah," as a
servant of the sanctuary. Compare Ps. 134 ; the customary charge of the one who set the
night-watch, and their parting blessing to him.
95

Chap. xx. JUDGES.

30

laid hold of his concubine, and divided her by her bones into
twelve pieces, and sent her into all the border of Israel. And
it was so, that all who saw it said : There was no such deed
done nor seen, from the day the children of Israel came up
out of the land of Egypt unto this day. Consider of it, take
counsel, and speak.

i And all the children of Israel went out, and the congrega
tion was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to
Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to Jehovah at Mizpeh.
2 And the chief men of all the people, of all the tribes of Is
rael, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of
God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew the sword.
3 And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of
Israel had gone up to Mizpeh. And the children of Israel
4 said : Tell us, how was this wickedness ? And the Levite,
the husband of the woman that was killed, answered and
said : I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my
B concubine, to lodge. And men of Gibeah rose up against
me, and beset the house round about against me by night.
Me they thought to slay ; and my concubine they forced, that
6 she died. And I laid hold of my concubine, and cut her in
pieces, and sent her into all the country of the inheritance of
Israel. For they have committed wickedness and folly in
7 Israel. Behold, ye are all children of Israel ; give here word
and counsel for yourselves.
8 And all the people arose as one man, saying : We will not
9 one go to his tent, nor any one turn into his house. And
now this is the thing that we will do to Gibeah, — go up by
i° lot against it ; and we will take ten men of a hundred of all
the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thou
sand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people ; that
they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, accord-
n ing to all the folly that it has wrought in Israel. And all the
men of Israel were gathered to the city, united as one man.
X2 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of
Benjamin, saying: What evil is this that is done among you?
£6

JUDGES. Chap. xx.

13 And now deliver up the men, the lawless men that are in
Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil
from Israel. And the children of Benjamin would not hearken
14 to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. And the
children of Benjamin were gathered together out of the cities
unto Gibeah, to go out to the battle with the children of Is-
15 rael. And the children of Benjamin were mustered in that
day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew
the sword ; besides, the inhabitants of Gibeah were mustered
xs seven hundred chosen men. Among all this people were
seven hundred chosen men, lefthanded ; every one could
17 sling a stone to a hair, and not miss. And of the men of
Israel, besides Benjamin, were mustered four hundred thou
sand that drew the sword ; all these were men of war.
18 And they arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked of
God. And the children of Israel said : Who shall first go
up for us to the battle with the children of Benjamin? And
19 Jehovah said : Judah shall go up first. And the children
of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against
20 Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to the battle with
Benjamin. And the men of Israel put themselves in battle
21 array against them at Gibeah. And the children of Benja
min came forth out of Gibeah; and on that day they cast
down to the ground of the Israelites twenty and two thousand
22 men. And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged them
selves ; and they again set the battle in array, in the place
23 where they arrayed themselves on the first day. And the
children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until
the evening. And they asked of Jehovah, saying : Shall I
go again to battle with the children of Benjamin my brother?
24 And Jehovah said : Go up against him. And the children
of Israel came near to the children of Benjamin the second
25 day. And Benjamin went forth to meet them but of Gibeah
the second day. And again they cast down" to the ground
of the children of Israel eighteen thousand men. All these
drew the sword.
26 And all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up,
97

Chap. xx. JUDGES.

and came to Beth-el. And they wept, and sat there before Je
hovah, and fasted that day until the evening ; and they offered
27 burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. And the
children of Israel asked of Jehovah, (for the ark of the cove-
28 nant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the sou
of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days),
sajnng : Shall I yet again go out to battle with the children
of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Jehovah
said : Go up ; for to-morrow I will give him into thy hand.
39 And Israel set men in ambush round about Gibeah. And
the children of Israel went up against the children of Benja
min on the third day; and they put themselves in array
31 against Gibeah, as at other times. And the children of Ben
jamin went out against the people, and were drawn away
from the city ; and they began to smite some of the people
dead as at other times, in the highways of which one goes
up to Beth-el and the other to Gibeah in the field, about
32 thirty men of Israel. And the children of Benjamin said :
They are smitten before us, as at the first. And the chil
dren of Israel said : Let us flee, and draw them from the
33 city to the highways. And all the men of Israel rose up out
of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar;
and the ambush of Israel rushed forth from its place, from
34 the plain of Geba. And there came against Gibeah ten
thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was
hard ; and they knew not that the evil was near upon them.
35 And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel. And the chil
dren of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty
and five thousand and a hundred men ; all these drew the
36 sword. And the children of Benjamin saw that they were
smitten ; for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites,
because they trusted to the ambush which they had set against
37 Gibeah. And the ambush hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah.
And the ambush drew onward, and smote all the city with
38 the edge of the sword. And the appointed signal between
the men of Israel and the ambush was, that they should make
39 a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city. And when
98

JUDGES. Chap. xxi.

the men of Israel turned back in the battle, Benjamin began
to smite dead of the men of Israel about thirty persons ; for
they said : Surely he is wholly smitten down before us, as in
40 the first battle. And the cloud began to rise up out of the
city, a column of smoke ; and the Benjamites looked behind
them, and behold, the whole city went up [in smoke] to
41 heaven. And when the men of Israel turned again, the men
of Benjamin were confounded ; for they saw that the evil
42 was near upon them. And they turned back before the men
of Israel to the way of the wilderness ; and the battle over
took them ; and them that came out of the cities they de-
43 stroyed in the midst of them. And they surrounded the
Benjamites, chased them, trod them down with ease unto the
44 front of Gibeah toward the sunrismg. And there fell of
Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these were men of
45 valor. And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto
the rock Rimmon. And they smote of them for a gleaning
in the highways five thousand men ; and they pursued hard
after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of
46 them. And all that fell that day of Benjamin were twenty
and five thousand men that drew the sword ; all these were
47 men of valor. And six hundred men turned and fled to the
wilderness to the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rim-
48 mon four months. 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 the cities, as the cattle, and
all that came to hand. Also all the cities that they came to
they set on fire.
i Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpeh, saying : There
shall none of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till the evening
before God ; and they lifted up their voice, and wept bitterly.
3 And they said : 0 Jehovah, God of Israel, why is this come
to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lack-
4 ing in Israel ? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the
people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-
99

Chap. xxi. JUDGES.

5 offerings and peace-offerings. And the children of Israel
said : Who is there that came not up in the congregation of
all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah ? For they had taken
the great oath concerning him that came not up to Jehovah
6 at Mizpeh, saying : He shall surely be put to death. And
the children of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their
brother, and said : There is one tribe cut off from Israel this
7 day. What shall we do for wives for them that remain, see
ing that we have sworn by Jehovah, that we will not give
them of our daughters for wives ?
8 And they said : What one is there of the tribes of Israel
that came not up to Jehovah at Mizpeh ? And, behold, there
came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
9 For the people were mustered, and, behold, none of the in-
i° habitants of Jabesh-gilead were there. And the congrega
tion sent thither twelve thousand men, valiant men, and
commanded them, saying : Go, and smite the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women
n and the children. And this is the thing that ye shall do ; ye
shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that has
12 lain with man. And they found among the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not lain
with man. And they brought them to the camp to Shiloh,
13 which is in the land of Canaan. And the whole congrega
tion sent, and spoke to the children of Benjamin that were in
14 the rock Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. And Ben
jamin returned at that time ; and they gave them wives whom
they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead ; and
15 yet so they sufficed them not. And the people had compas
sion for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in
the tribes of Israel.
i6 And the elders of the congregation said : What shall we do
for wives for them that are left, seeing that the women are
17 destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said : The inheritance
of the escaped [pertains] to Benjamin, and a tribe shall not
V. 1 7. The escaped had not forfeited their own inheritance ; and as that pertained to Ben
jamin as a tribe, the perpetuity of their families prevented the extinction of the tribe.
100

JUDGES. Chap, xxi:

18 be blotted out of Israel. But we may not give them wives
of our daughters ; for the children of Israel have sworn,
19 saying: Cursed be he that gives a wife to Benjamin. And
they said : Behold, there is yearly a feast of Jehovah in Shi
loh, which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east of the
highway that goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the
20 south of Lebonah. And they commanded the children of
21 Benjamin, saying: Go, and lie in wait in the vineyards, 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 for you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh,
22 and go to the land of Benjamin. And it shall be, when their
fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will
say to them : Kindly grant them to us ; because we took not
for each man his wife in the war. For ye did not give to
23 them ; at this time ye would be guilty. And the children of
Benjamin did so ; and they bore away wives according to their
number, of them that danced, whom they caught. And they
went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities,
24 and dwelt in them. And the children of Israel departed
thence at that time, each to his tribe and to his family ; and
26 they went out thence every man to his inheritance. In those
days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which
was right in his own eyes.
The necessity of exterminating every veBtige of idolatry, and all its contaminating influ
ences in domestic and social life (see the remarks on Josh. 6 : 17), is clearly shown in the
records of the Judges. It is further illustrated in the five appended chapters, recording
some of the more eventful occurrences of that period.
101

THE BOOK OF RUTH.
1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled,
that there was a famine in the land. And a man of Beth-
lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and
2 his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was
Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of
his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-
judah. And they came to the country of Moab, and con
tinued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died ; and she was left,
4 and her two sons. And they took to them wives of the wo
men of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the
name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten
5 years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them;
and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
6 And she arose with her daughters-in-law, and returned
from the country of Moab. For she heard in the country
of Moab that Jehovah had visited his people to give them
7 bread. And she went forth from the place where she was,
and her two daughters-in-law with her ; and they went on
8 the way to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said
to her two daughters-in-law : Go, return each to her mother's
house. Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with
9 the dead, and with me. Jehovah grant you that ye may find
rest, each in the house of her husband. And she kissed
i° them ; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they
The book of Buth is an interesting and instructive picture of domestic and social life, and
of local manners, at a period of national prosperity under the rule of the Judges. Nothing
more definite is known of the date of the occurrences narrated. That the book was written
long after those occurrences is shown by the statement in ch. 4 : 7. The name of a converted
gentile among the ancestors of our Lord (Mat. 1 : 6), shows that he was born, not of a Bingle
people, but of our race.
102

RUTH. Chap. n.
said to her : Surely we will return with thee to thy people.
11 And Naomi said : Return, my daughters. Why will ye go
with me ? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be
i2 your husbands ? Return, my daughters, go ; for I am too
old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, yea if I
should have a husband this night, should even bear sons;
i3 would ye then wait till they were grown ? Would ye then
withhold yourselves from having husbands ? Nay, my daugh
ters ; for to me it is far more bitter than to you ; for the hand
u of Jehovah is gone out against me. And they lifted up their
voice, and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-
15 law ; but Ruth clave to her. And she said : Behold, thy
sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and to her gods ; re-
16 turn thou after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said : Entreat
me not to leave thee, 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
n God ; where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried.
Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part
i8 thee and me. And she saw that she steadfastly purposed to
go with her, and she left off speaking to her.
19 And they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And
so it was, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the
city was moved about them ; and they said : Is this Naomi ?
20 And she said to them : Call me not Naomi ; call me Mara.
21 For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went
out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why
call ye me Naomi, seeing that Jehovah has testified against
22 me, and the Almighty has afflicted me ? And Naomi re
turned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with
her, who returned out of the country of Moab. And they
came to Beth-lehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty
man in wealth, of the family of Elimelech ; and his name
V. 20. Naomi. Meaning, pleasantness ; one who is delighted in.  Mara, bitterness ; one
whose lot is bitter.
103

Chap. n. EUTH.
2 was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi : Let me
go now to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after
him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her :
3 Go, my daughter. And she went, and came and gleaned in
the field, after the reapers. And she chanced to light on the
part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family
of Elimelech.
4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem. And he said
to the reapers : Jehovah be with you. And they answered
5 him : Jehovah bless thee. And Boaz said to his servant that
6 was set over the reapers : Whose damsel is this ? And the
servant that was set over the reapers answered and said : It
is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of
7 the country of Moab. And she said : I pray you, let me
glean and gather among the sheaves, after the reapers. And
she came, and has remained even from the morning until
now, that she sat a little while in the house.
8 And Boaz said to Ruth : Hearest thou not, my daughter ?
Go not to glean in another field ; and go not away from here,
9 but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on
the field which they 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 to the vessels, and drink of
i° that which the young men draw. Then she fell on her face,
and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him : Why
have I found favor in thine eyes, that thou shouldest care
n for me, seeing that I am a stranger? And Boaz answered
and said to her : It has been fully shown to me, all that thou
hast done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thy hus
band ; and hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land
of thy birth, and art come to a people which thou knewest
i2 not heretofore. Jehovah recompense thy work ; and a full
reward be given thee of Jehovah, God of Israel, under
i3 whose wings thou art come to trust. And she said : Let me
find favor in thy sight, my lord ; for thou hast comforted me,
and thou hast spoken kindly to thy handmaid, though I be
u not as one of thy handmaidens. And Boaz said to her : At
104

EUTH. Chap. m.
meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy
morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers ; and
he reached to her parched grain, and she ate, and was satis-
15 fied, and had left thereof. And she rose up to glean. And
Boaz commanded his young men, saying : Let her glean even
X6 between the sheaves, and reproach her not. And also draw
out purposely for her out of the handfuls, and leave it, that
n she may glean, and rebuke her not. And she gleaned in the
field until the evening. And she beat out that which she
had gleaned ; and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 And she took it up, and came into the city ; and her mother-
in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out and
gave to her that which she had left, after she was satisfied.
19 And her mother-in-law said to her : Where hast thou gleaned
to-day ? And where wroughtest thou ? Blessed be he that
did care for thee. And she told her mother-in-law with
whom she wrought, and said : The name of the man with
20 whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. And Naomi said to her
daughter-in-law : Blessed of Jehovah be he, who has not left
off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said
to her : The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kins-
21 men. And Ruth the Moabitess said : He said to me also,
thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended
22 all my harvest. And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-
law : It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maid-
23 ens, that one meet thee not in another field. And 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.
1 And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her : My daughter,
shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee ?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens
thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley to-night in the
3 threshingfloor. Wash and anoint thyself, and put thy rai-
V. 14. Had left thereof ; and she carried it home to her mother-in-law, as is stated in v. 18.
V 17 Ephah. A dry measure, estimated at about half a bushel.
105

Chap. hi. EUTH.
ment upon thee, and go down to the floor. Make not thy
self known to the man, until he shall have done eating and
4 drinking. And it shall be, when he lies down, that thou
shalt observe the place where he shall lie ; and thou shalt
come and uncover his feet, and lay thee down ; and he will
5 tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said to her : All that
thou sayest to me I will do.
6 And she went down to the floor, and did according to all
7 that her mother-in-law bade her. And Boaz ate and drank,
and his heart was merry ; and he came to lie down at the
end of the heap of grain. And she came softly, and uncov
ered his feet, and laid herself down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid ;
and he turned himself, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said : Who art thou ? And she said : I am Ruth thy
handmaid ; and spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou
i° art a near kinsman. And he said : Blessed be thou of Jeho
vah, my daughter. Thou hast shown thy kindness more in
the end than at the beginning, in that thou followest not the
n young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter,
fear not. All that thou sayest I will do for thee. For all
the city of my people knows that thou art a virtuous woman.
i2 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman ; and there
13 is also a kinsman nearer than I. Remain this night. And
it shall be in the morning, that if he will do to thee the part
of a kinsman, well ; let him do the kinsman's part. And if
he is not willing to do the part of a kinsman to thee, then
will I do the kinsman's part to thee, as Jehovah lives. Lie
down until the morning.
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning ; and she rose
up before one could know another. And he said : Let it not
15 be known that the woman came in to the floor. And he said :
Give here the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it. And she
V. 9. Thy skirt. Or, thy covering.  Thou art a near kinsman. See the remarks on ch.
4:3-8. V. 11. All the city. Literally, all the gate ; referring to the broad open space at the entrance
to the city, a place of public resort, where the business of the city was transacted. (Compare
ch. 1:1.) What was known there was known to all the city.
106

EUTH. Chap. iv.
held it, and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it
16 on her. And he went into the city. And she came to her
mother-in-law. And she said : Who art thou, my daughter?
n And she told her all that, the man had done to her. And she
said : These six measures of barley he gave me ; for he said
to me : Thou shalt not come empty to thy mother-in-law.
18 And she said : Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how
the matter will fall out. For the man will not rest, if he
have not finished the thing this day.
1 And Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. And,
behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by ; to whom
he said : Thou, such a one ! Turn aside, sit down here. And
2 he turned aside, and sat down. Aud he took ten men of the
elders of the city, and said : Sit ye down here. And they
3 sat down. And he said to the kinsman : Naomi, who has come
back out of the country of Moab, sold the parcel of land
4 which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to
make it known to thee, and say : Buy it before the inhab
itants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt
redeem it, redeem it. And if thou wilt not redeem it, 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 And Boaz said : In the day thou buyest the field from the
hand of Naomi, thou buyest it also of Ruth the Moabitess,
the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon
6 his inheritance. And the kinsman said : I cannot redeem it
for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Redeem thou my
7 right for thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now in former
times in Israel, in redeeming and in exchanging, this was the
manner in order to confirm every thing ; a man drew off his
shoe, and gave it to his fellow. And this was a testimony in
8 Israel. And the kinsman said to Boaz : Buy it for thee.
And he drew off his shoe.
VV. 3 and 4 refer to the enactment in Lev. 25 : 25. By custom, the duty devolved first on
the nearest kinsman ; but might be waived by him, as here, in favor of the next of kin.
W. 5-8 refer to a very ancient custom. See Gen. 38 : 8, and the writer's remarks on it. The
custom was much older than the date of the Mosaic law, by which its observance was regu
lated, and its hardships lessened. For thiB law, see Deut. 25 : 5-10.
107

Chap. iv. EUTH.
9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people : Ye are wit
nesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's,
and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of
i° Naomi. And also Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon,
have I bought to be my wife, to raise up the name of the
dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut
off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place ;
11 ye are witnesses this day. 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 as Rachel and
as Leah, which two did build the house of Israel ; and do
thou gain strength in Ephratah, and get thee a name in Beth-
12 lehem. And let thy house be as the house of Pharez whom
Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give
thee from this young woman.
13 And Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife ; and he went
in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bore
14 a son. And the women said to Naomi : Blessed be Jehovah,
who has not left thee this day without a kinsman, and his
15 name shall be famous in Israel. And he shall be to thee a
restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age ; for thy
daughter-in-law who loves thee has borne him, she who is
16 better to thee than seven sons. And Naomi took the child,
17 and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it. And the
women her neighbors gave it a name, saying : A son is born
to Naomi ; and they called his name Obed. He is the father
of Jesse, the father of David.
18 And these are the generations of Pharez. Pharez begot
19 Hezron ; and Hezron begot Ram ; and Ram begot Ammina-
20 dab ; and Amminadab begot Nahshon ; and Nahshon begot
22 Salmon ; and Salmon begot Boaz ; and Boaz begot Obed ; and
Obed begot Jesse ; and Jesse begot David.
V. 11. Gain strength — and get thee a name ; the blessing attending the numerous progeny
invoked in the preceding words.
VV. 18-22. The continuation of the genealogy to the time of David decides nothing as to
the age of the book ; such additions being often made subsequently.
108

TEE FIRST BOOK OF SAMEL.
i And there was a man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount
Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an
2 Ephrathite. And he had two wives ; the name of the one
was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. And
3 Peninnah had children ; but Hannah had no children. And
this man went up from his city yearly to worship, and to sac
rifice to Jehovah of Hosts in Shiloh. And there the two
sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of Jehovah.
4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to
Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters,
6 portions. And to Hannah he gave a portion for two. For
6 he loved Hannah ; and Jehovah had closed her womb. And
her adversary provoked her also sorely, to make her fret
7 because Jehovah had closed her womb. And so did he year
by year ; as often as she went up to the house of Jehovah,
8 so did she provoke her ; and she wept, and did not eat. And
Elkanah. her husband said to 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 And Hannah rose up after she had eaten in Shiloh, and
after she had drunken. And Eli the priest sat on the seat
10 by the post of the temple of Jehovah. And she was in bit
terness of soul ; and she prayed to Jehovah, and wept sorely.
n And she vowed a vow, and said : 0 Jehovah of Hosts, if
thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and
Ch. i. The history of the nation is here resumed and continued from the end of ch. xvi. of
the book of the Judges, where their history closed. See the writer's note at the end of that
book. It is thought not improbable that Eli, the high-priest and Judge, was for a time con
temporary with Samson, but in another part of the country.
103

Chap. i. I. SAMUEL.

remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, and wilt give
to thy handmaid a man-child ; then will I give him to Jeho
vah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come
i2 upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued pray-
13 ing before Jehovah, that Eli observed her mouth. And
Hannah spoke in her heart ; only her lips moved, but her
voice was not heard. And Eli thought her a drunken worn-
14 an. And Eli said to her : How long wilt thou be drunken ?
15 Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and
said : No, my lord ; I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I
have drunk neither wine nor strong drink ; and I poured
iG out my soul before Jehovah. Count not thy handmaid for
a vile woman ; for out of the abundance of my complaint
17 and my grief have I spoken hitherto. And Eli answered
and said : Go in peace ; and the God of Israel grant thy peti-
18 tion that thou hast asked of him. And she said : Let thy
handmaid find favor in thy sight. And 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 they returned, and came to their house,
to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife ; and Jeho-
20 vah remembered her. And it came to pass, in the course of
time, that Hannah conceived, and she bore a son ; and she
called his name Samuel, saying : Because I have asked him
21 of Jehovah. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went
up to offer to Jehovah the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
22 And Hannah went not up, for she said to her husband : Until
the child be weaned, and I bring him that he may appear
23 before Jehovah, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah
her husband said to her : Do what seems to thee good.
Wait until thou hast weaned him ; only, may Jehovah estab
lish his word. And the woman waited, and gave suck to
her son until she weaned him.
24 And when she had weaned him, she brought him up with
her, with three bullocks, and an ephah of flour, and a bottle
of wine, and brought him to the house of Jehovah in Shiloh.
25 And the child was young. And they slew the bullock, and
110

I. SAMUEL. Chap.h.

26 they brought the child to Eli. And she said : Beseech thee
my lord, as thy soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that
27 stood by thee here, praying to Jehovah. For this child I
prayed ; and Jehovah has given me my petition which I
28 asked of him. And I also have lent him to Jehovah ; as
long as he lives he shall be lent to Jehovah. And he wor
shipped Jehovah there.
i And Hannah prayed, and said :
My heart is joyful in Jehovah ;
My horn is exalted in Jehovah.
My mouth is opened against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in thy help.
2 There is none holy as Jehovah ;
For there is none besides thee,
Nor any rock like our God.
8 Talk no more so proudly, proudly ;
Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth.
For Jehovah id a God of knowledge,
And by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
And they that stumbled are girded with strength.
s The full have hired themselves out for bread ;
And the hungry cease from toil.
Evan the barren has borne seven ;
And she that had many children mourns.
6 Jehovah kills, and makes alive ;
He brings down to the grave, and he brings up.
7 Jehovah makes poor, and he makes rich ;
He brings low, and he lifts up.
8 He raises up the poor out of the dust,
Lifts up the needy from the dunghill ;
To set them with princes,
And he makes them inherit a throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's,
And he has set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints,
And the wicked shall perish in darkness ;
For by strength shall no man prevail.
10 His adversaries will Jehovah break in pieces ;
Out of heaven will he thunder upon them.
Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth ;
And he will give strength to his king,
And will exalt the horn of his anointed.
Ill

Chap. ii. I. SAMUEL.

11 And Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. And the child
ministered to Jehovah before Eli the priest.
i2 And the sons of Eli were wicked men ; they knew not
13 Jehovah. And it was the custom of the priests with the
people, that when any man offered sacrifice the priest's ser
vant came, while the flesh was cooked, with a flesh-hook of
14 three teeth in his hand ; and he struck it into the pan, or
kettle, or caldron, or pot ; all that the flesh-hook brought up
the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all
15 Israel that came thither. Also before they burn, 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 take of thee
16 flesh cooked, but raw. And the man said to him : They will
verily burn the fat presently, and then take for thee as much
as thy soul desires ; and he said to him : Thou shalt give it
17 now, and if not I will take it by force. And the sin of the
young men was very great before Jehovah ; because the
men despised the offering of Jehovah.
18 And Samuel ministered before Jehovah, a child, girded
19 with a linen ephod. And his mother made him a little robe,
and brought it up to him from year to year, when she went
up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said : Jehovah
give thee seed from this woman, for the loan which is lent to
21 Jehovah. And they went to his place. And Jehovah vis
ited Hannah, and she conceived ; and she bore three sons
and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew up before
Jehovah.
22 And Eli was very old ; and he heard all that his sons did
to all Israel ; and that they lay with the women who served
23 at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he
said to them : Why do ye such things ? For I hear of your
evil deeds from all this people. Nay, my .sons ; for it is no
good report that I hear. Ye make Jehovah's people trans-
25 gress. If one man sin against another, God judges him ;
but if a man sin against Jehovah, who shall entreat for him ?
And they hearkened not to the voice of their father ; be-
112

24

I. SAMUEL. Chap. ii.

26 cause Jehovah was pleased to slay them. And the child
Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with Jehovah and
with men.
27 And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him :
Th.is says Jehovah : Did I plainly reveal myself to the
house of thy father, when they were in Egypt subject to
28 Pharaoh's house ? And I chose him out of all the tribes of
Israel for my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense,
to wear an ephod before me ; and I gave to the house of thy
father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel.
29 Wherefore do ye trample on my sacrifice and on my offer
ing, which I have commanded in my habitation ? And thou
honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the
30 chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people. Therefore
Jehovah God of Israel says : I said indeed that thy house,
and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever.
But now Jehovah says : Be it far from me ; for them that
honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be
3i lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come that I will cut off
thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall
32 not be an old man in thy house. And thou shalt see an
enemy in my habitation, in all which shall do good to Israel ;
33 and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. And
the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from my altar,
shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart ; and
all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their
34 age. And this shall be a sign to thee, that which shall come
upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas ; in one day
35 they both of them shall die. And I will raise up for me a
faithful priest, and he shall do according to that which is in
my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure
36 house, and he shall walk before my anointed for ever. And
it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house
shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a mor
sel of bread, and shall say : Put me, I pray thee, in one of
the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
V. 33. Shall die in the flower of their age. Literally, shall die men ; in. manhood's prime,
and not longer spared. See vs. 31, 32 J.J.O

Chap. hi. I. SAMUEL.

i And the child Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli.
And the word of Jehovah was unfrequent in those days ;
2 there was no wide-spread vision. And it came to pass at
that time, when Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes
3 began to grow dim, that he could not see ; and ere the lamp
of God went out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple
4 of Jehovah, where the ark of God was, that Jehovah called
5 to Samuel. And he said : Here am I. And he ran to Eli,
and said : Here am I ; for thou calledst me. And he said :
I called not ; go back, and he down. And he went and lay
6 down. And Jehovah called yet again, Samuel ! And Samuel
arose and went to Eli, and said : Here am I ; for thou call
edst me. And he said : 1 called not, my son ; go back, and lie
7 down. And Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, nor was the
8 word of Jehovah yet revealed to him. And Jehovah called
Samuel again, the third time. And he arose and went to
Eli, and said : Here am I ; for thou calledst me. And Eli
9 perceived that Jehovah was calling the child. And Eli said
to Samuel : Go, lie down. And it shall be, if he call thee,
that thou shalt say : Speak, 0 Jehovah ; for thy servant
i° hears. And Samuel went, and lay down in his place. And
Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at other times,
Samuel ! Samuel ! And Samuel said : Speak ; for thy ser
vant hears.
u And Jehovah said to Samuel : Behold, I do a thing in
Israel, at which both the ears of every one that hears it shall
i2 tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things
which I have spoken concerning his house, beginning and
13 ending. And I have told him that I will judge his house
for ever for the iniquity which he knew, that his sons were
14 bringing on them a curse, and he restrained them not. And
therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity
of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice or offering
for ever.
V. 1. Vision ; a revelation from God, in whatever form, whether an audible voice, or sug
gested thoughts, or a dream, or a sign.  Wide-spread ; either Widely imparted to different
instruments of the divine will, or widely promulgated through them.
114

I. SAMUEL. Chap. iv.

X5 And Samuel lay until the morning ; and he opened the
doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel feared to make
16 known the vision to Eli. And Eli called Samuel, and said :
n Samuel, my son. And he said : Here am I. And he said :
What is the thing that he has spoken to thee ? Do not hide
it from me. God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide
any thing from me of all the things that he has spoken to
i8 thee. And Samuel told him all these, and hid nothing from
him. And he said : It is Jehovah ; let him do what is good
in his sight.
19 And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him, and let
20 none of all his words fall to the ground. And all Israel,
from Dan unto Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was estab-
21 lished to be a prophet of Jehovah. And Jehovah appeared
again in Shiloh. For Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel
in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah. And the word of Samuel
came to all Israel.
1 And Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and
encamped beside Eben-ezer ; and the Philistines encamped in
2 Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against
Israel. And they joined battle, and Israel was smitten be
fore the Philistines ; and they slew of the army in the field
about four thousand men.
3 And the people came into the camp, and the elders of
Israel said : Wherefore has Jehovah smitten us to-day before
the Philistines ? Let us bring to us the ark of the covenant
of Jehovah out of Shiloh ; and it shall come into the midst
4 of us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies. And the
people sent to Shiloh, and brought from thence the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah of Hosts, who sits above the cherubim.
And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there
with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 And it came to pass, when the ark of the covenant of
Jehovah came into the camp, that all Israel shouted with a
6 great shout, so that the earth shook. And the Philistines
heard the noise of the shout, and they said : What means the
115

Chap. iv. I. SAMUEL.

noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews ? And
they understood that the ark of Jehovah was come into the
7 camp. And the Philistines were afraid ; for they said : God
is come into the camp. And they said : Woe unto us ! For
8 there has not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us !
Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods ?
These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner
9 of plagues in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, 0
ye Philistines, that ye be not servants to the Hebrews, as
they have been to you. Be men, and fight.
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and
they fled every man to his tents. And there was a very
great slaughter ; and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot-
n men. And the ark of God was taken ; and the two sons of
Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead.
J2 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and
came to Shiloh on the same day, with his clothes rent, and
i3 with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat
on the seat by the wayside watching ; for his heart trembled
for the ark of God. And the man came to tell it in the city,
u and all the city cried out. And Eli heard the noise of the
cry, and he said : What means the noise of this tumult ? And
15 the man hasted, and came and told it to Eli. And Eli was
ninety and eight years old ; and his eyes were set, that he
i6 could not see. And the man said to Eli : I am he that came
out of the army ; and I fled out of the army to-day. And
:7 he said : How went the matter, my son ? And the messen
ger answered and said : Israel fled before the Philistines, and
there was also a great slaughter among the people ; and thy
two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark
i8 of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made men
tion of the ark of God, that he fell from the seat backward
by the side of the gate ; and his neck was broken, and he
died. For he was an old man, and heavy. And he had
judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with
child, near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings
116

I. SAMUEL. Chap. v.

that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law
and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed ;
20 for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her
death the women that stood by her said to her : Fear not ;
for thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, nor did
21 she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying:
The glory is departed from Israel ; because the ark of God
was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 And she said : The glory is departed from Israel ; for the ark
of God is taken.
i And the Philistines took the ark of God ; and they brought
it from Eben-ezer to Ashdod.
2 And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it
3 into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And men of
Ashdod arose early on the morrow, and behold, Dagon was
fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah.
4 And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And
they arose early on the morning of the morrow, and behold,
Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of
Jehovah ; and the head of Dagon, and his two hands, were
cut off upon the threshold ; only the stump of Dagon was
6 left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any
that come into the house of Dagon, tread on the threshold
6 of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. And the hand of Jeho
vah was heavy upon the men of Ashdod, and he destroyed
them ; and he smote them with emerods, Ashdod and the
7 borders thereof. And when the men of Ashdod saw that it
was so, they said : The ark of the God of Israel shall not
abide with us ; for his hand is hard upon us, and upon Dagon
8 our god. And they sent and gathered to them all the lords
of the Philistines, and said : What shall we do with the ark
of the God of Israel ? And they said : Let the ark of the
God of Israel be removed to Gath. And they removed the

V. i. Only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Literally, only Dagon was left to him. The
Hebrew word dagon means a fish ; and the body of the idol was that of a fish, having the head
and arms of a man. When these were severed from it, nothing was left but the fish (Dagon),
the stump of the idol. The meaning is well expressed iu the English version.
117

Chap, vl I. SAMUEL.

9 ark of the God of Israel. And it was so that, after they had
removed it, the hand of Jehovah was against the city with a
very great destruction ; and he smote the men of the city,
both, small and great, and emerods broke out on them.
i° And they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to
pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites
cried out, saying : They have brought the ark of the God of
n Israel to us, to slay us and our people. And they sent and
gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and said : Send away
the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its place,
that it slay us not, and our people. For there was a deadly
destruction in all the city ; the hand of God was very heavy
i2 there. And the men that died not were smitten with the
emerods ; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
1 And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philis-
2 tines seven months. And the Philistines called the priests
and the diviners, saying : What shall we do with the ark of
Jehovah ? Tell us wherewith we shall send it to its place.
3 And they said : If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel,
ye may not send it empty ; but ye must pay him a trespass-
offering. Then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to
4 you why his hand is not removed from you. And they said :
What is the trespass-offering which we shall pay him ? They
said : Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according
to the number of the lords of the Philistines ; for one plague
6 is on all of you, and on your lords. And make images of
your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land.;
and give honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten
his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
6 And wherefore should ye harden your hearts, as the Egyp
tians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had
wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people
7 go, and they departed ? And now make a new cart, and take
two milch kine, on which there has come no yoke, and yoke
the kine to the cart, and bring their calves away from them
8 home. And take the ark of Jehovah, and lay it on the cart ;
118

I. SAMUEL. Chap. vi.

and put the golden images, which ye pay him as a trespass-
offering, in the coffer by the side thereof ; and send it away,
9 that it may go. And see, if by the way to its own border
it goes up to Beth-shemesh, then he has done us this great
evil ; and if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand
that smote us ; it was a chance that happened to us.
i° And the men did so. And they took two milch kine, and
yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
n And they laid the ark of Jehovah on the cart, and the coffer
i2 with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. And
the kine went straight along the way on the way to Beth-
shemesh, on one highway they went, lowing as they went,
and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left ; and
the lords of the Philistines went after them, unto the border
13 of Beth-shemesh. And Beth-shemites were reaping their
wheat-harvest in the valley. And they raised their eyes,
14 and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came
into the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite, and stood there ;
and a great stone was there. And they clave the wood of
the cart, and offered the kine as a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
15 And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah, and the
coffer that was with it, wherein were the golden images, and
put them on the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh
offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices, the same day
i*5 to Jehovah. And the five lords of the Philistines saw it ;
17 and they returned to Ekron the same day. And these are
the golden emerods which the Philistines paid as a trespass-
offering to Jehovah ; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ash-
X8 kelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one. And the golden
mice were according to the number of all the cities of the
Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities,
and of country villages. And the great stone, whereon they
set down the ark of Jehovah in the field of Joshua the Beth-
shemite, is a witness unto this day.
19 And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they

V. 18. And the great stone, etc. The remainder of the verse is translated according to the
most approved reading of the Hebrew text. 119

Chap. vn. I. SAMUEL.

looked on the ark of Jehovah ; and he smote of the people
fifty thousand and threescore and ten men. And the people
lamented, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a
20 great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said : Who
is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God ? And to
whom shall he go up from us ?
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-
jearim, saying : The Philistines have brought back the ark
of Jehovah ; come down, and carry it up to you.
1 And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and carried up the
ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab
on the hill ; and they consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the
2 ark of Jehovah. And it came to pass, that while the ark
abode in Kirjath-jearim the time was long ; for it was twenty
j^ears. And all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah.
3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying : If
ye do return to Jehovah with all your heart, then put away
the strange gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and
direct your heart to Jehovah, and serve him only ; and he
4 will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. And the
children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths ;
6 and they served Jehovah only. And Samuel said : Gather
all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you to Jehovah.
6 And they were gathered together to Mizpeh ; and they drew
water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that
day. And they said there : We have sinned against Jeho
vah. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were
gathered together to Mizpeh ; and the lords of the Philistines
went up against Israel. And the children of Israel heard it ;
8 and they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of
Israel said to Samuel : Cease not to cry to Jehovah our God
for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

V. 19. Because they looked on the ark of Jehovah ; profaning the sacred symbol of his pres
ence with the irreverent gaze of idle curiosity.
V. 20. To whom shall he go up from us ? To what other people, is meant ; answered in the
next verse.
V. 4. The Baals and the Ashtoreths. See the writer's note on Judges 2 : 13, and on Gen. 14 : 5.
120

I. SAMUEL. Chap. vm.

9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole as
a burnt-offering to Jehovah. And Samuel cried unto Jeho-
10 vah for Israel ; and Jehovah heard him. And as Samuel
was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near
for battle against Israel. And Jehovah thundered with a
great noise upon the Philistines that day, and discomfited
11 them ; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men
of Israel went out from Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines,
i2 and smote tliem, as far as below Beth-car. And Samuel took
a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen ; and he called
the name of it Eben-ezer, saying : Hitherto has Jehovah
helped us.
13 And the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more
into the border of Israel. And the hand of Jehovah was
u against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the
cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were re
stored to Israel, from Ekron unto Gath ; and the borders
thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines.
15 And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. And
i° Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went
from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Miz-
17 peh, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return
was to Ramah ; for there was his house, and there he judged
Israel ; and there he built an altar to Jehovah.
1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made
2 his sons judges over Israel. And the name of his firstborn
was Joel ; and the name of his second, Abiah. They were
3 judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways ;
and they turned aside after gain, and took bribes, and per-
4 verted judgment. And all the elders of Israel gathered
5 too-ether, and came to Samuel to Ramah. And they said to
him : Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy
ways. Now make us a king to judge us, like all the nations.
6 And the thing displeased Samuel, when they said : Give
us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Jehovah.

V. 12. Ebenezer : meaning, stone of help. 121

Chap. vm. I. SAMUEL.

7 And Jehovah said to Samuel : Hearken to the voice of the
people in all that they say to thee ; for they have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over
8 them. According to all the works which they have done
since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt unto this
day, in forsaking me, and in serving other gods, so do they
9 also to thee. And now hearken to their voice ; only, thou
shalt solemnly protest to them, and show them the manner
of the king that shall reign over them.
i° And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah to the people
u that asked of him a king. And he said : This will be the
manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take
your sons, and set them for himself, in his chariot, and on his
i2 horses ; and they shall run before his chariot. And he will
set for himself captains over thousands, and captains over
fifties ; and will set them to plough his ground, and to reap
his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and furniture
13 of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be per-
14 fumers, and cooks, and bakers. And he will take your fields,
and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, the best of them,
15 and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth
of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers,
i6 and to his servants. And your men-servants, and your maid
servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, he
17 will take and put to his work. He will take the tenth of
18 your sheep. And ye shall be his servants. And ye shall
cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall
have chosen for you ; and Jehovah will not hear you in that
day.
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And
20 they said : Nay ; but there shall be a king over us ; that
we also may be like all the nations ; and that our king may
21 judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And
Samuel heard all the words of the people ; and he rehearsed
22 them in the ears of Jehovah. And Jehovah said to Samuel :
Hearken to their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel
said to the men of Israel : Go ye, every man to his city.
122

I. SAMUEL. Chap. rx.

1 And there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish ;
the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the
son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of
2 wealth. And he had a son whose name was Saul, young
and goodly. And there was not among the children of Israel
a goodlier person than he ; from his shoulders and upward
3 he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of
Kish, the father of Saul, were lost. And Kish said to Saul
his son : Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise,
4 go seek the asses. And he passed through mount Ephraim,
and passed through the land of Shalisha, and they found them
not ; and they passed through the land of Shalim, and they
were not there ; and he passed through the land of the Ben-
5 jamites, and they found them not. They came to the land
of Zuph. And Saul said to his servant that was with him :
Come, and let us return ; lest my father leave caring for the
6 asses, and be concerned for us. And he said to him : Behold
now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honora
ble man ; all that he says comes surely to pass. Now let us
go thither ; perhaps he can show us our way that we should
7 go. And Saul said to his servant : And behold, if we go,
what shall we bring to the man ? For the bread is spent in
our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of
8 God. What have we? And the servant answered Saul
again, and said : Behold, there is in my hand the fourth part
of a shekel of silver ; and I will give it to the man of God,
9 that he may tell us our way. (Formerly in Israel, when a
man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus : Come, and let
us go to the Seer ; for he that is now called the Prophet was
10 formerly called the Seer.) And Saul said to his servant :
Well said ; come, let us go. And they went to the city where
the man of God was.
u As they went up by the ascent to the city, they met young
maidens coming out to draw water ; and they said to them :
i2 Is the Seer here ? And they answered them, and said : He
is • behold, he is before thee. Make haste now, for he came
123

Chap. rx. I. SAMUEL.

to-day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day
13 on the high place. As soon as ye are come into the city, ye
will straightway meet him, before he goes up to the high
place to eat ; for the people will not eat until he comes, be
cause he blesses the sacrifice ; afterwards they eat that are
bidden. And now go up ; for about this time ye will find
14 him. And they went up to the city. They were coming
into the city, and behold, Samuel came out towards them, to
go up to the high place.
15 And Jehovah had told Samuel a day before Saul came,
16 saying : About this time to-morrow I will send thee a man
out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to he
prince over my people Israel ; and he shall save my people
out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon
17 my people, because their cry is come unto me. And Samuel
saw Saul ; and Jehovah answered him : Behold the man of
whom I said to thee : This same shall reign over my people.
18 And Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said : Tell
19 me, I pray thee, where is the house of the Seer. And Samuel
answered Saul, and said : I am the Seer. Go up before me
to the high place ; and ye shall eat with me to-day, and to
morrow I will let thee go, and I will tell thee all that is in
20 thy heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days
ago, set not thy mind on them ; for they are found. And on
whom is all the desire of Israel ? Is it not on thee, and on
21 all thy father's house ? And Saul answered and said : Am
not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel,
and my family the least of all the families of, the tribe of
22 Benjamin ? And wherefore speakest thou so to me ? And
Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the
chamber, and gave them a place at the head of them that
23 were bidden, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel
said to the cook : Bring the portion which I gave thee, of
24 which I said to thee : Set it by thee. And the cook took up
the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before
V. 17. Answered; to the prophet's inquiring look, or inward thought. See the writer's
note on Job 3 : 2.
124

I. SAMUEL. Chap.x.

Saul ; and he said : Behold that which remains ! Set it before
thee, and eat ; for unto this time has it been kept for thee
since I said, I have invited the people. And Saul ate with
Samuel that day.
25 And they came down from the high place into the city ;
2(5 and he talked with Saul on the top of the house. And they
arose early. And it came to pass about the dawning of the
day, that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, say
ing : Rise up, and I will send thee on thy way. And Saul
arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, on
27 the street. As they were going down to the end of the city,
Samuel said to Saul : Bid the servant pass on before us, (and
he passed on); and stand thou still awhile, that I may let thee
hear the word of God.
i And Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his
head, and kissed him, and said : Is it not because Jehovah
2 has anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance ? When
thou goest from me to-day, thou wilt meet two men by
Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah ; and
they will say to thee : The asses which thou wentest to seek
are found ; and lo, thy father has put aside the care for the
asses, and is concerned for you, saying : What shall I do for
3 my son ? And thou shalt pass onward from thence, and thou
shalt come to the oak of Tabor ; and three men will meet thee
going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and an
other carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a
4 bottle of wine. And they will ask thee of thy welfare, and
will give thee two loaves of bread ; which thou shalt receive
5 from their hand. After that thou shalt come to the hill of
God, where is the garrison of the Philistines. And it shall
be, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt
meet a company of prophets coming down from the high
place, and before them a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe,
6 and a harp, and they prophesying. And the Spirit of Jeho-

V. 24. That which remains ; which was " set by " (v. 23) by Samuel's direction for his own
UBe  v 1. Kissed him. A token of homage and allegiance. See Ps. 2 : 12.
125

Chap. x. I. SAMUEL.

vah will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them,
7 and shalt be changed into another man. And when these
signs are come to thee, do what thy hand shall find ; for God
8. is with thee. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal ;
and behold, I will come down to thee, to offer burnt-offerings,
and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings. Seven days shalt
thou wait till I come to thee, and make known to thee what
thou shalt do.
9 And it was so, when he had turned his back to go from
Samuel, that God gave him another heart ; and all those
i° signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither
to Gibeah, behold, a company of prophets met him ; and the
Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among
n them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him before
saw, and behold, he prophesied among the prophets, that the
people said one to another, What is this that has happened
i2 to the son of Kish ? Is Saul also among the prophets ? And
one of the same place answered and said : And who is their
father ? Therefore it became a proverb : Is Saul also among
13 the prophets ? And when he had made an end of prophesy
ing, he came to the high place.
u And the uncle of Saul said to him and to his servant:
Whither went ye ? And he said : To seek the asses ; and
when we saw that they were no-where [found], we came to
15 Samuel. And the uncle of Saul said : Tell me, I pray thee,
X6 what Samuel said to you. And Saul said to his uncle : He
plainly told us that the asses were found. But of the matter
of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spoke, he told him not.
n And Samuel called the people together unto Jehovah at
i8 Mizpeh. And he said to the children of Israel : Thus says
Jehovah God of Israel : I brought up Israel out of Egypt,
and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out
19 of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. And
ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you
out of all your adversities and your tribulations ; and have
V. 12. Who is their father ? To whom do they all owe the gift of prophecy ? The prophetic
spirit is not a privilege of birth.
126

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xi.

said to him : Nay, but a king shalt thou set over us. And
now present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and
20 by your thousands. And Samuel caused all the tribes of
Israel to come near ; and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 He caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their fami
lies ; and the family of the Matrites was taken. And Saul
the son of Kish was taken. And they sought him, and he
22 could not be found. And they inquired further of Jehovah :
Is the man yet come hither ? And Jehovah answered : Be-
23 hold, he has hid himself among the baggage. And they ran
and fetched him thence. And he stood among the people ;
and he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders
24 and upward. And Samuel said to all the people : See ye
him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him
among all the people? And all the people shouted, and
said : Long live the king !
25 Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and
wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah. And
Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah ; and there went with
27 him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. But
wicked men said : How shall this man save us ? And they
despised him, and brought him no presents. And he was as
though he were deaf.
1 And Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against
Jabesh-gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash :
2 Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Na
hash the Ammonite said to them : On this condition will I
make a covenant with you ; that I may dig out all your right
3 eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And the
elders of Jabesh said to him : Give us seven days' respite,
that we may send messengers into all the borders of Israel ;
and if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.
4 And the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke
the words in the ears of the people ; and all the people lifted
6 up their voice and wept. And, behold, Saul came after the
127

Chap. xn. I. SAMUEL.

oxen out of the field ; and Saul said : What ails the people
that they weep ? And they related to him the words of the
6 men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul
when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly
7 kindled. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in
pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by
, the hand of messengers, saying : Whosoever comes not forth
after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.
And the fear of Jehovah fell on the people, and they came
8 out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek ; and
the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the
9 men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said to the mes
sengers that came : Thus shall ye say to the men of Jabesh-
gilead : To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have
help. And the messengers came and made it known to the
i° men of Jabesh ; and they rejoiced. And the men of Jabesh
said : To-morrow we will come out to you ; and 3-e shall do
11 to us all that seems good to you. And it was so on the mor
row, that Saul put the people in three companies ; and they
came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and
smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day ; and so it
was, that they who remained were scattered, and not two of
them were left together.
12 And the people said to Samuel : Who is he that said, shall
Saul reign over us ? Give up the men, that we may put
13 them to death. And Saul said : There shall not a man be
put to death this day. For to-day Jehovah has wrought sal-
14 vation in Israel. And Samuel said to the people : Come,
15 and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. And
all the people went to Gilgal, and there made Saul king be
fore Jehovah in Gilgal, and sacrificed sacrifices of peace-
offerings there before Jehovah ; and there Saul, and all the
men of Israel, rejoiced greatly.
1 And Samuel said to all Israel : Behold, I have hearkened
to your voice in all that ye said to me, and have made a king
2 over you. And now, behold, the king walks before you, and
123

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xn.

I am old and grayheaded ; and my sons, behold, they are
with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood
3 unto this day. Behold, here I am ; witness against me be
fore Jehovah, and before his Anointed. Whose ox have I
taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de
frauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or from whose hand have
I received a bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? and I will
4 restore it to you. And they said : Thou hast not defrauded
us, nor oppressed us, nor hast thou taken aught from any
5 man's hand. And he said to them : Jehovah be witness
against you, and his Anointed be witness this day, that ye
have not found aught in my hand. And they said : Let them
witness.
G And Samuel said to the people : Jehovah, who appointed
Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of
7 the land of Egypt ! And now stand forth, that I may reason
with you before Jehovah of all the righteous acts of Jehovah,
8 which he did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob came
into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then Jeho
vah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of
9 Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And they forgot
Jehovah their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera
captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philis
tines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought
i° against them. And they cried unto Jehovah, and said : We
have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have
served the Baals and the Ashtoreths ; and now deliver us
out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
u And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah,
and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your ene-
i2 mies on every side, and ye dwelt safely. And ye saw that
Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against
you ; and ye said to me : Nay, but a king shall reign over
i3 us ; when Jehovah your God was your king. And now be
hold the king whom ye have chosen, whom ye demanded ;

V. 10. The Baals and the Ashtoreths. See the notes on Judge3 2,:.11„ and 13. For Baal
and Ashtoreth, see the writer's note on Genesis 14 : 5.
129

Chap. xin. I. SAMUEL.

X4 and, behold, Jehovah has set a king over you. If ye will
fear Jehovah, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not
rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye
and the king that reigns over you follow Jehovah your
15 God — ; but if ye will not obey the voice of Jehovah, and
rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, the hand of
Jehovah shall be against you, as against your fathers.
16 And now stand and see this great thing, which Jehovah
17 will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I
will call unto Jehovah, and he will send thunderings and
rain ; and know ye and see, that your wickedness is great,
which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking for
18 you a king. And Samuel called unto Jehovah ; and Jeho
vah sent thunderings and rain that day. And all the people
19 greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel. And all the people
said to Samuel : Pray for thy servants to Jehovah thy God,
that we die not. For we have added to all our sins this evil,
to ask for us a king.
20 And Samuel said to the people : Fear not. Ye have in
deed done all this evil ; only turn not aside from following
21 Jehovah, and serve Jehovah with all your heart ; and turn
ye not aside ; for it is after vanities that do not profit nor
22 deliver ; for they are vanities. For Jehovah will not cast off
his people, for his great name's sake ; because it has pleased
23 Jehovah to make you his people. As for me also, far be it
from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray
for you ; and I will teach you the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your
25 heart ; for see, how great things he has done with you. But
if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be destroyed, both ye
and your king.
1 Thirty years old was Saul when he began to reign.

V. 14. Some insert [well] at the end of the sentence. But it is needless. What would
follow obedience is left to the reader's own thought, and is readily suggested by it. Precisely
such a case occurs in Ex. 32 : 32, where correct copies of the English Bible have, "if thou
wilt forgive their sin— ; and if not," etc. A similar caBe occurs in Acts 23 : 9, as correctly ex
pressed in the revised version of the American Bible Union ; the words, " let us not fight
against God," being a late insertion in the Greek text to fill out the sentence.
V. 1. Thirty years old was Saul when he began to reign. The translation of verses 1 and 2
130

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xin.

And two years Saul had reigned over Israel, and Saul chose
for him three thousand men of Israel ; two thousand were
with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thou
sand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin ; and the
rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jona
than smote the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba,
and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet
throughout all the land, saying : Let the Hebrews hear. And
all Israel heard it said, that Saul had smitten a garrison of
the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination
with the Philistines. And the people were called together
after Saul to Gilgal.
And the Philistines came together to fight with Israel,
thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and
people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude.
And they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward
from Beth-aven. And the men of Israel saw that they were
in a strait, for the people were distressed ; and the people hid
themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high
places, and in pits. And Hebrews went over the Jordan, to
the land of Gad and Gilead. And Saul was yet in Gilgal,
and all the people followed him trembling.
And he waited seven days, according to the set time that
Samuel appointed. And Samuel came not to Gilgal ; and
the people scattered from him. And Saul said : Bring me
the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings. And he offered
the burnt-offering. And it came to pass, that when he had
made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel
came ; and Saul went out toward him, to salute him.
11 And Samuel said : What hast thou done ? And Saul said :
Because I saw that the people scattered from me, and that
thou earnest not at the appointed time, and that the Philis
tines had come together at Michmash ; and I said : Now will
the Philistines come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not
follows what is regarded as the true reading of the Hebrew text. It is conceded by all, that
the rendering of the first four words, in the common English version, is a false construction
of the Hebrew text. See Introduction, page xxiii.
131

10

12

Chap. xrv. I. SAMUEL.

made supplication to Jehovah. And I forced myself, and
13 offered the burnt-offering. And Samuel said to Saul : Thou
hast done foolishly. Thou hast not kept the commandment
of Jehovah thy God, which he commanded thee ; for now
would Jehovah have established thy kingdom over Israel
14 forever. And now thy kingdom shall not continue. Jeho
vah has sought for him a man after his own heart ; and Jeho
vah has commanded him to be prince over his people, because
thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee.
15 And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of
Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present
16 with him, about six hundred men. And Saul, and Jonathan
his son, and the people that were present with them, abode
in Geba of Benjamin ; and the Philistines encamped in Mich
mash.
17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines
in three companies. One company turned the way to Oph-
i8 rah, into the land of Shual ; and another company turned the
way to Beth-horon ; and another company turned the way of
the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the
wilderness.
19 And no smith was found in all the land of Israel ; for the
Philistines said : Lest the Hebrews make them swords or
20 spears. And all Israel went down to the Philistines, to
sharpen every man his plough-share, and his coulter, and his
21 axe, and his mattock ; when the edges were blunted of the
plough-shares, and of the coulters, and of the forks, and of
22 the axes, and to set the goads. And it was so, in the day of
battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the
hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan.
And Saul, and Jonathan his son, had them. And a garrison
of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

23

1 And it came to pass at that time, that Jonathan the son of
Saul said to the young man that bore his armor : Come, and
let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines, that is on the
V. 20. Coulter. See the writer's note.on Isaiah (Hebrew text), ch. 2 : 4.
132

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xrv.

2 other side. And he told it not to his father. And Saul was
lying in the farthest part of Gibeah, under a pomegranate
tree which is in Migron. And the people that were with him
3 were about six hundred men ; and Ahiah the son of Ahitub,
brother of Ichabod the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli priest
of Jehovah in Shiloh, wearing the ephod. And the people
knew not that Jonathan was gone.
4 And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go
over to the garrison of the Philistines, was a sharp rock on
the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side ; and the
name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
5 The one crag was a column on the north over against Mich-
6 mash, and the other on the south over against Geba. And
Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor : Come,
and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.
It may be that Jehovah will work for us : for there is no
7 hindrance to Jehovah, to save by many or by few. And
his armor-bearer said to him : Do all that is in thy heart.
Turn thee ; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
8 And Jonathan said : Behold, we will pass over to the men,
9 and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us :
Stand still until we come to you ; then we will stand in our
10 place, and will not go up to them. And if they say thus :
Come up to us ; then we will go up, for Jehovah has given
u them into our hand ; and this shall be the sign to us. And
they both showed themselves to the garrison of the Philis
tines. And the Philistines said : Behold, there are Hebrews
coming forth out of the holes where they hid themselves.
12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his
armor-bearer, and said : Come up to us, and we will tell you
something. And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer : Come
up after me ; for Jehovah has given them into the hand of
i3 Israel. And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and his feet,
and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jona-
14 than, and his armor-bearer slew after him. And that first
slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, was
V. 12. Answered. See the writer s note on Job, ch. 3 : 2.
133

Chap. xrv. I. SAMUEL.

about twenty men, within about half a furrow of land which
16 a yoke of oxen might plough. And there was terror in the
camp, in the field, and among all the people ; the garrison,
and the spoilers, they also were terrified ; and the earth
ifi quaked, and there was a very great terror. And the watch
men of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin saw, and behold, the
17 multitude melted away, and went hither and thither. And
Saul said to the people that were with him : Number now,
and see who is gone from us. And they numbered, and
18 behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. And
Saul said to Ahiah : Bring hither the ark of God. For the
ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that
the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on
increasing. And Saul said to the priest : Withdraw thy hand.
20 And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled,
and came to the battle. And, behold, every man's sword
was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
21 And the Hebrews were with the Philistines as before that
time, who went up with them into the camp around, and
they also [turned] to be with the Israelites that were with
22 Saul and Jonathan. And all the men of Israel who hid
themselves in mount Ephraim heard that the Philistines fled ;
23 and they also followed hard after them in the battle. And
Jehovah saved Israel that day ; and the battle passed over
unto Beth-aven.
24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day ; for Saul
adjured the people, saying : Cursed be the man that eats food
until the evening, that 1 may be avenged on my enemies.
25 And none of the people tasted food. And all they of the
land came to a wood ; and there was honey upon the ground.
26 And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the
honey was flowing. And no man put his hand to his mouth ;
27 for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not
when his father charged the people with the oath. And he
put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped
it in the honey-comb, and put his hand to his mouth ; and his
134

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xiv.

28 eyes saw clearly. And one of the people answered and said :
Thy father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying :
Cursed be the man that eats food this day. And the people
29 were faint. And Jonathan said : My father has troubled the
land. See, I pray you, how my eyes are brightened, because I
30 tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people
had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which
they found ? For had there not been now a greater slaughter
31 among the Philistines ? And they smote the Philistines that
day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very
32 faint. And the people flew upon the spoil ; and they took
sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground.
And the people ate them with the blood.
33 And they told Saul, saying : Behold, the people sin against
Jehovah, in that they eat with the blood. And he said : Ye
34 have trespassed. Roll a great stone unto me this day. And
Saul said : Disperse yourselves among the people, and say
to them : Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man
his sheep, and slay them here, and eat ; and sin not against
Jehovah in eating with the blood. And all the people brought
every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.
35 And Saul built an altar to Jehovah. In this he first built
an altar to Jehovah.
36 And Saul said : Let us go down by night after the Philis
tines, and spoil them until the morning light ; and let us not
leave a man of them. And they said : Do whatsoever seems
good to thee. And the priest said : Let us draw near hither
37 unto God. And Saul asked counsel of God : Shall I go down
after the Philistines ? Wilt thou deliver them into the hand of
38 Israel? And he answered him not that day. And Saul
said : Draw near hither, all the chief of the people ; and
39 know and see wherein this sin has been this day. For, as
Jehovah fives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan
my son, he shall surely die. And not a man among all the.
40 people answered him. And he said to all Israel : Be ye on
one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other
side. And the people said to Saul : Do what seems good
135

Chap. xv. I. SAMUEL.

4i to thee. And Saul said to Jehovah God of Israel : Give
a perfect lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken ; and
42 the people escaped. And Saul said : Cast lots between me
43 and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. And
Saul said to Jonathan : Tell me, what hast thou done ?
And Jonathan told him, and said : 1 did but taste a little
honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand ; lo, I
44 must die. And Saul answered : God do so and more also,
45 for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. And the people said
to Saul : Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great
salvation in Israel ? Far be it ! As Jehovah lives there
shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground ; for he has
wrought with God this day. And the people rescued Jona-
46 than, that he died not. And Saul went up from following
the Philistines ; and the Philistines went to their own place.
47 And Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against
all his enemies on everj*- side ; against Moab, and against the
children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings
of Zobah, and against the Philistines ; and whithersoever he
48 turned, he overcame. And he gathered a host, and smote
the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them
that spoiled them.
49 And the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Mal-
chishua ; and the names of his two daughters, the name of
the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
60 And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of
Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his host was Ab-
5i ner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. And Kish was the father
of Saul ; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days
of Saal ; and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant
man, he took him to himself.
1 And Samuel said to Saul : Jehovah sent me to anoint thee
king over his people, over Israel. And now hearken thou to
2 the voice of the words of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah of
Hosts : I call to mind what Amalek did to Israel, how he set
136

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xv.

3 himself in his way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now
go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have,
and spare them not ; and slay both man and woman, child
4 and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul sum
moned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hun
dred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the
valley.
6 And Saul said to the Kenites : Go, depart, go down from
among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For
ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they
came up out of Egypt. And the Kenites departed from
7 among the Amalekites. And Saul smote Amalek from
Havilah as thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of Amalek alive ; and all the
9 people he utterly destroyed with the edge of the sword. And
Saul and the people spared Agag ; and the best of the sheep,
and of the oxen, and of the second-birth, and the lambs, and
all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them ; but
all cattle that were poor and weakly, them they destroyed
utterly.
ii And the word of Jehovah came to Samuel, saying : I
repent that I have made Saul king. For he has turned back
from following me, and has not executed my words. And
it grieved Samuel ; and he cried unto Jehovah all the night.
12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And
it was told Samuel, saying : Saul came to Carmel ; and be
hold, he set up for himself a trophy, and turned about and
13 passed on, and went down to Gilgal. And Samuel came to
Saul. And Saul said to him : Blessed be thou of Jehovah ;
14 I have executed the word of Jehovah. And Samuel said :
And what is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and lowing of
15 oxen which I hear ? And Saul said : They have brought
them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best
of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to Jehovah thy
V. 9. Of the second-birth ; as superior in strength and beauty.  V. 11. 1 repent expresses
no change in himself, the Unchanging (v. 29); but the depth of his diBpleaBure at the
change in Saul, and his own change of manner towards him.
137

Chap. xv. I. SAMUEL.

X6 God ; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. And Samuel
said to Saul : Stay, and I will tell thee what Jehovah has
17 said to me this night. And he said to him : Say on. And
Samuel said : When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast
thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and Jehovah
X8 anointed thee king over Israel ? And Jehovah sent thee on
the way, and said : Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the
Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.
19 And wherefore didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but
didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which is evil in the
20 sight of Jehovah ? And Saul said to Samuel r Yea, I have
obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which
Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of
21 Amalek ; and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. But
the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the
things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God,
22 in Gilgal. And Samuel said : Has Jehovah delight in burnt-
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah ?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than
23 the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and
willfulness as idolatry and image-worship. Because thou
hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected thee from
being king.
24 And Saul said to Samuel : I have sinned ; for I have trans
gressed the command of Jehovah, %nd thy words ; because I
25 feared the people, and obeyed their voice. And now pardon,
I pray thee, my sin. and return with me, that I may worship
26 Jehovah. And Samuel said to Saul : I will not return with
thee. For thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and
27 Jehovah has rejected thee from being king over Israel. And
Samuel turned about to go away ; and he laid hold of the
28 skirt of his mantle, and it was rent. And Samuel said to
him : Jehovah has rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this
day, and has given it to thy neighbor, who is better than
29 thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie, and will
V. 23. Image-worship. Literally, teraphim. See the note on Judges 17 : 5.  V. 29. The
Strength of Israel. Or, the Confidence of Israel.
138

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xvi.

30 not repent ; for he is not a man, that he should repent. And
he said : I have sinned. Honor me now, I pray thee, before
the elders of my people, and before Israel, and return with
31 me, that I may worship Jehovah thy God. And Samuel
returned after Saul ; and Saul worshipped Jehovah.
32 And Samuel said : Bring hither to me Agag, the king of
Amalek. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag
33 said : Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel
said : As thy sword has made women childless, so shall thy
mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed
Agag in pieces before Jehovah, in Gilgal.
34 And Samuel went to Ramah ; and Saul went up to his
35 house, to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel saw Saul no more
to the day of his death. For Samuel mourned for Saul ; and
Jehovah repented that he made Saul king over Israel.
i And Jehovah said to Samuel : How long wilt thou mourn
for Saul, seeing that I have rejected him from reigning over
Israel ? Fill thy horn with oil, and go ; I will send thee to
Jesse the Beth-lehemite, for I have provided me a king
2 among his sons. And Samuel said : How can I go ? If
Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said : Take a
heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice ; and I will make known to
thee what thou shalt do ; and thou shalt anoint for me him
4 whom I name to thee. And Samuel did that which Jehovah
spoke, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city
came tremblingly to meet him, and said : Comest thou peace-
5 ably ? And he said : Peaceably. I am come to sacrifice to
Jehovah. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sac
rifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them
to the sacrifice.
6 And it came to pass, as they came, that he saw Eliab ; and
7 he said : Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him. And
VV. 2, 3. It has been well said by Calvin, that there was no deception in this case. The
sacrifice was a part, and an essential part of the transaction , both as furnishing an occasion
for bringing together the family of Jesse, and to add the sanction of a solemn sacrifice to the
anointing of the future king of God's people.
139

Chap. xvi. I. SAMUEL.

Jehovah said to Samuel : Look not on his countenance, or
on the height of his stature ; because I have refused him.
For [I see] not as man sees ; for man looks on the outward ap-
8 pearance, and Jehovah looks on the heart. And Jesse called
Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said :•
9 This also Jehovah has not chosen. And Jesse made Sham-
mah pass by. And he said : This also Jehovah has not
i° chosen. And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before
Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse : Jehovah has not
u chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse : Are here all thy
sons ? And he said : There remains yet the youngest ; and,
behold, he tends the flock. And Samuel said to Jesse : Send
and fetch him ; for we will not sit down till he comes hither.
i2 And he sent, and brought him in. And he was ruddy, of
beautiful eyes withal, and goodly to look upon. And Jeho-
13 vah said : Arise, anoint him ; for this is he. And Samuel
took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his
brothers. And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon David from
that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14 And the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil
15 spirit from Jehovah troubled him. And Saul's servants said
to him : Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.
1G Let now our lord command thy servants before thee, and
they will seek out a man, who is a skillful player on the
harp. And it shall be, when the evil spirit from God is upon
thee, that he will play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
47 And Saul said to his servants : Provide me now a man that
i8 can play well, and bring him to me. And one of the serv
ants answered, and said : Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse
the Beth-lehemite, who is skillful in playing, and strong and
valiant, and a man of war, and knowing of speech, and a
comely person, and Jehovah is with him.
19 And Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said : Send me
20 David thy son, who is with the flock. And Jesse took an
ass laden with bread, and a skin of wine, and a kid, and sent
21 them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul,
and stood before him. And he loved him greatly ; and he
140

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xvn.

22 became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying :
Let David, I pray thee, stand before me ; for he has found
23 favor in my sight. And so it was, when the spirit from God
was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with
his hand ; and Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil
spirit departed from him.
i And the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And
they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to
Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, at Ephes-
2 dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered
together, and encamped in the valley of the oak, and set the
3 battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines
stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on
the mountain on the other side ; and the ravine was between
them.
4 And there, went out a champion out of the camp of the
Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath. His height was six
5 cubits and a span. And he had a helmet of brass upon his
head, and he Was clothed with a coat of mail ; and the weight
6 of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had
greaves of brass on his legs, and a javelin of brass between
7 his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's
beam ; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of
8 iron. And one bearing the shield went before him. And
he stood, and cried to the ranks of Israel, and said to them :
Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? Am not
I the Philistine, and ye servants to Saul ? Choose ye a man
9 for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to
fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants ;
and if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be
i° our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said : I defy
the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may
11 fight together. And Saul and all Israel heard these words
V. 4. Champion. One chosen to decide the contest between two contending armies, by
single combat with a champion chosen by the other Bide. See vs. 8-10.  V. 8. The Philis
tine; the champion of that party in the contest. 141

Chap. xvii. I. SAMUEL.

of the Philistine ; and they were dismayed, and greatly
afraid.
12 And David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-
judah, whose name was Jesse ; and he had eight sons. And
i3 the man in the days of Saul was old, far gone in years. And
the three eldest sons of Jesse went after Saul to the battle.
And the names of his three sons that went to the battle were
Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third
14 Shammah. And David was the youngest ; and the three
15 eldest followed Saul. And David went to and from Saul, to
i6 tend his father's flock at Beth-lehem. And the Philistine
drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty
17 days. And Jesse said to David his son : Take now for thy
brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves,
i8 and bring them quickly to the camp to thy brothers ; and
carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and
19 look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. And
Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley
cf the Oak, fighting with the Philistines.
20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the flock
with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse commanded him.
And he came to the wagon-rampart ; and the host, that was
21 going forth to battle-array and shouted for the battle. And
Israel and the Philistines arrayed for battle, army against
22 army. And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper
of the baggage, and ran into the ranks, and came and asked
23 his brothers of their welfare. And as he talked with them,
behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath,
Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and
spoke according to the same words. And David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from
25 him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said :
Have ye seen this man that has come up ? Surely to defy
Israel has he come up. And it shall be, that the man who
kills him the king will enrich with great riches ; and he will
V. 18. And take their pledge ; some token from them, as a pledge, that all is well with them,
V. 20. Wagon-rampart ; a temporary entrenchment, formed by camp wagons.
142

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xvn.

give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in
26 Israel. And David spoke to the men that stood by him, say
ing : What shall be done for the man that kills this Philistine,
and takes away the reproach from Israel ? For who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of
27 the living God? And the people answered him after this
manner, saying : So shall it be done for the man that kills
him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the
men ; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he
said : Why earnest thou down hither ? And with whom hast
thou left that little flock in the wilderness? I know thy
pride, and the wickedness of thy heart, for to see the battle
29 art thou come down. And David said : What have I done
now ? Was it not a word ?
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spoke after
the same manner ; and the people answered him again after
31 the former manner. And the words were heard which David
spoke, and they rehearsed them before Saul ; and he sent for
him.
32 And David said to Saul : Let no man's heart fail because
of him ; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David : Thou art not able to go against
this Philistine, to fight with him ; for thou art a youth, and
34 he a man of war from his youth. And David said to Saul :
Thy servant was tending his father's flock ; and there came
the lion, and also the bear, and took one out of the flock.
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it
out of his mouth ; and when he rose up against me, I caught
30 him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy ser
vant slew both the lion and the bear ; and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing that he has defied
37 the armies of the living God. And David said : Jehovah
who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the
paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this
V. 25. Free in Israel; most probably, from all burdens of the State.  V. 34. Two con
flicts with wild beasts, at different times, are referred to.
143

Chap. xvn. I. SAMUEL.

38

39

Philistine. And Saul said to David : Go, and Jehovah be
with thee.
And Saul clothed David with his war-dress, and he put a
helmet of brass upon his head ; and he clothed him with a
coat of mail. And David girded his sword over his war
dress, and essayed to go ; for he had not proved them. And
David said to Saul : I cannot go in these ; for I have not
40 proved them. And David put them off from him. And he
took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones
out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which
he had, and in a scrip ; and his sling was in his hand.
41 And he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine
came nearer and nearer to David ; and the man that bore
42 the shield went before him. And the Philistine looked, and
saw David ; and he disdained him, for he was a youth, and
43 ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said
to David : Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves ?
44 And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Phil
istine said to David : Come to me, and I will give thy flesh
45 to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. And
David said to the Philistine : Thou comest to me with sword,
and with spear, and with javelin. And I come to thee in
the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the armies of
46 Israel, whom thou defiest. This day will Jehovah deliver
thee into my hand ; and I will smite thee, and take thy head
from thee ; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the
Philistines this day to the fowls of the air, and to the wild
beasts of the earth ; and all the earth shall know that there
47 is a God in Israel. And all this multitude shall know that
Jehovah saves not by sword and spear ; for the battle is
48 Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand. And it
came to pass, when the Philistine rose, and went and drew
near to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the
49 army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into
the bag, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and smote the
Philistine in his forehead, and the stone sunk into his fore-

V. 40. And in a scrip ; one namely, for immediate use.
144

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xvm.

60 head ; and he fell upon his face to the earth. And David
prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the
stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him ; and there
61 was no sword in the hand of David. And David ran, and
stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it
out from its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head there
with. And the Philistines saw that their warrior was dead,
52 and they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose,
and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest
to the ravine, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded
of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, and
63 unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel re
turned from chasing after the Philistines ; and they spoiled
64 their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine, and
brought it to Jerusalem ; and his armor he put in his tent.
55 And when Saul saw David going forth against the Philis
tine, he said to Abner, the captain of the host : Whose son
is this youth, Abner ? And Abner said : As thy soul lives,
6G 0 king, I know not. And the king said : Inquire thou
57 whose son the youth is. And as David returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought
him before Saul ; and the head of the Philistine was in his
68 hand. And Saul said to him : Whose son art thou, young
man ? And David said : I am the son of thy servant Jesse,
the Beth-lehemite.
1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speak
ing to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul
2 of David ; and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And
Saul took him on that day, and would not let him return to
3 his father's house. And Jonathan and David made a cove-
4 nant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan
stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it
to David, and his war-dress, even to his sword, and to his
bow, and to his girdle.
5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him. He
behaved himself wisely ; and Saul set him over the men of
145

Chap. xvn:. I. SAMUEL.

war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and
6 also in the sight of Saul's servants*. And it came to pass
as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the
Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet Saul the king, with tabrets, with
-7 rejoicing, and with triangles. And the women responded,
one to another as they played, and said :—
Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.
8 And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him ;
and he said : They have ascribed to David ten thousands,
and to me they have ascribed thousands. And what can he
9 have more but the kingdom ? And Saul eyed David enviously
from that day and forward.
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from
God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the
house. And David played with his hand, as at other times ;
n and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the
javelin ; and he said : I will smite David to the wall. And
David avoided his presence twice.
i2 And Saul was afraid of David ; for Jehovah was with him,
13 and had departed from Saul. And Saul removed him from
himself and made him his captain over a thousand ; and he
14 went out and came in before the people. And David behaved
himself wisely in all his ways ; and Jehovah was with him.
15 And Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely ; and he
i6 was afraid of him. And. all Israel and Judah loved David ;
for he went out and came in before them.
17 And Saul said to David : Behold my elder daughter Merab,
her will I give thee to wife ; only be thou valiant for me, and
fight Jehovah's battles. For Saul said : Let not my hand be
upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
a8 And David said to Saul : Who am I ? And what is my life,
my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to
V; 10. And he prophesied. Compare Jer. 29 : 26 : " Every man that is mad, and makes him
self a prophet." 146

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xix.

X9 the king? And it came to pass at the time when Merab
Saul's daughter was to be given to David, that she was given
20 to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife. And Michal Saul's
daughter loved David ; and they told Saul, and the thing
21 pleased him. And Saul said : I will give her to him, that
she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philis
tines may be against him. And Saul said to David the
second time : Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law.
22 And Saul commanded his servants : Speak to David pri
vately, and say • Behold, the king has delight in thee, and
all his servants love thee ; now therefore, be the king's son-
23 in-law. And Saul's servants spoke these words in the ears
of David. And David said : Seems it to you a light thing
to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and
24 lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told him, say-
25 ing • On this manner spoke David. And Saul said : Thus
shall ye say to David : The king desires not any dowry, but
a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the
king's enemies. And Saul thought to make David fall by the
26 hand of the Philistines. And his servants told David these
words ; and it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law.
27 And the days were not expired. And David arose and went,
he and his men, and smote of the Philistines two hundred men.
And David brought their foreskins ; and they gave them in
full number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-
law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife. '
28 And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David.
29 And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him. And Saul was
yet the more afraid of David ; and Saul was David's enemy
30 continually. And the princes of the Philistines went forth.
And it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David
behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul ;
and his name was highly prized.
1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants,
2 of putting David to death. And Jonathan, Saul's son, de
lighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying :
147

Chap. xrx. I. SAMUEL.

Saul, my father, is seeking to kill thee. And now, I pray
thee, take heed to thyself to-morrow, and abide in a secret
3 place, and hide thyself. And I will go out, and stand beside
my father in the field where thou art ; and I will speak of
thee to my father, and see how it is, and I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and
said to him : Let not the king sin against his servant, against
David ; because he has not sinned against thee, and because
6 his acts have to thee been very good ; and he put his life in
his hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a
great salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and didst rejoice ;
and wherefore wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay
6 David without a cause ? And Saul hearkened to the voice of
Jonathan ; and Saul swore : As Jehovah lives, he shall not
7 be slain. And Jonathan called David ; and Jonathan told
him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul,
and he was before him, as in times past.
8 And there was war again. And David went out, and
fought against the Philistines ; and he smote them with a
9 great slaughter, and they fled from him. And an evil spirit
from Jehovah was upon Saul, as he sat in his house, and his
javelin was in his hand ; and David was playing with his
i° hand. And Saul sought to smite David to the wall with the
javelin ; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he
smote the javelin into the wall ; and David fled, and escaped
11 that night. And Saul sent messengers to David's house, to
watch him, and to slay him in the morning. And Michal
David's wife told him, saying : If thou save not thy life to
night, to-morrow thou wilt be slain.
12 And Michal let David down through the window ; and he
13 went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took the image,
and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its
14 head, and covered it with the coverlet. And Saul sent mes-
15 sengers to take David ; and she said : He is sick. And Saul
W. 13, 16. The image. Literally, the teraphim. See the note on Judges 17 : 8, and the
writer's note on Gen. 31 : 19. It is there seen that the worship of such images was brought
from Syria. The image might, as in this case, be large enough to counterfeit the human
form, at least the upper part of it.
143

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xx.

20

sent the messengers to see David, saying ¦ Bring him up to
16 me in the bed, that I may slay him. And the messengers
came in, and behold, the image in the bed, and a pillow of
17 goats' hair at its head. And Saul said to Michal : Why hast
thou so deceived me, and sent away my enemy, and he has
escaped ? And Michal answered Saul : He said to me, let me
go ; why should I kill thee ?
18 And David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to
Ramah; and he told him all that Saul had done to him.
19 And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. And it was
told Saul, saying: Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
And Saul sent messengers to take David. And they saw the
company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing
as leader over them ; and the Spirit of God was upon the
21 messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And it was
told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also
prophesied. And Saul sent the third messengers, and they
22 also prophesied. And he also went to Ramah, and came to
the great cistern that is in Sechu. And he asked and said :
Where are Samuel and David ? And one said : Behold, they
23 are at Naioth in Ramah. And he went thither, to Naioth
in Ramah. And the Spirit of God was upon him also, and
he went on prophesying as he went, until he came to Naioth
24 in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too
prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day
and all the night. Therefore they say : Is Saul also among
the prophets?
1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said
before Jonathan : What have I done ? What is my iniquity ?
And what is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life ?
2 And he said to him : Far be it ; thou shalt not die. Behold,
my father does nothing great or small, but that he reveals it
to me ; and why should my father hide this thing from me ?
3 It is not so. And David swore moreover, and said : Thy
V. 24. His clothes ; his outer garments.  Waked. With only his under-clothing ; as in
John 21 : 7.
149

Chap. xx. I. SAMUEL.

father certainly knows that I have found favor in thine eyes ;
and he says : Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.
And truly, as Jehovah lives, and as thy soul lives, there is
4 but a step between me and death. And Jonathan said to
David : Whatever thy soul shall say, I will do it for thee.
6 And David said to Jonathan : Behold, to-morrow is the new
moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But
let me go, I will hide myself in the field until the third even-
6 ing. If thy father at all miss me, thou shalt say: David
earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem
his city ; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
7 If he say thus : It is well, — thy servant shall have peace ;
and if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by
8 him. And thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant ; for thou
hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with
thee. And if there be iniquity in me, slay me thyself; for
9 why shouldest thou bring me to thy father ? And Jonathan
said : Far be it from thee. For if I certainly knew that evil
were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would
10 not I tell it to thee ? And David said to Jonathan : Who
shall tell me ? Or what if thy father answer thee roughly ?
11 And Jonathan said to David : Come, and let us go out
into the field. And they went out both of them into the
12 field. And Jonathan said to David : Jehovah, God of Israel,
if when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow
or the third day, and behold, there be good toward David,
and I then send not to thee, and make it known to thee ;
13 Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it please
my father to do thee evil, then I will reveal it to thee, and
will send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace. And
14 Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father. And
thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of
16 Jehovah, that I die not ; but thou shalt not cut off thy kind
ness from my house forever ; no, not when Jehovah has cut
off the enemies of David every one from the face of the
ie ground. And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of
David, saying : Let Jehovah require it at the hand of David's
150

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xx.

17 enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, be
cause he loved him ; for he loved him as he loved his own
i8 soul. And Jonathan said to him : To-morrow is the new
moon ; and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be
19 empty. And on the third day thou shalt go down quickly,
and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the
20 day of that deed, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And
I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I
21 shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying :
Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad : Behold,
the arrows are on this side of thee, take them ; then come
thou, for there is peace to thee, and no hurt, as Jehovah
22 lives. And if I say thus to the youth : Behold, the arrows
are beyond thee ; go thy way, for Jehovah has sent thee
23 away. And as to the matter of which I and thou have
spoken, behold, Jehovah be between me and thee forever.
24 And David hid himself in the field. And the new moon
25 was come, and the king sat down to the food to eat. And
the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, the seat by the
wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side ;
20 and David's place was empty. And Saul spoke not anything
on that day. For he thought, something has befallen him,
27 he is not clean ; surely he is not clean. And it came to pass
on the morrow of the new moon, the second day, that David's
place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son :
Wherefore comes not the son of Jesse to the food, neither
28 yesterday, nor to-day ? And Jonathan answered Saul :
, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem.
29 And he said : Let me go, I pray thee. For we have a family
sacrifice in the city ; and this my brother, he has bid me do.
And now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away,
I pray thee, and see my brothers. Therefore he comes not
30 to the king's table. And Saul's anger was kindled against
Jonathan, and he said to him : Thou son of the perverse re
bellious woman. Do not I know that thou hast chosen the
son of Jesse to thine own shame, and to the shame of thy
3i mother's nakedness ? For so long as the son of Jesse lives
151

Chap. xxi. I. SAMUEL.

upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy king
dom. And now send and fetch him to me ; for he shall
32 surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul, his father, and
said to him : Wherefore shall he be slain ? What has he
33 done ? And Saul cast the javelin at him, to smite him.
And Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to
34 slay David. And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce
anger ; and he ate no food on the second day of the month.
For he was grieved for David, because his father had done
him shame.
35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went
out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a
36 little lad with him. And he said to his lad : Run, find now
the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot an ar-
37 row beyond him. And the lad came to the place of the
arrow which Jonathan shot ; and Jonathan cried after the
38 lad, and said : Is not the arrow beyond thee ? And Jona
than cried after the lad : Make speed, haste, stay not. And
Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his
39 master. And the lad knew nothing of it; only Jonathan
40 and David knew of the matter. And Jonathan gave his
weapons to his lad, and said to him : Go, carry them to the
city.
41 The lad went. And David arose from the south side, and
fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times.
And they kissed one another, and wept one with another,
42 until David wept aloud. And Jonathan said to David : Go
in peace ; as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jeho
vah, saying : Jehovah be between me and thee, and between
my seed and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed ;
and Jonathan went into the city.
1 And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And
Ahimelech went trembling to meet David ; and he said to
2 him : Why art thou alone, and no man with thee ? And
David said to Ahimelech the priest : The king has charged
me with a business, and has said to me : Let no man know
152

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxi.

anything of the business whereon I send thee, and what I
have commanded thee. And I have appointed the young
3 men to such and such a place. And now what is under thy
hand ? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or what
4 is found. And the priest answered David, and said : There
is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed
bread ; if only the young men have kept themselves from
5 women. And David answered the priest, and said to him :
Nay, but women have been kept from us about these three
days, since I came out, and the utensils of the young men
were holy ; and it is in a manner common, besides that there
6 will [more] be sanctified this day in the vessel. And the
priest gave him hallowed bread. For there was no bread
there but the show-bread, that was taken from before Jeho
vah, to place warm bread on the day when it was taken away.
7 And a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that
day, detained before Jehovah ; and his name was Doeg, the
Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul.
8 And David said to Ahimelech : And is there not here
under thy hand javelin or sword? For I have brought
neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the
9 king's business required haste. And the priest said : The
sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the
valley of the Oak, behold, it is wrapped in the cloak behind
the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it ; for there is no
other than that here. And David said : There is none like
that ; give it to me.
i° And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and
n went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of
Achish said to him : Is not this David, the king of the land ?
Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying :
Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands ?
i2 And David laid these words to heart ; and he was sore afraid
13 of Achish, the king of Gath. And he disguised his reason
in their sight, and feigned himself mad in their hand, and
scrawled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall
14 down on his beard. And Achish said to his servants : Lo,
153

Chap. xxn. I. SAMUEL.

ye see the man is mad ; wherefore do ye bring him to me ?
15 Have I need of madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to
play the madman before me ? Shall this fellow come into
my house ?
1 And David departed thence, and escaped to the cave of
Adullam. And his brothers and all his father's house heard
2 it, and they went down thither to him. And every one that
was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every
one that was discontented, gathered themselves to him, and
he became a captain over them. And there were with him
about four hundred men.
3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said
to the king of Moab : Let my father and my mother, I pray
thee, come out, and be with you, till I know what God will
4 do for me. And he conducted them before the king of Moab ;
and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the
stronghold.
5 And the prophet Gad said to David : Thou shalt not abide
in the stronghold. Depart, and come into the land of Judah.
And David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
6 And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men
that were with him. And Saul was sitting at Gibeah under
the tamarisk-tree on the height, having his javelin in his
7 hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And
Saul said to his servants that stood about him : Hear now,
ye Benjamites. Will the son of Jesse also give every one
of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of
8 thousands, and captains of hundreds ; that all of you have
conspired against me, and no one reveals to me that my son
has made a league with the son of Jesse, and none of you
is sorry for me, or reveals to me that my son has set up my
servant against me a waylayer, as at this day ?
9 And Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants
of Saul, answered and said : I saw the son of Jesse come to
V. 6. Was sitting ; in a pubhc gathering of his adherents, for considering the affairs of
the kingdom.
154

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxn.

i° Nob, to Ahimelech- the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of
Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the
u sword of Goliath, the Philistine. And the king sent to call
Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's
house, the priests that were in Nob ; and they came all of
12 them to the king. And Saul said : Hear now, thou son of
13 Ahitub. And he answered : Here I am, my lord. And Saul
said to him : Why have ye conspired against me, thou and
the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a
sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise
14 up against me a waylayer, as at this day. And Ahimelech
answered the king, and said : And who among all thy ser
vants is as David, trusty and the king's son-in-law, and has
15 access to thy private ear, and is honored in thy house ? Did
I that day begin to inquire of God for him ? Be it far from
me. Let not the king impute anything to his servant, to all
the house of my father ; for thy servant knew nothing of all
16 this, little or great. And the king said : Thou shalt surely
die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
17 And the king said to the runners that stood about him :
Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah ; because their hand
also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and
did not reveal it to me. And the servants of the king would
not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah.
18 And the king said to Doeg : Turn thou, and fall upon the
priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon
the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five men that
19 wore a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he
smote with the edge of the sword ; both men and women,
children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with
the edge of the sword.
20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
21 named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abia
thar made known to David, that Saul had slain the priests
22 of Jehovah. And David said to Abiathar : I knew on that
day, that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely
V. 17. Runners ; that ran before his chariot (ch. 8 : 11), as a body-guard on the road.
155

Chap. xxin. I. SAMUEL.

make it known to Saul. I am the cause, to all the persons
23 of thy father's house. Abide thou with me. Fear not ; foi
he that seeks my life seeks thy life ; for with me thou art
well guarded.
1 And they told David, saying : Behold, Philistines are war-
2 ring against Keilah ; and they rob the threshing-floors. And
David inquired of Jehovah, saying : Shall I go and smite
these Philistines ? And Jehovah said to David : Go, and
3 smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. And David's men
said to him : Behold, we are afraid here in Judah ; and how
much more if we go to Keilah, against the armies of the
4 Philistines ? And David inquired of Jehovah yet again.
And Jehovah answered him and said : Arise, go down to
' 5 Keilah ; for I will give the Philistines into thy hand. And
David and his men went to Keilah ; and they fought against
the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote
them with a great slaughter. And David saved the inhabit-
6 ants of Keilah. And it came to pass, when Abiathar, the
son of Ahimelech, fled to David to Keilah, there came down
an ephod in his hand.
7 And it was made known to Saul that David was come to
Keilah. And Saul said : God has given him over into my
hand ; for he has shut himself in, by entering into a city
8 that has gates and bars. And Saul summoned all the people
to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
9 And David knew that Saul was devising evil against him.
And he said to Abiathar the priest : Bring hither the ephod.
10 And David said : Jehovah, God of Israel, thy servant has
verily heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to de-
u stroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver
me up into his hand ? Will Saul come down, as thy servant
has heard ? Jehovah, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy
i2 servant. And Jehovah said : He will come down. And
David said : Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my
men into the hand of Saul ? And Jehovah said : They will
deliver thee up. 156

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxin.

13 And David and his men, about six hundred, arose and
departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could
go. And it was made known to Saul that David had escaped
14 from Keilah ; and he forbore to go forth. And David abode
in the wilderness in the strongholds, and abode in the mount
ain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every
15 day ; but God delivered him not into his hand. And David
saw that Saul was come out to seek his. life ; and David was
in the wilderness of Ziph, in the forest.
i6 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went into the forest
17 to David, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said
to him : Fear not. For the hand of Saul my father shall
not find thee ; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall
i8 be next to thee ; and that Saul my father also knows. And
they two made a covenant before Jehovah. And David
abode in the forest, and Jonathan went to his house.
19 And Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying : Does
not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the for
est, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the
20 desert? And now, 0 king, go down, according to all the
desire of thy soul to go down ; and it shall be our part to
21 deliver him into the king's hand. And Saul said : Blessed
22 be ye of Jehovah, that ye have compassion on me. Go, I
pray you ; be heedful still, and know and see his place where
his haunt is, who has seen him there. For it is told me that
23 he deals very craftily. And see and know, of all the lurk
ing-places where he hides himself, and come ye again to me
with the certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be,
if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the
24 thousands of Judah. And they arose, and went to Ziph be
fore Saul. And David and his men were in the wilderness
25 of Maon, in the plain on the south of the desert. And Saul
and his men went to seek him. And they made it known to
David ; and he came down to the rock, and abode in the wil
derness of Maon. Ar.d Saul heard it, and he pursued after
26 David in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul went on this
side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of
157

Chap. xxiv. I. SAMUEL.

the mountain. And David made haste to get away for fear
of Saul; for Saul and his men closed around upon David
and his men to take them.
27 And there came a messenger to Saul, saying : Haste thee,
28 and come ; for Philistines have invaded the land. And Saul
returned from pursuing after David, and went against the
Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela-hammah-
lekoth.
29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strongholds
at En-gedi.
1 And it came to pass, when Saul returned from following
the Philistines, that it was told him, saying : Behold, David
2 is in the wilderness of En-gedi. And Saul took three thou
sand men chosen out of all Israel, and went to seek David
3 and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. And he came
to the sheep-folds on the way ; and a cave was there. And
Saul went in to cover his feet ; and David and his men were
4 abiding in the sides of the cave. And the men of David
said to him : Behold the day of which Jehovah said to thee :
Behold, I will give thine enemy into thy hand, that thou
mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. And David
6 arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it
came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him be-
6 cause he cut off Saul's skirt. And he said to his men : Jeho
vah forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Jehovah's
anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing that
7 he is the anointed of Jehovah. And David stayed his men
with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul.
And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on the way.
8 And David arose afterward, and went forth out of the
cave ; and he cried after Saul, saying : My lord, the king !
And Saul looked behind him, and David stooped with his
0 face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said to
Saul : Wherefore hearkenest thou to the words of men, say-
10 ing : Behold, David seeks thy hurt ? Behold, this day thine
V. 28. Sela-hammaMekoth ; meaning, Bock of the escapes.
158

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxv.

eyes have seen that Jehovah gave thee to-day into my hand
in the cave. And some bade me kill thee, but mine eye
spared thee ; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against
11 my lord, for he is Jehovah's anointed. And my father, see,
yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand. For in that I cut
off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and
see that there is no evil nor trespass in my hand, and I have
not sinned against thee ; and thou huntest my life, to take it.
i2 Jehovah judge between me and thee, and Jehovah avenge
13 me of thee ; but my hand shall not be upon thee. As says
the proverb of the ancients : From the wicked proceeds
u wickedness ; and my hand shall not be upon thee. After
whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom dost
15 thou pursue ? After a dead dog, after a flea. And Jeho
vah is judge, and judges between me and thee ; and he will
see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand.
i6 And it came to pass, when David made an end of speaking
these words to Saul, that Saul said : Is this thy voice, my son
" David ? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he
said to David : Thou art more righteous than I ; for thou hast
rewarded me with good, and I have rewarded thee with evil.
18 And thou hast showed this day that thou dost deal kindly
with me ; in that when Jehovah delivered me into thy hand,
19 thou didst not kill me. For if a man find his enemy, will he
let him go well away ? Jehovah requite thee with good for
20 what thou hast done to me this day. And now, behold, I
know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom
21 of Israel shall be established in thy hand. And now swear
to me by Jehovah, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after
me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my
22 father's house. And David swore to Saul. And Saul went
to his house ; and David and his men went up to the strong
hold.
1 And Samuel died ; and all Israel assembled, and lamented
him ; and they buried him in his house at Ramah. And
V. 17. Thou hast rewarded, etc. The meaning, more fully expressed, is :— Thou hast re
warded my evil with good, and I have rewarded thy good with evil.
159

Chap. xxv. I. SAMUEL.

David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 And there was a man at Maon, whose possessions were in
Carmel. And the man was very great ; and he had three
thousand sheep, and a thousand goats. And he was shear-
3 ing his sheep in Carmel. And the name of the man was
Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And the woman
was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance ;
and the man was churlish and evil in his doings. And he
was of the house of Caleb.
4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shear-
6 ing his sheep. And David sent out ten young men. And
David said to the young men : Go up to Carmel ; and go to
? Nabal, and ask after his welfare in my name. And thus
shall ye say to him : Hail ! Peace be to thee, and peace be
7 to thy house, and peace be to all that thou hast. And now
I have heard that thou hast shearers. Now thy shepherds
which were with us, we hurt them not, nor was there aught
8 missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask
thy young men, and they will tell thee. And let the young
men find favor in thine eyes ; for we are come to a festive
day. Give, I pray thee, whatsoever comes to thy hand, to
9 thy servants and to thy son David. And David's young men
came, and spoke to Nabal according to all these words, in the
name of David, and ceased.
i° And Nabal answered David's servants, and said : Who is
David ? And who is the son of Jesse ? There are many
servants nowadays that break away every man from his
n master. And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my
flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men,
X2 whom I know not whence they are? And David's young
men turned to their way, and went back, and came and
.13 told him according to all these words. And David said to
his men : Gird on every man his sword. And they girded
on every man his sword ; and David also girded on his
sword. And there went up after David about four hundred
men ; and two hundred remained by the baggage.
14 And one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, say-
160

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxv.

ing : Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to
15 salute our master ; and he railed at them. But the men were
very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss any
thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we
16 were in the field. They were a wall to us both by night and
by day, all the while we were with them tending the sheep.
n And now know and consider what thou wilt do ; for evil is
determined against our master, and upon all his household ;
and he is a bad man, so that one cannot speak to him.
i8 And Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves,
and 'two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and
five seahs of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins,
and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on the asses.
19 And she said to her servants : Go on before me ; behold, I
20 come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And
it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by a
sheltered part of the mountain, and, behold, David and his
men were coining down towards her ; and she met them.
21 Now David had said : Surely in vain have I kept all that this
fellow has in the Wilderness, so that nothing was missed of
all that pertained to him ; and he has requited me evil for
22 good. So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if
of all that pertain to him I leave a male till the morning light.
23 And Abigail saw David, and she hasted, and alighted from
the ass ; and she fell before David on her face, and bowed
24 herself to the ground. And she fell at his feet, and said : On
me, my lord, be the wrong. And let thy handmaid, I pray,
speak in thy ears, and hear the words of thy handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray, have regard to this base man, to
Nabal ; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and
folly is with him ; and I, thy handmaid, saw not the young
26 men of my lord, whom thou didst send. And now, my lord,
as Jehovah fives, and as thy soul lives, Jehovah has with-
holden thee from coming into blood-guiltiness, that thine own
V. 18. Seah. A measure of quantity, containing nearly three gallons.  V. 22. Meaning:
So may God do to the enemies of David (so spare them), if I shall spare any of all that pertain
to him.  V. 25. This base man. Only by this truthful admission could she justify or
excuse the action of David, whom it was her duty to conciliate.  Habal ; stupid, foolish.
161

Chap. xxv. I. SAMUEL.

hand should help thee. And now let thine enemies, and
27 they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this
present which thy handmaid has brought to my lord, let it
28 be given to the young men that follow my lord. Forgive, I
pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid. For Jehovah will
certainly make for my lord a sure house ; because my lord
fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil shall not be found in
29 thee, all thy days. And should a man rise up to pursue
thee, and to seek thy life, let the life of my lord be bound in
the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God ; and the life of
thine enemies, that shall he sling out, as in the hollow of a
30 sling. And it shall be, when Jehovah shall do to my lord
according to all the good that he has spoken of thee, and
3i shall appoint thee ruler over Israel ; that this shall be no
cause of grief to thee, nor heart-reproach to my lord, that
thou hast shed blood causelessly, or that my lord was his own
helper. And when Jehovah shall deal well with my lord,
then remember thy handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail : Blessed be Jehovah, God of
33 Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me. And blessed be
thy understanding, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me this
day from coming into blood-guiltiness, that my own hand
34 should help me. And in truth, as Jehovah, God of Israel
lives, who has kept me back from hurting thee, unless thou
hadst hasted and come to meet me, there had not a male
35 been left to Nabal till the morning light. And David received
from her hand that which she brought him. And he said to
her : Go up in peace to thy house ; see, I have hearkened to
thy voice, and have accepted thee.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal. And, behold, he held a feast
in his house, like the feast of a king ; and Nabal's heart was
merry over it, for he was very drunken. And she told him
37 nothing, little or much, until the morning light. And it
came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of
Nabal, that his wife told him these things ; and his heart died
38 within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass
about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, and he died.
162

L SAMUEL. Chap, xxvl

39 And David heard that Nabal was dead. And he said :
Blessed be Jehovah who pleaded the cause of my reproach
from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from
evil ; for Jehovah has returned the wickedness of Nabal
upon his own head. And David sent and spoke with Abigail,
40 to take her to him for a wife. And the servants of David
came to Abigail to Carmel ; and they spoke to her, saying :
11 David sent us to thee, to take thee to him for a wife. And
she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and
said : Behold, thy handmaid is for a servant, to wash the feet
42 of the servants of my lord. And Abigail hasted, and arose,
and rode upon an ass, with her five damsels that followed
her. And she went after the messengers of David, and
43 became his wife. And David took Ahinoam of Jezreel ; and
they were both of them his wives.
44 And Saul gave Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti
' the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
i And the Ziphites came to Saul, to Gibeah, saying : Does
not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, before the
2 desert? And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness
of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen men
3 of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And
Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is before the
desert on the way ; and David abode in the wilderness.
And he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.
4 And David sent out spies, and knew that Saul was certainly
come.
5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul
encamped. And David beheld the place where Saul lay, and
Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host. And Saul lay
in the wagon-rampart, and the people encamped round
6 about him. And David answered and said to Ahimelech the
Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab,
saying : Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp ?
7 And Abishai said : I will go down with thee. And David
and Abishai came to the people by night ; and, behold, Saul
163

Chap. xxvi. I. SAMUEL.

lying asleep within the wagon-rampawt, and his spear stuck
in the ground at his head, and Abner and the people lying
8 round about him. And Abishai said to David : God has
delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day. And now let
me, I pray thee, smite through him with the spear into the
9 earth once, and I will not smite him a second time. And
David said to Abishai : Destroy him not ; for who stretches
forth his hand against Jehovah's anointed, and is guiltless ?
i° And David said : As Jehovah lives, nay but Jehovah shall
smite him ; or his day shall come and he shall die ; or he
n shall go into battle, and perish. Jehovah forbid that I
should stretch forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed.
And now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and
12 the cruse of water, and let us go. And David took the spear
and the cruse of water from the head of Saul. And they
went away ; and no one saw it, and no one knew it, and no
one waked ; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep
from Jehovah had fallen upon them.
13 And David passed over to the other side, and stood on the
top of the mountain afar off ; a great space being between
u them. And David cried to the people, and to Abner the
son of Ner, saying : Answerest thou not, Abner ? And
Abner answered and said : Who art thou that criest to the
15 king ? And David said to Abner : Art not thou a man ?
And who is like to thee in Israel? And wherefore hast
thou not watched over thy lord the king ? For there came
16 in one of the people to destroy the king, thy lord. This
thing is not good that thou hast done. As Jehovah lives,
ye are worthy of death, because ye have not watched over
your master, over Jehovah's anointed. And now see where
the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his
17 head. And Saul knew David's voice ; and he said : Is this
thy voice, my son David ? And David said : It is my voice,
18 my lord, 0 king. And he said : Wherefore does my lord
pursue after his servant? For what have I done? And
19 what evil is in my hand ? And now let my lord the king
hear, I pray thee, the words of his servant. If Jehovah
164

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxvn.

have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering ;
but if children of men, cursed be they before Jehovah ; for
they have driven me out this day from abiding in the in-
20 heritance of Jehovah, saying : Go, serve other gods. And
now, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of
Jehovah. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a
flea, as one hunts the partridge in the mountains.
2i And Saul said : I have sinned. Return, my son David ;
for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious
in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have done foolishly, and
22 have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said : Be
hold the king's spear ! And let one of the young men come
23 over and fetch it. And Jehovah will render to every man
his righteousness and his faithfulness. For Jehovah gave
thee into my hand to-day ; but I would not stretch forth my
24 hand against Jehovah's anointed. And, behold, as thy life
was much prized this day in mine eyes, my life shall be much
prized in the eyes of Jehovah, and he will deliver me out of
25 all tribulation. And Saul said to David : Blessed be thou,
my son David. Thou wilt both essay great things, and also
wilt surely prevail. And David went on his way ; and Saul
returned to his place.
1 And David said in his heart : I shall now perish some day
by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than
that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines ;
and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the
2 territory of Israel ; so shall I escape out of his hand. And
David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men
that were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of
3 Gath. And David remained with Achish at Gath, he and
his men, every man and his household ; David and his two
wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmel-
4 itess, Nabal's wife. And it was told Saul that David had
fled to Gath ; and he sought for him no more.
6 And David said to Achish : If now I have found favor in
thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the country^
165

Chap, xxvni. I. SAMUEL.

cities, that I may dwell there. For why should thy servant
6 dwell in the royal city with thee ? And Achish gave him
Ziklag that day. Therefore has Ziklag belonged to the kings
7 of Judah, to this day. And the time that David dwelt in
the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshu
rites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites ; for these were
of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, and
9 to the land of Egypt. And David smote the land, and saved
neither man nor woman alive ; and he took sheep, and oxen,
and asses, and camels, and apparel, and returned, and came
i° to Achish. And Achish said : Ye have not made an inroad
to-day ? And David said : Against the south of Judah, and
against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and to the south of
n the Kenites. And David saved neither man nor woman
alive, to bring to Gath, saying : Lest they should inform
against us, saying : So did David, and so will be his manner
all the while he dwells in the country of the Philistines.
12 And Achish confided in David, saying : He has made himself
utterly abhorred among his people in Israel ; and he shall be
my servant forever.
i And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines
gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with
Israel. And Achish said to David : Be assured, that thou
2 shalt go out with me in the army, thou and thy men. And
David said to Achish : Therefore, thou shalt know what thy
servant will do. And Achish said to David : Therefore will
I make thee keeper of my head forever.
3 And Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him,
and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had
put away them that had divining-spirits, and the wizards,
4 out of the land. And the Philistines gathered together, and
came and encamped in Shunem. And Saul gathered all
5 Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa. And Saul
V. 3. Divining-spirits. See the writer's explanatory note on Isaiah 8 : 19, and his note on
the Hebrew text of the same passage.
166

I. SAMUEL. Chap, xxvul

saw the host of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his
c heart greatly trembled. And Saul inquired of Jehovah ;
and Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by
Urim, nor by the prophets.
7 And Saul said to his servants : Seek for me a woman that
has a divining-spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of
her. And his servants said to him : Behold, a woman that
8 has a divining-spirit is at En-dor. And Saul disguised him
self, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men
with him, and they came to the woman by night. And he
said : Divine for me, I pray thee, by the divining-spirit, and
9 bring up for me him whom I shall name to thee. And the
woman said to him : Behold, thou knowest what Saul has
done ; that he has cut off them that have divining-spirits,
and the wizards, out of the land. Wherefore then layest
i° thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die ? And Saul
swore to her by Jehovah, saying : As Jehovah lives, there
11 shall no punishment befall thee for this thing. And the
woman said : Whom shall I bring up to thee ? And he
i2 said : Bring me up Samuel. And the woman saw Samuel,
and she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said
to Saul : Why hast thou deceived me ? For thou art Saul.
13 And the king said to her : Be not afraid ; for what seest
thou ? And the woman said to Saul : I see a god coming
u out of the earth. And he said to her : What form is he of?
And she said : An old man comes up ; and he is covered
with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and
he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul : Why hast thou disquieted me,
to bring me up ? And Saul said : I am sore distressed ; for
the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed
from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor
by dreams ; and I have called thee, that thou mayest make
xe known to me what I shall do. And Samuel said : Wherefore
V. 6. Urim. See the note on Ex. 28 : 30 ; and compare Num. 27 : 21.- — V. 13. A god.
Any supernatural being, or one from the other world, might be so termed.  V. 14. A robe.
The priest's robe, worn uuder the ephod. See the description of it in Ex. 28 : 31-34.
167

Chap. xxvm. I. SAMUEL.

then dost thou ask of me, seeing that Jehovah is departed
17 from thee, and is become thine enemy ? And Jehovah has
done for himself, as he spoke by me ; for Jehovah has rent
the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor,
i8 to David. As thou didst not obey the voice of Jehovah, nor
execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore has Jehovah
19 done this thing to thee this day. And Jehovah will give
Israel also with thee ¦ into the hand of the Philistines ; and
to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me ; the host of
Israel also will Jehovah give into the hand of the Philistines.
20 And Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was
sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel. And there
was no strength in him ; for he had eaten no bread all the
day, nor all the night.
21 And the woman came to Saul, and saw that he was sore
troubled ; and she said to him : Behold, thy handmaid has
obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and
have hearkened to thy words which thou hast spoken to me.
22 And now, I pray thee, hearken thou also to the voice of thy
handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee ; and
eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy
23 way. But he refused, and said : I will not eat. And his ser
vants constrained him, and also the woman ; and he hearkened
VV. 7-20. The transactions here recorded have been the occasion of much speculation, and
many theories have been devised to account for them. In Dr. Schaff's American edition of
Lange's Critical, Doctrinal, and Historical Commentary, a full statement of these speculations
and theories is given in Vol. V. on the Old Testament, edited with great ability and learning
by Professors C. H. Toy and J. A. Broadus.
It may be safely assumed that the woman was » noted impostor, who practiced on the
credulity of the weak and ignorant by her deceptive arts, expressly forbidden in the Divine
law (Lev. 20 : 6), as inconsistent with a truly religious spirit, and therefore sinful as well as
corrupting. In the narrative itself the following facts are to be particularly noted : —
1. The woman was ignorant of the person of her visitor.
2. She was herself terrified at the apparition which she pretended she had power to call up.
3. It was not visible to Saul, and he identified Samuel from her description of what she saw.
So much is clear from the narrative. Whatever was supernatural, therefore, must have
been present only to the mind of the woman ; for what her eyes could see could be seen by
the eyes of Saul. If such were the case, she was made the instrument of a communication to
Saul through what seemed, in her mental conception, an apparition of the prophet.
Divine wisdom has at other times made use of similar instruments, as in the case of Balaam.
Num. 23 : 5, "Jehovah put a word in Balaam's mouth" ; 24 : 4, "who heard Ihe words of God,
who saw the vision of the Almighty." No sanction was given to Saul's unauthorized visit to
the Borceress. The instrument he used in violation of law, was made the instrument of his
humiliation and punishment
168

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxrx.

to their voice. And he arose from the earth, and sat on the
24 couch. And the woman had a fatted calf in the house ; and
she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and
25 baked unleavened bread thereof. And she brought it before
Saul, and before his servants ; and they ate. Then they rose
up, and went away that night.
i And the Philistines gathered all their armies to Aphek ;
2 and Israel encamped by the fountain that is in Jezreel. And
the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by
thousands ; and David and his men passed on in the rear
3 with Achish. And the princes of the Philistines said : What
do these Hebrews ? And Achish said to the princes of the
Philistines : Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king
of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years,
and I have found no fault in him since he fell away to me,
4 unto this day ? And the princes of the Philistines were
wroth with him ; and the princes of the Philistines said to
him : Let the man return, and go back to his place which
thou hast appointed him ; and let him not go down with us
to the battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us. For
wherewith shall he make himself acceptable to his master?
6 Is it not with the heads of these men ? Is not this David, of
whom they sang one to another in dances, saying : Saul slew
his thousands, and David his ten thousands ?
6 And Achish called David, and said to him : Surely, as
Jehovah lives, thou art upright, and thy going out and thy
coming in with me in the camp is good in my sight. For I
have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming to
7 me unto this day ; but the lords favor thee not. And now
return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of
the Philistines.
8 And David said to Achish : But what have I done ? And
what hast thou found in thy servant, so long as I have been
with thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight the
9 enemies of my lord the king ? And Achish answered and
said to David : I know that thou art good in my sight, as an
169

Chap. xxx. I. SAMUEL.

angel of God. Only the princes of the Philistines have said :
i° He shall not go up with us to the battle. And now, rise up
early in the morning, with thy master's servants that are
come with thee ; and as soon as ye are up early in the morn-
11 ing and have light, depart. And David rose up early, he
and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the
land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to
Jezreel.
1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come
to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded
the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it
2 with fire. And they had taken captive the women that were
therein, both small and great ; they slew not any, but carried
them off, and went on their way.
3 And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it
was burned with fire ; and their wives, and their sons, and
4 their daughters, were taken captives. Then David, and the
people that were with him, lifted up their voice and wept,
5 until they had no more power to weep. And David's two
wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and
6 Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was
in a great strait ; for the people thought to stone him, because
the soul of all the people was embittered, every man for his
sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in
7 Jehovah his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest,
Ahimelech's son : Bring me, I pray thee, the ephod. And
8 Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired
of Jehovah, saying : Shall I pursue after this troop ? Shall
I overtake them ? And he answered him : Pursue ; for thou
9 shalt surely overtake, and without fail recover. And David
went, he and the six hundred men that were with him ; and
they came to the brook Besor, where those that were left
i° behind stayed. And David pursued, he and four hundred
men ; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that
they could not go over the brook Besor.
u And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him
170

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxx.

to David. And they gave him bread, and he ate, and they
12 gave him water to drink ; and they gave him a piece of a
cake of figs, and two cakes of raisins. And he ate, and his
spirit returned to him ; for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk
13 water, three days and three nights. And David said to him :
To whom belongest thou ? And whence art thou ? And he
said : I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite ;
and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
14 We made an invasion in the south of the Cherethites, and
upon that which belongs to Judah, and upon the south of
X5 Caleb ; and we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to
him : Wilt thou bring me down to this troop ? And he said :
Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor
deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will bring thee
down to this troop.
16 And he brought him down ; and behold, they were spread
abroad over the whole land, eating and drinking, and dancing,
because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of
the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the dawn unto the evening of
the next day. And there escaped not a man of them, save
four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.
i8 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried
19 away. And David recovered his two wives. And there was
nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons
nor daughters, nor spoil, nor anything that they had taken to
20 them. David brought back all. And he took all the flocks
and the herds; which they drove before those cattle, and
said : This is David's spoil.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, who were so
faint that they could not follow David, and were left behind
at the brook Besor. And they went forth to meet David,
and to meet the people that were with him ; and David came
22 near to the people, and saluted them. Then answered all
V. 20. Before tliose cattle. Cattle of the same kind. David's spoil consisted of the flocks
and herds belonging to the Amalekites ; and these were driven in advance of cattle recovered
from them. That David returned with abundant " spoil of the enemies of Jehovah " (v. 26),
is evident from vs. 26-31. 171

Chap. xxxi. I. SAMUEL.

the wicked and worthless men, of those that went with David,
and said : Because they went not with us, we will not give
them of the spoil that we have recovered ; save to every man
his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and
23 depart. And David said : Ye shall not do so, my brethren,
with that which Jehovah has given us, and has preserved us,
24 and given the troop that came against us into our hand. And
who will hearken to you in this matter ? For as his part is
that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that remains
25 by the baggage ; they shall share alike. And it was so from
that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance
for Israel unto this day.
26 And David came to Ziklag. And he sent of the spoil to
the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying : Behold a present
27 for you, of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah ; to them
who were in Beth-el, and to them who were in Ramoth-
28 negeb, and to them who were in Jattir, and to them who
were in Aroer, and to them who were in Siphmoth, and to
29 them who were in Eshtemoa, and to them who were in
Rachal, and to them who were in the cities of the Jerah-
meelites, and to them who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to them who were in Hormah, and to them who were in
31 Chor-ashan, and to them who were in Athach, and to them
who were in Hebron ; and to all the places which David
frequented, he and his men.
i And the Philistines fought against Israel. And the men
of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain in
2 mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul
and upon his sons ; and the Philistines smote Jonathan, and
3 Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went
hard against Saul, and the archers, men with bows, hit him ;
4 and he was sore afraid of the archers. And Saul said to his
armor-bearer : Draw thy sword, and thrust me through there
with ; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through,
and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not ; for he was
6 sore afraid. And Saul took the sword, and fell upon it. And
172

I. SAMUEL. Chap. xxxi.

his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead ; he also fell upon
6 his sword, and died with him. And Saul died, and his three
sons, and his armor-bearer, yea, all his men, that same day
together.
7 And the men of Israel that were beyond the plain, and
that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel
fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead ; and they forsook
the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in
8 them. And it came to pass, on the morrow, that the Philis
tines came to strip the slain ; and they found Saul and his
9 three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his
head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of
the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their
i° idols, and among the people. And they put his armor in the
house of Ashtaroth ; and they fastened his body to the wall
of Beth-shan.
n And the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which
i2 the Philistines had done to Saul. And all the valiant men
arose, and went all night ; and they took the body of Saul
and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and
13 came to Jabesh, and burned them there. And they took
their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk at Jabesh;
and they fasted seven days.
V. 10. In the house of Ashtaroth. See the writer's note on Gen. 14 : 5.
173

THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL.
1 And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David
had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that
2 David abode in Ziklag two days. And it came to pass on
the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp
from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head.
And so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the
3 earth, and bowed himself. And David said to him : From
whence comest thou ? And he said to him : Out of the
4 camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said to him : How
went the matter ? Tell me, I pray thee. And he said : The
people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also
are fallen and are dead ; and Saul and Jonathan his son are
6 dead also. And David said to the young man that told him :
How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead 1
6 And the young man that told him said : I happened by
chance upon mount Gilboa, and, behold, Saul leaned upon
his spear ; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard
7 after him. And he looked behind him, and saw me, and he
8 called to me. And I said : Here am I. And he said to me :
Who art thou ? And I said to him : I am an Amalekite.
9 And he said to me : Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay
me ; for the anguish is come upon me, for my life is yet whole
i° in me. Av* I stood upon him, and slew him, because I
knew that he would not live after he had fallen. And I took
V. 1. And it came to pass. The narrative is here resumed and continued, from the last
two chapters of the preceding book. "The two streams of narrative in ch. xxx. and in ch.
xxxi. form their confluence in this chapter." ( The Speaker's Commentary.)
V. 9. The anguish ; of defeat and impending death. According to others, perplexity, con
fusion of mind, unknowing what to do.
V. 10. After he had fallen ; under the weapons of his pursuers  The true account of Saul's
death is given in 1 Sam. 31 : 4. The story of the Amalekite, with the exception of his' strip
ping the bodies of the dead, was invented by him, in expectation of a reward from David.
174

II. SAMUEL. Chap. i.

the crown that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on
11 his arm, and have brought them hither to my lord. Then
David took hold of his clothes, and rent them ; and also all
12 the men that were with him. And they mourned, and wept,
and fasted until the evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his
son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of
Israel ; because they had fallen by the sword.
13 And David said to the young man that told him : Whence
art thou ? And he said : I am the son of a stranger, an
14 Amalekite. And David said to him : How wast thou not
afraid to stretch forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah's anointed?
15 And David called one of the young men, and said : Go near,
i6 fall upon him. And he smote him, that he died. And David
said to him : Thy blood be upon thy head ; for thy mouth
has testified against thee, saying : I have slain Jehovah's
anointed.
n And David lamented with this lamentation, over Saul and
18 over Jonathan his son. And he bade them teach the chil
dren of Judah the [song of] The Bow. Behold, it is written
in the book of the righteous.
19 The beauty of Israel is slain on thy high places.
How are the mighty fallen !
20 Tell it not in Gath ;
Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon ;
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains in Gilboa,
Let there be no dew, and no rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,
The shield of Saul as if un-anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan,
The lovely and pleasant in their lives,

V. 18. The [song 0/] The Bow. So called from the word "bow" in v. 22. It was a con
venient mode of reference, when there was no division of chapter and verse.
V. 21. Fields of offerings. Offerings of the first-fruits, Ex. 23 : 19, and 34 : 26. Hence fertile
fields, from which such offerings were made.
175

Chap. ii. II. SAMUEL.

And in their death not divided !
They were swifter than eagles ;
They were stronger than lions.
24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul ;
Who clothed you in scarlet, with [other] delights ;
Who put on ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle ;
Jonathan, slain in thy high places !
26 I am distressed for thee my brother Jonathan.
Very pleasant hast thou been to me ;
Wonderful thy love to me, passing the love of women.
27 How are the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished !
i And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of
Jehovah, saying : Shall I go up into one of the cities of
Judah ? And Jehovah said to him : Go up. And David
said : Whither shall I go up ? And he said : Unto Hebron.
2 And David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam
3 the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of the Carmelite. And
his men that were with him did David bring up, every man
with his household ; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David
king over the house of Judah.
And they told David saying : The men of Jabesh-gilead
6 were they that buried Saul. And David sent messengers to
the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them : Blessed be ye
of Jehovah, that ye have showed this kindness to your lord,
6 to Saul, and have buried him. And now Jehovah show
kindness and truth to you ; and I also will requite you this
7 goodness, because ye have done this thing. And now let
your hands be strong, and be ye valiant. For your master
Saul is dead ; and also the house of Judah have anointed
me king over them.
8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took
Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahan-
9 aim. And he made him king over Gilead, and over the
Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over
10 Benjamin, and over all Israel. Forty years old was Ish-
bosheth, Saul's son, when he began to reign over Israel ; and
176

II. SAMUEL. Chap. n.

he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed
11 David. And the time that David was king in Hebron over
the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth
the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David,
went out, and they met together by the pool of Gibeon.
And they sat down, these on this side of the pool, and those
u on that side of the pool. And Abner said to Joab : Let the
young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said :
15 Let them arise. Then there arose and went over by number,
twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and
16 twelve of the servants of David. And they caught every
one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword into his
fellow's side ; and they fell down together. And that place
17 was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. And the
battle was very hard on that day ; and Abner was beaten,
and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
18 And three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai,
and Asahel. And Asahel was as light of foot as the wild roe.
19 And Asahel pursued after Abner ; and he turned not to go
29 to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. Then
Abner looked behind him, and said : Art thou Asahel ? And
21 he said, I am. And Abner said to him : Turn aside to thy
right hand or to thy left, and lay hold of one of the young
men, and take for thee his armor. But Asahel would not
22 turn aside from following him. And Abner said again to
Asahel : Turn aside from following me. Wherefore should
I smite thee to the ground ? How then should I hold up my
23 face to Joab thy brother ? But he refused to turn aside.
And Abner, with the hinder end of the spear, smote him
under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and
he fell down there, and died on the spot. And so it was,
that all who came to the place, where Asahel fell down and
24 died, stood still. And Joab and Abishai pursued after
Abner. And the sun went down when they came to the hill

V. 16. Helkalh-haaurim ; field of swords. 177

Chap. ni. II. SAMUEL.

of Ammah, that lies before Giah on the way to the wilder
ness of Gibeon.
25 And the children of Benjamin gathered together after
Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill.
23 Then Abner called to Joab, and said : Shall the sword de-
, vour forever ? Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness
at the last? How long shall it be then, ere thou bid the
27 people return from following their brethren ? And Joab
said : As God lives, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in
the morning the people had gone up, every one from follow-
28 ing his brother. And Joab blew a trumpet, and all the
people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither
29 fought they any more. And Abner and his men went all
that night through the plain, and passed over the Jordan,
and went through all the defile, and came to Mahanaim.
30 And Joab returned from following Abner. And he gath
ered all the people together, and there lacked of David's
31 servants nineteen men, and Asahel. But the servants of
David had smitten of Benjamin and among Abner's men ;
three hundred and threescore men were dead.
32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre
of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his
men went all the night, and came to Hebron at break of day.
i And the war was long between the house of Saul and the
house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger,
and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
2 And sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn
3 was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess ; and his second
Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite ; and
the third Absalom, the son of Maacah the daughter of Tal-
4 mai king of Geshur ; and the fourth Adonijah the son of
5 Haggith ; and the fifth Shephatiah the son of Abital ; and
the sixth Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born
to David in Hebron.
6 And it came to pass, while there was war between the
house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made
7 himself strong for the house of Saul. And Saul had a con-
178

II. SAMUEL. Chap. rri.

cubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah.
And [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner : Wherefore hast thou gone
8 in unto my father's concubine ? Then was Abner very wroth
for the words of Ish-bosheth. And he said : Am I a dog's
head, who for Judah do show kindness this day to the house
of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and
have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou
9 this day dost charge on me a fault with the woman ? So do
God to Abner and more, unless as Jehovah has sworn to
10 David, so I shall do to him ; to transfer the Idngdom from
the house of Saul ; and to set up the throne of David over
11 Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba. And
he could not answer Abner a word more, because he feared
him.
i2 And Abner sent messengers in his stead to David, saying :
Whose is the land ? Saying : Make thy league with me ;
and behold, my hand shall be with thee, to turn all Israel to
thee.
13 And he said : Well, I will make a league with thee. But
one thing I require of thee, that is : Thou shalt not see my
face, except thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when
14 thou comest to see my face. And David sent messengers to
Ish-bosheth Saul's son, saying : Give me my wife Michal,
whom I espoused to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philis-
15 tines. And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband,
16 from Phaltiel the son of Laish. And her husband went with
her, weeping behind her, to Bahurim. Then said Abner to
him : Go, return. And he returned.
17 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel,
saying : Ye sought for David in times past to be king over
18 you. And now do it. For Jehovah has spoken of David,
saying : By the hand of my servant David will I save my
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of
19 the hand of all their enemies. And Abner also spoke in the
ears of Benjamin. And Abner went also to speak in the
V. 8. Who for Judah. As though all that follow* could be regarded as a service rendered
to that kingdom. 179

Chap. m. II. SAMUEL.

ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and
20 to the whole house of Benjamin. And Abner came to David
to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made a
21 feast to Abner, and the men that were with him. And
Abner said to David : I will arise and go, and will gather
all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a league
with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul
desires. And David let Abner go ; and he went in peace.
22 And, behold, the servants of David, and Joab, came from
the troop, and brought in great spoil with them. But Abner
was not with David in Hebron ; for he had let him go, and
23 he went away in peace. And Joab came, and all the host
that was with him. And they told Joab, saying : Abner the
son of Ner came to the king ; and he has let him go, and he
24 went away in peace. And Joab came to the king, and said :
What hast thou done ? Behold, Abner came to thee ; why
25 is it that thou hast let him go, and he is quite gone ? Thou
knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee,
and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know-
26 all that thou doest. And Joab went out from David ; and
he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back
27 from the well of Sirah ; but David knew it not. And Abner
returned to Hebron. And Joab took him aside to the mid
dle of the gate-way, to speak with him quietly. And he
smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the
blood of Asahel his brother.
28 And David afterward heard it. And he said : I and my
kingdom are guiltless before Jehovah forever, of the. blood
29 of Abner the son of Ner. Let it come down on the head of
Joab, and on all his father's house ; and let there not fail
from the house of Joab one that has an issue, or that is a:
leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or
30 that lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai his brother slew
Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel, at Gibeon
in the battle.
31 _ And David said-to Joab, and to all the people . that _were .
with him ; Rend your clothes, and gird on sackcloth, and
180

II. SAMUEL. Chap. iv.

mourn before Abner. And David the king followed the bier.
32 And they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up
his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner ; and all the people
33 wept. And the king lamented over Abner, and said : —

Should Abner die as the godless dies?
34 Thy hands were not bound,
Nor thy feet put in fetters.
As one falls before the wicked,
Thou didst fall.

35

86

And all the people wept yet more for him. And all the
people came to cause David to eat food while it was yet day.
And David swore, saying : So do God to me, and more also,
if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun go down. And
all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them ; as
37 whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. And all the
people and all Israel knew on that day, that it was not of
38 the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. And the king said
to his servants : Know ye not that a prince and a great man
39 has fallen this day in Israel? And I am this day weak,
though anointed king ; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah,
are too hard for me. Jehovah reward the doer of evil
according to his evil.
1 And Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron ;
2 and his hands were feeble, and all Israel was troubled. And
Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands. The
name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other
Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children
of Benjamin ; for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin.
3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners
4 there unto this day. And Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a
son that was lame in his feet. He was five years old when
the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and
his nurse took him up, and fled ; and it came to pass, as she
made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his
V. 34. Tin) hands were not bound. Meaning : — thou diedst, not bound and fettered, as a
malefactor justly doomed to death ; but covertly, by the assassin's stroke.
181

Chap. v. H. SAMUEL.

5 name was Mephibosheth. And the sons of Rimmon the
Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the
heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth. And he was
6 lying down for rest at noon-day. And they came thither
into the midst of the house, as though to fetch wheat. And
they smote him under the fifth rib ; and Rechab and Baanah
7 his brother escaped. And they came into the house, and he
was lying on his bed in his sleeping chamber. And they
smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him ; and they took
8 his head, and went by the way of the plain all night. And
they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron.
' And they said to the king : Behold the head of Ish-bosheth
the son of Saul thy enemy, who sought thy life ; and Jeho
vah has- avenged my lord the king this day, of Saul and of
his seed.
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the
sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them : As Jeho
vah lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity;
i° when one told me, saying : Behold, Saul is dead, thinking
that he brought good tidings, I laid hold of him, and slew
u him in Ziklag, to give him a reward for his tidings. How
much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous man in
his own house upon his bed ? And now shall I not require
his blood at your hand, and take you away from the earth ?
12 And David commanded the young men, and they slew them,
and they cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them
up by the pool in Hebron. And they took the head of Ish-
bosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
i And there came all the tribes of Israel to David at Hebron,
and spoke, saying : Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he
that led forth and brought in Israel. And Jehovah said to
thee : Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be
3 captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the
V. 7. The plain, of the river Jordan and the Dead Sea. See the writer's description of it,
page 79 of his i evised version of Genesis.
182

II. SAMUEL. Chap. v.

king at Hebron ; and king David made a league with them
in Hebron before Jehovah ; and they anointed David king
over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign ; and
6 he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah
seven years and six months ; and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the
Jebusite, inhabiting the land. And he spoke to David, say
ing : Thou shalt not come in hither, but the blind and the lame
will turn thee away, saying : David shall not come in hither.
7 And David took the stronghold of Zion ; the same is the city
8 of David. And David said on that day : Any one that
smites a Jebusite, and gets to the water-course, and the lame
and the blind hated of David's soul—. Therefore they say :
9 Blind and lame shall not come into the house. And David
dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David.
i° And David built round about from Millo and inward. And
David became greater and greater ; and Jehovah, God of
hosts, was with him.
u And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and
cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built a
i2 house for David. And David perceived that Jehovah had
established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted
his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 And David took more concubines and wives out of Jeru
salem, after he came from Hebron. And yet more sons and
14 daughters were born to David. And these were the names
of those born to him in Jerusalem ; Shammuah, and Shobab,
15 and Nathan, and Solomon, and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Ne-
16 pheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.

VV. 6 and 8. See the writer's article, Gutter, in the American edition of Smith's Bible
Dictionary. Confident in their impregnable position, they sneeringly said to David, " the
blind and the lame will turn thee away ;" needing only to say, "David shall not come in
hither." When the water-course was seized, which supplied water to the beseiged, the strong
hold would soon be reduced.  For the omission indicated by the pointing (  ), see the
note on 1 Sam. 12 : 14.
V. 9. Millo. A tower protecting, apparently, an exposed corner of the city wall, and after
wards rebuilt or strengthened from time to time. See IK. 9: 15, 24, and 11 : 27 J 2 Ch. 32 : 5,
183

Chap. vi. II. SAMUEL.

17 And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David as
king over Israel ; and all the Philistines came up to seek
David. And David heard of it, and went down to the strong-
i8 hold. And the Philistines came, and spread themselves in
19 the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of Jehovah,
saying : Shall I go up against the Philistines ? Wilt thou
deliver them into my hand ? And Jehovah said to David :
Go up, for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy
20 hand. And David came to Baal-perazim ; and David smote
them there. And he said : Jehovah has broken my enemies
before me, like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore he
21 called the name of that place Baal-perazim. And they left
there their images ; and David and his men took them away.
22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread them-
23 selves in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of
Jehovah, and he said : Thou shalt not go up. Go around to
their rear, and come to them over against the mulberry trees.
24 And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in
the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt make
haste ; for then will Jehovah go out before thee, to smite
25 the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as Jehovah
commanded him ; and he smote the Philistines from Geba
until thou comest to Gazer.
i And again David gathered all the chosen men of Israel,
thirty thousand.
2 And he arose and went, David and all the people that
were with him, from Baale of Judah, to bring up from
thence the ark of God, the name of which is called by the
name of Jehovah of hosts who sits above the cherubim.
3 And they conveyed the ark of God on a new cart. And
they took it out of the house of Abinadab that was on the
hill ; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, guided the
V. 23. Mulberry-trees. Or, baca-trees.  V. 24. The sound of marching ; as of the foot
steps of an army in motion ; a signal that Jehovah was already going before them to the
assault.  V 2. And he arose. This was at some time subsequent to the one referred to
in the preceding verse. The journey to Baale, though not mentioned, is implied in the
narrative. ,
184

II. SAMUEL. Chap, vl

4 new cart. And they took it out of the house of Abinadab
which was on the hill, with the ark of God ; and Ahio went
6 before the ark. And David, and all the house of Israel,
played before Jehovah on all manner of instruments of fir
wood, on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on
cornets, and on cymbals.
6 And they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, and Uzzah put
forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it ; for
7 the oxen shook it. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled
against Uzzah. And God smote him there for the offense ;
8 and he died there by the ark of God. And David was
grieved, because Jehovah made a breach upon Uzzah ; and
he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah to this day.
9 And David was afraid of Jehovah on that day ; and he said :
i° How shall the ark of Jehovah come to me ? So David would
not remove to him the ark of Jehovah into the city of David ;
and David carried it aside, into the house of Obed-edom the
u Gittite. And the ark of Jehovah continued in the house of
Obed-edom the Gittite three months. And Jehovah blessed
Obed-edom, and all his household.
i2 And it was told to David the king, saying : Jehovah has
blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that are his, because
of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the
ark Of God, from the house of Obed-edom into the city of
13 David, with gladness. And it was so, when they that bore
the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, that he sacrificed an
14 ox and a fatted calf. And David danced before Jehovah
with all his might ; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David, and all the house of Israel, brought up the ark of
1G Jehovah with shouting, and with sound of trumpet. And
the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David. And
Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked through a window, and
saw David the king leaping and dancing before Jehovah ;
and she despised him in her heart.
n And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its
place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had set up
V. 8. Perez-uzzah. Breach of Uzzah. 185

Chap. vn. II. SAMUEL.

for it. And David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings
18 before Jehovah. And when David had made an end of
offering the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings, he blessed
19 the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts. And he dealt
out to all the people, to the whole multitude of Israel, as
well to the women as to the men, to every one a cake of
bread, and a piece of flesh, and a cake of raisins. So all
the people departed every one to his house.
20 And David returned to bless his household. And Michal,
the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David, and she
said : How glorious the king of Israel made himself to-day ;
who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of
his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers
21 himself! And David said to Michal : Before Jehovah, —
who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to
appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel, —
22 before Jehovah have I played. And I will humble myself
yet more than this, and will be base in my own sight. And
of the maidservants whom thou hast spoken of, of them shall
23 I be held in honor. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, had
no child to the day of her death.
1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and
Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his ene-
2 mies ; that the king said to Nathan the prophet : See now, I
dwell in a house of cedar ; and the ark of God dwells within
3 the curtain. And Nathan said to the king : Go, do all that
is in thy heart ; for Jehovah is with thee.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of Jehovah
6 came to Nathan, saying : Go and tell my servant David, thus
says Jehovah : Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell
6 in ? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I
brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, and to this
day, but have gone about in a tent that was my dwelling.
7 In all the places where I have gone with all the children of
Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom
I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying : Why do ye
186

II. SAMUEL. Chap. vii.

8 not build for me a house of cedar ? And now so shalt thou
say to my servant, to David. Thus says Jehovah of hosts :
I took thee from the pasture, from following the flock, to be
9 prince over my people, over Israel. And 1 was with thee
whithersoever thou wentest ; and I have cut off all thy ene
mies from before thee, and have made for thee a great name,
i° like the name of the great men that are on the earth. And
I will appoint a place for my people, for Israel, and will
plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be
troubled no more ; nor shall the children of wickedness afflict
n them any more, as beforetime, and as from the time that I
commanded judges over my people Israel ; and I give thee
rest from all thy enemies. And Jehovah tells thee, that
for thee Jehovah will build a house.
i2 When thy days are fulfilled, and thou liest down with thy
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed
13 out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He
shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the
14 throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son ; that if he commit iniquity, I
will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes
15 of the children of men ; but my mercy shall not depart from
him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before
ifi thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be stable forever
i7 before thee ; thy throne shall be established forever. Accord
ing to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did
Nathan speak to David,
18 And David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah.
And he said : Who am I, 0 Lord Jehovah? And what is
19 my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? And this
was yet a small thing in thy sight, 0 Lord Jehovah ; and
thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while
to come. And is this the manner of man, 0 Lord Jehovah ?
20 And what shall David say more to thee ? For thou, Lord
21 Jehovah, knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and
according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this great-
22 ness, to make it known to thy servant. Therefore thou art
187

Chap. vm. II. SAMUEL.

great, 0 Jehovah, God. For there is none like thee, and
there is no God besides thee, according to all that we have
23 heard with our ears. And what one nation in the' earth is
like thy people, like Israel ; whom God went to redeem to
himself for a people, and to make for himself a name, and
to do for you things great and terrible, for thy land before
thy people, whom thou didst redeem to thee from Egypt,
24 from the nations and their gods. And thou hast confirmed
to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever ;
25 and thou, Jehovah, hast become their God. And now, 0
Jehovah, God, the word which thou hast spoken concerning
thy servant, and concerning his house, establish thou forever,
26 and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified
forever, saying : Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel ; and
let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
27 For thou, Jehovah of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to
thy servant, saying : A house will I build for thee. There
fore has thy servant found it in his heart to pray this prayer
28 unto thee. And now, 0 Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and
thy words are truth, and thou hast spoken of this goodness
29 to thy servant. And now let it please thee to bless the house
of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee. For
thou, 0 Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it ; and with thy blessing
shall the house of thy servant be blessed forever.
i And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philis
tines, and subdued them. And David took Metheg-ammah
2 out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab.
And he measured them with the line, making them lie down
on the ground. He measured off two lines to put to death,
and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became
David's servants, and brought tribute.
3 And David smote Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of
Zobah, as he went to recover his power at the river Euphrates.
4 And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred
horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen. And David houghed
all the chariot-horses, reserving of them a hundred chariot-
1S8

II. SAMUEL. Chap. rx.

5 horses. \ And the Syrians of Damascus came to succor
Hadadezer king of Zobah ; and David slew of the Syrians
6 two and twenty thousand men. And David put garrisons in
Syria of Damascus. And the Syrians became servants to
David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah preserved David,
7 whithersoever he went. And David took the shields of gold
that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them
8 to Jerusalem. And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities
of Hadadezer, David the king took very much brass.
9 And Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all
10 the host of Hadadezer. And Toi sent Joram his son to
, David the king, to salute him, and to bless him, because he
had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him ; for Hadad
ezer had wars with Toi. And in his hand were vessels of
ii silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass. Them also
king David dedicated to Jehovah, with the silver and gold
that he had dedicated of all the nations which he subdued ;
12 of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and
of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadad-
13 ezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. And David made himself
a name when he returned from smiting the Syrians in the
valley of salt, eighteen thousand men.
14 And he put garrisons in Edom ; through all Edom he put
garrisons, and all Edom became David's servants. And
15 Jehovah preserved David whithersoever he went. And
David reigned over all Israel ; and David executed judgment
16 and justice to all his people. And Joab the son of Zeruiah
was over the host ; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was
17 recorder ; and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the
18 son of Abiathar, were priests ; and Seraiah was scribe ; and
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the executioners and
the couriers ; and David's sons were princes.
1 And David said : Is there yet any that is left of the house
of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake ?
V. 16. Recorder. "The king's annalist, whose duty It was to record the deeds of the king,
and the events of his reign."  V. 18. Benaiah— over the executioners. Sec 1 Kings 2 ; 25.
189

Chap. is. II. SAMUEL.

2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant, whose name
was Ziba. And they called him to David, and the king said
to him : Art thou Ziba ? And he said : Thy servant is he.
3 And the king said : Is there not yet any of the house of
Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him ? And
Ziba said to the king : There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame
4 in his feet. And the king said to him : Where is he ? And
Ziba said to the king : Behold, he is in the house of Machir,
the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
6 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house
6 of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. And Mephibo-
sheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David ;
and he fell on his face, and bowed himself. And David
said : Mephibosheth ! And he answered : Behold thy
servant !
7 And David said to him : Fear not. For I will surely show
thee kindness for the sake of Jonathan thy father ; and I will
restore to thee all the land of Saul thy father ; and thou shalt
8 eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself,
and said : What is thy servant, that thou lookest on the dead
dog, such as I am ?
9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to
him : All that belonged to Saul, and to all his house, I have
10 given to thy master's son. And till the ground for him, thou
and thy sons, and thy servants ; and thou shalt bring in the
fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat ; but
Mephibosheth thy master's son shall always eat food at my
table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons, and twenty servants.
n And Ziba said to the king : According to all that my lord
the king shall command his servant, so will thy servant do.
And Mephibosheth [said the king], eats at my table, as one
12 of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a little son, whose
name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba
13 were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in
Jerusalem ; for he ate continually at the king's table. And
he was lame in both his feet. 190

II. SAMUEL. Chap. x.

1 And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children
of Ammon died ; and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.
2 Then said David :. I will show kindness to Hanun the son of
Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me. And David
sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants, for his father.
And David's servants came into the land of the children of
3 Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said
to Hanun their lord : Thinkest thou that David does honor to
thy father, that he has sent comforters to thee ? Is it not
to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it, that
4 David has sent his servants to thee? And Hanun took
David's servants, and shaved off the one-half of their beards,
and cut off their garments in the middle, to their hips, and
6 sent them away. They told it to David, and he sent to meet
them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the
king said : Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown,
and then return.
6 And the children of Ammon saw that they had made
themselves abhorred by David. And the children of Ammon
sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of
Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah a
thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.
7 And David heard of it ; and he sent Joab, and all the host,
8 the mighty men. And the children of Ammon came out,
and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate ; and
the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and
9 Maacah, were by themselves in the field. And Joab saw
that the front of the battle was against him before and behind.
And he chose from all the choice men of Israel, and put them
10 in array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he
gave into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put
11 them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said :
If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt help me ;
but if the children of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I
12 will come to help thee. Be strong, and let us strengthen
ourselves for our people, and for the cities of our God ; and
191

Chap. xi. H. SAMUEL.

13 Jehovah do that which is good in his sight. And Joab drew
nigh, and the people that were with him, to the battle against
u the Syrians ; and they fled before him. And the children of
Ammon saw that the Syrians fled ; and they fled before
Abishai, and entered into the city. And Joab returned from
the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
15 And the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel ;
16 and they gathered themselves, all together. And Hadarezer
sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river.
And they came to Helam, and Shobach the captain of the
n host of Hadarezer before them. And it was told David ;
and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the
Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set them-
18 selves in array against David, and fought with him. And
the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew of the
Syrians seven hundred chariot-men and forty thousand
horsemen ; and he smote Shobach the captain of his host,
19 and he died there. And all the kings that were servants of
Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before 1 Israel ; and
they made peace with Israel, and served them. And the
Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.
1 And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time
when kings go forth, that David sent Joab, and his servants
with him, and all Israel ; and they wasted [the land of] the
children of Ammon, and laid siege to Rabbah. But David
abode in Jerusalem.
2 And it came to pass at evening-time, that David arose from
his couch, and walked upon the roof of the king's house.
And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and
3 the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David
sent and inquired after the woman. And they said : Is not
this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah
4 the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and
she came to him, and he lay with her. And she purified

V. 2. Eoening-time. " The evening began at three o'clock in the afternoon. The midday
Biesta, which David had as usual been taking [ch. 4 : 5], would probably be over about this
time, when he arose from his couch." (Speaker's Commentary.)
192

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xi..

herself from her uncleanness, and returned to her house.
6 And the woman conceived ; and she sent and told David,
and said : I am with child.
6 And David sent word to Joab : Send me Uriah the Hittite.
7 And Joab sent Uriah to David. And Uriah came to him.
And David inquired how Joab fared, and how the people
8 fared, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah :
Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah de
parted out of the king's house ; and there followed him a
9 mess of food from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of
the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and went
i° not down to his house. And they told David, saying : Uriah
went not down to his house. And David said to Uriah :
Hast thou not come from a journey ? For what reason didst
u thou not go down to thy house ? And Uriah said to David :
The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents ; and my lord
Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open
field ; and shall I go into my house, to eat and to drink, and
to lie with my wife ? As thou livest, and as thy soul lives, I
12 will not do this thing. And David said to Uriah : Tarry
here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So
13 Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. And
David called him, and he ate and drank before him ; and he
made him drunk. And at evening he went out, to lie on his
bed with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his
house.
14 And it came to pas's in the morning, that David wrote a
X5 letter to Joab ; and he sent it by the hand of Uriah. And
he wrote in the letter, saying : Set ye Uriah in the forefront
of the hottest battle, and retire ye from behind him, that he
1° may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass, ae Joab
watched the city, that he put Uriah in the place where he
17 knew that there were valiant men. And the men of the city
went out, and fought with Joab. And there fell some of the
people, of the servants of David ; and Uriah the Hittite died
also.  . 
V.IO. For what reason. Literally, what knowing ; the natural suggestipnotaji.a.ccusing
conscience. _ _Q
1*70

Chap. xn. II. SAMUEL.

18 And Joab sent and told David all the matters of the war.
i? And he charged the messenger, saying : When thou hast
made an end of telling all the matters of the war to the
20 king ; and if it be that the king's wrath shall rise, and he
shall say to thee : Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the
city, when ye fought ? Knew ye not that they would shoot
21 from the wall? Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerub-
besheth ? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon
• him from the wall, that he died in Thebez ? Why went ye
nigh the wall ? Then say thou : Thy servant, Uriah the
Hittite, is dead also.
22 So the messenger went. And he came and told David all
23 that Joab sent him for. And the messenger said to David :
The men were strong against us, and came out to us into the
field ; and we were upon them unto the entrance of the gate.
24 And the archers shot from off the wall upon thy servants ;
and some of the king's servants died, and thy servant, Uriah
25 the Hittite, is dead also. And David said to the messenger :
Thus shalt thou say to Joab : Let not this thing displease
thee ; for the sword devours one as well as another. Make
thy battle strong against the city, and overthrow it ; and do
• thou encourage him.
28 And the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was
27 dead ; and she mourned for her husband. And when the
mourning was past, David sent, and received her to his house.
And she became his wife, and bore him a son. And the
thing that David had done was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

i And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to
him, and said to him : There were two men in one city ; the
2 one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had very many
3 flocks and herds. And the poor man had nothing, save one
Oh. xi. 2-27. What a record of crime I But if any are disposed to think lightly of the moral
teachings of the Old Testament, let thom ponder well this story of human weakness and
depravity, and the swift vengeance that fell on the wrong-doer, and followed him to the grave.
Uriah fell by the sword, at David's bidding ; and at God's bidding, the sword never departed
from the house of David. Through God's abounding grace true penitence followed ; and it
found utterance as never before, or since. The evil David did recoiled upon himself; and
God has made it a lesson for all after ages.
194

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xii.

little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up.
And it grew up together with him, and with his children ; it
ate of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in
4 his bosom, and was to him as a daughter. And there came
a traveler to the rich man. And he spared to take of his
own flock, and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring
man that was come to him ; and he took the poor man's
5 lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And
David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he
said to Nathan : As Jehovah lives, the man that has done
6 this shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold ;
because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David : Thou art the man. Thus says
Jehovah, God of Israel : I anointed thee king over Israel,
8 and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul ; and I gave
thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy
bosom ; and I gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ;
and if that were too little, I would moreover have given to
9 thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised
the word of Jehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight ?
Uriah the Hittite thou hast smitten with the sword, and hast
taken his wife to be thy wife ; and him thou hast slain with
10 the sword of the children of Ammon. And now the sword
shall not depart from thy house forever ; because thou hast
despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to
u be thy wife. Thus says Jehovah : Behold, I will raise up
evil against thee out of thine own house ; and I will take
thy wives before thine eyes, and give them to thy neighbor,
i2 and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For
thou didst it secretly ; but I will do this thing before all
13 Israel, and before the sun. And David said to Nathan : I
have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David :
Jehovah has also put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die.
14 Nevertheless, because by this deed thou hast given the
1 enemies of Jehovah great occasion to blaspheme, the child
also that is born to thee shall surely die.
16 And Nathan departed to his house. And Jehovah struck
195

Chap. xii. II. SAMUEL.

the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it was very
i6 sick. And David besought God for the child ; and David
17 fasted, and came and lay all night upon the ground. And
the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him
up from the ground ; but he would not, nor did he eat food
18 with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that
the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him
that the child was dead ; for they said : Behold, while the
child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not
hearken to our voice ; and how will he vex himself, if we
19 tell him that the child is dead ? And David saw that his
servants were whispering together ; and David perceived that
the child was dead. And David said to his servants : Is the
20 child dead ? And they said, he is dead. Then David arose
from the ground, and washed, and anointed himself; and he
changed his apparel, and came into the house of Jehovah,
and worshipped. And he came to his own house ; and he
21 asked, and they set bread before him, and he ate. Then
said his servants to him : What is this thing that thou hast
done ? Whilst the child lived, thou didst fast and weep ; but
22 when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat food. And
he said : While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept ;
for I said : Who knows, whether Jehovah will be gracious
23 to me, that the child may live ? But now he is dead, where
fore should I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I shall
go to him, but he will not return to me.
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in to
her, and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called
25 his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him. And he sent
by the hand of Nathan the prophet ; and he called his name
Jedidiah, on account of Jehovah.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of
27 Ammon, and took the royal city. And Joab sent mes
sengers to David, and said : I have fought against Rabbah,
28 and have taken the city of waters. And now gather the
rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and take it ;
V. 25. Jedidiah ; beloved of Jehovah.
196

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xrn.

29 lest I take the city, and it be called after my name. And
David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbah, and
30 fought against, and took it. And he took their king's crown
off from his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold,
and the precious stones ; and it was set on David's head.
And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abun-
31 dance. And he brought forth the people that were therein ;
and he put them to saws, and to threshing-sledges of iron,
and to axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick
kiln ; and thus did he to all the cities of the children of
Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jeru
salem.
1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of
David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar, and Amnon
2 the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so troubled
that he fell sick for his sister Tamar ; for she was a virgin,
and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the
son of Shimeah David's brother. And Jonadab was a very
4 artful man. And he said to him : Why art thou so lean,
thou king's son, morning by morning ? Wilt thou not tell
me ? And Amnon said to him : I love Tamar, my brother
6 Absalom's sister. And Jonadab said to him : Lay thee down
on thy bed, and feign thyself sick. And when thy father
comes to see thee, say to him : I pray thee, let my sister
Tamar come, and give me food, and dress the food in my
sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down, and feigned himself sick. And the
king came to see him ; and Amnon said to the king : I pray
thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of
7 cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. And David
sent to the house to Tamar, saying : Go now to the house of
8 thy brother Amnon, and prepare food for him. And Tamar
went to the house of her brother ; and he was lying down.
And she took the dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in

V. 30. Talent ; three thousand shekels, or about a hundred pounds.
197

Chap. xni. II. SAMUEL.

9 his sight, and baked the cakes. And she took the pan, and
poured them out before him ; but he refused to eat. And
Amnon said : Cause every man to go out from me. And they
i° went out every man from him. And Amnon said to Tamar :
Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from thy
hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and
11 brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. And
she brought them near to him to eat ; and he took hold of
12 her, and said to her : Come, lie with me, my sister. And
she said to him : Nay, my brother, do not humble me ; for
such a thing should not be done in Israel ; do not this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I carry my reproach ? And as for thee,
thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. And now speak,
I pray thee, to the king ; for he will not withhold me from
14 thee. And he would not hearken to her voice ; and he over
powered her. and humbled her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with exceedingly great hatred ;
for his hatred of her was greater than his love had been for
16 her. And Amnon said to her : Rise up, be gone. And she
said to him : There is no cause. This evil is greater than the
other that thou didst to me, to send me away. But he would
x7 not hearken to her. And he called his servant that waited on
him, and said : Send ye this woman out from me on the street,
18 and bolt the door after her. And she had on a full length
garment ; for with such robes were the king's daughters that
were virgins apparelled. And his servant brought her out
on the street, and bolted the door after her.
19 And Tamar took ashes on her head, and the full length
garment that was on her she rent, and put her hand on her
20 head, and went on crying as she went. And Absalom her
brother said to her : Has Amnon thy brother been with thee ?
And now, my sister, hold thy peace ; he is thy brother. Lay
not this thing to heart. So Tamar remained, solitary, in the
house of her brother Absalom.
V. 18. A full length garment; covering the whole person, the body of the garment extend
ing to the feet, and the sleeves to the wristB. Such garments were worn only by those exempted
from manual labor, and were indicative of rank and wealth.  On t)ie contrary, the ordinary
dress, worn by those engaged in active employments, extended but little below the knee, the
sleeves reaching only to the elbow. The writer's note on Gen. 37 : 3.
>98

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xiii.

21 And king David heard of all these things ; and he was
22 very wroth. And Absalom spoke with his brother Amnon
neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because
he had humbled his sister Tamar.
23 And it came to pass after two years, that Absalom had
sheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim. And
24 Absalom invited all the king's sons. And Absalom came to the
king and said : Behold now, thy servant has sheep-shearers ;
let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
25 And the king said to Absalom : Nay, my son, let us not all go,
lest we be burdensome to thee. And he pressed him ; but
20 he would not go, and he blessed him. Then said Absalom :
If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And
27 the king said to him : Why should he go with thee ? And
Absalom pressed him ; and he let Amnon and all the king's
sons go with him.
28 And Absalom commanded his servants, saying : Mark ye
now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and I say to
you, smite Amnon ; then kill him, fear not ; have not I com-
29 manded you ? Be strong, and be valiant. And the servants
of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom commanded. Then
all the king's sons rose up, and rode every man on his mule,
and fled.
30 And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that
tidings came to David : Absalom has slain all the king's sons,
3i and not one of them is left. And the king arose, and tore
his garments, and lay on the earth ; and all his servants stood
32 by with their garments rent. And Jonadab, the son of
Shimeah David's brother, answered and said: Let not my
lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the
king's sons, for Amnon only is dead ; for on the lips of Absa
lom has it been purposed from the day that he humbled his
33 sister Tamar. And now let not my lord the king take the
thing to heart, thinking that all the king's sons are dead ;
34 for Amnon only is dead. And Absalom fled. And the
young man that kept watch raised his eyes, and saw, and,
behold, there came much people by the way behind him,
199

Chap. xiv. II. SAMUEL.

35 from the mountain's side. And Jonadab said to the king :
Behold, the king's sons are coming ; as thy servant said, so
36 it is. And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking,
that, behold, the king's sons came, and they lifted up their
voice and wept ; and the king also, and all his servants, wept
with great lamentation.
37 And when Absalom fled, he went to Talmai, the son of
Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his
38 son every day. And Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and
39 was there three years. And the soul of king David longed
to go forth to Absalom ; for he was comforted concerning
Amnon, seeing that he was dead.
1 T And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's
2 heart was toward Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and
took thence a wise woman, and said to her : I pray thee,
feign thyself a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, and
anoint not thyself with oil, and be as a woman that has a
3 long time mourned for the dead ; and come to the king, and
speak to him in this manner. And Joab put the words in
her mouth.
4 And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king. And she
fell on her face to the ground, and bowed herself, and said :
6 Help, 0 king. And the king said to her : What wilt thou ?
And she said : I am verily a widow woman, and my husband
6 is dead. And thy handmaid had two sons. And they two
strove together in the field, and there was none to part them,
7 the one smote the other, and slew him. And, behold, the
whole family rose against thy handmaid, and said : Give up
him that smote his brother, and we will kill him, for the life
of his brother whom he slew ; and we will destroy the heir
also ; and they will quench my coal which is left, so as not
to leave my husband name or remnant on the face of the
8 earth. And the king said to the woman : Go to thy house,
9 and I will give charge concerning thee. And the woman of
Tekoah said to the king : On me, my lord, 0 king, be the
iniquity, and on my father's house, and the king and his
200

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xiv.

i° throne be guiltless. And the king said : Whosoever says
aught to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee
u any more. Then said she : Let the king, I pray thee, re
member Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood may
not destroy yet more, and that they destroy not my son.
And he said : As Jehovah lives, there shall not one hair of
J2 thy son fall to the earth. And the woman said : Let thy
handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king.
i3 And he said : Speak. And the woman said : And why hast
thou thought such a thing against the people of God ? For
the king speaks this thing as one that is faulty, in that the
14 king does not bring back his banished one. For we must
needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, that cannot
be gathered up ; and God does not take away life, and he
15 considers how he shall not thrust the outcast from him. And
now, that I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the
king, it is because the people made me afraid. And thy
handmaid said : I will speak now to the king ; it may be
i6 that the king will grant the request of his handmaid. For
the king will hearken, to deliver his handmaid out of the
hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together,
n from the inheritance of God. And thy handmaid said : Let
now the word of my lord the king be comforting ; for as an
angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern the good and
i8 the evil ; and Jehovah thy God be with thee. Then the
king answered and said to the woman : Do not hide from
me the thing that I ask thee. And the woman said : Let
19 my lord the king speak. And the king said : Is the hand
of Joab with thee in all this ? And the woman answered
and said : As thy soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn
to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the
king has spoken ; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he
20 put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid. In order

V. 14. To enforce the inference just drawn, she begins with a general principle. Life is
fleeting, and when gone is beyond recall ; and yet God spares life, seeking to reclaim rather
than destroy. The application was obvious, though only delicately hinted ; and her object
was gained. Bluntly expressed, her thought is, -All will come right, if David will do by Absa
lom, as God haB done by David.
201

Chap. xrv. II. SAMUEL.

to change the face of the matter, has thy servant Joab done
this thing. And my lord is wise, as the wisdom of an angel
of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21 And the king said to Joab : Behold now, I have done this
thing. Go, therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.
22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself,
and blessed the king. And Joab said : To-day thy servant
knows that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord the
king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.
23 And Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom
24 to Jerusalem. And the king said : Let him turn to his own
house, and let him not see my face. And Absalom turned to
his own house, and saw not the king's face.
25 But in all Israel there was none so much praised as Absa
lom for his beauty ; from the sole of his foot, and to the
26 crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. And when
he shaved his head, — and it was at every year's end that he
shaved it, for it was heavy on him and he shaved it, — the
hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels, after the
27 king's weight. And to Absalom were born three sons, and
a daughter whose name was Tamar ; she was a woman of
fair countenance.
28 And Absalom dwelt two years in Jerusalem ; and he saw
29 not the king's face. And Absalom sent for Joab, in order
to send him to the king ; but he would not come to him.
And he sent again the second time, and he would not come.
30 And he said to his servants : See, Joab's field is by the side
of mine, and he has barley there ; go and set it on fire. And
31 Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose,
and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him : Where-
32 fore have thy servants set my field on fire ? And Absalom
answered Joab : Behold, I sent to thee saying, come hither
that I may send thee to the king, to say : Wherefore am I
come from Geshur ? It were good for me that I were there
still. And now let me see the king's face ; and if there be
33 any iniquity in me, let him kill me. And Joab came to the
king, and told him. And he called Absalom ; and he came
202

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xv.

to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground
before the king ; and the king kissed Absalom.
i And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared for
himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before
2 him. And Absalom rose up early, and stood by the side of
the way to the gate. And it was so, when any man who had
a controversy came to the king for judgment, that Absalom
called to him, and said : Of what city art thou ? And he
3 eaid : Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And
Absalom said to him : See, thy matters are good and right ;
but there is no one to hear thee on the part of the king.
4 And Absalom said : Oh that I were made judge in the land,
that every man who has any suit or cause might come before
6 me, and I would do him justice ! And it was so, when any
man came near to bow down to him, that he put forth his
6 hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him. And in this
manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for
judgment. And Absalom stole the hearts of the men of
Israel.
' And it came to pass at the end of four years, that Absalom
said to the king : I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow,
8 which I have vowed to Jehovah, in Hebron. For thy serv
ant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying :
If Jehovah shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I
9 will serve Jehovah. And the king said to him : Go in peace.
And he arose, and went to Hebron.
10 And Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel,
saying : When ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye
11 shall say : Absalom is made king in Hebron. And with
Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were
invited ; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew
12 not anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite,
David's counselor, from his city, from Giloh, while he was
offering sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong ; for the
people increased continually with Absalom.
13 And there came a messenger to David, saying : The hearts
203

Chap. xv. H. SAMUEL.

14 of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said to
all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem : Arise, and
let us flee ; for there will be for us no escape from Absalom.
Make haste to depart, lest he suddenly overtake us, and
bring the evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of
15 the sword. And the king's servants said to the king : What
soever my lord the king shall choose, behold, we are thy
i6 servants. And the king went forth, and all his household
after him. And the king left ten women, concubines, to
17 keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people
i8 after him, and halted at Beth-merhak. And all his servants
passed on beside him ; and all the executioners, and all the
couriers, and all the Gittites six hundred men who came
after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite : Wherefore goest
thou also with us ? Return, and remain with the king ; for
20 thou art a stranger, and also migrating to thy place. Thou
earnest but yesterday ; and should I to-day make thee go up
and down with us, seeing that I go whither I may ? Return
thou, and take back thy brethren ; mercy and truth be with
2i thee. And Ittai answered the king, and said : As Jehovah
lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my
lord' the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there
22 will thy servant be. And David said to Ittai : Go, and pass
over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and
23 all the little ones that were with him. And all the land wept
with a loud voice, as all the people passed over ; and the
king passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed
over, toward the way to the wilderness.
24 And lo ! Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing
the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark
of God ; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done
25 passing out of the city. And the king said to Zadok : Carry
back the ark of God to the city. If I shall find favor in the
eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me back, and will cause mo
V. 17. Beth-merhak. Or, the Far House. " A house so-called, probably from being tie last
house in the suburbs, on the Jericho road before it crossed the Kidron ; very likely a fort
• guarding the passage of the Kidron." ( The Speaker's Commentary.)

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xvi.

28

26 to see it, and his habitation. But if he thus say : I have no
delight in thee ; behold, here am I, let him do to me as
27 seems good to him. And the king said to Zadok the priest :
Seest thou ? Return to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy
son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, your two sons with
you. See, I will delay at the fords of the wilderness, until
29 there come word from you to inform me. And Zadok and
Abiathar carried back the ark of God to Jerusalem ; and
they remained there.
80 And David went up -by the ascent of the olives, and weep
ing as he went up, and with his head covered, and he going
barefoot ; and all the people that were with him covered
every man his head, and they went up weeping as they went.
31 And it was told David, saying : Ahithophel is among the
conspirators with Absalom. And David said : Make foolish,
I pray thee, the counsel of Ahithophel, 0 Jehovah.
32 And it came to pass, when David was come to the summit,
where men worshipped God, that, behold, Hushai the Archite
came to meet him, with his garment rent, and earth upon his
33 head. And David said to him : If thou passest on with me,
34 then thou wilt be a burden to me. But if thou return to the
city, and say to Absalom, I will be thy servant, 0 king ; I
have been thy father's servant hitherto, and now I will be
thy servant ; then mayest thou defeat for me the counsel of
35 Ahithophel. And are there not with thee there Zadok and
Abiathar the priests ? And what thing soever thou hearest
out of the king's house, thou shalt tell to Zadok and Abiathar
36 the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two
sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son ;
and by their hand send to me everything that ye shall hear.
37 So Hushai David's friend came to the city; and Absalom
came to Jerusalem.
1 And David had passed a little bej'ond the summit ; and
behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a
V. 31. Make foolish. Either, make it so (make it foolish counsel), or make it seem and be
treated so (as it proved); in either case frustrating the evil design.
205

Chap, xvi II. SAMUEL.

pair of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of
bread, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and a hundred cakes
2 of figs, and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba :
What meanest thou by these ? And Ziba said : The asses are
for the king's household to ride on ; and the bread and the
figs for the young men to eat ; and the wine, that such as are
3 faint in the wilderness may drink. And the king said : And
where is thy master's son ? And Ziba said to the king :
Behold, h*e remains at Jerusalem. For he said : To-day will
the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.
4 Then said the king to Ziba : Behold, thine are all that
belonged to Mephibosheth. And Ziba said : I bow myself
down ; may I find favor in thy sight, my lord, the king.
5 And when David the king came to Bahurim, behold, there
came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul,
whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out,
G cursing as he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all
the servants of king David ; and all the people, and all the
7 mighty men, were on his right hand and on his left. And
thus said Shimei while he cursed : Come out, come out, thou
8 man of blood, thou wicked man. Jehovah returns upon
thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou
wast made king ; and Jehovah gives the kingdom into the
hand of Absalom thy son ; and, behold, thou art now in thy
calamity, because thou art a man of blood.
9 And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king : Why
should this dead dog curse my lord the king ? Let me go
i° over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king said :
What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah ? So let
him curse ; for Jehovah has said to him, curse David. And
11 who may say : Why doest thou so ? And David said to
Abishai, and to all his servants : Behold, my son, who came
forth from my bowels, seeks my life. And how much more
now may this Benjamite do it ? Let him alone, and let him
V. 1. A skin of wine. In the East, water and other liquids are carried, on journeys, in the
skins of animals. The skin is stripped whole from the body of the animal (a sheep, goat, or
kid), after cutting off the head and feet ; so that when distended with any liquid it has the
form of the animal from which it is taken. ( The writer's note on Gen. 21 : 14.)
206

IT. SAMUEL. Chap. xvn.

i2 curse ; for Jehovah has bidden him. It may be that Jeho
vah will look on my affliction, and that Jehovah will return
13 me good for his cursing this day. And David and his men
went on the way ; and Shimei went along on the hill's side
over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones
14 toward him, and cast dust. And the king, and all the people
that were with him, came to Ajephim, and refreshed them
selves there.
15 And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came
1° to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. And it came to
pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come to
Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom : Long live the king !
" Long live the king ! And Absalom said to Hushai : Is this
thy kindness to thy friend ? Why wentest thou not with thy
i8 friend ? And Hushai said to Absalom : Nay ; but whom
Jehovah has chosen, and this people, and all the men of
19 Israel, his will I be, and with him will I remain. And
secondly, whom should I serve ? Should I not in the presence
of his son ? As I have served in thy father's presence, so will
I be in thy presence.
20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel : Give ye counsel, what
21 we shall do. And Ahithophel said to Absalom : Go in unto
thy father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house.
And all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred by thy father ;
22 and the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong. And
they spread the tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom
went in unto his father's concubines, in the sight of all Israel.
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those
days, was as if a man inquired of the word of God. So was
all the counsel of Ahithophel, both to David and to Absalom.
1 And Ahithophel said to Absalom : Let me now choose out
twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David
2 this night. And I will come upon him while he is weary and
weak-handed, and will make him afraid ; and all the people
that are with him will flee ; and I will smite the king only.
3 And I will bring back all the people to thee. The man
207

Chap. xvii. IT. SAMUEL.

whom thou seekest is as if all returned ; all the people will
4 be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom, and all the
6 elders of Israel. Then said Absalom : Call now Hushai the
6 Archite also, and we will hear too what he has to say. And
Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom spoke to him, saying :
Ahithophel has spoken after this manner ; shall we do what
7 he says ? If not, speak thou. And Hushai said to Absalom :
The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.
8 And Hushai said : Thou knowest thy father and his men,
that they are mighty men, and they are embittered in mind,
as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field ; and thy father
9 is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. Behold,
now he is hid in one of the hollows, or in some other place.
And it will come to pass, when some among them fall at the
first, that he who hears it will say, there is a slaughter among
i° the people that follow Absalom ; and even he that is val
iant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt.
For all Israel knows that thy father is a mighty man, and
u they that are with him are valiant men. For I counsel that
all Israel be fully gathered unto thee, from Dan to Beer-sheba,
as the sand that is by the sea for multitude ; and that thou
12 go to battle in thine own person. And we shall come upon
him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light
upon him as the dew falls on the ground ; and of him, and
of all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so
13 much as one. And if he shall withdraw into a city, then
shall all Israel put ropes to that city, and we will drag it to
the river, till not even a small stone shall be found there.
X4 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said : The counsel
of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahitho
phel. And Jehovah had appointed to make vain the good
counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might
bring evil upon Absalom.
15 Then said Hushai to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests :
Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the
16 elders of Israel ; and thus and thus have I counseled. And
now send quickly, and tell David, saying : Lodge not this
208

n. SAMUEL. Chap.xvil

night at the fords of the wilderness, but speedily pass over ;
lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are
n with him. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were standing at
the Fuller's-fountain ; and the maidservant went and told
them, that they might go and tell king David ; for they
18 might not be seen to come into the city. But a lad saw
them, and told Absalom. And they went both of them,
quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, who had a
i" well in his court ; and they went down there. And the
woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth,
and strowed ground corn thereon ; and nothing was perceived.
20 And Absalom's servants came into the house to the woman,
and said : Where is Ahimaaz, and Jonathan ? And the
woman said to them : They are gone over the brook of
water. And they sought and did not find them, and returned
21 to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, after they had departed,
that they came up out of the well, and went and told king
David. And they said to David : Arise, and pass quickly
over the water ; for thus has Ahithophel counseled against
22 you. Then David arose, and all the people that were with
him, and they passed over the Jordan ; by the morning light,
there lacked not one of them that had not gone over the
Jordan.
23 And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed.
And he saddled his ass, and arose, and went to his house, to
his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself ;
and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
24 And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over
the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25 And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab.
And Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra
the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash,
26 sister of Zeruiah Joab's mother. And Israel and Absalom
encamped in the land of Gilead.
27 And it came to pass when David was come to Mahanaim,
that Shobi the son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the children
of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar,
209

Chap. xvrn. II. SAMUEL.

28 and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds, and
basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour,
and parched corn, and beans, and lentifes, and parched pulse,
29 and honey, and curds, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for
David, and for the people that were with him, to eat ; for
they said : The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty,
in the wilderness.
1 And David numbered the people that were with him ; and
he set over them captains of thousands and captains of hun-
2 dreds. And David sent forth the people, a third part under
the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai
the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the
hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I
3 will surely go forth with 3^011 myself also. And the people
said : Thou shalt not go forth. For if we flee away, they
will not care for us ; nor if half of us die, will they care for
us ; for now thou art as ten thousand of us. And now it is
4 better that thou succor us out of the city. And the king
said to them : What seems to you best I will do. And the
king stood by the side of the gate ; and all the people came
5 out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king com
manded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying : Deal gently for
my sake with the young man, with Absalom. And all the
people heard when the king gave all the captains charge
concerning Absalom.
6 So the people went out into the field against Israel ; and
7 the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. And there the
people of Israel were smitten before the servants of David ;
and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thou-
8 sand men. For the battle there spread over the face of all
the country ; and the wood devoured more of the people
that day than the sword devoured.
9 And Absalom came by chance in presence of David's
servants. And Absalom was riding on the mule ; and the
V. 9. The mule. On which David himself rode, on state occasions ; and now used by AbBa-
lom as a part of the royal prerogative. Hence the definite article, (1 Kings 1 : 83).
210

IT. SAMUEL. Chap, xvhl

mule went under the thick branches of the great oak, and
his head caught fast in the oak, and he was taken between
the heaven and the earth, and the mule that was under him
10 went on. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab. And
11 he said : Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in the oak. And
Joab said to the man that told him : And, behold, thou
sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the
earth? And I would have given thee ten pieces of silver,
12 and a girdle. And the man said to Joab : Though I might
weigh a thousand pieces of silver into my hand, I would not
put forth my hand against the king's son. For in our hear
ing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying :
13 Have care, every one, for the young man, for Absalom. Or
had I, against my own life, dealt deceitfully, — -for no matter
is hidden from the king, — then thou wouldst have set thy-
u self against me. And Joab said : I. may not tarry thus with
thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them
into the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the
15 midst of the oak. And ten young men, that bore Joab's
16 armor, surrounded and smote Absalom, and slew him. And
Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursu-
17 ing after Israel ; for Joab held back the people. And they
took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest,
and laid a very great heap of stones upon him. And all
Israel fled, every one to his tent.
i8 Now Absalom, in his lifetime, had taken and reared up for
himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale ; for he said : I
have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he
called the pillar after his own name ; and it is called to this
day, Absalom's monument.
19 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said : Let me now run,
and bear the king tidings, that Jehovah has defended him
20 from the hand of his enemies. And Joab said to him : Thou
shalt not be bearer of tidings this day, but thou shalt bear
tidings another day. But this day thou shalt bear no tidings,
21 because the king's son is dead. Then said Joab to the
Cushite : Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. And the
211

Chap. xvm. II. SAMUEL.

22 Cushite bowed himself to Joab, and ran. And Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab : However it be, let
me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said :
Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no
23 welcome tidings ? However it be, said he, let me run. And
he said to him : Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the
24 plain, and he passed by the Cushite. And David was sitting
between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the
roof of the gate on the wall, and lifted up his eyes and saw,
25 and behold a man running alone. And the watchman called,
and told it to the king. And the king said : If he be alone,
there are tidings in his mouth. And he came nearer and
26 nearer. And the watchman saw another man running. And
the watchman called to the porter, and said : Behold a man
running alone. And the king said : He also brings tidings.
27 And the watchman said : Methinks the running of the foremost
is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the
king said : He is a good man, and comes with good tidings.
28 And Ahimaaz called, and said to the king : All is well.
And he bowed down to the king with his face to the earth,
and said : Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who has delivered
up the men that lifted their hand against my lord the king.
29 And the king said : Is it well with the young man, with
Absalom ? And Ahimaaz said : I saw the great tumult,
when Joab sent the king's servant, and thy servant, but I
30 knew not what it was. And the king said : Turn aside, and
31 stand here. And he turned aside, and stood there. And,
behold, the Cushite came ; and the Cushite said : My lord,
the king, receive the tidings ! for Jehovah has defended thee
82 this day from all them that rose up against thee. And the
king said to the Cushite : Is it well with the young man,
with Absalom ? And the Cushite said : The enemies of my
lord, the king, and all that rise up against thee for evil, be as
the young man.
33 And the king was greatly moved ; and he went up to the
V. 21. The Cushite ; the Ethiopian, as the Hebrew word is translated elsewhere. See, for
example, Num. 12 : 1 ; 2 Chron. 12 : 3, and 14 : 9. He was Joab's Ethiopian servant, and well
suited to be employed on such an errand. 212

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xix.

chamber over the gate, and wept. And thus he said, as he
went : My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! Would
I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, my son !
i And it was told Joab : Behold, the king weeps and mourns
2 for Absalom. And the deliverance that day was turned into
mourning to all the people ; for the people heard it said that
3 day : The king is grieved for his son. And the people came
stealthily into the city that day, as people steal away ashamed
4 when they flee in battle. And the king covered his face.
And the king cried with a loud voice : My son Absalom !
8 Absalom, my son, my son ! And Joab came into the house
to the king, and said : Thou hast shamed this day the faces
of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the
lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy
6 wives, and the lives of thy concubines ; in that thou lovest
them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For
thou hast shown this day, that princes and servants are
nothing to thee. For this day I perceive, that if Absalom
had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased
7 thee well. And now arise, go forth, and speak to the heart
of thy servants. For I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not
forth, there will not remain one with thee this night ; and
that will be worse to thee than all the evil that befell thee
8 from thy youth until now. Then the king arose, and sat in
the gate. And they told all the people, saying : Behold, the
king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the
king.
8 And Israel had fled every man to his tent. And all the
people strove together in all the tribes of Israel, saying : The
king rescued us out of the hand of our enemies, and he
delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines ; and now he
10 has fled out of the land from Absalom. And Absalom,
whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. And now
why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back ?
11 And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,
saying : Speak to the elders of Judah, and say : Why will
213

Chap. xix. II. SAMUEL.

ye be the last to bring the king back to his house, seeing that
12 the word of all Israel is come to the king, to his house. Ye
are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh ; and why
13 will ye be the last to bring back the king? And to Amasa
shall ye say : Art thou not my bone, and my flesh ? God do
so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host
u before me continually, in place of Joab. And he inclined
the heart of all the men of Judah, as of one man ; and they
sent word to the king : Return thou, and all thy servants.
15 So the king returned, and came to the Jordan. And Judah
came to Gilgal, to go and meet the king, to bring the king
over the Jordan.
16 And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of
Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to
17 meet king David ; and a thousand men of Benjamin with
him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his
fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him ; and they went
18 over the Jordan to meet the king. And the ferry-boat went
over to carry over the king's household, and to do what he
thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before
19 the king, when he passed over the Jordan. And he said to
the king : Let not my lord impute iniquity to me, and re
member not that which thy servant did perversely, on the
day that my lord the king went out from Jerusalem, that
20 the king should lay it to heart. For thy servant knows that
I have sinned ; and, behold, I am come the first this day of
all the house of Joseph, to go down to meet my lord, the
2X king. And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, answered and said :
Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, that he cursed the
22 anointed of Jehovah ? And David said : What have I to do
with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye will be adversaries to
me this day ? . Shall any man be put to death this day in
Israel ? For do not I know that I am this day king over
23 Israel ? And the king said to Shimei : Thou shalt not die.
And the king swore to him.
24 And Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, went down to meet
the king. And he had not dressed his feet, nor trimmed his
214

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xix.

beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed
25 until the day when he came in peace. And it was so, when
he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king
said to him : Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibo-
26 sheth? And he said: My lord, the king, my servant de
ceived me. For thy servant said, I will saddle the ass for
me, and will ride thereon, and will go to the king ; because
27 thy servant is lame. And he has slandered thy servant to
my lord, the king. But my lord, the king, is as an angel of
28 God ; and do what is good in thine eyes. For all my father's
house were but dead men to my lord, the king ; yet thou
didst set thy servant among them that eat at thine own table.
And what right have I yet, and to cry for yet unto the
29 king ? And the king said to him : Why speakest thou any
more of thine affairs ? I have said : Thou and Ziba divide
30 the land. And Mephibosheth said to the king : Yea, let him
take all, forasmuch as my lord, the king, has come in peace
to his house.
31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and
went over the Jordan with the king, to accompany him in
32 passing the Jordan. Now Barzillai was very aged, fourscore
years old. And he had provided the king with sustenance
while he lay at Mahanaim ; for he was a very great man.
33 And the king said to Barzillai : Come thou over with me,
34 and I will provide for thee, with me in Jerusalem. And
Barzillai said to the king : How many are the days of the
years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jeru-
35 salem? I am this day fourscore years old. Can I discern
between good and evil ? Can thy servant taste what I eat
and what I drink ? Can I hear any more the voice of sing
ing men and singing women ? And why should thy servant
3fl be yet a burden to my lord, the king ? Thy servant will go
a little way over the Jordan with the king. And why should
37 the king recompense me with such a reward ? Let thy serv
ant, I pray thee, return ; that I may die in my own city, by
V 25. When he came from Jerusalem. Others,— When Jerusalem (that is, its inhabitants)
came. 215

Chap. xx. II. SAMUEL.

the grave of my father and of my mother. But, behold, thy
servant Chimham will go over with my lord, the king ; and
38 do to him what shall seem good to thee. And the king said :
Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that
which shall seem good to thee ; and all thou shalt desire of
39 me I will do for thee. And all the people went over the
Jordan. And the king went over ; and the king kissed
Barzillai, and blessed him, and he returned to his place.
40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on
with him. Now all the people of Judah had brought the
king over, and also half the people of Israel.
41 And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and
said to the king : Why have our brethren, the men of Judah,
stolen thee away, and have brought the king and his house-
42 hold over the Jordan, and all David's men with him. And
all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel : Because
the king is near of kin to us ; and why is it that ye are angry
at this thing ? Have we eaten at all at the king's cost ? Or
43 has he given us any gift ? And the men of Israel answered
the men of Judah, and said : We have ten parts in the king,
and also in David have we more than ye. And why have
ye despised us, that our advice was not first had in bringing
back our king ? And the words of the men of Judah were
harder than the words of the men of Israel.
1 And there happened to be there a wicked man, whose name
was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a
trumpet, and said : We have no part in David, and we have
no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents,
2 0 Israel. And every man of Israel went up from David,
after Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clave
to their king, from the Jordan unto Jerusalem.
3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the
king took the ten women, concubines, whom he left to keep
the house, and put them under watch, and provided for
them ; but he went not in unto them. And they were shut
up unto the day of their death, in life-long widowhood.
216

n. SAMUEL. Chap. xx.

4 And the king said to Amasa : Gather to me the men of
5 Judah within three days ; and be thou present here. And
Amasa went to assemble Judah ; but he tarried beyond the
6 set time appointed him. And David said to Abishai : Now
will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absa
lom. Take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him,
7 lest he get for him fenced cities, and escape us. And there
went out after him Joab's men, and the executioners, and
the couriers, and all the mighty men ; and they went out
from Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon,
Amasa came towards them. And Joab was girded with his
war-dress as his garment, and over it the belt of the sword
fastened on his loins in its sheath ; and as he went forth it
9 fell out. And Joab said to Amasa : Art thou in health, my
brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the
i° right hand, to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the
sword that was in Joab's hand ; and he smote him therewith
in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and
struck him not again ; and he died. And Joab and Abishai
u his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. And one
of Joab's servants stood by him, and said : He that favors
i2 Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab. And
Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And
the man saw that all the people stood still ; and he removed
Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth
upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him
13 stood still. When he was removed out of the highway, every
man passed on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of
Bichri.
u And he passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel,
and to Beth-maachah, and all the Berites ; and they were
15 gathered together, and went also after him. And they came
and besieged him in Abel-Beth-maachah. And they cast up
V. 8, last clause. Or, which came out, and it dropped ; that is, the sheath came out of the
belt, and the sword dropped. The meaning is the same. It was an artifice of the wary Joab.
He picked up the fallen weapon with his left hand, and taking with his right (v. 9) the beard
of Amasa for a friendl/ greeting, thrust the unsuspected weapon into his bowels.
217

Chap. xxi. II. SAMUEL.

a mound against the city, and it stood at the outer wall ; and
all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to
throw it down.
ifi Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear ; say,
I pray you, to Joab : Come near hither, that I may speak
n with thee. And he came near to her, and the woman said :
Art thou Joab ? And he said : I am he. And she said to
him : Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered,
i8 I hear. And she spoke, saying : They were wont to speak
in old time, saying : They shall surely ask counsel at Abel ;
19 and so they ended the matter. I am of them that are peace
able and faithful in Israel. Thou seekest to destroy a city
and a mother in Israel ; why wilt thou swallow up the inher-
20 itance of Jehovah ? And Joab answered and said : Far be
it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21 The thing is not so ; but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba
the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the
king, against David. Deliver up him only, and I will depart
from the city. And the woman said to Joab : Behold, his
22 head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. And the woman
went to all the people in her wisdom ; and they cut off the
head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab.
And he blew a trumpet, and they dispersed from the city,
every man to his tents. And Joab returned to Jerusalem,
to the king.
23 And Joab was over all the host of Israel ; and Benaiah,
the son of Jehoiada, was over the executioners, and over the
24 couriers ; and Adoram was over the tribute ; and Jehosha-
25 phat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder ; and Sheva was scribe ;
26 and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests ; and Ira also, the
Jairite, was a priest to David.
1 And there was a famine in the days of David three years,
year after year ; and David inquired of Jehovah. And Jeho
vah answered : It is for Saul, and for the blood-guilty house,
V. 19. She cpeaks as one representing the city, and on its behalf. — A mother ; a mother-
city — The inheritance of Jehovah. A portion of his inheritance, by right belonging to him.
Y. 1. Inquired of Jehovah. Literally,— sought the face of Jehovah.
218

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xxi.

2 because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the
Gibeonites, and said to them ; — now the Gibeonites were not
of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites,
and the children of Israel had sworn to them ; and Saul sought
to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah ; —
3 and David said to the Gibeonites : What shall I do for you ?
And wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless
4 the inheritance of Jehovah ? And the Gibeonites said to
him : We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his
house ; nor for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And
6 he said : What ye shall say, that will I do for you. And
they said to the king : The man that consumed us, and that
devised against us that we should be cut off from an abiding
6 place in all the territory of Israel ; let seven men of his sons
be given to us, that we may hang them up unto Jehovah in
Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said : I
7 will give them. But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son
of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath by Jehovah
that was between them, between David and Jonathan the
8 son of Saul. And the king took the two sons of Rizpah the
daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and
Mephibosheth ; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of
Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the
9 Meholathite ; and he gave them into the hand of the Gibe
onites, and they hanged them on the hill before Jehovah.
And they fell all seven together ; and they were put to death
in the first days of harvest, in the beginning of barley harvest.
i° And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and
spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of har
vest until water was poured upon them out of heaven ; and
she suffered not a bird of the air to rest on them by day, nor
11 a beast of the field by night. And it was told David what
Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had
done.
12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones
of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who took
V. 2. Had sworn to them. See Josh. 9 : 15, 18, 19.
219

Chap. xxn. II. SAMUEL.

them by stealth from the street of Beth-shan, where the
Philistines hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul
23 in Gilboa. And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul
and the bones of Jonathan his son ; and they gathered the
14 bones of them that were hanged. And the bones of Saul
and Jonathan his son buried they in the land of Benjamin
in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father ; and they did
all that the king commanded. And after that God hearkened
to entreaty for the land.
15 And the Philistines had war again with Israel. And David
went down, and his servants with him, and fought the Philis-
16 tines. And David became weary. And Ishbi-benob, who
was of the sons of the giant, and whose spear was three
hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a
n new sword, thought to smite David. But Abishai the son
of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed
him. Then the men of David adjured him, saying : Thou
shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not
the light of Israel.
X8 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a
battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the
Hushathite slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.
19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines.
And Elhanan the son of Jair, the Beth-lehemite, slew Goliath
the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's
beam.
20 And there was yet a battle in Gath. And there was a man
of great stature, that had on each hand six fingers, and on
each foot six toes, four and twenty in number ; and he also
21 was born to the giant. And he defied Israel ; and Jonathan
22 the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, slew him. These
four were born to the giant in Gath ; and they fell by the
hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

1

And David spoke to Jehovah the words of this song, in the
day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all
his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. And he said : —
220

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xxn.

2 Jehovah, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ;
3 The God of my rock, in him will I trust,
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my fortress, and my refuge,
My savior, thou savest me from violence.
t I will call on Jehovah, who is to be praised ;
And I shall be saved from my enemies.
6 For the waves of death were around me ;
The floods of the ungodly made me afraid.
6 The bands of the underworld surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah ;
And to my God I cried.
And from his temple he heard my voice,
And my cry came into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked ;
The foundations of the heavens trembled,
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
9 There went up smoke in his nostril,
And fire out of his mouth devoured ;
Coals were kindled from it.
lo And he bowed the heavens and came down ;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
n And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly ;
And he appeared on wings of the wind.
12 And ho made darkness pavilions round about him,
Gathered waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before him,
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 Jehovah thundered from the heavens,
And the Most High uttered his voice.
is And he sent out arrows, and scattered them ;
Lightning, and discomfited them.
16 And the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare,
At the rebuke of Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He reached from on high, he took me ;
He drew me out of many waters.
13 He delivered me from my strong enemy ;
From my haters, for they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity ;
And Jehovah became a stay for me,
20 And brought me forth to a large place ;
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 Jehovah requited me according to my righteousness ;
According to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, 221

Chap. xxn. II. SAMUEL.

And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his judgments are before me ;
And his statutes, I do not depart from them.
24 And I was upright toward him, and kept myself from my iniquity.
25 And Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness ;
According to my cleanness before his eyes.
28 With the gracious thou wilt show thyself gracious ;
With the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.
27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure ;
And with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save ;
But thine eyes are against the lofty, thou wilt bring them low.
29 For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah ;
And Jehovah will enlighten my darkness.
30 For by thee I shall run through a troop ;
By my God I shall leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect ;
The word of Jehovah is tried ;
A shield is he to all that trust in him.
32 For who is God besides Jehovah ?
And who is a rock besides our God ?
33 God is my tower of strength ;
And he leads the upright in his way.
34 He makes my feet like hinds',
And on my high places makes me stand ;
35 Teaching my hands to war,
And a bow of brass is bent in my arms.
so And thou givest me the shield of thy salvation ;
And thy condescension makes me great.
37 Thou enlargest my steps under me ;
And my ankles have not wavered.
38 I shall pursue my enemies, and destroy them ;
And not turn again till they are consumed.
39 And I shall consume them, and crush them,
That they shall not arise ;
And they shall fall under my feet.
i0 For thou hast girded me with strength for the battle ;
Thou wilt make them crouch under me that rise up against me.
*1 And thou givest me the neck of my enemies,
Them that hate me, that I may destroy them.
42 They look, there is no deliverer ;
To Jehovah, but he answers them not.
43 And I shall beat them small as dust of the earth ;
V. 27. Wilt show thyselffroward ; by abandoning them to their frowardness, when persisted
in. This just and merciful principle of moral government iB recognized by the Apostle :— " As
they did not choose to retaia God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind." (Rom. 1:28.) 222

n. SAMUEL. Chap. xxm.

As mire of the street shall I crush them, tread them down.
44 And thou wilt deliver me from the strifes of my people ;
Thou wilt keep me to be head of the heathen ;
A people I have not known shall serve me.
45 Strangers will profess submission to me ;
At the hearing of the ear, they will obey me.
46 Strangers will fade away,
And will tremble from their strongholds.
47 Jehovah lives, and blessed be my rock ;
And exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation ;
48 The Mighty, who avenges me, and brings down the peoples under me,
*9 And brings me out from my enemies.
And thou wilt lift me high above them that rise up against me ;
From the man of violence tbou wilt rescue me.
60 Therefore will I praise thee, Jehovah, among the heathen,
And to thy name will I sing.
51 Great deliverances he gives to his king,
And shows kindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
i And these are the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse said;
And the man who was raised on high,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel, said: —
2 The Spirit of Jehovah spoke by me,
And his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
The Kock of Israel spoke to me : —
He that rules over men must be just,
Buling in the fear of God.
4 And he is as the morning light, when the sun arises,
A morning without clouds ;
As the tender grass out of the earth,
By clear shining after rain.
5 For is not so my house with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and assured.
For all my salvation, and all desire,
Shall he not then cause to grow?
6 But the wicked, as thorns thrust away, are they all.
For they are not taken with the hand ;
7 And the man that touches them arms himself,
With iron and with shaft of spear ;
And with Are shall they be utterly burned in the place.
V. 51. To his anointed — to David and to his seed. These words are the key to the senti
ments of this psalm, and all of like import. The Psalmist speaks as the representative of that
divinely constituted sovereignty, of which he was the head, and which was opposed in his
person. (The writer's note in his revised version of the Psalms. )
223

Chap. xxni. II. SAMUEL.

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.
Josheb-basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief of the three. He
lifted up his spear against eight hundred, slain at one time.
9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite ;
one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied
the Philistines that were gathered there for battle, and
i° the men of Israel went up. He rose up, and smote the
Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to
the sword. And Jehovah wrought a great deliverance that
11 day ; and the people returned after him only to spoil. And
after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And
the Philistines were gathered together into a troop ; and there
was there a piece of ground full of lentiles ; and the people
i2 fled before the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the
ground, and rescued it, and smote the Philistines ; and Jeho-
13 vah wrought a great deliverance. And three of the thirty
chiefs went down, and came to David in the harvest time to
the cave of Adullam ; and a troop of the Philistines encamped
14 in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the strong
hold ; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-
15 lehem. And David had longing, and said : Oh that one
would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem,
ifi which is by the gate ! And the three mighty men broke
through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of
the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took and
brought it to David. And he would not drink thereof, but
n poured it out unto Jehovah. And he said : Be it far from
me, Jehovah, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood
of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives ? Therefore
he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty
18 men. And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah,
was chief of the thirty. And he lifted up his spear against
19 three hundred slain, and had a name among the thirty. He
was most honorable of the thirty, and became their captain ;
20 but he attained not to -the three. And Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done
many acts ; he smote two lion-like men of Moab ; and he
224

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xxrv.

went down and smote the lion in the midst of the pit, in
2i time of snow. And he smote the Egyptian, a goodly man.
And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand ; and he went
down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the
22 Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. These
things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name
23 among the thirty mighty men. He was more honored than
the thirty ; but he attained not to the three. And David
24 made him of his private audience. Asahel the brother of
Joab was one of the thirty, Elhanan the son of Dodo of
26 Beth-lehem, Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
" Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer
2f the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, Zalmon the
29 Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heleb the son of Baa
nah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of
30 the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai
3i of the valleys of Gaash, Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth
32 the Barhumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, Hashem the Gizonite,
33 Jonathan the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son
34 of Sharar the Hararite, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the
son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the
as Gilonite, Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, Igal the
37 son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, Zelek the Am
monite, Nahari the Beerothite, armor-bearer to Joab the son
39 of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the
Hittite ; thirty and seven in all.
i And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against
Israel ; and he moved David against them to say : Go, num-
2 ber Israel and Judah. And the king said to Joab the cap
tain of the host, which was with him : Go now through all
the tribes of Israel, from Dan unto Beer-sheba ; and number
ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
3 And Joab said to the king : May Jehovah thy God add to
the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold,
and that the eyes of my lord, the king, may see it. But why
4 does my lord, the king, delight in this thing ? But the king's
225

Chap. xxiv. II. SAMUEL.

word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the
host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from
the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
6 And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer,
on the right side of the city that lies in the midst of the valley
6 of Gad, and toward Jazer. And they came to Gilead, and
to the land of Tahtim-hodshi ; and they came to Dan-jaan,
7 and around to Zidon, and came to the Tyrian fortress, and to
all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites ; and they
8 went out to the south of Judah, unto Beer-sheba. So when
they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem
9 at the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave
the sum of the numbering of the people to the king. And
there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that
drew the sword ; and the men of Judah were five hundred
thousand men.
10 And David's heart smote him, after he had numbered the
people. And David said to Jehovah : I have sinned greatly
in that which I have done. And now, I beseech thee, Jeho
vah, put away the iniquity of thy servant ; for I have done
11 very foolishly. And when David rose in the morning, the
word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer,
i2 saying ; go, and say to David : Thus says Jehovah : Three
things I lay upon thee ; choose for thee one of them, that I
13 may do it to thee. And Gad came to David, and told him ;
and he said to him : Shall there come to thee seven years of
famine in thy land ? Or that thou flee three months before
thy enemies, while they pursue thee ? Or that there be three
days' pestilence in thy land ? Now consider, and see what
14 word I shall return to him who sent me. And David said to
Gad : I am in a great strait. Let us fall now into the hand
of Jehovah ; for great are his mercies ; and let me not fall
into the hand of man.
15 And Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the
morrow and to the time appointed. And there died of the
people, from Dan unto Beer-sheba, seventy thousand men.
16 And the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to
226

II. SAMUEL. Chap. xxiv.

destroy it. And Jehovah repented of the evil ; and he said
to the angel that destroyed the people : It is enough ; now
stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the
17 threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spoke
to Jehovah, when he saw the angel that smote the people,
and said : Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly.
But these, the flock, what have they done ? Let thy hand, I
pray thee, be upon me, and upon my father's house.
i8 And Gad came that day to David, and said to him : Go
up, rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah
19 the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad,
20 went up as Jehovah commanded. And Araunah looked,
and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him.
And Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king,
21 with his face to the ground. And Araunah said : Wherefore
comes my lord, the king, to his servant? And David said :
To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar to Jeho-
22 vah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And
Araunah said to David : Let my lord, the king, take and
offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the oxen for a
burnt-offering, and threshing-sledges and harness of the oxen
23 for wood. All this does Araunah, 0 king, give to the king.
And Araunah said to the king : Jehovah thy God accept
24 thee. And the king said to Araunah : Nay ; but I will
surely buy it of thee at a price ; and I will not offer burnt-
offerings to Jehovah my God of that which costs me nothing.
And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty
25 shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to Jehovah,
and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And Jehovah
was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from
Israel. 227

FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.
1 And David the king was old, far gone in years. And they
2 covered him with clothes, but he had not warmth. And his
servants said to him : Let them seek for my lord, the king,
a young virgin ; and let her stand before the king, and be
his attendant ; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord, the
3 king, may have warmth. And they sought for a fair damsel
in all the territory of Israel ; and they found Abishag the
4 Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel
was very fair ; and she became the king's attendant, and
ministered to him. And the king knew her not.
6 And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying :
I will be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and
6 horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father
had not displeased him in his life, in saying : Why hast thou
done so ? And he was also of very goodly form. And his
7 mother bore him after Absalom. And he conferred with
Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest ; and
8 they assisted, following Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, and
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and
Shimei and Rei, and the mighty men who were David's, were
9 not with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew sheep, and oxen,
and fatted calves, by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by the
Puller's-fountain, and called all his brothers the king's sons,
10 and all the men of Judah the king's servants ; but Nathan
the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon
his brother, he called not.
Chap. 1. The history of the people in its varying fortunes, and of the sovereignty divinely
instituted in the line of David, iB here resumed ; and is continued to the termination of that
line, in its earthly representative, by the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
228

I. KINGS. Cuap. i.

11 And Nathan spoke to Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon,
saying : Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Hag-
i2 gith reigns, and David our lord knows it not? And now
come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest
13 save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. Go,
and go in unto king David, and say to him : Didst not thou,
my lord the king, swear to thy handmaid, saying : Assuredly
Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
14 my throne? And why does Adonijah reign? Behold, while
thou art yet talking there with the king, I will come in after
thee, and confirm thy words.
15 And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber.
And the king was very old ; and Abishag the Shunammite
111 ministered to the king. And Bath-sheba bent down, and
bowed herself before the king. And the king said : What
17 wouldest thou ? And she said to him : My lord, thou didst
swear by Jehovah thy God to thy handmaid : Assuredly
Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
13 my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah reigns ; and now, my
19 lord, the king, thou knowest it not. And he has slain oxen,
and fatted calves, and sheep in abundance, and has called all
the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the
captain of the host ; but Solomon thy servant has he not
20 called. And thou, my lord, the king, the eyes of all Israel
are upon thee, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my
21 lord, the king, after him. And it will come to pass, when
my lord, the l<ing, lies down with his fathers, that I and my
son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 And, lo! while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the
23 prophet came in. And they told the king, saying : Behold,
Nathan the prophet. And he came in before the king ; and
he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground.
21 And Nathan said : My lord, the king, thou hast said, Adonijah
25 shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. For
he has gone down this day, and has slain oxen, and fatted
calves, and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's
sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest ;
229

Chap. i. I. KINGS.

and, behold, the}r eat and drink before him, and say : Long
26 live the king, Adonijah. But me, me thy servant, and
Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy
27 servant, Solomon, has he not called. Is this thing done by
my lord, the king, and thou hast not made known to thy
servants, who shall sit on the throne of my lord, the king,
after him ?
28 And king David answered and said : Call to me Bath-sheba.
And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the
29 king. And the king swore, and said : As Jehovah lives, who
30 has redeemed my soul out of all distress ; even as I have
sworn to thee by Jehovah God of Israel, saying : Assuredly
Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
3i my throne in my stead ; even so will I do this day. Then
Bath-sheba bent down with her face to the earth, and bowed
herself before the king, and said : Let my lord, king David,
live forever.
32 And king David said : Call to me Zadok the priest, and
Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And
33 they came in before the king. And the king said to them :
Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon
my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to
34 Gihon. And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet,
there anoint him king over Israel ; and blow ye the trumpet,
35 and say : Long live the king, Solomon. And ye shall come
up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne ; for
he shall be king in my stead, and him I appoint to be prince
36 over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada answered the king, and said : So be it ! So say
37 Jehovah, God of my lord, the king ! As Jehovah was with
. my lord, the king, so be he with Solomon, and make his
38 throne greater than the throne of my lord, king David. And
Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada, and the executioners, and the couriers, went
down ; and they caused Solomon to ride upon king David's
,39 mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok, the priest,
took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solo-
230

I. KINGS. Chap. i.

mon. And they blew the trumpet ; and all the people said :
40 Long live the king, Solomon. And all the people came up
after him ; and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced
with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of
them.
41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard
it ; and they had made an end of eating. And Joab heard
the sound of the trumpet ; and he said : Wherefore is this
42 noise of the tumultuous city ? And while he was yet speak
ing, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came.
And Adonijah said to him : Come in ; for thou art a brave
43 man, and bringest good tidings. And Jonathan answered,
and said to Adonijah : Nay, but our lord, king David, has
44 made Solomon king. And the king has sent with him Zadok
the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and the executioners, and the couriers, and they
45 have caused him to ride upon the king's mule ; and Zadok
the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king
in Gihon ; and they have come up from thence rejoicing, and
the city is in tumult. This is the noise that ye have heard.
$ And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. And
also the king's servants came to bless our lord, king David,
saying: God make the name of Solomon better than thy
name, and his throne greater than thy throne. And the
48 king bowed himself upon the bed. And also thus said the
king : Blessed be Jehovah God of Israel, who has given one
49 to sit on my throne this day, my eyes beholding it. And all
the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up,
and went every man his way.
60 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon ; and he arose,
51 and went and laid hold of the horns of the altar. And it
was told Solomon, saying: Behold, Adonijah fears king
Solomon. And, lo! he has laid hold of the horns of the
altar, saying : Let king Solomon swear to me this day, that
62 he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon
said : If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not
a hair of him fall to the earth ; but if wickedness shall be
231

Chap. h. I. KINGS.

53 found in him, he shall die. And king Solomon sent, and
they brought him down from the altar. And he came and
bowed himself down to king Solomon. And Solomon said
to him : Go to thy house.
i And the days of David drew near that he should die. And
2 he charged Solomon his son, saying : I go the way of all the
3 earth ; and be thou strong, and show thyself a man. And
keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways,
to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judg
ments, and his testimonies, as is written in the law of Moses ;
that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whither-
4 soever thou turnest thyself; that Jehovah may fulfill his
word which he spoke concerning me, saying : If thy children
take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all
their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee,
5 said he, a man on the throne of Israel. And also thou
knowest what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me ; what he
did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, to Abner the
son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed,
and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war
upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that
6 were on his feet. And do according to thy wisdom ; and let
7 not his hoary head go down to the grave in peace. And
show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let
them be of those who eat at thy table ; for so they came to
8 me when I fled before Absalom thy brother. And, behold,
thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of
Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day
when I went to Mahanaim. And he came down to meet me
at the Jordan ; and I swore to him by Jehovah, saying : I
9 will not put thee to death with the sword. And now hold
him not guiltless ; for thou art a wise man, and knowest
what thou shouldst do to him ; and his hoary head bring
10 thou down to the grave in blood. And David lay down
11 with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And
the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years.
232

I. KINGS. Chap. n.

Seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty and three years
he reigned in Jerusalem.
12 And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father ; and
his kingdom was greatly established.
13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the
mother of Solomon. And she said : Comest thou peaceably ?
u And he said : Peaceably. And he said : I have somewhat
15 to say to thee. And she said : Say on. And he said : Thou
knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel set their
faces on me, that I should reign. And the kingdom is trans
ferred, and is become my brother's ; for it was his from
X6 Jehovah. And now I make one request of thee ; deny me
n not. And she said to him : Say on. And he said : Speak,
I pray thee, to Solomon the king, — for he will not say thee
nay, — that he give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.
18 And Bath-sheba said : Well ; I will speak for thee to the
king.
X9 And Bath-sheba came to king Solomon, to speak to him
for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and
bowed himself to her, and sat down on his. throne, and
caused a seat to be set for the king's mother ; and she sat on
20 his right hand. And she said : One small request I desire
of thee ; say me not nay. And the king said to her : Ask,
2X my mother ; for I will not say thee nay. And she said : Let
Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah, thy brother,
22 for a wife. And king Solomon answered and said to his
mother : And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite
for Adonijah? And ask for him the kingdom, for he is my
elder brother ; for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for
23 Joab the son of Zeruiah. And king Solomon swore by
Jehovah, saying : God do so to me, and more also, if Adoni-
24 jah have not spoken this word against his own life. And
now, as Jehovah lives, who has established me, and set me
on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a
house as he said, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son of
Jehoiada ; and he fell upon him, that he died.
233

Chap. n. I. KINGS.
26 And to Abiathar the priest said the king : Go to Anathoth,
to thy fields. For thou art worthy of death ; but I will not
at this time put thee to death, because thou hast borne the
ark of the Lord Jehovah before David my father, and be
cause thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
27 And Solomon drove out Abiathar from being priest to Jeho
vah ; that he might fulfill the word of Jehovah, which he
spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 And the report came to Joab, — for Joab had turned away
after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom, — and
Joab fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and laid hold of the
29 horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon, that
Joab had fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah ; and, behold, he
is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of
30 Jehoiada, saying : Go, fall upon him. And Benaiah came
to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and said to him, thus says the
king : Go forth. And he said : Nay ; but I will die here.
And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying : Thus
31 said Joab, and thus he answered me. And the king said to
him : Do as he has said, and fall upon him, and bury him ;
that thou mayest put away the innocent blood, which Joab
32 shed, from me and from the house of my father. And Jehovah
will return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two
men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with
the sword, — my father David not knowing thereof, — Abner
the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the
33 son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. And let their
blood return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of
his seed forever ; and upon David, and upon his seed, and
upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace
34 forever from Jehovah. So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
went up, and fell upon him, and slew him. And he was
35 buried in his own house, in the wilderness. And the king
put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the host.
And Zadok the priest the king put in the place of Abiathar.
36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him :
Build for thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and
234

I. KINGS. Chap. m.

37 go not forth thence anywhither. For on the day thou goest
out, and passest over the brook Kidron, know certainly that
thou shalt surely die. Thy blood shall be upon thine own
38 head. And Shimei said to the king : The saying is good.
As my lord, the king, has said, so will thy servant do. And
39 Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. And it came to pass
at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei
fled to Achish son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they
40 told Shimei, saying : Behold, thy servants are in Gath. And
Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish,
to seek his servants ; and Shimei went, and brought his serv-
41 ants from Gath. And it was told Solomon that Shimei had
42 gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. And the
king sent and called Shimei ; and he said to him : Did I not
make thee swear by Jehovah, and protest to thee, saying :
Know certainly, that on the day thou goest out, and walkest
abroad anywhither, thou shalt surely die ? And thou saidst
43 to me : The word that I have heard is good. And why hast
thou not kept the oath of Jehovah, and the command that I
44 have commanded thee ? And the king said to Shimei : Thou
knowest all the wickedness of which thy heart is conscious,
that thou didst to David my father. And Jehovah returns'
46 thy wickedness upon thine own head. And king Solomon is
blessed ; and the throne of David shall be established before
46 Jehovah forever. And the king commanded Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada ; and he went out, and fell upon him, that
he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of
Solomon.
1 And Solomon formed affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt,
taking [in marriage] the daughter of Pharaoh. And he
brought her into the city of David, until he had finished
building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the
2 wall of Jerusalem round about. Only, the people had sacri
ficed on high places, because no house was built to the name
3 of Jehovah, until those days. And Solomon loved Jehovah,
walking in the statutes of David his father ; only, he sacri-
235

Chap, ill I. KINGS.

4 ficed and burnt incense on high places. And the king went
to Gibeon to sacrifice there ; for that was the great high
place. A thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon
that altar.
5 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by
6 night. And God said : Ask, what I shall give to thee. And
Solomon said : Thou hast shown to thy servant David my
father great kindness, according as he walked before thee in
truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with
thee ; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that
thou gavest him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, 0 Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant
king in place of David my father ; and I am but a little child ;
8 I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is
in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great
people, that cannot be numbered or reckoned up for multi-
9 tude. Give, therefore, to thy servant an understanding heart
to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and
10 evil ; for who is able to judge this thy great people ? And
the words pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this
u thing. And God said to him : Because thou hast asked this
thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life ; nor hast asked
riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies ;
but hast asked for thyself discernment to understand what
12 is right ; behold, I do according to thy word. Lo ! I give
thee a wise and discerning heart ; so that like thee there was
none before thee, nor after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I also give thee that which thou hast not asked, both
riches, and honor ; so that there shall not be among the kings
14 one like thee, all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my
ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David
15 thy father walked, then will I lengthen thy days. And Solo
mon awoke ; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to
Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jeho
vah, and offered up burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offer
ings, and made a feast to all his servants.
xe And two women, that were harlots, came to the king, and
236

I. KINGS. Chap. iv.

17 stood before him. And the one woman said : Beseech thee
my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house ; and I bore
18 a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third
day after, that this woman also bore a child. And we were
together ; no stranger was with us in the house, only we two
19 were in the house. And this woman's child died in the night ;
20 because she lay on it. And she rose in mid night, and took
my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid
21 it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And
I rose in the morning to give my child suck, and, behold, it
was dead. And I viewed it carefully in the morning, and,
22 behold, it was not my son, which I bore. And the other
woman said : Nay ; but the living is my son, and the dead is
thy son. And this said : No ; but the dead is thy son, and
23 the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king. Then
said the king : The one says, This that lives is my son, and
thy son is the dead ; and the other says, Nay ; but thy son
24 is the dead, and the living is my son. And the king said :
Bring me a sword. And they brought the sword before the
25 king. And the king said : Divide the living child in two,
2B and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spoke
the woman whose was the living child to the king, — for her
bowels yearned over her son, — and she said : Beseech thee
my lord, give her the living child, and do not slay it. And
the other said : Let it be neither mine nor thine ; divide it.
27 Then the king answered and said : Give her the living child,
28 and slay it not ; she is its mother. And all Israel heard of
the judgment which the king had judged. And they feared
the king ; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him,
to do judgment.
\ And king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these
were the princes which he had. Azariah the son of Zadok
3 the priest, Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes ;
4 Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder ; and Benaiah
V. 2. Princes. Highest officers of State, composing the king's court, holding office by his
appointment and during his pleasure  V. 3. Recorder. See 2 Sam. 8:16, and 20 : 24.
237

Chap. iv. I. KINGS.

the son of Jehoiada over the host ; and Zadok and Abiathar
5 the priests ; and Azariah the son of Nathan over the officers ;
and Zabud the son of Nathan chief officer, the king's friend ;
6 and Ahishar over the household ; and Adoniram the son of
Abda over the tribute.
7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who made
provision for the king and hi"s household ; each man made
8 provision for one month in the year. And these are their
9 names. The son of Hur, on mount Ephraim ; the son of
Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and
i° Elon-beth-hanan ; the son of Hesed, in Aruboth, who had
n Socoh, and all the land of Hepher ; the son of Abinadab, on
all the heights of Dor, who had Taphath the daughter of
12 Solomon for a wife ; Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach
and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is by Zartanah under
Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, to the farther side
13 of Jokneam ; the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead, who had
the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead,
and the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great
a4 cities with walls and brazen bars ; Ahinadab the son of Iddo,
15 in Mahanaim ; Ahimaaz in Naphtali, who also took Basmath
i6 the daughter of Solomon for a wife ; Baanah the son of
17 Hushai in Asher and in Aloth ; Jehoshaphat the son of
i8 Paruah, in Issachar ; Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin ;
19 Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon
king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan, and the only
officer who was in the land.
20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand. which is by the
sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.
2i And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the river
to the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt.
They brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of
his life.

V. 5. Officers ; see vs. 7-19.— V. 21. The river. So the river Euphrates is often men
tioned without further designation. See the references in the writer's note on Gen. 31 : 21.
The covenant with Abraham, Gen. 16 : 18, was now fulfilled, and the kingdom covered all the
territory there promised. The reference in the note on Gen. 15 : 18 should have been to this
passage. 238

L KINGS. Chap. v.

22 And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures
23 of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal ; ten fatted
oxen, and twenty oxen of the pasture, and a hundred sheep,
besides harts, and roebucks, and fallow deer, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the
river, from Tiphsah unto Gaza, over all the kings on this side
of the river ; and he had peace on all sides round about him.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his
vine and under his fig tree, from Dan unto Beer-sheba, all the
days of Solomon.
26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his
27 chariots, and twelve thousand saddle-horses. And those
officers made provision for king Solomon, and for all that
came to king Solomon's table, every man in his month ; they
28 lacked nothing. And the barley and the straw for the horses
and the coursers brought they to the place where he was,
each according to his charge.
29 And God gave to Solomon wisdom and discernment abun
dantly, and largeness of understanding, as the sand that is
30 on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom was greater than
the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and all the wisdom of
si Egypt. And he was wiser than all men ; than Ethan the
Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of
32 Mahol ; and his name was in all the nations around. And
he spoke three thousand proverbs ; and his songs were a
33 thousand and five. And he spoke of the trees, from the
cedar tree that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springs out
of the wall. And he spoke of beasts, and of fowl, and of
34 creeping things, and of fishes. And there came from all
peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the
earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
i And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon.
For he heard that they had anointed him king in place of
2 his father ; for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solo-
3 mon sent to Hiram, saying : Thou knowest that David my
V 22 Measures. A measure (kor) contained about eleven bushels.
239

Chap. v. I. KINGS.

father could not build a house to the name of Jehovah his
God, for the wars which were about him on every side, until
4 Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet. And now
Jehovah my God has given me rest on every side ; there is
5 no adversary, and no evil occurrence. And, behold, I pur
pose to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God ; as
Jehovah spoke to David my father, saying : Thy son, whom
I will set in thy place upon thy throne, he shall build a house
6 to my name. And now command that they cut for me cedar
trees out of Lebanon ; and my servants shall be with thy
servants ; and I will give thee hire for thy servants accord
ing to all that thou shalt say ; for thou knowest that none
among us have skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of
Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly. And he said : Blessed be
Jehovah this day, who has given to David a wise son over
8 this great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying : I
have hearkened to that for which thou didst send to me, I
will do all thou desirest, concerning timbers of cedar, and
9 concerning timbers of cypress. My servants shall bring
them down from Lebanon to the sea ; and I will make of
them floats by sea to the place which thou shalt appoint me ;
and I will take them apart there, and thou shalt receive
them. And thou wilt do what I desire, in giving food for
i° my household. And Hiram gave to Solomon cedar trees
11 and cypress trees, all he desired. And Solomon gave to
Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat as food for his
household, and twenty measures of beaten oil. Thus gave
X2 Solomon to Hiram year by year. And Jehovah gave Solo
mon wisdom, as he said to him. And there was peace be
tween Hiram and Solomon ; and they two made a league
together.
X3 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel ; and the
u levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Leba
non, ten thousand a month by courses ; a month they were
V. 11. Beaten oil. The purest ; obtained from the crushed fruit, without pressing it. See
Ex. 27 : 20, and 29 : 40 ; Lev. 24 : 2 ; Num. 28 : 5.
240

I. KINGS. Chap. vi.

in Lebanon, and two months at home ; and Adoniram was
15 over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thou
sand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in
1G the mountains ; besides Solomon's chief-officers who were
over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who ruled
17 over the people that wrought in the work. And the king
commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones,
i8 hewn stones to lay the foundation of the house. And Solo
mon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites carved
them. And they prepared the timbers and the stones to
build the house.
1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year
after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in
the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month
Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the
2 house of Jehovah. And the house which king Solomon
built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits,
and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof
3 thirty cubits. And the porch before the temple of the house,
twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth
of the house ; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before
4 the house. And for the house he made windows with fixed
lattices.
5 And against the wall of the house he built stories around,
against the walls of the house round about, of the temple
6 and of the oracle ; and he made side-chambers around. The
lowest story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six
cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad ; for in
the wall of the house, on the outside, he made rests round
about, that the beams should not be fastened into the walls
7 of the house. And the house, when it was in building, was
built of whole stones from the quarry ; and neither hammers
nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house, while it
V. 18. The Gebalites; inhabitants of Gebal, a maritime city of Phenicia. See Ezek. 27 : 9.
 V 5 The oracle. The inner sanctuary, the holy of holies, the place of the ark, the sym
bol of the divine presence. See Ps. 28 : 2.  V. 7. Whole stones. Whole, as they came
from the quarry, and placed in the building without change.
241

Chap. vi. I. KINGS.

8 was in building. A door for the middle chamber was on the
right side of the house ; and they went up by winding stairs
to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third.
9 And He built the house, and finished it ; and he covered the
10 house with beams and boards of cedar. And he built the
stories against all the house, five cubits high ; and they rested
on the house with timbers of cedar.
n And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon, saying : This
12 house which thou art building, — if thou wilt walk in my
statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my com
mandments to walk in them, — then will I fulfill my word
13 with thee, which I spoke to David thy father, and will dwell
among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people
H Israel. And Solomon built the house, and finished it. And
he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar ;
from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling he cov
ered it on the inside with wood ; and he covered the floor of
16 the house with planks of cypress. And he built twenty cubits
on the rear side of the house with boards of cedar, both the
floor and the walls ; and within he built for it the oracle, the
17 holy of holies. And the house, that is the temple before,
i8 was forty cubits long. And the cedar of the house within
was carved-work with gourds and opening flower-buds. All
19 was of cedar ; there was no stone seen. And the oracle he
prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the
20 covenant of Jehovah. And the oracle within was twenty
cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty
cubits in the height thereof. And he overlaid it with pure
2X gold ; and he overlaid the altar with cedar. And Solomon
overlaid the house within with pure gold. And he barred
up with chains of gold before the oracle ; and he overlaid it
22 with gold. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, till
all the house was done. And the whole altar that was by
the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 And within the oracle he made two cherubim of olive-wood,
V.16. Theorade. See the note on ch. 6 : 5  Holy of holies. See Ex. 26 : 33; 1 Kinga8 .6:
Heb. 9 : 3. 242

I. KINGS. Chap. vi.

24 each ten cubits high. And five cubits long was the one wing
of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub ;
from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost
25 part of the other were ten cubits. And the other cherub was
ten cubits. The two cherubs were of one stature and one
26 form. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so
27 was it of the other cherub. And he set the cherubim within
the inner house. And they stretched forth the wings of the
cherubim, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall,
and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall ;
and their wings touched one another in the midst of the
29 house. And he overlaid the cherubim with gold; And he
carved all the walls of the house round about with carved
figures of cherubim and palm-trees and opening flower-buds,
30 within and without. And the floor of the house he overlaid
with gold, within and without.
31 And for entrance to the oracle he made folding-doors of
olive-wood ; the lintel and side-posts were a fifth part [of
32 the wall] . The two doors also were of olive-wood ; and he
carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and
opening flower-buds, and overlaid them with gold, and spread
33 out gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees. And
so made he for the door of the temple-post of olive-wood, a
34 fourth part [of the wall]. And the two folding-doors were
of cypress-wood ; the two leaves of the one door were fold-
35 ing, and the two leaves of the other were folding. And he
carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and opening flower-
buds, and overlaid them with gold fitted upon the carved
work.
36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn
stone, and a row of cedar-beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of
38 Jehovah laid, in the month Zif. And in the eleventh year,
in the month Bui, which is the eighth month, was the house
finished in all its parts, and according to all the fashion of it.
And he was seven years in building it.
243

Chap. vn. I. KINGS.

1 And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years,
and he finished all his house.
2 And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon. The
length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof
fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four
rows of cedar-pillars, with cedar-beams upon the pillars.
3 And it was covered with cedar above upon the side-cham-
4 bers, that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. And
there were beams in three rows, and window against window
5 in three ranks. And all the doors and door-posts were made
square with layers of beams ; and window was against win
dow in three ranks.
6 And he made the porch of the pillars ; the length thereof
was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits ; and
a porch before them, and pillars and steps before them.
7 And he made the porch of the throne where he should
judge, the porch of judgment ; and it was covered with
cedar from the floor to the floor.
8 And his house where he dwelt, another court within the
porch, was of like workmanship. Solomon made also a
house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken, like unto
9 this porch. All these were of costly stones, after the meas
ures of hewn stones, sawed with saws within and without,
from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to
10 the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones,
great stone®, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
n And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewn
i2 stones, and cedars. And the great court round about was
of three rows of hewn stones, and a row of cedar-beams,
both for the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and for
the porch of the house.
13 And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.
i* He was the son of a widow, of the tribe of Naphtali ; and
his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass. And he
V. 6. The porch of the pillars. A colonnade, the portico of the building.— A porch before
them ; the vestibule, with columns and ascending steps.  V. 7. From the floor to the floor.
" From the floor to the ceiling ; the walls or sides from the bottom to the top."
244

I. KINGS. Chap. vii.

was filled with wisdom, and discernment, and skilled to work
all work in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and
15 wrought all his work. And he formed the two pillars of
brass. Eighteen cubits was the height of the one pillar, and
1G a line of twelve cubits encompassed the other pillar. And he
made two capitals of molten brass, to set upon the tops of
the pillars ; the height of the one capital was five cubits,
17 and the height of the other capital was five cubits. Lattices
of lattice-work, and festoons of chain-work, were on the
capitals which were upon the top of the pillars ; seven for
18 the one capital, and seven for the other capital. And he
made the pomegranates, and two rows around upon the
one lattice, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the
19 pillars ; and so did he to the other capital. And the capitals
that were on the top of the pillars were of lily-work in the
20 porch, four cubits. And the capitals on the two pillars were
also above close upon the belly-like swell which was beyond
the lattice ; and the two hundred pomegranates in rows were
21 round about on the other capital. And he set up the pillars
at thejaorch of the temple. And he set up the right pillar,
and called the name thereof Jachin ; and he set up the left
22 pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. And on the top
of the pillars was lily-work. And the work of the pillars
was finished.
23 And he made the molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim
to the other, round all about ; and its height was five cubits,
24 and a line of thirty cubits encompassed it around. And
under its brim round about were gourds encompassing it, ten
in a cubit, encircling the sea round about in two rows. The
25 gourds were cast with it in the same casting. It stood on
twelve oxen ; three looking toward the north, and three
looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south,
and three looking toward the east ; and the sea was above
26 upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. And its
thickness was a hand-breadth ; and the brim thereof was
wrought like the brim of a cup, like a lily-flower. It con
tained two thousand baths.
V. 26. Two thousand baths. The bath is estimated at about eight and a half gallons.
245

Chap. vn. I. KINGS.

27 And he made the ten bases of brass ; four cubits was the
length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and
28 three cubits the height of it. And the work of the bases
was after this manner. They had panels, and the panels
29 were between the ledges. And on the panels that were be
tween the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim ; and upon
the ledges was a stand above ; and beneath the lions and
30 oxen were garlands of hanging-work. And every base had
four brazen wheels, and axles of brass ; and the four feet
thereof had shoulders ; under the laver were the shoulders
3i molten, each over against garlands. And the mouth of it
within the capital and above was a cubit ; and the mouth
thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and a
half ; and also upon the mouth of it were carvings, and their
32 panels were four-square, not round. And under the panels
were the four wheels ; and the axles of the wheels were in the
base ; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot
wheel. Their axles, and their naves, and their felloes, and
34 the"ir spokes, were all molten. And there were four shoul
ders to the four corners of one base ; the shoulders were of
35 the base itself. And in the top of the base was a rounded
circuit of half a cubit high ; and on the top of the base the
36 ledges thereof and the panels thereof were of the same. And
on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the panels thereof,
he carved cherubim, lions, and palm-trees, according to the
37 space in every one, and garlands round about. After this
manner he made the ten bases. All of them had one casting,
one measure, and one form.
38 And he made ten lavers of brass. One laver contained
forty baths ; every laver was four cubits, and upon every one
39 of the ten bases was one laver. And he put five bases on
the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the
house ; and he put the sea on the right side of the house
eastward, over against the south.
V. 38. One laver containing forty baths ; about 340 gallons. See the note on ch. 7 : 26.
246

L KINGS. Chap, vul

40 And Hiram made the pots, and the shovels, and the
basins. And Hiram made an end of doing all the work that
4i he made for king Solomon in the house of Jehovah ; two
pillars, and the bowls of the capitals that were on the top of
the two pillars ; and the two lattices, to cover the two bowls
42 of the capitals which were upon the top of the pillars ; and
the four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows
of pomegranates for one lattice, to cover the two bowls of
43 the capitals that were upon the pillars ; and the ten bases,
44 and the ten lavers on the bases ; and the one sea, and the
45 twelve oxen under the sea ; and the pots, and the shovels,
and the basins. And all these vessels, which Hiram made
for king Solomon in the house of Jehovah, were of burnished
46 brass. In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in
47 the dense soil between Succoth and Zarthan. And Solomon
let all the vessels lie, on account of the very great number, nor
48 was the weight of the brass ascertained. And Solomon made
all the vessels that were in the house of Jehovah ; the altar of
49 gold, and the table of gold whereon was the show-bread. And
the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side and five
on the left before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps,
60 and the tongs of gold ; and the bowls, and the snuffers, and
the basins, and the censers, and the snuff-dishes, of pure
gold ; and the hinges of gold, for the folding-doors of the
inner house, the holy of holies, and for the folding-doors of
61 the house, the temple. So was ended all the work that king
Solomon made for the house of Jehovah. And Solomon
brought in the things which David his father had dedicated ;
the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, he put among the
treasures of the house of Jehovah.
1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the
heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers of the children
of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the
ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David,
V. 40. The pots ; caldrons for boiling the flesh of the peace-offerings.  V. 47. Let all tlie
vessels lie ; as too numerous to be weighed. 247

Chap. vm. I. KINGS.

2 which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled them
selves unto king Solomon, at the feast in the month Ethanim,
3 which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel
4 came ; and the priests bore the ark. And they brought up
the ark of Jehovah, and the tabernacle of the congregation,
and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle ; and the
5 priests and the Levites brought them up. And king Solo
mon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled
unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep
and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jeho
vah to its place, into the oracle of the house, into the holy
7 of holies, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cheru
bim spread out their two wings over the place of the ark ;
and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof
8 above. And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the
staves were seen from before the oracle, and they were not
9 seen without ; and they are there unto this day. There was
nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses
put there in Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the
children of Israel, at their coming out from the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out from the
u holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah ; and
the priests could not stand to minister, because of the cloud ;
for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.
12 Then said Solomon : Jehovah has said, that he would
13 dwell in the thick darkness. Surely I have built thee a
house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever.
14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the con
gregation of Israel ; and all the congregation of Israel stood.
15 And he said : Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, who spoke
with his mouth to David my father, and has with his hand
16 fulfilled it, saying : Since the day that I brought forth my
people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the
tribes of Israel, to build a house that my name might be
therein ; and I chose David to be over my people Israel.
17 And it was in the heart of David my father, to build a house
248

I. KINGS. Chap. vm.

i8 to the name of Jehovah, God of Israel. And Jehovah said
to David my father : Whereas it was in thy heart to build a
house to my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart.
19 Yet thou shalt not build the house ; but thy son, that comes
forth from thy loins, he shall build the house to my name.
20 And Jehovah has performed his word that he spoke ; and I
am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the
throne of Israel, as Jehovah said, and have built the house
21 to the name of Jehovah, God of Israel. And I have set
there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah,
which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out
of the land of Egypt.
22 And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah, in the
presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth
23 his hands toward heaven. And he said: Jehovah, God of
Israel ! There is no God like thee, in the heavens above, or
on the earth beneath ; keeping the covenant and mercy to
ward thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart ;
24 who to thy servant David my father hast kept that which
thou saidst to him ; and thou saidst it with thy mouth, and
25 hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. And now,
Jehovah, God of Israel, keep to thy servant David my father
that which thou didst speak to him, saying : There shall not
fail to thee a man from before me, to sit on the throne of
Israel ; if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk
26 before me as thou hast walked before me. And now, 0
God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which
27 thou didst speak to thy servant David my father. But will
God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven, and
heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee ; how much less this
28 house which I have built ? Yet have thou regard to the
prayer of thy servant, and to his entreaty, 0 Jehovah my
God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer, which thy
29 servant prays before thee to-day ; that thine eyes may be
open toward this house night and day, toward the place of
which thou hast said, My name shall be there ; that thou
mayest hearken to the prayer which thy servant shall make
249

Chap. vm. I. KINGS.

30 toward this place. And hearken thou to the entreaty of thy
servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray to
ward this place ; and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place ;
hear, and forgive.
3X If any man trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be
laid upon him to bind him by oath, and the oath come before
32 thine altar in this house ; then hear thou in heaven, and do,
and judge thy servant ; condemning the wicked, to bring his
way upon his head, and justifying the righteous, to give him
according to his righteousness.
33 When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy,
because they sin against thee, and shall turn again to thee,
and acknowledge thy name, and pray, and make supplication
34 to thee in this house ; then hear thou in heaven, and forgive
the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land
which thou gavest to their fathers.
35 When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they
sin against thee, and they shall pray toward this place, and
acknowledge thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou
36 afflictest them ; then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou art
teaching them the good way wherein they should walk, and
give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people
for an inheritance.
37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blast
ing, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar ; if their enemy
besiege them in the land of their cities ; whatsoever plague,
38 whatsoever sickness there be ; what prayer and entreaty
soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, who
shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and shall
39 spread forth his hands toward this house ; then hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to
every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou
knowest ; for thou only knowest the heart of all the children
40 of men ; to the end that they may fear thee, all the days that
V. 37. CateipiUar. One of the stages through which the locust passes, before it reaches
the winged state. 250

I. KINGS. Chat. vm.

they live on the face of the ground which thou gavest to our
il fathers. And also the stranger, who is not of thy people
Israel, and comes from a far country for thy name's sake, — ¦
42 for they will hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand,
and of thine outstretched arm, — and when he shall come and
43 pray toward this house ; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-
place, and do according to all that the stranger calls upon
thee for ; that all peoples of the earth may know thy name,
to fear thee, as do thy people Israel ; and that they may
know that this house, which I have built, is called by thy
name.
44 ' If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whith
ersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray to Jehovah
toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the
45 house that I have built to thy name ; then hear thou in
heaven their prayer and their entreaty, and maintain their
40 right. If they sin against, thee, — for there is no man that
sinneth not, — and thou be angry with them, and deliver
them to the enemy, and their captors carry them away cap-
47 tive to the land of the enemy, far or near ; and if they shall
lay it to heart in the land whither they were carried captive,
and turn, and make entreaty to thee in the land of their
captors, saying : We have sinned, and have done perversely,
48 we have committed wickedness ; and they return to thee
with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of
their enemies, who carried them away captive, and pray to
thee toward their land which thou gavest to their fathers,
the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have
49 built to thy name ; then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-
place their prayer and their entreaty, and maintain their
60 right, and forgive to thy people what they have sinned
against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have
transgressed against thee, and grant them compassion in
presence of their captors, that they may have compassion on
61 them. For thy people and thine inheritance are they, whom
thou didst bring out from Egypt, from the midst of the fur-
62 nace of iron ; that thine eyes may be open to the entreaty
251

Chap. vm. I. KINGS.

of thy servant, and to the entreaty of thy people Israel, to
63 hearken to them in all that they call upon thee for. For
thou hast separated them to thee for thine inheritance from
all the peoples of the earth, as thou saidst by the hand of
Moses thy servant, when thou didst bring our fathers out
64 from Egypt, 0 Lord Jehovah. And it was so, when Solo
mon had made an end of praying to Jehovah all this prayer
and entreaty, that he arose from before the altar of Jehovah,
from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward
55 heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of
56 Israel with a loud voice, saying : Blessed be Jehovah, who
has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he
has spoken. There has not failed one word of all his good
words, which he spoke by the hand of Moses his servant.
67 Jehovah, our God be with us, as he was with our fathers:
68 Let him not leave us, nor cast us off; that he may incline
our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his
commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which
69 he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, where
with I have made entreaty before Jehovah, be near to Jeho
vah our God day and night, that he may maintain the right
of his servant, and the right of his people Israel, at all times
60 as needed ; that all peoples of the earth may know that
61 Jehovah, he is God, and none beside. And let your heart
be wholly with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes,
and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice
63 before Jehovah. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace-
offerings, which he offered to Jehovah, two and twenty
thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep.
And the king, and all the children of Israel, dedicated the
64 house of Jehovah. On the same day the king hallowed the
middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah.
For there he offered burnt-offerings, and meat-offerings, and
the fat of the peace-offerings ; because the brazen altar that
was before Jehovah was too little to receive the burnt-offer
ings, and meat-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings.
252

I. KINGS. Chap. rx.

66

65 And at that time Solomon held the feast, and all Israel with
him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath
unto the river of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven
days and seven days, fourteen days. On the eighth day he
dismissed the people. And they blessed the king ; and they
went to their tents joyful and glad of heart, for all the good
that Jehovah had done to David his servant, and to Israel
his people.

1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the build
ing of the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all
2 that Solomon desired and was pleased to do, that Jehovah
appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to
3 him at Gibeon. And Jehovah said to him : I have heard
thy prayer and thy entreaty, which thou hast made before
me ; I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to
put my name there forever ; and my eyes and my heart shall
4 be there perpetually. And now if thou wilt walk before me,
as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart and in up
rightness, to do according to all that 1 have commanded thee,
5 and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments ; then will I
establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel forever, as I
spoke to David thy father, saying : There shall not fail thee a
6 man on the throne of Israel. If ye shall wholly turn away
from following me, ye and your children, and will not keep
my commandments and my statutes which I have set before
7 you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them ; then
will I cut off Israel from the face of the ground which I have
given them ; and the house, which I have hallowed to my
name, will I cast out of my presence ; and Israel shall be a
8 proverb and a by-word among all peoples. And this house
shall be on high ; every one that passes by it shall be aston
ished, and shall hiss ; and they shall say : Why has Jehovah
9 done thus to this land, and to this house ? And they shall
V. 8. ShaU be on high; a conspicuous object. There is allusion here to Deut. 26 : 19 and
28 : 1, "will set theo on high above all nations." This blessing shall be changed to a curse.
The temple, so high and far renowned, shall still remain so ; bnt in a contrary sense, as a sign
of Israel's rejection from God's presence. (Keil, on the passage.)
253

Chap. rx. I. KINGS.

answer : Because they forsook Jehovah their God, who
brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and clave to
other gods, and worshipped them, and served them ; therefore
has Jehovah brought upon them all this evil..
i° And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when
Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah,
n and the king's house, — now Hiram, the king of Tyre, had
aided Solomon with cedar-trees and cypress-trees, and with
gold, according to all his desire, — that then king Solomon
12 gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram
came out from Tyre, to see the cities which Solomon had
13 given him ; and they did not please him. And he said :
What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother ?
14 And he called them the land of Cabul, to this day. And
Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon
raised ; to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house,
and the Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and
16 Megiddo, and Gezer. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone
up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the
Canaanites that dwelt in the city ; and he gave it for a dowry
17 to his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solomon built Gezer,
i8 and the lower Beth-horon, and Baalath, and Tadmor in the
19 wilderness, in the land ; and all the cities for store-houses
that Solomon had, and cities for chariots, and cities for horse
men, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem,
20 and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. All
the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of
21 the children of Israel ; their children that were left after
them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able
utterly to destroy, on them did Solomon levy a tribute of
22 bond-service to this day. But of the children of Israel did
Solomon make no bondmen ; for they were men of war, and
his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of
23 his chariots, and his horsemen. These were the chief of the
V. 15. Millo. See the note on 2 Sam. 5 : 9.
254

I. KINGS. Chap. x.

officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty,
who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work.
24 But the daughter of Pharaoh came up out of the city of
David to her house which he had built for her. Then he
built the Millo.
25 And three times in a year Solomon offered burnt-offerings
and peace-offerings on the altar which he built to Jehovah,
and he burned incense at that which was before Jehovah.
So he completed the house.
26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships at Ezion-geber,
which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the
27 land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants,
shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of
28 Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and took from thence
gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king
Solomon.
i And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon
concerning the name of Jehovah ; and she came to try him
2 with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a
very great train, with camels bearing spices and very much
gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon ; and
3 she talked with him of all that was in her heart. And Solo
mon told her all which she asked ; there was not anything hid
4 from .the king which he told her not. And when the queen
of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that
5 he had built, and the food of his table, and the sitting of his
servants, and the attendance of his ministers and their ap
parel, and his cup-bearers, and his burnt-offerings which he
offered up in the house of Jehovah ; there was no more
6 spirit in her. And she said to the king : It was a true report
that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 But I believed not the words, until I came, and my eyes had
seen it ; and, behold, the half was not told me ; thy wisdom
8 and prosperity exceeds the fame which I heard. Happy are
V. 25. Completed the house ; by the service for which it was designed. Before, it was a masB
of earthly material only ; it now became the sanctuary of God.
255

Chap. x. I. KINGS.

tli3r men, happy are these thy servants, who stand continually
9 before thee, that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be Jehovah thy
God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of
Israel ; because Jehovah loves Israel forever, and he made
10 thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the
king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices a
7 very great store, and precious stones. There came no more
such abundance of spicery as these which the queen of Sheba
11 gave to king Solomon. And the navy also of Hiram, that
brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir almug-trees
12 in great plenty, and precious stones. And the king made of
the almug-trees a railing for the house of Jehovah, and for
the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers. There
came no such almug-trees, nor were seen, unto this day,
13 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire,
whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her
of his royal bounty. And she turned and went to her own
country, she and her servants.
u Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year,
15 was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold ; besides
that from the tradesmen, and from the traffic of the merchant
men, and from all the kings of the mixed races, and from the
governors of the country.
X6 And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten
gold ; with six hundred shekels of gold he overlaid the one
n buckler ; and three hundred shields of beaten gold ; with
three manehs of gold he overlaid the one shield. And the
king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18 And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid
19 it with pure gold. The throne had six steps, and the top of
the throne was round behind ; and there were arms on either
side on the place of the seat ; and two lions stood beside the
20 arms. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on
V. 15. The mixed races. Soe Jer. 25 : 21, "the mixed raoes who dwell in the dosert."
Probably tribes half Jewish half Arabian, on the borders of the western dosert. (Speaker's
Commentary.) VV. 16, 17. The gold shekel was in value about five and a half dollars.— The maneh was a
hundred Bhekels, about live hundred and fifty dollars. The talent was a hundred shekels.
256

I. KINGS. Chap. xi.

the other upon the six steps. The like has not been made in
any other kingdom.
21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and
all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of
precious gold. There was no silver ; it was accounted as
22 nothing in the days of Solomon. For the king had at sea a
navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram. Once in three
years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver,
ivory, and apes and peacocks.
23 And king Solomon was greater than all the kings of the
24 earth, in riches and in wisdom. And all the earth sought
the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God
25 had put in his heart. And they brought every man his
present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments,
and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, repeated year by
year.
26 And Solomon brought together chariots and horsemen.
And he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and
twelve thousand horsemen ; and he placed them in the cities
27 for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. And silver
the king made as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars made he
as the sycamore-trees that are in the plain, for abundance.
28 And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of
Egypt ; and a company of the king's merchants took a troop
29 [of horses] at a price. And a chariot went out from Egypt
and came up for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse
for a hundred and fifty ; and so for all the kings of the Hit-
tites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by
their hand.
i And king Solomon loved many foreign women, together
with the daughter of Pharaoh ; women of the Moabites,
2 Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, Hittites ; of the nations
Ch. xi. The history of Solomon's brilliant reign is here closed, with the sad record of the
follies and sins of his old age. No such example is elsewhere recorded in history, of the cor
rupting influences of wealth, of worldly honors and distinctions, and of impure and debasing
domestic relationships ; for it knows no character, originally so pure, so exalted in principle
and in purpose, that under these influences sunk so low. It illustrates the wisdom of the
many warnings against them in the divine law, as in Deut. 8 : 13, 14, 17, and .7. : . 8, 4.
257

Chap. xi. I. KINGS.

concerning which Jehovah said to the children of Israel :
Ye shall not come among them, and they shall not come
among you ; they will surely turn away your heart after
their gods. To them did Solomon cleave, to love them.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hun-
4 dred concubines ; and his wives turned away his heart. And
it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned
away his heart after other gods ; and his heart was not wholly
with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 And Solomon went after Ashtoreth. the goddess of the Zido
nians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and went not
7 fully after Jehovah, as did David his father. Then did Solo
mon build a high place to Chemosh, the abomination of Moab,
in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and to Molech, the abomi-
8 nation of the children of Ammon. And so did he for all his
foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 And Jehovah was angry with Solomon, because his heart
was turned away from Jehovah, God of Israel, who had
10 appeared to him twice ; and had commanded him concerning
this thing, that he should not go after other gods ; but he
u kept not that which Jehovah commanded. And Jehovah
said to Solomon : Forasmuch as this is thy way, and thou
hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have
commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee,
12 and will give it to thy servant. Yet, in thy days I will not
do it, for the sake of David thy father ; out of the hand of
13 thy son will I rend it. Only, I will not rend away all the
kingdom. One tribe I will give to thy son, for the sake of
David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I
have chosen.
V. 5. Ashtoreth. See the writer's note on Judges 2 : 13, and on Gen. 14 : 5.— Milcom (also
written Molech, v. 7), an idol god of the Ammonites, to whom infants were cruelly sacrificed.
See 2 Chr. 28 :3 ; Jer. 7 : 81, and 19 : 5; Ezek. 23 : 37. Compare 2 Kings 17 : 17.
V. 7. A high place. The use of hi^h places, lofty emineuces, 1 jr the observance of religious
rites, in itself natural and proper, was profaned by the superstitions and impure practices of
heathenism, and hence was prospectively forbidden in Num. 33 : 52, and elsewhere. But it
continued to be of frequent occurrence, as in 1 Sam. 10 : 5 ; and in 1 Kings 3 : 2, 3, 4, where it
is excused apparently, or at least explained, by the want of a commodious building of sufficient
extent.  Chemosh. the national god of the Moabites. Num. 21:29; 2 Kings 23 : 13 ; Jer.
48 : 7, 13, 46. Mentioned apparently as a god of the Ammonites, Judges 11 : 24.
258

L KINGS. Chap, xl
14 And Jehovah raised up an adversary to Solomon. Hadad
15 the Edomite. He was of the royal seed, in Edom. For it
came to pass, when David was in Edom. and Joab the cap
tain of the host had gone up to bury the slain, and had smitten
16 every male in Edom, — for six months did Joab remain there
with all Israel, until he had cut off everv male in Edom, —
17 that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his fathers
servants with him, to go into Egypt : Hadad being yet a
i5 little child. And they rose up from Midian, and came to
Paran. And they took men with them from Paran, and
came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt : and he gave him
19 a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land. And
Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh : and he
gave him a wife, the sister of his own wife, sister of Tahpe-
2 '-' nes the queen. And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genu-
bath his son : and Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh's house.
And Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of
21 Pharaoh. And Hadad heard in Egypt that David lay with
his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead.
And Hadad said to Pharaoh : Let me depart, that I may go
22 to my own country. And Pharaoh said to him : But what
hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to
thy own country ? And he answered : Nothing : but thou
must let me go.
23 And God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of
Eliadah. who fled from his lord Hadadezer, king of Zobah.
24 And he gathered to himself men, and became captain over a
band, when David slew them [of Zobah] ; and they went to
25 Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus. And
he was an adversarv to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides
the mischief that Hadad did ; and he abhorred Israel, and
reigned over Syria.
26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat an Ephrathite of Zereda.
— whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, — was
a servant of Solomon : and he lifted up his hand against the
27 king. And this was the cause that he fitted up his hand
TV. 27. 28. This teas the cause : namely, what is stated in these two verses, in connection
with the three that follow. The building, :ha- is, the repairing or completing of the iliilo,
259

Chap. xi. I. KINGS.

against the king ; Solomon built the Millo, closed up the
28 breach of the city of David his father. And the man Jero
boam was a strong and capable man. And Solomon saw
the young man that he was active in business, and he made
him overseer of all the burden laid upon the house of Joseph.
29 And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out
from Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found
him in the way ; and he had clad himself with a new gar-
30 ment ; and they two were alone in the field. And Ahijah
laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in
31 twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam : Take for thee ten
pieces. For thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel : Behold,
I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and
32 will give ten tribes to thee ; — but he shall have one tribe for
the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem,
the city which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel ; —
33 because they have forsaken me, and have worshipped
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of
the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon,
and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right
in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as
34 did David his father. And I will not take the whole king
dom out of his hand ; but I will make him prince all the days
of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose because
35 he kept my commandments and my statutes. But I will
take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to
36 thee, the ten tribes. And to his son will I give one tribe ;
that David my servant may have a light always before me in
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for me to put my
37 name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign ac
cording to all that thy soul desires, and thou shalt be king
38 over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken to all that
I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that
which is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my com-
(see the note on 2 Sam. 5 : 9) to strengthen the city's defenses, was distasteful to the rival
tribe of Ephraim; more especially as it was done by their compulsory labor. As Jeroboam
went from Jerusalem to his charge, a message from the prophet marked out for him his future
course ; and there could not be wanting means to further his designs.
260

I. KINGS. Chap. xii.

mandments, as David my servant did ; that I will be with
thee, and will build thee a sure house, as I built for David,
39 and will give Israel to thee. And I will for this afflict the
40 seed of David ; but not forever. And Solomon sought to
kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt,
to Shishak king of Egypt. And he was in Egypt until the
death of Solomon.
41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did,
and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts
42 of Solomon ? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jeru-
43 salem over Israel was forty years. And Solomon lay down
with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his
father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
i And Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel came to
2 Shechem, to make him king. And it came to pass, when
Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, — and he was yet in
Egypt, whither he fled from king Solomon, and Jeroboam
3 dwelt in Egypt, and they sent and called him, — that Jero
boam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spoke to
4 Rehoboam, saying : Thy father made our yoke heavy. And
now, do thou lighten somewhat the hard service of thy father,
and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve
6 thee. And he said to them : Depart for yet three days, and
come again to me. And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, who stood
before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said : How
7 do ye advise to make answer to this people ? And they spoke
to him, saying : If to-day thou wilt be servant to this people,
and wilt serve them, and hearken to them, and speak good
8 words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. But
he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they gave him,
V. 7. If to-day thou will be servant. That is, if to-day thou wilt show thyself their servant,
by compliance with their just and moderate demands. And wilt serve them, in the future, from
this time forth. The Speaker's Commentary, "if thou wilt/or once submit," misses the point
altogether ; and the whole note is a misconception of the true relation of ruler and people.
The advice of Solomon's old counselors was sound republican doctrine, whether the ruler rules
by hereditary right or by the choice of the ruled ; and accords with the beautiful conception
of a wise and beneficent ruler, 2 Sam. 23 : 3, 4.

Chap. xn. I. KINGS.

and consulted with the young men who grew up with him,
9 who stood before him. And he said to them : What do ye
advise that we should answer this people, who have spoken
to me, saying : Lighten somewhat the yoke which thy father
10 put upon us ? And the young men who grew up with him
spoke to him, saying : Thus shalt thou speak to this people
that spoke to thee, saying : Thy father made our yoke heavy,
and do thou lighten it upon us ; thus shalt thou say to them :
11 My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. And now,
my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, and I will add to
your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, and I will
chastise you with scorpions.
12 And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on
the third day, as the king appointed, saying': Come to me
13 again the third day. And the king answered the people
roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave
14 him. And he spoke to them after the counsel of the young
men, saying : My father made your yoke heavy, and I will
add to your yoke ; my father chastised you with whips, and
16 I will chastise you with scorpions. And the king hearkened
not to the people ; for the ordering was from Jehovah, that
he might perform his saying, which Jehovah spoke by Ahijah
the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And all Israel saw that the king hearkened not to them.
And the people answered the king, saying : What portion
have we in David ? Nor have we inheritance in the son of
Jesse. To your tents, 0 Israel. Now see to thine own
17 house, David. And Israel departed to their tents. But as
for the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah,
18 Rehoboam reigned over them. And king Rehoboam sent
Adoram, who was over the tribute ; and all Israel stoned him
with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam made haste
19 to get upon his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel re-
20 belled against the house of David to this day. And it came
to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back,

V. 15. The ordering. The turn of affairs, the course of things ; the direction they were
taking. That direction was from Jehovah. 262

I. KINGS. Chap. xn.

that they sent and called him to the congregation, and made
him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the
house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
21 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem. And he assembled
all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, a hun
dred and fourscore thousand chosen men, that were warriors,
to fight against the house of Israel, to bring back the king-
22 dom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. And the word of
2i God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying : Speak to
Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all
the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the
24 people, saying : Thus says Jehovah : Ye shall not go up,
and ye shall not fight against your brethren the children of
Israel. Return every man to his house ; for this thing is
from me. And they hearkened to the word of Jehovah, and
went back, according to the word of Jehovah.
25 And Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and
dwelt therein. And he went out from thence, and built
2(i Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart : Now will the
27 kino-dom return to the house of David. If this people go up
to offer sacrifices in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, then
will the heart of this people return to their lord, to Reho
boam king of Judah ; and they will kill me, and return to
28 Rehoboam king of Judah. And the king took counsel, and
made two calves of gold. And he said to them : It is too
much for you to go up to lerusalem. Behold thy gods, 0
29 Israel, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And
he set up the one in Beth-el ; and the other he put in Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin. And the people went before
31 the one, even unto Dan. And he made houses on high
places ; and made priests from all of the people, who were
32 not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam made a feast in the
eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the
feast that was in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So
did he in Beth-el, sacrificing to the calves that he made ; and

V. 30. Before the one (one of the two), they went as far as to Dan.  \ 31. Houses on
high places ; hill-chapels, foi the idol and its worshippers.
263

Chap. an. I. KINGS.

he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he
33 made. And he offered upon the altar which he made in
Beth-el, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the
month which he devised of himself. And he made a feast
to the children of Israel ; and he went up to the altar, to
burn incense.
i And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah, by
the word of Jehovah, to Beth-el ; and Jeroboam was stand-
2 ing by the altar, to burn incense. And he cried against the
altar, by the word of Jehovah, and said : 0 altar, altar, thus
says Jehovah : Behold, a child shall be born to the house of
David, Josiah by name ; and upon thee shall he offer the
priests of the high places, that burn incense upon thee, and
3 men's bones shall be burned upon thee. And he gave a sign
the same day, saying : This is the sign that Jehovah has
spoken : Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that
4 are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when
the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried
against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam stretched forth
his hand from the altar, saying : Lay hold of him. And his
hand, which he stretched forth against him, dried up, and he
5 was not able to bring it back to him. And the altar was
rent, and the ashes were poured out from the altar, accord
ing to the sign which the man of God gave by the word of
6 Jehovah. And the king answered and said to the man of
God : Entreat now Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that
my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God en
treated Jehovah, and the hand of the king was restored to
7 him, and became as before. And the king said to the man
of God : Come with me to the house, and refresh thyself ;
8 and I will give thee a present. And the man of God said
to the king : If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not
go in with thee ; and I will not eat bread nor drink water in
9 this place. For so was it commanded me by the word of
Jehovah, saying : Thou shalt not eat bread, and thou shalt
not drink water, and thou shalt not return by the way thou
10 camest. So he went by another way, and returned not by
the way he came to Beth-el. 264

I. KINGS. Chap. xm.

11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el. And his son
came and told him all that the man of God had done that
day in Beth-el ; and the words which he had spoken to the
12 king they told to their father. And their father said to
them : What way went he ? And his sons saw the way which
13 the man of God went, who came from Judah. And he said
to his sous : Saddle for me the ass. And they saddled for
14 him the ass, and he rode thereon. And he went after the
man of God, and found him sitting under the oak. And he
said to him : Art thou the man of God who came from
15 Judah ? And he said, I am. And he said to him : Go to
iG the house with me, and eat bread. And he said : I cannot
go back with thee ; and I cannot go in with thee ; nor will I
17 eat bread, or drink water with thee, in this place. For it
was said to me by the word of Jehovah : Thou shalt not eat
bread, and thou shalt not drink water there ; thou shalt not
J8 go back by the way thou camest. He said to him : I also
am a prophet, as thou art. And an angel spoke to me by the
word of Jehovah, saying : Bring him back with thee to thy
house, that he may eat bread and drink water. He lied to
19 him. So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house,
and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word
of Jehovah came to the prophet that brought him back.
2i And he cried to the man of God that came from Judah,
saying : Thus says Jehovah : Because thou hast, disobeyed
the voice of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment
22 which Jehovah thy God commanded thee ; and didst come
back, and eat bread and drink water in the place, where he
said to thee thou shalt not eat bread, and shalt not drink
water ; thy corpse shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy
fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after
he had drunken, that he saddled for him the ass, for the
24 prophet whom he brought back. And he went away. And
a lion met him by the way, and slew him. And his corpse
V. 14. The oak. A well-known feature of that place, and serving as a landmark.
265

Chap. xiii. I. KINGS.

was cast in the way ; and the ass stood by it, and the lion
25 stood by the corpse. And, behold, men passed by, and saw
the corpse cast in the way, and the lion standing by the
corpse. And they came and told it in the city, where the
26 old prophet dwelt. And the prophet that brought him back
from the way heard it ; and he said : It is the man of God,
who disobeyed the voice of Jehovah. And Jehovah has
delivered him to the lion, and he has torn him, and slain him,
according to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke to him.
27 And he spoke to his sons, saying : Saddle for me the ass.
28 And they saddled him. And he went and found his corpse
cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing beside the
corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse, and had not torn
29 the ass. And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of
God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back ; and the
old prophet came into the city, to mourn and to bury him.
30 And he laid his corpse in his own grave ; and they mourned
3i over him, saying : Alas, my brother ! And it came to pass,
after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying :
When I die, bury me in the grave wherein the man of God
32 is buried ; lay my bones beside his bones. For the saying
which he cried, by the word of Jehovah, against the altar in
Beth-el, and against all the houses on high places which are
in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam turned not from his evil way ;
and he again made of all the people priests of the high
places ; whosoever would, him he consecrated, and he was
34 of the priests of the high places. And in this thing he be
came the cause of sin to the house of Jeroboam, to cut off
and to destroy it, from the face of the earth.
V. 31. The Btory of these two men is instructive in many points of view. The man of God
continued faithful to his commission, resisting the strongest temptations of personal advan
tage. He was deluded from the right, by what in his weakness he believed to be a message
from God. What God had commanded him, he knew ; and against this he weighed his belief
of a pretended message. His tragic fate was the divine lesson  To punish the seducer, he
was made to communicate to the victim of his deception its fatal consequences ; and the bit
terness of remorse found its last expression in the plea, that he might share his victim's grave,
and his bones be laid beside his.  V, 33. Consecrated. Literally, filled his hand. See the
note on Judges 17 : 5. 266

I. KINGS. Chap. xiv.

j At that time Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, was sick. And
Jeroboam said to his wife : Arise, I pray thee, and disguise
thyself, that it may not be known that thou art the wife of
Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is
there, who told me that I shoujd be king over this people.
3 And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of
honey, and go to him ; he will tell thee how it will fare with
4 the child. And the wife of Jeroboam did so ; and she arose,
and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. And
Ahijah could not see ; for his eyes were set because of his age.
5 And Jehovah said to Ahijah : Behold, the wife of Jero
boam comes to ask a thing of thee concerning her son ; for
he is sick. Thus and thus shalt thou say to her ; for it will
be, when she comes in, that she will feign herself to be an-
6 other. And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her
feet, as she came in at the door, that he said : Come in, thou
wife of Jeroboam ; why dost thou feign thyself to be another?
7 For I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jero
boam, thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : Because I exalted
thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my
8 people Israel : and rent the kingdom away from the house
of David, and gave it to thee ; and thou hast not been as my
servant David, who kept my commandments, and who fol
lowed me with all his heart, to do only that which was right
9 in mine eyes ; and hast done evil above all that were before
thee, and hast gone and made for thee other gods, and molten
images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy
i° back ; therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of
Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, bond
and free in Israel ; and will take away the remnant of the
house of Jeroboam, as a man takes away dung, till it is all
11 gone. Him that dies of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs
eat ; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air
12 eat ; for Jehovah has spoken it. And thou, rise up, go to
thy house. When thy feet enter into the city, the child shall
13 die. And for him will all Israel mourn, and will bury him ;
267

Chap. xiv. I. KINGS.

for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in
him there is found something good toward Jehovah, God of
u Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. And Jehovah will raise
up for himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house
15 of Jeroboam in that day ; and what is even now ? And
Jehovah will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water ;
and he will root out Israel from this good land, which he
gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the river ;
because they have made their Asheras, provoking Jehovah
16 to anger. And he will give up Israel because of the sins of
Jeroboam, who sinned, and who caused Israel to sin.
17 And the wife of Jeroboam arose, and departed, and came
to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the
18 child died. And they buried him ; and all Israel mourned
for him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke
19 by the hand of his servant, Ahijah the prophet. And the
rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he
reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the Chroni-
20 cles of the kings of' Israel. And the days which Jeroboam
reigned were two and twenty years. And he lay down with
his fathers ; and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah.
Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to
reign ; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city
which Jehovah chose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put
his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the
22 Ammonitess. And Judah did evil in the sight of Jehovah,
and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they
23 committed, above all that their fathers had done. And they
too built for themselves high places, and images, and Asheras,
24 on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there
were also sodomites in the land ; they did according to all the
abominations of the nations which Jehovah drove out before
the children of Israel.
V. 14. And what is even now ? What is now taking place, in the extinction of that line, by
the death of the most promising heir to the throne?  V. 15. Their Asheras. Asheia was
the name of a female idol. See the note on Judges 3 : 7.— 1 he river ; the Euphrates.— WM
scatter them. For the fulfillment, see 2 Kings 15 : 29 ; 17 : 6 and 23 ; 18 : 11 ; 1 Chr. 5 : 26.
268

I. KINGS. Chap. xv.

25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that
26 Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he
took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the
treasures of the king's house ; and he took away all ; and he
27 took away all^the shields of gold which Solomon made. And
king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and com
mitted them to the hand of the chiefs of the guard, who kept
28 the door of the king's house. And it was so, when the king
went into the house of Jehovah, that the guard bore them,
and brought them back into the guard-chamber.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
30 kings of Judah? And there was war between Rehoboam
3i and Jeroboam all the time. And Rehoboam lay down with
his fathers ; and he was buried with his fathers in the city
of David. And his mother's name was Naamah the Am-
monitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.
i And in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, the son of
2 Nebat, Abijam reigned over Judah. Three years he reigned
in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the
3 daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of
his father, which he had done before him ; and his heart was
not wholly with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David
4 his father. But for David's sake Jehovah his God gave him
a fight in Jerusalem, in that he set up his son after him, and
5 established Jerusalem ; because David did that which was
right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned not aside from any
thing that he commanded him, all the days of his life, save
6 only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. And there was war
between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are
they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings
of Judah ? And there was war between Abijam and Jero-
8 boam. And Abijam lay down with his fathers ; and they
buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned
in his stead. 269

Chap. xv. I. KINGS.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel,
i° Asa reigned over Judah. And forty and one years reigned
he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the
n daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right
i2 in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father. And he put
away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols
13 that his fathers made. And also Maachah his mother, her he
removed from being queen, because she made an idol for
Ashera ; and Asa cut down her idol, and burnt it by the
14 brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed ; yet,
15 Asa's heart was wholly with Jehovah all his days. And he
brought in the things which his father dedicated, and the
things which he himself dedicated, into the house of Jehovah,
silver, and gold, and vessels.
16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel
17 all their days. And Baasha king of Israel went up against
Judah, and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go
18 out or come in to Asa king of Judah. And Asa took all the
silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house
of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and gave
them into the hand of his servants ; and king Asa sent them
to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon the son of Hezion, king
19 of Syria who dwelt at Damascus, saying : Let there be a
league between me and thee, as between my father and thy
father. Behold, I have sent to thee a present of silver and
gold ; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that
20 he may depart from me. And Ben-hadad hearkened to king
Asa ; and he sent the captains of the hosts which he had
against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and
Abel-beth-maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of
21 Naphtali. And it came to pass, when Baasha heard of it,
that he left off building Ramah, and he remained in Tirzah.
22 And king Asa summoned all Judah, no one was free ; and
they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timbers there
of, with which Baasha had builded ; and king Asa built with
23 them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. The rest of all the
acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the
270

I. KINGS. Chap. xvi.

cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Judah? Yet, in the time of his
24 old age, he was diseased in his feet. And Asa lay down with
his fathers ; and he was buried with his fathers in the city of
David his father. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his
stead.
25 And Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over
Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah ; and he
20 reigned over Israel two years. And he did evil in the sight
of Jehovah ; and he walked in the way of his father, and in
his sins whereby he caused Israel to sin.
27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar,
conspired against him. And Baasha smote him at Gibbethon,
which belonged to the Philistines ; and Nadab and all Israel
28 were laying siege to Gibbethon. And Baasha slew him in
the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his
29 stead. And it came to pass, when he was king, that he
smote all the house of Jeroboam. He left not to Jeroboam
any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according
to the saying of Jehovah, which he spoke by his servant
30 Ahijah the Shilonite ; because of the sins of Jeroboam which
he sinned, and whereby he caused Israel to sin, in his provo
cation wherewith he provoked Jehovah, God of Israel, to
anger.
31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are
they not written in the books of the Chronicles of the kings
32 of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Baasha
33 king of Israel, all their days. In the third year of Asa, king
of Judah, began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all
Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. And he did evil in
the sight of Jehovah ; and he walked in the way of Jeroboam,
and in his sins whereby he caused Israel to sin.
i And the word of Jehovah came to Jehu, .the son of
2 Hanani, against Baasha, saying : Forasmuch as I raised thee
up out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people
Israel ; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and
hast caused my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger
271

Chap. xvi. I. KINGS.

3 with their sins ; behold, I will take away the posterity of
Baasha, and the posterity of his house ; and I will make thy
4 house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him
that dies of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat ; and him
thai dies of his in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and
his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles
6 of the kings of Israel? And Baasha lay down with his
fathers ; and he was buried in Tirzah. And Elah his son
7 reigned in his stead. And also, by the hand of the prophet
Jehu the son of Hanani, came the word of Jehovah against
Baasha and against his house, as well for all the evil that he
did in the sight of Jehovah, in provoking him to anger with
the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam,
as because he had smitten him.
8 In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began
Elah, the son of Baasha, to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two
9 years. And his servant Zimri, captain of half the chariots,
conspired against him. And he was in Tirzah, drinking
himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the house
10 in Tirzah ; and Zimri came in, and smote him, and killed
him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah,
and reigned in his stead.
n And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as
he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha ;
he left him not a male, of his kinsmen, or of his friends.
i2 And Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha ; according to
the word of Jehovah, which he spoke against Baasha by
13 Jehu the prophet ; for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of
Elah his son, whereby they sinned, and whereby they caused
Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, God of Israel to anger
14 with their vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and
all that he did, are they not written in the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
X6 In the twenty and seventh year of Asa, king of Judah,
V. 13. Vanity (properly, a breath) is a term often contemptuously applied to the idols of
the heathen. Deut. 32 : 21 ; Jer. 8 : 19, and 10 : 8.
272

I. KINGS. Chap. xvi.

did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were
encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philis-
10 tines. And the people that were encamped heard it said :
Zimri has conspired, and has also slain the king. And all
Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel
17 that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon,
13 and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it
came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that
he went to the tower of the king's house, and burned the
19 king's house over him with fire, and he died ; for his sins
which he sinned in that he did evil in the sight of Jeho
vah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin
20 which he did to cause Israel to sin. Now the rest of the
acts of Zimri, and his conspiracy that he made, are they not
written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
21 Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts ;
half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make
22 him king, and half followed Omri. And the people that
followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed
Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died; and Omri was
king.
23 In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began
Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years ; six years he reigned
24 in Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria, of Shemer, for
two talents of silver. And he built on the hill ; and the
name of the city which he built he called Samaria, after the
name of Shemer, owner of the hill.
25 And Omri did evil in the eyes of Jehovah ; and he wrought
26 evil more than all that were before him. And he walked in
all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins
whereby he caused Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, God
27 of Israel to anger with their vanities. Now the rest of the
acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
28 kings of Israel? And Omri lay down with his fathers, and
was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son reigned in his
stead. 273

Chap. xvn. I. KINGS.

29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa, king of Judah,
began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel. And
Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria, twenty
30 and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the
3i sight of Jehovah, more than all that were before him. And
it came to pass, — was it a light thing for him to walk in the
sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,— that he took for a wife
Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians. and
32 went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he erected
an altar to Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in
33 Samaria. And Ahab made the Ashera. And Ahab did
more to provoke Jehovah, God of Israel to anger, than all
the kings of Israel that were before him.
34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho. He laid
the foundation thereof in Abiram his first-born, and he set
up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub ; according
to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke by Joshua the son
of Nun.
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the sojourners in Gilead, said
to Ahab : As Jehovah God of Israel lives, before whom I
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but ac-
2 cording to my word. And the word of Jehovah came to
3 him, saying : Go hence, and turn eastward, and hide thyself
4 by the brook Cherith, that is toward the Jordan. And it
shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook ; and I have
5 commanded the ravens to sustain thee there. And he went
and did according to the word of Jehovah. And he went
and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is toward the Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning,
and bread and flesh in the evening ; and he drank out of the
7 brook. And it came to pass after a time, that the brook
dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

V. 32. Baal. See the notes on Judges 2 : 11 and 13, and the writer's note on Gen. 14 : 5,
there referred to. Ethbaal is thought to have been a priest of Baal.  V. 33. The Ashera ;
the wooden statue, or pillar, of that female idol. See the note on Judges 3 : 7.  V. 34. See
the note on Josh. 6 : 26.
274

I. KINGS. Chap. xvn.

9 And the word of Jehovah came to him, saying : Arise, go
to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and abide there.
Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain
10 thee. And he arose, and went to Zarephath. And he came
to the entrance of the city ; and behold there a widow woman,
gathering sticks. And he called to her, and said : Fetch me,
I pray thee, a little water in the vessel, that I may drink.
u And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said :
X2 Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And
she said : As Jehovah thy God lives, I have not a loaf, but
a handful of meal in the bucket, and a little oil in the cruse.
And, behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in
and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and
13 die. And Elijah said to her : Fear not ; go in, do as thou
hast said. But make me thereof a little cake first, and bring
it out to me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : The bucket of meal
shall not be spent, nor shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day
15 that Jehovah shall give rain on the face of the ground. And
she went, and did according to the word of Elijah. And he,
19 and she, and her house, did eat many days. The bucket of
meal was not spent, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according
to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke by Elijah.
17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the
woman, the mistress of the house, was sick ; and his sickness
18 was very sore, so that there was no breath left in him. And
she said to Elijah : What have I to do with thee, thou man
of God? Camest thou to me to bring my sin to remem-
19 brance, and to slay my son ? And he said to her : Give me
thy son. And he took him from her bosom, and carried him
up into the upper-chamber, where he abode, and laid him on
20 his own bed. And he cried to Jehovah, and said : Jehovah
my God, hast thou also upon the widow with whom I sojourn
21 brought evil, by slaying her son ? And he stretched himself
upon the child three times, and cried to Jehovah, and said :
Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into
22 him again. And Jehovah heard the voice of Elijah ; and

275

Chap. xvm. I. KINGS.

the soul of the child came into him again, and he lived.
23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down from the
upper-chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother ;
24 and Elijah said : See, thy son lives. And the woman said
to Elijah : Now by this I know that thou art a man of God,
and the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth.
i And it came to pass after many days, that the word of
Jehovah came to Elijah in the third year, saying : Go, show
thyself to Ahab ; and I will send rain upon the face of the
2 ground. And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And
3 the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah,
who was over the house. Now Obadiah feared Jehovah
4 greatly. And it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets
of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid
them, by fifty men in a cave, and sustained them with bread
5 and water. And Ahab said to Obadiah : Go through the
land, to all fountains of water, and to all brooks. Perhaps
we shall find grass, and save the horses and mules alive, that
6 we lose not any of the beasts. And they divided the land
between them, to pass through it. Ahab went one way by
himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him.
And he knew him, and fell on his face, and said : Art thou
8 here, my lord Elijah ? And he answered him, I am. Go,
9 tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here. And he said : In what
have I siijned, that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the
10 hand of Ahab, to slay me? As Jehovah thy God lives,
there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord has not sent
to seek thee ; and when they said : He is not here, he took
an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee
11 not. And now thou sayest : Go, tell thy lord, behold, Elijah
12 is here. And it will be, when I am gone from thee, that
the Spirit of Jehovah will take thee whither I know not ;
and when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he
will slay me. And I thy servant fear Jehovah from my
13 youth. Was it not told my lord what I did, when Jezebel
276

I. KINGS. Chap. xvm.

slew the prophets of Jehovah ; and I hid a hundred men of
Jehovah's prophets, by fifty men in a cave, and sustained
u them with bread and water ? And now thou sayest : Go, tell
15 thy lord, behold, Elijah is here ; and he will slay me. And
Elijah said : As Jehovah of hosts lives, before whom I stand,
i6 I will surely show myself to him to-day. And Obadiah went
to meet Ahab, and told him ; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab
xe said to him : Art thou here, thou troubler of Israel ? And
he said : I have not troubled Israel ; but thou, and thy
father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments
19 of Jehovah, and thou hast gone after the Baals. And now
send, gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel ; and the
prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of
20 Ashera four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table. And Ahab
sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets
2i together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the
people, and said : How long halt ye between two opinions ?
If Jehovah be God, follow him ; and if Baal, then follow
22 him. And the people answered him not a word. And Elijah
said to the people : I, I only, remain a prophet of Jehovah ;
23 and Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let
there be given us two bullocks. And let them choose one
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the
wood, and put to it no fire ; and I will prepare the other
24 bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put to it no fire. And
call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name
of Jehovah ; and the God that answers by fire, let him be
God. And all the people answered and said : It is well
25 spoken. And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal : Choose
V. 18. Ye have forsaken ; thou and thy father's house.— And thou hast added to their sins
the worship of Baal. The worship of the golden calves, though a virtual denial of Jehovah
and subversive of his spiritual service, yet recognized the traditions of a national deliverance,
and a bond of national unity. Compare ch. 12 : 28 with Ex. 32 : 4. With the worship of Baal
came in a foreign religion, and the contaminations of heathen idolatry ; tending to blot out
all trace and remembrance of the national relation to Jehovah, and the nature of his worship.
"Jeroboam's calf-worship might still seem to be Jehovah-worship, but the Baal and Astarte
[Ashera] worship, never." Schaff's edition of Lange's Commentary.— The Baals. See the
note on Judges 2 : 11.  V. 21. How long halt ye ; like a lame man, limping from side to
Bide.— Two opinions ; or, two parties. 277

Chap. xyht. I. KINGS.

for you one bullock, and prepare it first, for ye are many ;
and call on the name of your, gods, and put to it no fire.
26 And they took the bullock that was given them, and prepared
it ; and they called on the name of Baal from morning and
till noon, saying : 0 Baal, answer us. And there was no
voice, and no one answered. And they danced about the
27 altar that was made. And it came to pass at noon, that
Elijah mocked them, and said : Cry, with a loud voice ; for
he is a god. Either he is talking, or he is gone aside, or he
is on a journey ; perhaps he is asleep, and must be waked.
28 And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves after
their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed
29 out upon them. And it was so, when mid-day was past, that
they raved till toward the offering of the [evening] sacrifice.
And there was no voice, and no one answered, and no one
heeded.
30 And Elijah said to all the people : Come near to me. And
all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar
31 of Jehovah that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve
stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, — to whom the word of Jehovah came, saying : Israel
32 shall be thy name, — and with the stones he built an altar in
the name of Jehovah. And he made a trench about the
33 altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he
put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid
him on the wood. And he said : Fill four buckets with water,
34 and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood. And he
said : Do it the second time ; and they did it the second time.
And he said : Do it the third time ; and they did it the third
35 time. And the water ran round about the altar ; and he
filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the
[evening] sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and
said : Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ; let it be
known this day that thou art God in Israel ; and that I am
V. 82. Seah ; a measure holding about three gallons.  V. 36. The evening sacrifice was
offered, probably, about three o'clock on the afternoon. 278

I. KINGS. Chap. xix.

thy servant, and have done all these things at thy word.
37 Answer me, 0 Jehovah, answer me ; that this people may
know that thou Jehovah art God, and thou turnest back
38 their heart. And there fell fire from Jehovah ; and it con
sumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and
the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And all the people saw it, and they fell on their faces ; and
40 they said : Jehovah, he is God ; Jehovah, he is God. And
Elijah said to them : Seize the prophets of Baal ; let not one
of them escape. And they seized them ; and Elijah brought
them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab : Go up, eat and drink ; for there
42 is a sound of abundance of rain. And Ahab went up, to eat
and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ;
and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face
43 between his knees. And he said to his servant : Go up now,
look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked ; and he
said : There is nothing. And he said : Go again, seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said : Behold,
a little cloud like a man's hand, rising from the sea. And he
said, go up, say to Ahab : Prepare thy chariot and go down,
45 that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass meanwhile,
that the heavens were black with clouds and wind, and there
46 was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And
the hand of Jehovah was upon Elijah ; and he girded up his
loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done ; and all
2 how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. And
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying : So let the gods '
do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of
3 one of them, by this time to-morrow. And when he saw
V. 40. The Kishon flowed into the Mediterranean at the foot of mount Carmel. When
swollen by the heavy rains, it would carry off the dead bodies into the sea.—" Elijah's act is
to be justified by the express command of the law, that idolatrous Israelites should be put to
death, and by the right of a prophet, under the theocracy, to execute the law when the king
failed in his duty." (Speaker's Commentary.)  V. 46. The hand of Jehovah was upon
Elijah. Ste the note on Is. 8 : 11. 279

Chap. xtx, I. KINGS.

that, he arose and went for his life ; and he came to Beer
sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 And he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness.
And he came and sat down under a broom-plant ; and he
asked for his life, that he might die. And he said : It is
enough ; take now my life, 0 Jehovah, for I am not better
6 than my fathers. And he lay down and slept under a broom-
plant ; and, lo ! then an angel touched him, and said to him :
6 Arise, eat. And he looked, and behold, at his head a cake
baked on heated stones, and a cruse of water. And he ate
7 and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of Jehovah
came again the second time, and touched him, and said :
8 Arise, eat ; for the journey is too great for thee. And he
arose, and ate and drank ; and he went in the strength of
that meal forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb the mount
of God.
9 And he came thither to the cave, and passed the night
there. And, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him ;
i° and he said to him : What doest thou here, Elijah ? And he
said : I have been very zealous for Jehovah, God of hosts ;
for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thine
altars they have thrown down, and thy prophets they have
slain with the sword ; and 1 only am left, and they seek my
n life, to take it away. And he said : Go forth, and stand
upon the mount before Jehovah ; and, behold, Jehovah
passing by, and a great and strong wind rending the mount
ains, and breaking in pieces the rocks before Jehovah, —
Jehovah was not in the wind ; and after the wind an earth-
12 quake, — Jehovah was not in the earthquake ; and after the
earthquake a fire, — Jehovah was not in the fire ; and after
13 the fire a still, small voice. And it was so, when Elijah
heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went
V. 3. Went for his life. He had no right to presume on divine protection, when safety
could be found in flight. But at the call of duty, he fearlessly faced danger and death. 
V. 4. Asked for his life, that he might die ; asked that it might be granted him in that sense,
as not to be prolonged. See the writer's note on Jonah 4 : 8.  V. 8. It is not meant, that
he took no other food. What he had eaten gave him strength to subsist on the wild fruits
and roots found in the fields.
280

I. KINGS. Chap. xx.

forth, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold,
there came a voice to him, and said : What doest thou here,
11 Elijah ? And he said : I have been very zealous for Jeho
vah, God of hosts. For the children of Israel have forsaken
thy covenant ; thine altars have they thrown down, and thy
prophets they have slain with the sword ; and I only am left,
15 and they seek my life, to take it away. And Jehovah said
to him : Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damas
cus. And when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over
1(i Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be
king over Israel ; and Elisha the son of Shaphat, of Abel-
17 meholah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy place. And
it shall be, that him that escapes from the sword of Hazael
shall Jehu slay ; and him that escapes from the sword of
18 Jehu shall Elisha slay. I have yet left me in Israel seven
thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and
every mouth that has not kissed him.
i9 And he departed thence ; and he found Elisha, the son of
Shaphat. And he was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed
29 by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen,
and ran after Elijah, and said : Let me, I pray thee, kiss my
father and my mother, and I will follow thee. And he said
21 to him : Go, return ; for what have I done to thee ? And he
returned back from him. And he took the yoke of oxen,
and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the harness of the
oxen ; and he gave to the people, and they ate. And he
arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered to him.
1 And Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his host
together ; and thirty and two kings were with him, and
horses, and chariots. And he went up and laid siege to
2 Samaria, and fought against it. And he sent messengers to
Ahab, king of Israel, into the city. And he said to him :
3 Thus says Ben-hadad ; thy silver and thy gold are mine ; and
4 thy wives and thy children, the goodliest, they are mine. And
the king of Israel answered and said : According to thy say-
£81

Chap. xx. I. KINGS.

5 ing, my lord the king, I am thine, and all that I have. And
the messengers came again, and said : Thus speaks Ben-ha
dad, saying ; although I have sent to thee saying, thou shalt
give to me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy
6 children ; yet I will send my servants to thee to-morrow
about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the
houses of thy servants ; and it shall be, that whatsoever is
the delight of thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and
take it away.
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land,
and said : Mark, I pray you, and see that this man is seeking
mischief. For he sent to me for my wives, and for my chil
dren, and for my silver, and for my gold ; and I kept back
8 nothing from him. And all the elders, and all the people,
9 said to him : Do not hearken ; and consent not. And he
said to the messengers of Ben-hadad : Tell my lord the king,
all that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first, I will
do ; but this thing I may not do. And the messengers de-
10 parted, and brought him back word. And Ben-hadad sent
to him, and said : The gods do so to me, and more also, if
the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls, for all the
n people that follow me. And the king of Israel answered
and said, tell him : Let not him that girds on his armor boast
12 as he that puts it off. And it came to pass, when he heard
this message, — and he was drinking, he and the kings, in
the pavilions, — that he said to his servants : Set yourselves
in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
13 And, behold, there came a prophet to Ahab king of Israel,
saying, thus says Jehovah : Hast thou seen all this great
multitude ? Behold, I will give it into thy hand this day ;
14 and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah. And Ahab said :
By whom ? And he said, thus says Jehovah : By the young
men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said : Who
15 shall begin the battle ? And he answered : Thou. Then he
numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces,
and they were two hundred and thirty-two. And after them
he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven
282

I. KINGS. Chap. xx.

i6 thousand. And they went out at mid-day. And Ben-hadad
was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings,
n the thirty and two kings that helped him. And the young
men of the princes of the provinces went out first. And
Ben-hadad sent, and they told him, saying : There are men
i8 coming out from Samaria. And he said : If they come out
for peace, seize them alive ; and if they come out for war,
19 seize them alive. And these young men of the princes of
the provinces came out from the city, and the army which
20 followed them. And they smote every one his man ; and
the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them. And Ben-hadad
21 the king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. And
the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and the
chariots ; and he smote the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said to
him : Go, strengthen thyself ; and mark, and see what thou
must do. For at the return of the year the king of Syria
23 will come up against thee. And the servants of the king of
Syria said to him : Their gods are gods of the hills ; there
fore they were stronger than we. But if we fight with them
24 in the plain, we shall surely be stronger than they. And this
thing do ; remove the kings, every one from his place, and
25 put governors in their places. And thou shalt number for
thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for
horse, and chariot for 'chariot ; and if we fight them in the
plain, we shall surely be stronger than they. And he heark-
26 ened to their voice, and did so. And it came to pass at the
return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians,
27 and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. And the
children of Israel were numbered, and were provisioned, and
went against them. And the children of Israel encamped
before them like two little flocks of kids ; and the Syrians
filled the country.
28 And there came a man of God, and spoke to the king of
Israel and said, thus says Jehovah : Because the Syrians
have said that Jehovah is a god of the hills, and he is not
a god of the valleys ; therefore will I deliver all this great
283

Chap. xx. I. KINGS.

multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am Jeho-
29 vah. And they encamped, one over against the other, seven
days. And so it was, that on the seventh day the battle
came on ; and the children of Israel smote of the Syrians a
30 hundred thousand footmen in one day. And the rest fled to
Aphek, into the city ; and the wall fell upon twenty and
seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled,
and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
51 And his servants said to him : Behold now, we have heard
that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let
us now put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads,
and go out to the king of Israel ; perhaps he will let thee live.
32 And they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on
their heads ; and they came to the king of Israel, and said :
Thy servant Ben-hadad says, I pray thee, let me live. And
33 he said : Is he yet alive ? He is my brother. Now the men
watched for some omen ; and they made haste to be assured
whether it was from him, and they said : Thy brother Ben-
hadad ! And he said : Come in ; bring him. And Ben-ha
dad came forth to him ; and he caused him to come up into
34 the chariot. And he said to him : The cities, which my
father took from thy father, I will restore ; and thou shalt
make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in
Samaria. And I [said Ahab] will with this covenant let thee
go. And so he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
35 And a man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow,
by the word of Jehovah : Smite me, I pray thee. And the
36 man refused to smite him. Then he said to him : Because
thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, behold,
when thou art gone from me, a lion shall slay thee. And he
went away from him, and a lion found him, and slew him.
37 And he found another man, and said : Smite me, I pray thee.
38 And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him. So
the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way ;
39 and he disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. And
V. S3. Whether it was.from him. In other words, whether it was from his heart ; whether
he truly meant what he said, and would abide bv it.
284

I. KINGS. Chap. xxi.

as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said : Thy
servant went out into the midst of the battle ; and, behold, a
man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said : Keep
¦this man ; if by any means he shall be missing, then shall thy
life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
49 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.
And the king of Israel said to him : So shall thy judgment be ;
41 thou thyself hast decided it. And he hasted, and put away
the bandage from his eyes ; and the king of Israel discerned
42 him that he was of the prophets. And he said to him, thus
says Jehovah : Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a
man devoted by me to destruction, therefore thy life shall be
43 for his life, and thy people for his people. And the king of
Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to
Samaria.

i And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the
Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, near by the
2 palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke to Na
both, saying : Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for
a garden of herbs, because it is near by my house ; and 1
will give thee in place of it a better vineyard than that ; if
it seems good to thee, I will give thee the price of it in
3 money. And Naboth said to Ahab :. Jehovah forbid it me,
that I should give to thee the inheritance of my fathers.
4 And Ahab came into his house sullen and displeased, because
of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to
him ; for he had said : I will not give to thee the inheritance
of my fathers. And he lay down upon his bed, and turned
away his face, and would eat no food.
6 And Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him : Why
c is thy spirit sullen, and thou eatest no food ? And he said to
her : Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to
him, give me thy vineyard for money ; or, if it please thee,
I will give thee another vineyard in place of it ; and he an-
7 swered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his
wife said to him : Dost thou now administer the kingdom
£85

Chap. xxi. I. KINGS.

over Israel? Arise, eat food, and let thy heart be merry. I
8 will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. And
she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his
seal ; and she sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles
9 that were in his city, who dwelt with Naboth. And she
wrote in the letters, saying : Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth
i° on high among the people ; and set two men, base men, be
fore him, and let them bear witness against him, saying :
Thou didst renounce God and the king. And carry him out,
ii and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city,
the elders and the nobles who were dwellers in his city, did
as Jezebel sent to them, according to what was written in
i2 the letters which she sent to them. They proclaimed a fast,
i3 and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came
two men, the base men, and sat before him. And the base
men witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence
of the people, saying : Naboth did renounce God and the
king. And they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned
14 him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel,
saying : Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was
stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab : Arise, take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which
he refused to give thee for money. Because Naboth is not
i6 living; for he is dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab
heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down
to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession
of it.
n And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite,
18 saying : Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is
in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither

V. 10. Thou didst renounce God and the king. Naboth was to be accused of treason against
the reigning king, an act by which the authority of God was also disowned. For to renounce
the king, that is, to deny allegiance to him, was rebellion against God, whose authority was,
in civil matters, represented by the earthly ruler. (See the writer's note on Job 1 : 5.)— Base
men. Probably the historian's characterization of the men chosen, and such as she expected
to be chosen, for that service. He records what was in her mind, if not in her written letter.
 V. 16. To lake possession of it. To this there was no hindrance, Naboth's sons having
been slain (2 Kings 9 : 26.)  V. 18. Who is in Samaria. Not at that moment, see next
clause ; but it was his capital and his residence. 286

I. KINGS. Chap. xxn.

19 he has gone down to take possession of it. And thou shalt
speak to him, saying : Thus says Jehovah : Hast thou killed,
and also taken possession ? And thou shalt speak to him,
and say, thus says Jehovah : In the place where dogs licked
the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, yea thine.
20 And Ahab said to Elijah : Hast thou found me, 0 my enemy ?
And he answered : I have found thee ; because thou hast
21 sold thyself to work evil in the sight of Jehovah. Behold,
I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity,
and wiJl cut off' from Ahab every male, bond and free, in
22 Israel ; and I will make thy house like the house of Jero
boam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son
of Ahijah ; for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked
23 me to anger, and hast caused Israel to sin. And of Jezebel
also spoke Jehovah, saying : The dogs shall eat Jezebel by
2t the outer-wall of Jezreel. Him that dies of Ahab in the city
the dogs shall eat ; and him that dies in the field shall the
fowls of the air eat.
25 But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work
evil in the sight of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife stirred
2li up. And he did many abominations in going after idols,
according to all that the Amorites did, whom Jehovah drove
out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these words, that
he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted,
28 and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of
29 Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Seest thou
how Ahab humbles himself before me ? Because he hum
bles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days.
In his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
1 And they were at rest three years. There was no war
2 between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass in the third
year, that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to
3 the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to his serv
ants : Do ye know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours ? And we
are quiet, and do not take it out of the hand of the king of
287

Chap. xxn. I. KINGS.

4 Syria. And he said to Jehoshaphat : Wilt thou go with me
to battle, to Ramoth-gilead ? And Jehoshaphat said to the
king of Israel : I am as thou art, my people as thy people,
my horses as thy horses.
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel : Inquire, I
6 pray thee, of the word of Jehovah to-day. Then the king
of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred
men, and said to them : Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to
battle, or shall I forbear ? And they said : Go up ; and
7 the Lord will give it into the hand of the king. And Je
hoshaphat said : Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah
8 besides, that we may inquire of him ? And the king of
Israel said to Jehoshaphat : There is yet one man, Micaiah
the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of Jehovah.
But I hate him ; for he does not prophesy good concerning
me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said : Let not the king say
9 so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said :
i° Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. And the king of
Israel, and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, sat each on his
throne, clothed with their robes, in the open space at the
entrance of the gate of Samaria ; and all the prophets prophe-
n sied before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made
for himself horns of iron ; and he said, thus says Jehovah :
With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou hast con-
i2 sumed them. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying :
Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper ; for Jehovah will give
13 it into the king's hand. And the messenger that went to call
Micaiah spoke to him, saying : Behold now, the words of the
prophets are favorable to the king, as with one mouth. Let
thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and
14 speak that which is favorable. And Micaiah said : As Jeho
vah lives, what Jehovah shall say to me, that will I speak.
15 And he came to the king. And the king said to him :
Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we
forbear ? And he said to him : Go up, and prosper ; for
16 Jehovah will give it into the hand of the king. And the
king said to him : How many times shall I adjure thee, that
283

L KINGS. Chap. xxn.

17 thou shalt tell me only truth, in the name of Jehovah ? And
he said : I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as a flock
that have no shepherd. And Jehovah said : These have no
master ; let them return, every man to his house in peace.
i8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat : Did I not tell
thee, that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but
19 evil? And he said: Therefore hear the word of Jehovah.
I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the host of
heaven standing by him, on his right hand and on his left.
20 And Jehovah said : Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may
go up, and fall at Ramoth-gilead ? And one said after this
21 manner, and another said after that manner. And the spirit
came forth, and stood before Jehovah, and said : I will per-
22 suade him. And Jehovah said to him : Whereby ? And he
said : I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth
of all his prophets. And he said : Thou shalt persuade him,
23 and shalt also prevail ; go forth, and do thus. And now,
behold, Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all
these thy prophets. And Jehovah has spoken evil concerning
thee.
24 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote
Micaiah on the cheek, and said : Which way went the Spirit
25 of Jehovah from me to speak to thee ? And Micaiah said :
Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into
26 an inner chamber to hide thyself. And the king of Israel
said : Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the gov-
27 ernor of the city, and to Joash the king's son ; and say, thus
says the king : Put this fellow in the prison-house ; and feed
V. 21. The spirit. Namely, the one that answered to the call just made ; the one who
would persuade Ahab to do as he desired.
W. 20-23. This, it will be observed, was seen in vision, and is to be understood accord
ingly. " Visions of the invisible world," (says the Speaker's Commentary) " can only be a sort
of parables ; revelations, not of the truth as it actually is, but of so much of the truth as can
be shown through such a medium. The details of a vision, therefore, cannot safely be pressed,
any more than the details of a parable." Our Savior's parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
if interpreted literally, would give very false ideas of the invisible world. Divested of its
imagery, it teaches a coming retribution ; when the conditions of the prosperous wicked, and
the righteous sufferer, will be reversed. The vision, after the manner of a parable, recognizes
the fact, taught elsewhere, that there are spirits of evil, lying spirits, ever ready to serve such
as desire their aid, and seek it. Jehovah himself, as remarked in the last clause of v. 23, had
warned Ahab of the coming evil.
289

Chap. xxn. I. KINGS.

him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until
28 I come in peace. And Micaiah said : If thou return at all
in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me. And he said :
Hear it, the peoples, all of them.
29 And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat the king of
30 Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel
said to Jehoshaphat : I will disguise myself, and enter into
the battle ; and do thou put on thy robes. And the king of
31 Israel disguised himself, and entered into the battle. And
the king of Syria had commanded his thirty and two captains
over his chariots, saying : Fight with neither small nor great,
32 save only with the king of Israel. And it came to pass, when
the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said :
Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned to fight
33 against him ; and Jehoshaphat cried out. And it came to
pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was
not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing
34 him. And a man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the
king of Israel between the joints and the coat of mail. And
he said to his charioteer : Turn thy hand, and carry me out
35 of the host ; for I am wounded. And the battle increased
that day. And the king was stayed up in his chariot against
the Syrians ; and he died at evening. And the blood ran
36 out from the wound into the hollow of the chariot. And
the joyful cry went through the host, at the going down of
the sun, saying : Every man to his city, and every man to
his own country.
37 And the king died, and was brought to Samaria ; and they
38 buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot
by the pool of Samaria ; and the dogs licked up his blood,
and the harlots bathed there ; according to the word of Jeho-
39 vah, which he spoke. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and
all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all
the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of
40 the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Ahab lay down
with his fathers ; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
V. 34. At a venture ; that is, without knowing any reason for aiming as he did, as he knew
not who it was at whom he aimed. 290

I. KINGS. Chap. xxn.

4i And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over
42 Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel. Jehosha
phat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ;
and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And
43 his mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. And
he walked in all the ways of Asa his father ; he turned not
aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of
Jehovah. Yet the high places were not taken away ; the
people sacrificed and burned incense yet on the high places.
45 And Jehoshaphat was at peace with the king of Israel. Now
the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he
showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book
40 of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah ? And the remnant
of the sodomites, which were left in the days of his father
47 Asa, he put away out of the land. There was then no king
48 in Edom ; a deputy was king. Jehoshaphat made ships of
Tarshish, to go to Ophir for gold. And they went not ; for
49 the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah,
the son of Ahab, to Jehoshaphat : Let my servants go with
thy servants in the ships. And Jehoshaphat would not.
50 And Jehcshaphat lay down with his fathers ; and he was
buried with his fathers in the city of David his father. And
Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
51 Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in
Samaria, in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of
52 Judah ; and he reigned two years over Israel. And he did
evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his
father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of
53 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. And
he served Baal, and worshipped him ; and provoked to anger
Jehovah God of Israel, according to all that his father had
done. 291

SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS.
i And Moab rebelled against Israel, after the death of Ahab.
2 And Ahaziah fell down through a window-lattice in his upper
chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick. And he sent
messengers, and said to them : Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the
god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.
3 And the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite : Arise,
go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and
say to them : Is it because there is not a God in Israel, that
4 ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron ? Now
therefore thus says Jehovah : From that bed, to which thou
hast gone up, thou shalt not come down ; for thou shalt
surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And the messengers turned back to him. And he said to
6 them : Why is this, that ye have turned back ? And they said
to him : A man came up to meet us ; and he said to us : Go,
turn back to the king who sent you, and say to him : Thus
says Jehovah : Is it because there is not a God in Israel, that
thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron ?
Therefore from that bed, to which thou hast gone up, thou
7 shalt not come down ; for thou shalt surely die. And he
said to them : What manner of man was he who came up to
8 meet you, and told you these words ? And they said to him :
He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about
Chap. i. The history is here resumed from the close of the first book, and is continued to
the extinction of the national independence by the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests. 
V. 1. Moab rebelled. For the subjugation of Moab, see 2 Sam. 8 : 2.  V. 2. Ahaziah, the
son and successor of Ahab. See 1 Kings 22 : 40, and 51-53.— Baal-zebub. One of the various
local designations of Baal, referred to in the note on Judges 2: 11. The name means Fly-
Baal, Lord of the fly, the fly-destroyer ; so named as the protector against the plague of flies,
the pest of hot climates  Ekron. A city of the Philistines, near to the royal residence iu
Samaria.
292

n. KINGS. Chap. i.

9 his loins. And he said : It is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the
king sent to him a captain of fifty, with his fifty. And he
went up to him ; and, behold, he was sitting on the top of
the mountain. And he spoke to him : Man of God, the
10 king has said, Come down. And Elijah answered and said to
the captain of fifty : If I be a man of God, then let fire come
down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And
there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and
u his fifty. And again he sent to him, another captain of fifty,
with his fifty. And he answered and said to him: Man
i2 of God, thus has the king said : Come down quickly. And
Elijah answered and said to them : If I be a man of God, let
fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.
And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed
him and his fifty.
13 And again he sent a captain of fifty the third time, with
his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came
and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and
said to him : Man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the
14 life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Be
hold, there came down fire from heaven, and consumed the
two former captains of fifties, with their fifties. And now, let
i6 my life be precious in thy sight. And the angel of Jehovah
said to Elijah : Go down with him ; be not afraid of him.
i6 And he arose, and went down with him to the king. And
he said to him, thus says Jehovah : Forasmuch as thou hast
sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, —
is it not because there is no God in Israel, to inquire of his
WOrd, — therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed,
to which thou hast gone up, for thou shalt surely die.
i7 And he died according to the word of Jehovah, which
Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead, in
the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of
18 Judah, because he had no son. Now the rest of the acts

V. 11. He answered. On the use of this word, see the writer's note on Job 3 : 2, and on
1 Sam. 9 : 17. Probably the expression of the prophet's countenance, and the fate of the other
fifty moved him to this response, pleading for himself the order of the king.
293

Chap. n. H. KINGS.

of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel ?
i And it came to pass, when Jehovah caused Elijah to be
borne to heaven in a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha
2 from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha : Tarry here, I pray
thee ; for Jehovah has sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said :
As Jehovah lives, and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee.
3 So they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets
that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha ; and they said to
him : Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master
from thy head to-day ? And he said : Yea, I know it ; hold
4 your peace. And Elijah said to him : Elisha, tarry here, I
pray thee ; for Jehovah has sent me to Jericho. And he
said : As Jehovah lives, and as thy soul lives, I will not
6 leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the
prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha ; and they said
to him : Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy
master from thy head to-day ? And he answered : Yea, I
6 know it ; hold your peace. And Elijah said to him : Tarry,
I pray thee, here ; for Jehovah has sent me to the Jordan.
And he said : As Jehovah lives, and as thy soul lives, I will
7 not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of
the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them
8 afar off; and they two stood by the Jordan. And Elijah
took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the
waters ; and they were divided hither and thither, and they
two passed over on the- dry ground .
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that
Elijah said to Elisha : Ask what I shall do for thee, before
I shall be taken away from thee. And Elisha said : I pray
10 thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he
said : Thou hast asked a hard thing. If thou shalt see me
when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee ; and if
11 not, it shall not be. And it came to pass, as they still went
on and talked, that, behold, a chariot of fire, and horses of
fire, and they parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went
up in a whirlwind to heaven. 294

n. KINGS. Chap. n.

i2 And Elisha saw it, and he cried : My father, my father,
the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof! And he
saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes,
X3 and rent them in two pieces. He took up the mantle of
Elijah that fell from him ; and he went back, and stood by
14 the bank of the Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah
that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said : Where
is Jehovah, God of Elijah, yea he? And he smote the
waters, and they parted hither and thither ; and Elisha
15 passed over. And the sons of the prophets who were at
Jericho saw him from the opposite side ; and they said : The
spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him,
and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
16 And they said to him : Behold now, there are with thy
servants fifty strong men. Let them go, we pray thee, and
seek thy master ; lest the Spirit of Jehovah may have taken
him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some val-
17 ley. And he said : Ye shall not send. And they urged him
till he was ashamed ; and he said : Send. And they sent fifty
i8 men ; and they sought three days, bnt found him not. And
they came back to him, for he remained at Jericho. And
he said to them : Did I not say to you, Go not?
19 And the men of the city said to Elisha : Behold, I pray
thee, the situation of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees ;
but the water is bad, and the locality causes barrenness.
20 And he said : Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein.
21 And they brought it to him. And he went forth to the
fountain of waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, thus
says Jehovah : I have healed these waters ; there shall be
22 from thence no more death or barrenness. So the waters
were healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha
which he spoke.
23 And he went up from thence to Beth-el. And as he was
going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the
city, and mocked him, and said to him : Go up, bald head ;
V. 14. Where is Jehovah, God of Elijah ? Will Elijah's God recognize in me the succeBBor
of Elijah, and endued with his spirit ? 295

Chap. in. II. KINGS.

24 go up, bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them,
and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came
forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore of them forty
25 and two boys. And he went from thence to mount Carmel ;
and from thence he returned to Samaria.
i Now Jehoram, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel
in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of
2 Judah ; and he reigned twelve years. And he did evil in
the sight of Jehovah ; only not as his father, and as his
mother, and he put away the image of Baal that his father
3 had made. Yet he clave to the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who caused Israel to sin ; he departed not therefrom.
4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master ; and he
rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs,
5 and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. And it came to
pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled
against the king of Israel.
6 And king Jehoram went out from Samaria at that time,
7 and numbered all Israel. And he went, and sent to Jehosha
phat the king of Judah, saying : The king of Moab has
rebelled against me. Wilt thou go with me against Moab to
battle ? And he said : I will go up ; I am as thou art, my
8 people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses. And he
said : Which way shall we go up ? And he answered : The
9 way through the wilderness of Edom. So the king of Israel
went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. And
they made a circuit of seven days' journey ; and there was
no water for the army, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said : Alas, that Jehovah has called
these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of
u Moab ! And Jehoshaphat said : Is there not here a prophet
VV. 23, 24. These lads had been trained in idolatry. The mockery, with which they greeted
the prophet of Jehovah, was not agaiust his person, but against his divine calling ; and he
could not let it pass unrebuked, at his approach to the chief seat of idol-worship, without
denying, or dissembling, that sacred office. He rebuked their profane scoffs, threatening
them with divine judgment, for that is the meaning of the words. The rage and violence
of the two she-bears indicates that they had been robbed of their young, and were in pursuit
of the plunderers. 296

H. KINGS. Chap. m.

of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him ? And
one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said :
Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the
i2 hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said : The word of Jeho
vah is with him. So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat,
13 and the king of Edom, went down to him. And Elisha said
to the king of Israel : What have I to do with thee ? Go to
the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother.
And the king of Israel said to him : Nay ; for Jehovah has
called these three kings together, to deliver them into the
u hand of Moab. And Elisha said : As Jehovah of hosts lives,
before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the
presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not
15 look toward thee, nor see thee. And now bring me a min
strel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that
i6 the hand of Jehovah was upon him. And he said, thus says
n Jehovah : Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says
Jehovah : Ye shall not see wind, nor shall ye see rain ; and
this valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, ye,
i8 and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is a light thing
in the sight of Jehovah ; he will also give the Moabites into
19 your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every
choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fount-
20 ains of water, and mar every good field with stones. And it
came to pass in the morning, at the time of offering sacrifice,
that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the
country was filled with water.
21 And all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to
fight against them ; and they were called together, of all that
were able to put on armor and upward, and took their stand
22 on the border. And they rose early in the morning, and the
sun had risen upon the water ; and the Moabites saw the
23 water from the other side, as red as blood. And they said :
This is blood. The kings have surely fought together, and
V. 15. He called for a minstrel, that under the influence of the soft and soothing tones of
the instrument he might calm his feelings, agitated by the surrounding scenes, and be in a fit
state of mind to receive the divine influence.
297

Chap. iv. II. KINGS.

have smitten one another ; and now, Moab, to the spoil !
24 And they came to the camp of Israel ; and the Israelites
rose up and smote the Moabites, who fled before them. And
25 they came into it [the land] and smote Moab. And they
destroyed the cities, and on every good field they cast every
man his stone, and filled it • and they stopped all the fount
ains of water, and felled all the good trees ; only in Kir-
haraseth were left the stones thereof, and the slingers went
about it, and smote it.
26 And the king of Moab saw that the battle was too hard
for him ; and he took with him seven hundred men that
drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom ; and
27 they could not. Then he took his eldest son, who would
have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offer
ing upon the wall. And there was great indignation against
Israel ; and they departed from him, and returned to their
land.
1 And a certain woman, of the wives of the sons of the
prophets, cried to Elisha, saying : Thy servant my husband
is dead ; and thou knowest that thy servant feared Jehovah ;
and the creditor has come to take to him my two sons to be
2 servants. And Elisha said to her : What shall I do for thee ?
Tell me, what hast thou in the house ? And she said : Thy
handmaid has not anything in the house, except a cruse of
3 oil. And he said : Go, borrow for thee vessels abroad from
all thy neighbors, empty vessels ; borrow not a few. And
go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and
pour out into all those vessels ; and thou shalt set aside that
5 which is full. And she went from him, and shut the door
upon her and upon her sons ; they brought the vessels to her,
6 while she poured out. And it came to pass, when the ves-

4

V. 27. Offered him for afmrnt-offering ; to Chemosh, the abomination of Moab ( 1 Kings
11 : 7). Tiiis horrible device of heathen superstition was to propitiate the idol god, by the
costly sacrifice of what was most precious and most beloved. It brought great indignation
upon Israel, who shared the superstition, and who were the cause of this shocking manifesta
tion of it  V. 1. The creditor has come to take my two sons. For the law on this subject,
see Lev. 25 : 39-41. He did n&t claim his right under this law, till after the death of the debtor.
298

n. KINGS. Chap. iv.

sels were full, that she said to her son : Bring me yet another
vessel. And he said to her : There is not a vessel more.
7 And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of
God. And he said : Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt ; and
live thou and thy children on the rest.
8 And so it was on a day, that Elisha passed over to Shunem.
And there was a wealthy woman there ; and she constrained
him to eat food. And so it was, that as often as he passed
9 by, he turned aside thither to eat food. And she said to her
husband : Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of
i° God, who passes by us continually. Let us, I pray thee,
make a small upper-chamber on the wall ; and let us set for
him there a bed, and a table, and a chair, and a candlestick.
And it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn
11 aside thither. And so it was on a day, that he came thither ;
and he turned aside into the upper-chamber, and lay there.
i2 And he said to Gehazi his servant : Call this Shunammite.
13 And he called her, and she stood before him. And he said
to him, say now to her : Behold, thou hast been careful for
us with all this care ; what is to be done for thee ? Is there
anything to be said for thee to the king, or to the captain of
the host ? And she answered : I dwell among my own
u people. And he said : What then is to be done for her ?
And Gehazi answered : Yerily she has no child, and her hus-
15 band is old. And he said : Call her. And he called her,
i6 and she stood in the door. And he said : At this set time,
in the reviving season, thou shalt embrace a son. And she
said : Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy
17 handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bore a son, at
that set time in the reviving season, of which Elisha spoke
to her.
i8 And the child grew. And so it was on a day, that he
19 went out to his father, to the reapers. And he said to his

V. 10. Upper-chamber on the wall ; projecting like a balcony, as often in the East.  V. 12.
Before him ; before Gehazi.  V. 13. He said to him ; to Gehazi.  V. 16. This set time ;
fixed in the divine purpose. — In the reviving season; when this season revives, returns
again. The seasons of the year are conceived as dying out and passing away with it, and
as reviving again with the succeeding one. (The writer's note on Gen. 18 : 10.)
299

Chap. iv. II. KINGS.

father : My head, my head ! And he said to the lad : Carry
20 him to his mother. And he took him, and brought him to
his mother ; and he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of
22 God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she
called to her husband, and said : Send me, I pray thee, one
of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to
23 the man of God, and come again. And he said : Wherefore
wilt thou go to him to-day ? It is not new-moon, nor sab-
24 bath. And she said : It shall be well. And she saddled the
ass, and said to her servant, Drive on, and go forward ;
25 detain me not in riding, except I bid thee. And she went,
and came to the man of God, to mount Carmel. And it
came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he
said to Gehazi his servant : Behold, the Shunammite there !
26 Run now to meet her, and say to her : Is it well with thee ?
Is it well with thy husband ? Is it well with the child ? And
27 she answered : It is well. And she came to the man of God,
to the mountain ; and she laid hold of his feet. And Gehazi
came near, to thrust her away. And the man of God said :
Let her alone ; for her soul is vexed within her ; and Jehovah
28 has hid it from me, and has not told me. And she said :
Have I asked a son of my lord ? Did I not say : Deceive
29 me not ? Then he said to Gehazi : Gird up thy loins, and
take my staff in thy hand, and go. If thou meetest any
man, salute him not ; and if any man salutes thee, answer
30 him not ; and lay my staff on the face of the child. And the
mother of the child said : As Jehovah lives, and as thy soul
lives, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the
face of the child ; and there was no voice, and no heed. And
he went back to meet him, and told him, saying : The child
32 is not awaked. And Elisha came into the house ; and be-
33 hold, the child was dead, laid upon his bed. And he went
in, and shut the door upon them both, and prayed to Jeho-
34 vah. And he went up [on the bed] and lay upon the child,
and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his
300

n. KINGS. Chap. iv.

eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and bowed himself upon
35 him ; and the flesh of the child became warm. Then he
returned, and walked in the house to and fro. And he went
up, and bowed himself upon him, and the child sneezed seven
36 times ; and the child opened his eyes. And he called to
Gehazi, and said : Call to this Shunammite. And he called
to her. And she came to him, and he said : Take up thy
37 son. And she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowTed her
self to the ground ; and she took up her son, and went out.
38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And the famine was in
the land ; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before
him. And he said to his servant : Set on the great pot, and
39 boil pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out
into the field to gather herbs ; and he found a wild vine, and
gathered thereof wild gourds, his mantle full. And he came
and shred them into the pot of pottage ; for they knew them
40 not. And they poured out for the men to eat. And it came
to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried
out, and said : 0 man of God, there is death in the pot.
4i And they could not eat of it. And he said : Then bring
meal. And he cast it into the pot. And he said : Pour out
for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm
in the pot.
42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha. And he
brought to the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty
loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And
43 he said : Give to the people, that they may eat. And his
assistant said : How should I set this before a hundred men ?
He said again : Give to the people, that they may eat. For
thus says Jehovah : They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
44 And he set it before them ; and they ate, and left thereof,
according to the word of Jehovah.
V. 36. She came lo him ; to Gehazi, in the outer room. On his saying to her, " take up thy
son," intimating his recovery, she went into the prophet's chamber, and fell at his feet ; and
she took up her son.  V. 38. The famine ; as foretold by Elisha. See ch. 8 . 1.  V. 42.
First-fruits. See Num. 18:12, 13; Deut. 18:1-4. The Levites had left Israel (2 Chron.
11 : 13, 14) ; and pious Israelites gave the first-fruits to Jehovah's prophets.
301

Chap. v. II. KINGS.

i Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was
a great man with his lord, and honored ; because by him
Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria. And the man, a
2 mighty warrior, was leprous. And Syrians had gone out by
bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of
3 Israel a little maid ; and she waited on Naaman's wife. And
she said to her mistress : 0 that my lord were with the
prophet who is in Samaria ! Then would he recover him
4 from his leprosy. And he went in, and told his lord, saying :
Thus and thus said the maid, that is from the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said : Go indeed ; and I will send a
letter to the king of Israel. And he went. And he took
with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand shekels of
6 gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought to the
king of Israel the letter, saying : Now when this letter is
come to thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to
7 thee, that thou mayest recover him from his leprosy. And
it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter,
that he rent his clothes, and said : Am I God, to kill and to
make alive, that this man sends to me to recover a man from
his leprosy ? For only mark, I pray you, and see how he
seeks occasion against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the
king of Israel rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, say
ing : Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes ? Let him come
now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in
9 Israel. And Naaman came, with his horses, and with his
chariot ; and he stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
i° And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying : Go, and bathe
in the Jordan seven times ; and thy flesh shall come again
u to thee, and thou shalt be clean. And Naaman was wroth,

V. 1. Given deliverance to Syria. In a war of independence of which the Assyrian monu
ments have preserved the only account. This incidental allusion is an interesting corrobora
tion of the minute accuracy of the sacred record  V. 3. The prophet who is in Samaria ;
where Elisha was living (ch. 6 : 32).  V. 10. Bathe. So the common version translates the
Hebrew word in Lev. 15:5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 21, 22, 27; 16:26, 28; 17:15,16; Num.
19 : 7, 8, 19. 302

II. KINGS. Chap. v.

and went away. And he said : Behold, I thought, he will
surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name
of Jehovah his God, and move his hand over the place, and
12 recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of
Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel ? May I not
bathe in them, and be clean? And he turned, and went
13 away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spoke to
him, and said : My father, if the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How
much more, when he says to thee : Bathe, and be clean ?
14 Then he went down, and dipped himself seven times in the
Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. And
.his flesh came again, as the flesh of a little child, and he was
clean .
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his com
pany ; and he came, and stood before him. And he said :
Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but
in Israel. And now take, I pray thee, a present from thy
i6 servant. But he said: As Jehovah lives, before whom I
stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it ;
17 but he refused. And Naaman said : Shall there not then, I
pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of
earth ? For thy servant will no more offer burnt-offering or
i8 sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah. In this thing Jeho
vah pardon thy servant ; when my master goes into the house
of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and
I bow myself in the house of Rimmon ; when I bow myself
in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this
19 thing. And he said to him : Go in peace.
20 And he had gone from him a little way. And Gehazi, the
servant of Elisha the man of God, said : Behold, my master
has spared Naaman, this Syrian, in not taking from his hand
V. 17. Two mules' burden of earth. That he might sacrifice to Jehovah on soil consecrated
to him  V. 18. To worship there, by bowing himBelf. And I bow myself— bodily, not as
an act of worship, nor with the homage of the heart. This, he trusted, Jehovah would
p rmit. He bore in his person the proof, to king and people, of Jehovah's supremacy;
and he would acknowledge no other in his own public religious rites. He hoped to be par
doned for a simply official act, which to him was otherwise an unmeaning ceremony, and was
so understood by others. 303

Chap. vi. H. KINGS.

that which he brought. As Jehovah lives, I will run after
21 him, and take somewhat from him. And Gehazi hastened
after Naaman. And Naaman saw one running -after him,
and he alighted from the chariot to meet him ; and he said :
22 Is all well ? And he said : All is well. My master has sent
me, and says : Behold, there have just now come to me, from
mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets ;
give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes
23 of raiment. And Naaman said : Let it please thee, take two
talents. And he urged him ; and he bound two talents of
silver in two bags, and two changes of raiment, and gave
them to two of his servants ; and they bore them before him.
24 And he came to the hill ; and he took them from their hand,
and laid them up in the house. And he let the men go, and
25 they departed. And he came in, and stood before his master.
And Elisha said to him : From whence, Gehazi ? And he
26 said : Thy servant went not any-whither. And he said to
him : Went not my heart, when the man turned back from
his chariot to meet thee ? Was it a time to take silver, and
to take garments, and olive-trees, and vineyards, and sheep,
27 and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants ? And the
leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to thee, and to thy seed for
ever. And he went out from his presence leprous, white as
snow.
i And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha : Behold now,
2 the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let
us go, we pray thee, to the Jordan, and take thence every
man a beam ; and let us there make for us a place, that we
3 may dwell there. And he answered : Go. And one said :
Be pleased, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he
4 answered : 1 will go. And he went with them. And they
6 came to the Jordan, and cut down trees. And as one was
felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water. And he
cried out, and said : Alas, master ! For it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said : Where fell it ? And he showed
him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in
304

II. KINGS. Chap. vi.

7 thither, and made the iron swim. And he said : Raise it up
to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
8 And the king of Syria was warring against Israel. And
he took counsel with his servants, saying : In such and such
9 a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent to the
king of Israel, saying : Beware that thou pass not this place ;
10 for thither the Syrians are coming down. And the king of
Israel sent to the place, of which the man of God told him
and warned him, and protected himself there, not once nor
n twice. And the heart of the king of Syria was troubled by
this thing. And he called his servants, and said to them :
Will ye not show me, who of them that belong to us are for
i2 the king of Israel ? And one of his servants said : Not so,
my lord, the king. But Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel,
tells the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy
bed-chamber.
X3 And he said : Go, and see where he is, that I may send
and fetch him. And it was told him, saying : Behold, he is
14 in Dothan. And he sent thither horses, and chariots, and a
great host. And they came by night, and encompassed the
15 city. And the servant of the man of God rose early, and
went forth ; and, behold, a host encompassed the city, and
horses and chariots. And his servant said to him : Alas, my
16 master ! How shall we do ? And he answered : Fear not ;
for more are they that are with us than they that are with
17 them. And Elisha prayed, and said : Jehovah, I pray thee,
open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the
eyes of the young man ; and he saw and, behold, the hill
was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
i8 And they came down to him. And Elisha prayed to Jeho
vah, and said : Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness.
And he smote them with blindness, according to the word of
Elisha.
19 And Elisha said to them : This is not the way, nor is this
V. 18. And they came down to him ; from the opposite heights.  V. 19. There was decep
tion here, justifiable in dealing with an enemy, but no falsehood. It was not his city that
they had come to; and to that he led them, and to the man they were seeking. It was a
clever stratagem, and turned out to the injury of no one ; only thwarting, the wicked design
of the Syrian king. 305

Chap. vi. II. KINGS.

the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom
20 ye seek. And he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass,
when they were come to Samaria, that Elisha said : Jehovah,
open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jeho
vah opened their eyes, and they saw ; and, behold, they were
21 in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said to
Elisha, when he saw them : My father, shall I smite them,
22 smite them ? And he answered : Thou shalt not smite them.
Thou smitest those whom thou hast taken captive with thy
sword and with thy bow. Set bread and water before them,
23 that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And
he prepared a great feast for them. And they ate and drank,
and he let them go, and they went to their master. And the
bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of
Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and laid siege to
25 Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria. And,
behold, they laid siege to it, until an ass's head was sold for
fourscore shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of
26 dove's dung for five shekels of silver. And the king of
Israel was passing along upon the wall, and a woman cried
27 to him, saying : Help, my lord, the king. And he said : If
Jehovah do not help thee, whence shall I help thee ? Out
28 of the threshing-floor, or out of the wine-press ? And the
king said to her : What wilt thou ? And she answered :
This woman said to me : Give thy son, that we may eat him
29 to-day ; and we will eat my son to-morrow. And we boiled
my son, and did eat him. And I said to her on the next
day : Give thy son, that we may eat him ; and she has hid
her son.
30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the
woman, that he rent his clothes. And he was passing along
upon the wall ; and the people saw, and, behold, he had
31 sackcloth within upon his flesh. And he said- : God do so
and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat
32 shall stand on him this day. And Elisha was sitting in his

V. 25. Cab. A measure, supposed to hold about two quarts.
306

33

II. KINGS. Chap, m
house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king
sent a man from before him. The messenger had not yet
come to him ; and he said to the elders : See, how this son
of a murderer has sent to take away my head ? Look, when
the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the
door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
He was yet talking with them, and, behold, the messenger
came down to him. And he [the king] said : Behold, this
evil is from Jehovah ; why should I wait for Jehovah any
longer ?
1 And Elisha said : Hear ye the word of Jehovah. Thus
says Jehovah : To-morrow, about this time, shall a seah of
fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a
2 shekel, in the gate of Samaria. And the officer, on whose
hand the king leaned, answered the man of God, and said :
Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, could
this thing be ? And he said : Behold, thou shalt see it with
thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the
gate. And they said one to another : Why sit we here until
4 we die ? If we say : We will enter into the city ; the famine
is in the city, and we shall die there ; and if we sit here, we
shall die. Now then, come ; and let us go over to the camp
of the Syrians. If they let us live, we shall live ; and if they
5 kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight,
to go to the camp of the Syrians. And they came to the
outskirts of the camp of Syria, and, behold, there was no
6 man there. For the Lord had caused the host of the Syrians
to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, the noise
of a great army. And they said one to another : Lo ! the
king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites,
V 32. , The elders ,- namely, of the city of Samaria, ch. 10 : 1, 5 ; or, perhaps, of the whole
land, once before assembled in a like emergency, 1 Kinss 20 : 7. — Hold him fast at the door.
Detain him there, till the arrival of his master ; the sound of whose feet is anticipated by
Elisha's prophetic ear.  V. 33. And he [the king] said. That he was present, and heard
the prophet's answer to these words, is shown by the two following verses, and by v. 18 of
the next chapter, " as the man of God had spoken to the king." — Why should 1 wait for Jeho
vah ? In these words there is a glimmering of hope, that Jehovah may yet interpose.  V. 1.
Seah. A measure of quantity, containing nearly three gallons.
307

Chap. vn. II. KINGS.

7 and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. And they
rose up, and fled in the twilight. And they left their tents,
and their horses, and their asses, and the camp as it was, and
8 fled for their life. And these lepers came to the outskirts of
the camp. And they went into a tent, and ate and drank ;
and they carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and
went and hid it. And they came again, and entered into
9 another tent, and carried thence, and went and hid it. And
they said one to another : We do not well. This day is a
day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. If we wait till
the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now then,
i° come ; let us go, and tell it in the house of the king. And
they came, and called the gate-keeper of the city. And they
told them, saying : We came to the camp of the Syrians, and,
behold, there was no man, nor sound of man ; but horses
11 tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. And he
called the gate-keepers ; and they told it within the king's
house.
12 And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants :
Let me tell you now what the Syrians have done to us.
They know that we are famished ; and they go out of the
camp to hide themselves in the field, saying : When they
come out of the city, we shall seize them alive, and get into
13 the city. And one of his servants answered and said : Let
some take, I pray thee, five of the horses left, that are left in
it, — behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are
left in it, behold, as all the multitude of Israel that are con-
14 sumed, — and let us send, and see. And they took two
chariots with horses ; and the king sent them after the host
15 of the Syrians, saying : Go, and see. And they went after
them to the Jordan. And, lo ! all the way was full of gar
ments and vessels, which the Syrians cast away in their hasty
flight. And the messengers returned, and told it to the king.
16 And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the
V. 13 They are as aU the multitude of Israel. They cannot fare worse, whatever they may
suffer from the enemy, than all whom they leave behind to perish of hunger, or all the multi
tude who have already perished. 308

II. KINGS. Chap. vin.

Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and
two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of
Jehovah.
17 And the king appointed the officer, on whose hand he
leaned, to have charge of the gate. And the people trode
upon him in the gate, and he died ; as the man of God had
18 said, who spoke when the king came down to him. And it
came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king,
saying : Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine
flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the
19 gate of Samaria. And that officer answered the man of God,
and said : Now, behold, if Jehovah should make windows in
heaven, could such a thing be ? And he said : Behold, thou
20 shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And
so it befell him ; for the people trode upon him in the gate,
and he died.
1 And Elisha spoke to the woman, whose son he restored
to life, saying : Arise and go, thou and thy household, and
sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn. For Jehovah has
called for a famine ; and it shall come upon the land seven
2 years. And the woman arose, and did according to the word
of the man of God. And she went, she and her household,
and sojourned in the land of the Philistines, seven years.
3 And it came to pass at the end of the seven years, that the
woman returned out of the land of the Philistines ; and she
went forth to cry unto the king, for her house and for her
4 land. And the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant
of the man of God, saying : Tell me, I pray thee, all the
6 great things that Elisha has done. And it came to pass, as
he was relating to the king that he restored a dead body to
life, that behold, the woman, whose son he restored to life,
cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi
said : My lord, the king, this is the woman, and this is her
V. 1. What follows occurred before that which is related in the fifth chapter. — Whose son
he restored to life. See ch. 4 : 8-37  A famine. See ch. 4 : 38.  V. 3. For her house and
for her land (compare ch. 4 : 8, 18), of which some one had taken possession in her seven
years' absence. 309

Chap. vm. II. KINGS.

6 son, whom Elisha restored to life. And the king inquired
of the woman ; and she related it to him. And the king
granted to her an officer, saying : Restore all that was hers,
and all the fruits of the field from the day that she left the
land, and until now.
7 And Elisha came to Damascus. And Ben-hadad, the king
of Syria, was sick ; and it was told him, saying : The man
8 of God is come hither. And the king said to Hazael : Take
a present in thy hand, and go, meet the man of God ; and
inquire of Jehovah by him, saying : Shall I recover from
9 this disease ? And Hazael went to meet him. And he took
a present with him, and every good thing of Damascus, forty
camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said :
Thy son Ben-hadad, king of Syria, has sent me to thee, say-
10 ins; : Shall I recover from this disease ? And Elisha said to
him : Go, say to him : Thou mayest certainly recover. But
n Jehovah has showed me, that he shall surely die. And he set
tled his countenance steadily upon him, until he was ashamed ;
i2 and the man of God wept. And Hazael said : Why weeps
my lord ? And he answered : Because I know the evil that
thou wilt do to the children of Israel. Their strong-holds
thou wilt set on fire, and their young men thou wilt slay with
the sword, and wilt dash in pieces their children, and rip up
13 their women with child. And Hazael said : What then is thy
servant, the dog, that he should do this great thing ? And
Elisha answered : Jehovah has showed me that thou shalt be
14 king over Syria. And he departed from Elisha, and came
to his lord. And he said to him : What said Elisha to thee ?
And he answered : He told me that thou shouldst surely
V. 10. Thou mayest recover; namely, from this disease ; it will not be the cause of death.
This was true; see v. 15.— The earlier English versions (Coverdale, Matthews, Cranmer,
Taverner, Genevan, Bishops') translate, "Thou shalt recover." The Bishops' version, follow
ing the Genevan, has the marginal note, " Meaning that he should not die of that disease ;
yet he should die by the hand of Hazael the messenger."— Some Hebraists now translate,
"Say to him, thou shalt surely live ; but [to Hazael] Jehovah has showed me, that he shall
surely die." The message to the king is an answer to his question, " Bhall I recover from this
disease" ; and the message means, this illness is not unto death. That he should die by other
means, was no answer to the question ; but it concerned Hazael, as showing him that Jehovah
read his most secret thoughts. That the king was in the way of recovery, is evident from
Hazael's haste to remove him.  V. 13. Thou shall be king over Syria. See 1 Kings 19 :
15-17. 310

n. KINGS. Chap. vm.
15 recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took
the thick-woven cover, and dipped it in the water, and spread
it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael reigned in his
stead.
i6 And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab king of
Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the
n son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. Thirty
and two years old was he when he began to reign ; and he
i8 reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the
way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab ; for he
had a daughter of Ahab for a wife ; and he did evil in the
19 sight of Jehovah. Yet Jehovah would not destroy Judah
for the sake of David his servant ; as he said to him, that he
would give him a light at all times in his offspring.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah,
21 and made a king over themselves. And Jehoram went over
to Zair, and all the chariots with him. And he rose up by
night, and smote the Edomites who had surrounded him, and
the captains of the chariots ; and the people fled to their tents.
22 And Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this
23 day. Then Libnah revolted, at the same time. And the
rest of the acts of Jehoram, and all that he did, are they not
written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
24 And Jehoram lay down with his fathers. And he was buried
with his fathers in the city of David. And Ahaziah his son
reigned in his stead.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Ahab king of
Israel, did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin
26 to reign. Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah, when he
began to reign ; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And
his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king
V. 16. The most probable solution of the chronological difficulty is that of Keil : " Jehoram
became king in the fifth year of Joram king of Israel (Jehoshaphat having while yet king made
over to him the government) and reigned eight years, two before his father's death, and eight
years after it." (Keil, on the passage.)  V. 21. He seems to have penetrated to the inte
rior of Edom, and was there surrounded. In a night attack he broke through the enemy,
and retreated to his own land.  V. 26. Daughter (granddaughter) of Omri. She was a
daughter of Ahab (v. 18); but is here called the daughter (descendant) of Omri, because he
was the more renowned of the two. 311

Chap. ix. II. KINGS.

27 of Israel. And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab,
and did evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did the house of
Ahab ; for he was connected by marriage with the house of
Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram, the son of Ahab, to the war
against Hazael king of Syria, in Ramoth-gilead ; and the
29 Syrians wounded Joram. And Joram the king went back,
to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians gave
him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria.
And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down
to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the
prophets, and said to him : Gird up thy loins, and take this
2 vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when
thou comest thither, look there for Jehu the son of Jehosha
phat the son of Nimshi ; and go in, and have him rise up
from among his fellows, and lead him into an inner chamber ;
3 and take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say,
thus says Jehovah : I anoint thee king over Israel. Then
open the door and flee, and tarry not.
4 And the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to
6 Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains
of the host were sitting. And he said : I have an errand to
thee, Captain. And Jehu said ': To which of us all ? And
6 he said : To thee, Captain. And he arose, and went into the
house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him,
thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : I anoint thee king over
7 the people of Jehovah, over Israel. And thou shalt smite
the house of Ahab thy lord. And I will avenge the blood
V. 27. Compare 2 Chron. 22 : 3, 4.  V. 2. Jehu. The personal character, and the extra
ordinary official career, of this remarkable man are well exhibited in the article Jehu, of
Smith's Bible Dictionary. He is first made known in history as one of the body-guard of
Ahab, when with his comrade Bidkar (v. 25) he heard the warning of Elijah, 1 Kings 21 : 23.
His early youth had marked him for important service in the State ; and Elijah was directed
to anoint him to be king over Israel, 1 Kings 19 : 16, which from some cause was deferred.
In the interval he rose to great distinction in the army, and at the siege of Eamoth-gilead
was captain of the host. His personal character is represented as a "union of intrepid
daring, profound secrecy and dissimulation, with a stern, fanatic, wayward zeal ; an instru
ment for accomplishing great purposes, rather than as great or good in himself."
312

n. KINGS. Chap. rx.

of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the serv-
8 ants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. And all the house
of Ahab shall perish ; and I will cut off from Ahab every
9 male, bond and free, in Israel. And I will make the house
of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and
10 like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs
shall eat Jezebel in the field of Jezreel, and none shall bury
her. And he opened the door, and fled.
u And Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord. And
one said to him : Is all well ? Wherefore came this mad fel
low to thee ? And he said to them : Ye know .the man, and
X2 his errand. And they said : Deception ! Tell us now. And
he said, thus and thus he spoke to me, saying : Thus says
X3 Jehovah, I anoint thee king over Israel. Then they hasted,
and took every man his garment, and put it under him on
the bare steps ; and they blew with the trumpet, saying :
u Jehu is king. So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat the son of
Nimshi, conspired against Joram. — Now Joram had kept
Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of
15 Syria. But king Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of
the wounds which the Syrians gave him, when he fought
with Hazael king of Syria. — And Jehu said : If it be your
mind, let no fugitive go forth out of the city, to go and tell
i° it in Jezreel. And Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jez
reel ; for Joram lay there, and Ahaziah king of Judah had
n come down to see Joram. And the watchman stood on the
tower in Jezreel. And he spied the company of Jehu as he
came, and said : I see a company. And Joram said : Take
a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say : Is it
i8 peace ? And there went one on horseback to meet him, and
said, thus says the king : Is it peace ? And Jehu said : What
hast thou to do with peace ? Turn thee behind me. And
the watchman told, saying : The messenger came to them ;
19 and he comes not back. Then he sent out a second on horse-

V. 11. Ye know the man, and his errand ; suspecting that they had some part in it.  .
V. 12. Deception ! In their turn, suspecting some secret plot, withheld from them for
reasons of his own. The next verse shows their confidence in him as a leader.
313

Chap. rx. II. KINGS.

back, who came to them, and said, thus says the king : Is it
peace ? And Jehu answered : What hast thou to do with
29 peace? Turn thee behind me. And the watchman told,
saying : He came even unto them ; and he comes not back.
And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nim-
21 shi ; for he drives furiously. And Joram said : Make ready.
And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel
and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot ;
and they went out to meet Jehu, and they found him in the
22 field of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when
Joram saw Jehu, that he said : Is it peace, Jehu ? And he
answered : What peace, during the harlotries of Jezebel thy
23 mother, and her many sorceries? And Joram turned his
hands, and fled ; and he said to Ahaziah : Treachery, Aha-
24 ziah ! And Jehu grasped the bow with his full hand ; and
he smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went
25 out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. And he
said to Bidkar his captain : Take up, and cast him into the
portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember,
when I and thou were riding two by two after Ahab his
26 father, and Jehovah laid this burden upon him : — Surely I
have yesterday seen the blood of Naboth, and the blood of
his sons, says Jehovah ; and I will requite thee in this field,
says Jehovah. And now take up, and cast him into the
field, according to the word of Jehovah.
27 And Ahaziah the king of Judah saw it, and he fled by
the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him,
and said: Him also! Smite him in the chariot at the ascent
of Gur (which is by Ibleam). And he fled to Megiddo, and
28 died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to
Jerusalem ; and they buried him in his sepulchre with his
29 fathers, in the city of David. — And in the eleventh year of
Joram, the son of Ahab, began Ahaziah to reign over
Judah. —
V. 24. With his full hand. The bow (belonging to the chariot) filled his hand, showing its
great size and strength.  V. 27. At the ascent of Gur ; where his flight would be re
tarded. — Which is by Ibleam; the historian's explanation.
314

II. KINGS. Chap. x.

30 And Jehu came to Jezreel. And Jezebel heard of it ;
and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked
31 out at the window. And Jehu came in at the gate. And
32 she said : Had Zimri peace, who slew his lord ? And he
raised his face toward the window, and said : Who is on
my side ? Who ? And there looked out to him two, three
33 eunuchs. And he said : Throw her down. And they threw
her down. And some of her blood was sprinkled on the
34 wall, and on the horses, and he trode her under foot. And
he came in, and ate and drank. And he said : Go, see now
to this cursed woman, and bury her ; for she is a king's
35 daughter. And they went to bury her. And they found
no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms
36 of the hands. And they came back, and told it to him.
And he said : This is the word of Jehovah, which he spoke
by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying : In the field of
37 Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel. And the
carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the
ground in the field of Jezreel ; so that they shall not say :
This is Jezebel.
i And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu
wrote letters, and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of
Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab's children,
2 saying : Now when this letter comes to you, as your lord's
sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and
3 horses, a fenced city also, and armour ; look out the best
and fittest of the sons of your lord, and set him on the throne
4 of his father, and fight for your master's house. And they
were exceedingly afraid. And they said : Behold, two kings
5 did not stand before him ; how then shall we stand ? And he
that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the
elders also, and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying : We are
V. 30. Painted her eyes ; around or upon the eyes, to give them more expression, still prac
ticed in the East, and common among the ancient Egyptians. She purposed to overawe
the plain warrior, by her queenly aspect and demeanor.  -V. 31. Zimri. 1 Kings 16 : 9-18.
 V. 32. Two, three eunuchs ; two at one moment, and at another three.  V. 34. She is a
king's daughter ; 1 Kings 16 : 31.  V. 36. See 1 Kings 21 : 23.
315

Chap. x. II. KINGS.

thy servants ; and all that thou shalt say to us we will do.
We will not make any one king ; do thou that which is good
6 in thine eyes. Then he wrote to them a second letter, say
ing : If ye are for me, and will hearken to my voice, take the
heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to
Jezreel, about this time to-morrow. Now the king's sons,
seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who
7 brought them up. And so it was, when the letter came to
them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy per
sons ; and they put their heads in baskets, and sent them to
him to Jezreel.
8 And the messenger came, and told him, saying : They have
brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said : Lay
them in two heaps, at the entrance of the gate, until the
9 morning. And it came to pass in the morning, that he went
out, and stood, and said to all the people : Ye are just.
Behold, I conspired against my lord, and slew him ; and who
i° has slain all these ? Know now that there shall not fall to
the earth any part of Jehovah's word, which Jehovah has
spoken concerning the house of Ahab. For Jehovah has
u done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah. And Jehu
slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel ; and
all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, until
he left him none remaining.
i2 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. He
13 was at the shearing-house on the way ; and Jehu met with
the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and he said : Who
are ye ? And they answered : We are the brethren of Aha
ziah ; and we go down to salute the children of the king,
u and the children of the queen. And he said : Seize them
alive. And they seized them alive, and slew them at the pit
by the shearing-house, two and forty men ; and he left not
one of them.
x5 And he departed thence ; and he found Jehonadab the
V. 15. Jehonadab the son of Rechab. He was the founder of the auBtere sect of the Kechab-
ites, commemorated by Jeremiah (ch. 35 : 2-19). "As the head of a religious community, it
was of great importance for Jehu to have him on his side, and to be accompanied by him to
316

II. KINGS. Chap. x.

son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he saluted him,
and said to him : Is thy heart sincere, as my heart is with
thy heart ? And Jehonadab answered : It is, it is ; give me
thy hand. And he gave him his hand, and made him come
16 up to him into the chariot. And he said : Go with me, and
see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his
17 chariot. And he came to Samaria. And he slew all that
remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him,
according to the saying of Jehovah, which he spoke to
Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to
them : Ahab served Baal a little ; Jehu will serve him much.
19 And now call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants,
and all his priests ; let none be wanting. For I have a great
sacrifice to make to Baal ; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall
not live. And Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he
20 might destroy the worshippers of Baal. And Jehu said :
Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed
21 it. And Jehu sent through all Israel ; and all the worship
pers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that
came not. And they came into the house of Baal ; and the
22 house of Baal was full, from one end to the other. And he
said to him who was over the wardrobe : Bring out clothing for
all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought out raiment for
23 them. And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab,
into the House of Baal. And he said to the worshippers
of Baal : Search, and see that there are none here with you
of the worshippers of Jehovah, but the worshippers of Baal
24 only. And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings.
And Jehu had fourscore men stationed for him without.
And he said : The man who lets one escape, of the men I
bring into your hands, his fife shall answer for the life of
25 him. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of
offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and

Samaria " (Baehr, in Lange's Commentary.) -To meet him. This expression, as in Judges
11 • 31 (see the note on the passage), does not in itself imply a purpose or intention of meet
ing, but only a concurrence, accidental or intended. — V. 24. And they went vn; namely,
Baal's priesls. ol 1

Chap. xi. II. KINGS.

to the captains : Go in, slay them ; let not a man go out.
And they smote them with the edge of the sword ; and the
guard and the captains cast them out. And they went to
26 the sanctuary of the house of Baal. And they brought out
27 the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And
they broke down the image of Baal ; and they broke down
28 the house of Baal, and made it a dunghill unto this day. And
29 Jehu cut off Baal from Israel. But the sins of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, Jehu turned not from
following them, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and
that were in Dan.
30 And Jehovah said to Jehu : Because thou hast well exe
cuted that which was right in mine eyes, hast done to the
house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, there
fore thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the
3X throne of Israel. But Jehu took not heed to walk in the
law of Jehovah, God of Israel, with all his heart. He
departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who caused Israel
to sin.
32 In those days Jehovah began to cut off parts of Israel.
33 And Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel ; from
the Jordan toward the sun-rising, all the land of Gilead, the
Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer
which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and
all his might, are they not written in the book of the Chroni-
35 cles of the kings of Israel ? And Jehu lay down with his
fathers ; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz
36 his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned
over Israel was twenty and eight years, in Samaria.
1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her
son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Aha
ziah, took Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from
V. 25. Sanctuary ; the temple proper, containing the images of the idol-gods, in distinc
tion from the outer courts, together constituting the house of Baal.
318

II. KINGS. Chap. xi.

among the king's sons who were slain, and put him and his
nurse in the store-room ; and they hid him from Athaliah,
3 so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the
house of Jehovah six years. And Athaliah reigned over
the land.
4 And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the
rulers over centurions of the executioners and the guard,
and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah. And
he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in
the house of Jehovah, and showed them the king's son.
5 And he commanded them, saying : This is the thing that ye
shall do. A third part of those of you that enter in on the
sabbath shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house ;
6 and a third part shall be at the gate Sur ; and a third part
at the gate behind the guard. And ye shall keep the watch
7 of the house, to ward off. And two divisions of all you that
go forth on the sabbath, they shall keep the watch of the
8 house of Jehovah about the king. And ye shall compass
the king round about, every man with his weapons in his
hand ; and he that comes within the ranks, let him be slain ;
and be ye with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.
9 And the centurions did according to all that Jehoiada the
priest commanded. And they took each his men that were
to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on
i° the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. And to the
centurions the priest gave king David's spears and shields,
n that were in the temple of Jehovah. And the guard stood,
every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right wing
of the house unto the left wing of the house, to the altar and
12 to the temple, round about the king. And he brought out
the king's son, and put upon him the crown and the testi-

VV. 5-8. "Jehoiada's plan wis to take military possession of the two places, which were of
prime importance, the palace and the temple. In the latter was the young prince, who was
then to be crowned and anointed; in the former was the throne, of which he was to take
possession. Vers. 5 and 6 treat of taking possession of the palace ; vers. 7 and 8 or that of
the temple." (Baehr in Lange's Commentary.)  V. 11. Two lines of soldiers, one from
each wing of the palace, extended across the court to the altar and to the temple, there sur
rounding the king's son as he was brought out (v. 12).  V. 12. The testimony. Probably a
copy of the law or portion of it, kept in the ark of the covenant ; Ex. 25 : 21 ; Deut. 31 . 2b.
319

Chap. xn. II. KINGS.

mony. And they made him king, and anointed him ; and
they clapped their hands, and said : Long live the king.
13 And Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the
people ; and she came to the people, into the house of Jeho-
14 vah. And she looked, and, behold, the king stood on the
platform, as was the custom, and the captains and the trump-
, eters by the king ; and all the people of the land were re
joicing, and blowing with trumpets. And Athaliah rent her
15 clothes, and cried : Treason, treason. And Jehoiada the
priest commanded the centurions, the officers of the host,
and said to them : Bring her out between the ranks ; and
him that follows her kill with the sword. For the priest
16 said : Let her not be slain in the house of Jehovah. And
they made way for her on either hand ; and she went by
the way of the horses' entrance into the king's house. And
there she was slain.
17 And Jehoiada made the covenant between Jehovah and
the king and the people, that they should be Jehovah's
X8 people ; and between the king and the people. And all the
people of the land went into the* house of Baal, and tore it
down ; his altars and his images they broke in pieces wholly ;
and they slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
And the priest placed a watch over the house of Jehovah.
19 And he took the centurions, and the executioners, and the
guard, and all the people of the land ; and they brought
down the king from the house of Jehovah, and came by the
way of the gate of the guard to the king's hou.se. And he
20 sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the
land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah, they
had slain with the sword, at the king's house.
21 Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign ;
and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And his
2 mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. And Jehoash
did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah, all his
V. 14. The platform; 2 Chron. 6 : 13.— The custom; when a new king was inaugurated.
320

II. KINGS. Chap. xu.

3 days during which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But
the high places were not taken away. The people still sacri
ficed, and burned incense, in the high places.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests : All the money from
things dedicated that is brought into the house of Jehovah, the
money of every one numbered, the money at which any one
is estimated, and all the money that it comes into any man's
5 heart to bring into the house of Jehovah, let the priests take
it to them, every man from his acquaintance ; and let them
repair any breach in the house, wheresoever a breach shall
6 be found. And it was so, that in the three and twentieth
year of king Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the
7 breaches of the house. Then king Jehoash called for Je
hoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them :
Why do ye not repair the breaches of the house ? And
' now ye shall take no money from your acquaintance, but
8 ye shall give it for the breaches of the house. And the
priests consented not to receive money from the people, nor
9 to repair the breaches of the house. And Jehoiada the
priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid thereof, and
set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the
house of Jehovah. And the priests that guarded the thresh
old put therein all the money that was brought into the house
i° of Jehovah. And it was so, when they saw that there was
much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high-
priest came up, and they bound together, and counted, the
11 money that was found in the house of Jehovah. And they
gave the money, weighed, into the hands of them that did
the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah ;
and they brought it out to the carpenters and builders, that
i2 wrought upon the house of Jehovah ; and to masons, and
hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewn stone to
repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that
13 was laid out for the house to repair it. But there were not

V. 3. High places. See the note on 1 Kings 11 : 7.  V. 4. The money of every one num
bered. The yearly half-shekel required of every one numbered among the people, Ex. 30 "
12-14  Is estimated; in fulfillment of a vow. See Lev. 27 : 2-8.
321

CHAP.xrn. II. KINGS.

made for the house of -Jehovah bowls of silver, snuffers,
basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver,
from the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah ;
14 but they gave it to the workmen, and repaired therewith the
25 house of Jehovah. , And they reckoned not with the men,
into whose hand they gave the money to give it to the work-
X6 men ; for they dealt faithfully. Money for trespass-offering,
and money for sin-offering, were not brought into the house
of Jehovah ; they belonged to the priests.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against
Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up against
i8 Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hal
lowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah,
his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hal
lowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures
of the house of Jehovah, and in the king's house, and sent
them to Hazael king of Syria. And he went away from
Jerusalem.
19 And the rest of the acts of Jehoash, and all that he did, are
they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings
20 of Judah? And his servants rose up and made a conspir
acy ; and they slew Jehoash in the house of Millo, which goes
81 down to Silla. For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Je-
hozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he
died. And they buried him with his fathers, in the city of
David ; and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
1 In the three and twentieth year of Jehoash, the son of
Ahaziah king of Judah, began Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu,
to reign over Israel in Samaria ; and he reigned seventeen
2 years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jeho
vah, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
who caused Israel to sin. He departed not therefrom.
3 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel.
And he gave them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria,

V. 19. See 2 Chron. 24 : 19-26.
322

II. KINGS. Chap. xui.

and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, continu-
4 ally. And Jehoahaz besought Jehovah; — and Jehovah
hearkened unto him, for he saw the oppression of Israel,
5 how the king of Syria oppressed them ; and Jehovah gave
Israel a deliverer, so that they went out from under the hand
of the Syrians, and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents,
6 as beforetime ; yet they departed not from the sins of the
house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, but- walked
7 therein ; and the Ashera also remained in Samaria ; — for he
left of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten
chariots, and ten thousand footmen ; for the king of Syria had
destroyed them, and had made them as the dust in threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did,
and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chroni-
9 cles of the kings of Israel ? And Jehoahaz lay down with
his fathers ; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoash
his son reigned in his stead.
10 In the thirty and seventh year of Jehoash king of Judah,
began Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, to reign over Israel in
u Samaria ; and he reigned sixteen years. And he did that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. He departed not
from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused
X2 Israel to sin ; he walked therein. And the rest of the acts
of Jehoash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he
fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written
13 in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel ? And
Jehoash lay down with his fathers ; and ¦ Jeroboam sat upon
his throne. And Jehoash was buried in Samaria, with the
kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha was sick, with his sickness of which he died.
And Jehoash the king of Israel came down to him, and
wept upon his face, and said : 0 my father, my father ; the

V. 3. Continually ; namely, during the whole reign of Jehoahaz. See v. 22.  V.5. Gave
Israel a deliverer; namely, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz (see v. 25), and afterward Jeroboam
the son of Jehoash (14 : 25-27).  V. 6. Ashera; statue of a female idol of that name, the
goddess of concupiscence. See the note on Judges 3 : 7.  V. 7 stands in connection with
the first clause of v. 4; the intervening words are parenthetical, stating the effect of the
intercession which is fully shown in the passages referred to above — For he, Jehovah.
323

Chap. xht. II. KINGS.

15 chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof! And Elisha
said to him : Take a bow and arrows. And he took to him-
i6 self a bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel :
Put thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it,
17 and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he
said : Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then
Elisha said : Shoot. And he shot. And he said : An arrow
of deliverance from Jehovah, and an arrow of deliverance
against Syria ; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek,
iS even to consuming them. And he said : Take the arrows.
And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel : Smite
19 the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the
man of God was wroth with him, and said : Thou shouldst
have smitten five or six times ; then wouldst thou have
smitten Syria, even to consuming ; and now thou shalt smite
Syria thrice.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And bands of the
21 Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the 3rear. And
it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold,
they saw the band, and they cast the man into the sepulchre
of Elisha. And the man came and touched the bones of
Elisha, and he revived, and stood up on his feet.
22 And Hazael, king of Syria, oppressed Israel all the days
23 of Jehoahaz. And Jehovah was gracious to them, and had
compassion on them, and had respect to them, because of his
. covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; and he would
not destroy them, and he cast them not from his presence
24 as yet. And Hazael king of Syria died ; and Ben-hadad his
¦V. 16. Put his hands upon the king's hands; "indicating by this symbolical act that the
successes, typified by the shooting, were not to come from human skill, or strength, or daring,
but from the presence and power of God."— (Speaker's Commentary.)  V. 18. Smile the
ground. Direct the arrow downward, to the ground.  V. 19. Thou shalt smite Syria thrice.
See the fulfillment in v. 25.
V. 21. The miracle wrought by contact with the prophet's bones. Compare the miracles
of healing wrought by the touch of handkerchiefs, and aprons, from the person of the Apostle
Paul, Acts 19 : 11, 12. "AU miraculous working," says Dean Alford, "is an exertion of the
direct power of the All-powerful; a suspension by him of his ordinary laws; and whether he
will use any instrument, or what instrument, must depend altogether on his purpose in the
miracle—the effect to be produced on the recipients, beholders, or hearers." ( Greek Testament,
Vol. xi., p. 196.) In this case, there was a fitting occasion for miraculous agency, to perpetuate
the influence of Elisha's teaching and example.
324

II. KINGS. Chap. xrv.
25 son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz
took again, out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael,
the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz
his father in war. Three times did Jehoash beat him, and
he recovered the cities of Israel.
i In the second year of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz king of
Israel, reigned Amaziah, the son of Jehoash king of Judah.
2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ;
and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And
3 his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he
did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah ; but not
as David his father. He did, in all things, as Jehoash his
4 father had done. But the high places were not taken away ;
the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high
places.
5 And it. came to pass, when the kingdom was confirmed in
hij hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king
6 his father. And the children of the murderers he did not
put to death ; according to that which is written in the book
of the law of Moses, which Jehovah commanded, saying :
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor
the children be put to death for the fathers ; but every man
7 shall die for his own sin. He slew of Edom in the valley of
salt ten thousand ; and he took Selah in war, and called the
name of it Joktheel, unto this day.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of
Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying.: Come, let us
9 look one another in the face. And Jehoash the king of
Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying : The thorn-
bush that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Leba
non, saying : Give thy daughter to my son for a wife ; and
there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode
V. 6. Written in the book of the law of Moses. See the law in Deut. 24 : 16.— The case
recorded in Josh. 7 : 19-26 is a special one. It is highly impvobable (as shown by Keil on the
passage) that the articles, taken in violation of a direct Divine command, were hidden under
the earth in the midst of the tent, without the knowledge and connivance of members of the
family. The circumstances of the time required the strictest enforcement of the Divine will.
325

Chap. xiv. H. KINGS.

10 down the thorn-bush. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and
thy heart has lifted thee up. Take the honor, and remain at
home. For why shouldst thou provoke evil, that thou mayest
11 fall, thou and Judah with thee ? But Amaziah would not
hear. And Jehoash king of Israel went up ; and he, and
Amaziah king of Judah, looked one another in the face at
12 Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was
beaten before Israel ; and they fled, every man, to their tents.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah,
the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, captive at Beth-she
mesh, and came to Jerusalem. And he broke down the
wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner
14 gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and
silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of
Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and
hostages, and returned to Samaria.
L5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and
his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
16 kings of Israel ? And Jehoash lay down with his fathers ;
and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
And Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
17 And Amaziah the son of Jehoash, king of Judah, lived
after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel,
i8 fifteen years. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they
not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of
19 Judah ? And they made a conspiracy against him in Jeru
salem ; and he fled to Lachish. And they sent after him to
20 Lachish, and slew him there. And they brought him on the
horses ; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers, in
the city of David.
21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, — and he was
sixteen years old, — and made him king instead of his father
22 Amaziah. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after
that the king lay down with his fathers. ,•
V. 20. Brought him on t\e horses ; his royal chariot and steeds, used in his flight ; a mark
of respect to his rank. 326

H. KINGS. Chap. xv.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Jehoash, king
of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Jehoash, king of Israel, be
gan to reign in Samaria ; and he reigned forty and one years.
24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. He
departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
25 who caused Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel
from the entering in of Hamath unto the sea of the plain ;
according to the word of Jehovah, God of Israel, which he
spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai,
26 the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. For Jehovah saw
the affliction of Israel, bitter exceedingly ; none left of bond
27 or free, nor any helper for Israel. And Jehovah had not
said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under
heaven ; and he delivered them, by the hand of Jeroboam
the son of Jehoash.
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did,
and his might ; how he warred, and how he recovered
Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel ;
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
29 kings of Israel ? And Jeroboam lay down with his fathers,
with the kings of Israel ; and Zachariah his son reigned in
his stead.
i In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam, king of
Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to
2 reign. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign ;
and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his
3 mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did
that which was right in the sight of Jehovah, according to
4 all that his father Amaziah had done ; except that the high
places were not removed ; the people sacrificed and burned
incense still on the high places.
5 And Jehovah smote the king, and he was leprous to the

V 25. The entering in of Hamath ; the extreme northern boundary of the kingdom, in its
widest extent under Solomon, 1 Kings 8 : 65.— The plain. See the writer's description of this
wonderful chasm, in his revised version of Genesis, pages 79, 80.— Sea of the plain ; sonamtd
in Deut. 3 : 11.— Jonah, the son of Amittai. See the Introduction to the Book of the Prophet
Jonah. 327

Chap. xv. II. KINGS.

day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house. And
Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people
6 of the land. And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chroni-
7 cles of the kings of Judah ? And Azariah lay down with
his fathers ; and they buried him with his fathers in the city
of David. And Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
8 In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, did
Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam, reign over Israel in Samaria
9 six months. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah, as his fathers had done. He departed not from the
sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.
10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and
smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in
11 his stead. And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold,
they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings
12 of Israel. This was the word of Jehovah, which he spoke to
Jehu, saying : Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto
the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.
13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign, in the nine and
thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah ; and he reigned a
14 full month in Samaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went
up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria ; and he smote Shallum
the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in
15 his stead. And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his con
spiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
16 Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein,
and the borders thereof from Tirzah ; because they opened
not to him, therefore he smote it ; all the women therein
17 that were with child he ripped up. In the nine and thirtieth
year of Azariah, king of Judah, began Menahem the son of
Gadi to reign over Israel ; and he reigned ten years in Sama-
L8 ria. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
V. 5. For a more full account of the reign of Uzziah, and the offense for which he was pun
ished with leprosy, see 2 Chron. ch. xxvi. — Dwelt in a separate house. Compare the require
ment of the Mosaic law in such cases, Lev. 13 : 46  V. M5. This was the word of Jehovah,
which he spoke lo Jehu, See ch. 10 : 30. 328

II. KINGS. Chap. xv.

10

He departed not, all his days, from the sins of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. Pul, the king of
Assyria, came against the land. And Menahem gave to Pul
a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him,
20 to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted
the money from Israel, from all the mighty men in wealth,
from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of
Assyria. And the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed
not there in the land.
21 And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
22 kings of Israel ? And Menahem lay down with his fathers ;
and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah, the king of Judah, Pekahiah
the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria ;
24 and he reigned two years. And he did that which was evil
in the sight of Jehovah. He departed not from the sins of
25 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. And
Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him,
and he smote him in Samaria in the citadel of the king's house
with Argob an cl Arieh. And with him were fifty men of the
26 Gileadites ; and he killed him, and reigned in his stead. And
the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold,
they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings
of Israel.
27 In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah, king of Judah,
Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in
28 Samaria ; and he reigned twenty years. And he did that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. He departed not
from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused
29 Israel to sin. In the days of Pekah, king of Israel, came
Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. And he took Ijon, and
V. 19. Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land. This is the first-named Assyrian
invasion of the country ; though it is not certain that it was by the Assyria proper, referred
to in v. 26, and in the following chapters. The name Pul is not yet identified on the monu
ments of the great Assyrian monarchy.
V. 29. " Tiglath-pileser stands among the Assyrian monarchs of Scripture where Shishak
does among the Egyptian ones— he is the first whom we can certainly identify with a known
monumental king. The Assyrian Canon gives us Tiglat-pal-zha as reigning from B. C. 745 to
329

Chap. xvi. IT. KINGS.

Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor,
and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried
30 them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea, the son of Elah,
made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah ; and
he smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the
31 twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. And the rest
of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are
written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of
Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to
33 reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to
reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his
34 mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And
he did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah. He did
35 according to all that his father Uzziah had done. But the
high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed
and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper
gate of the house of Jehovah.
36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
37 kings of Judah? In those days Jehovah began to send
against Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son
38 of Remaliah. And Jotham lay down with his fathers. And
he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father ;
and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
i In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah,
Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and he
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not that
which was right in the sight of Jehovah his God, like David
3 his father. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel ;
B. C. 727." (Speaker's Commentary.)— His conquests are recounted by Mr. Smith, in his
Ancient History from the Monuments (Assyria, pp. 77-94). In his war with Azariah (Uzziah)
king of Judah (p. 82), he conquered Calno, referred to in Is. 10 : 9 (see the writer's notes on
vers. 9-15). The policy of transporting captives of the conquered countries (v. 29 ; 17 : 6), is
referred to on pp. 83, 88, and 94  V. 30. Uzziah ; an abbreviated form of Azariah, vers.
1, 7, etc.
330

n. KINGS. Chap. xvi.

yea, and he made his son pass through the fire, according to
the abominations of the heathen, whom Jehovah drove out
4 from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed, and
burned incense, in the high places, and on the hills, and
under every green tree.
5 _ Then Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah
king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war. And they laid
6 siege to Ahaz, but were unable to wage war. — At that time
Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove out
the Jews from Elath ; and the Syrians came to Elath, and
7 they dwell there to this day. — And Ahaz sent messengers to
Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saying : I am thy servant
and thy son. Come up, and deliver me from the hand of
the king of Syria, and from the hand of the king of Israel,
8 who have risen up against me. And Ahaz took the silver
and the gold that were found in the house of Jehovah, and
in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to
9 the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened to
him. And the king of Assyria went up against Damascus,
and took it. And he carried the people captive to Kir ; and
Rezin he slew.
10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus, to meet Tiglath-pileser
king of Assyria. And he saw the altar that was at Damas
cus. And king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of
the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the work-
11 manship thereof. And Urijah the priest built the altar,
according to all that king Ahaz sent from Damascus ; so
Urijah the priest made it, against the coming of king Ahaz
i2 from Damascus. And the king came from Damascus. And
the king saw the altar ; and the king approached the altar,
13 and offered thereon. And he burned his burnt-offering and
his meat-offering, and poured out his drink-offering, and
sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar.
V. 5. Unable to wage war ; from some unlooked for hindrance. Though the arrangements
for the siege were complete, they were unable to carry on the war. See the writer's note on
Is. 7 : 1.  V. 10. The altar that was at Damascus. Compare 2 Chron. 28 : 23, "he sac
rificed to the gods of Damascus." Less probably it may have been the Assyrian altar, which
all subject provinces were required to use. Two forms of it are represented in Smith's Bible
Dictionary, article Altar.
331

Chap. xvn. II. KINGS.

14 And he brought the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah,
from the forefront of the house, from between the [new]
altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side
15 of the altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest,
saying : Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offer
ing, and the evening meat-offering, and the king's burnt-
offering, and his meat-offering, and the burnt-offering of all
the people of the land, and their meat-offering, and their
drink-offerings ; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the
burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the
i6 brazen altar shall be for me to consider. Thus did Urijah
the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
17 And king Ahaz cut off the panels of the bases, and
removed the laver from upon them. And he took down the
sea from the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon
i8 a pavement of stones. And the covered-way for the sabbath
which they built in the house, and the king's outer entrance,
he removed into the house of Jehovah, for fear of the king
of Assyria.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they
not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of
20 Judah ? And Ahaz lay down with his fathers ; and he was
buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Hezekiah
his son reigned in his stead.
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, began Hoshea
the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

V. 15. The great altar ; the one fashioned after that seen at Damascus. This, by the
king's directions, was to take the place of the one built by Solomon, for all the offerings
required under the Mosaic law. See Ex. 29 : 38-42 ; Num. 28 : 3-31 ; 29 : 2-39. —For me lo
consider ; to consider further, what use shall be made of it.  V. 17. Panels of the bases :
of the bases that supported the ten lavers. Pee 1 Kings 7 : 27-39.  V. 17. Took down
the sea from the brazen oxen, See the description in 1 Kings 7 : 23-26  V. 18. Covered-
way. Or perhaps, canopied seal; namely, for the royal family in their attendance on the
Sabbath service. — For fear of the king of Assyria ; of exciting his cupidity, or that of his
officials.  V. 19. Chronicles of the kings of Judah. See also Isaiah, chs. vii-xii., prophe
cies in the reign of Ahaz, and the writer's notes on them.
Ch. xvii. The record of Israel's nationality here comes to an end. Pounded and perpetu
ated in idolatry, and every resource of moral influence and punitive restraint having failed ;
the time had now come for a vindication of the divine government, and an example to coming
ages.— Shalmaneser, according to the Assyrian monuments, reigned from B. C. 727-722.
332

II. KINGS. Chap. xvii.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but
not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria ; and
4 Hoshea became his servant, and paid him tribute. And the
king of Assyria discovered conspiracy in Hoshea, who sent
messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to
the king of Assyria, as before year by year. And the king
of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 And the king of Assyria came up through all the land ;
and he went up to Samaria, and laid siege to it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Sama
ria. And he carried Israel away captive into Assyria, and
placed them in Halah, and on the Habor the river of Gozan,
and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against
Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of
Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
8 feared other gods ; and they walked in the customs of the
heathen, whom Jehovah drove out from before the children
9 of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. And
the children of Israel did covertly things that were not right
against Jehovah, their God. And they built for themselves
high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watch-
i° men to the fenced city. And they set up for themselves
images and Asheras on every high hill, and under every
n green tree ; and there they burned incense on all the high
places, as did the heathen whom Jehovah drove away before
them. And they wrought evil deeds, to provoke Jehovah
X2 to anger, and served the idols, whereof Jehovah said to
13 them : Ye shall not do this thing. And Jehovah testified
against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and
by all the seers, saying : Turn ye from your evil ways, and
V. 4. So (or as the Hebrew name may be pronounced, Seve) is thought to have been Shebek
(the Sabaco of Herodotus), of the twenty-fifth dynasty, about 728 B. C  V. 6. The king of
Assyria took Samaria. According to the records on the Assyrian monuments, this king was
Sargon ; who succeeded Shalmaneser in B. C 722, and completed the siege begun by his
predecessor.  W. 7-23. Summary of the grounds for the final rejection of Israel, and
removal from their land.  V. 9. Did covertly ; under cover of worshipping the true God,
and calling it Jehovah-worship.  V. 10. Asheras. See the note on 13 : 6.
333

Chap. xvn. IT. KINGS.

keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the
law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to
14 you by my servants the prophets. And they hearkened not,
and hardened their neck like the neck of their fathers, who
15 believed not in Jehovah their God. And they despised his
statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers,
and his testimonies wherewith he testified against them ; and
they followed vanity and acted vainly, and went after the
heathen that were round about them, concerning whom
X6 Jehovah commanded them, not to do like them. And they
forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God ; and
they made for themselves molten images, the two calves ;
and they made an Ashera, and they worshipped all the host
n of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons
and their daughters to pass through the fire. And they used
divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil
i8 in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. And
Jehovah was very angry with Israel. And he removed them
away from his presence. There was none left but the tribe
19 of Judah only. — Also Judah kept not the commandments
of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel
20 which they made. — And Jehovah rejected all the seed of
Israel, and afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of
21 spoilers, until he had cast them out before him. For he rent
Israel from the house of David ; and they made Jeroboam
the son of Nebat king ; and Jeroboam withdrew Israel from
22 following Jehovah, and caused them to sin a great sin. And
the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam
23 which he did ; they departed not from them, until Jehovah
removed Israel from his presence, as he had said by all his
servants the prophets. And Israel was carried away captive,
out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day.
V. 13. By my servants the prophets. Besides the numerous prophets and seers, mentioned
by name in the books of Kings and Chronicles, were the prophets Hosea, Amos. Joel, Micah,
Isaiah, whose remonstrances and warnings are on record.  V. 15. Vanity. Properly, a
breath ; as unsubstantial and as impotent, a term of contempt for idols. See references in
the note on 1 Kings 16 : 13  Acted vainly ; acted in that vain trust.  V. 16. An Ashera ;
a statue of the goddeBs of concupiscence (13 : 15), erected by Ahab, and of such national
interest as to require the special notice of the historian, 1 Kings 16 : 33.
334

II. KINGS. Chap. xvn.

24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and
from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from
Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria in
place of the children of Israel. And they took possession
25 of Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was,
at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not
Jehovah ; and Jehovah sent lions among them, which slew
26 some of them. And they spoke to the king of Assyria, say
ing : The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in
the cities of Samaria, know not the custom of the God of the
land. And he has sent lions among them ; and, behold, they
slay them, because they know not the custom of the God of
27 the land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying:
Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from
thence ; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach
28 them the custom of the God of the land. And one of the
priests, whom they had carried away captive from Samaria,
came and dwelt in Beth-el; and he taught them how they
29 should fear Jehovah. But every nation made its own god ;
and they put them in the houses on the high places which
the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein
30 they dwelt. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth,
and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath
31 made Ashima, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and
the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech
32 and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared
Jehovah, and made to themselves from all of them priests of
the high places ; and they sacrificed for them in the houses
33 on the high places. They feared Jehovah, and served then-
own gods, after the manner of the nations from which they
34 were brought away. Unto this day they do after the former
customs ; they fear not Jehovah. And they do not after
V. 27. Let them go ; the priest, and his necessary attendants and assistants.  V. 28.
Bethel. One of the places where Jeroboam set up the golden calves, as Israel's gods who
brought them up out of Egypt, 1 Kings 12 : 28  V. 30. Succoth-benoth, the name of their
god. Or, as it may be translated, daughters' tents, for the impure rites connected with the
worship of some idol deities.  V. 32. Feared Jehovah ; professedly, as in the worship of
the golden calves, calling it Jehovah-worship, 2 Kings 17 : 9. — From all of them. See 1 Kings
12 : 31..  V. 34. They do ; the colonists. — They do not ; the remnant of the Israelites. See
the last clause.
335

Chap, xviii. II. KINGS.

their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law, and
after the commandment which Jehovah commanded the chil-
35 dren of Jacob, whom he named Israel ; with whom Jehovah
made a covenant, and commanded them, saying : Ye shall
not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve
36 them, nor sacrifice to them ; but Jehovah, who brought you
up out of the land of Egypt, with great power and with an
outstretched arm, him shall ye fear, and to him shall ye bow
37 yourselves, and to him shall ye sacrifice. And the statutes,
and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment,
which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore ;
3? and ye shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I
have made with you ye shall not forget ; nor shall ye fear
39 other gods ; but Jehovah your God ye shall fear ; and he
40 will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. And
41 they did not hearken, but did after their former manner. So
these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images,
both their children, and their children's children. As did
their fathers, so do they unto this day.
i Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah,
king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah,
2 began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he
began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter
3 of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight
of Jehovah, according to all that David his father did.
4 He removed the high places, and broke the images, and
cut down the Ashera, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent
that Moses made. For unto those days the children of Israel
5 burned incense to it ; and it was called Nehushtan. He
trusted in Jehovah, God of Israel ; and after him there was
none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor of them
6 that were before him. And he clave to Jehovah. He
V. 41. These nations. Collectively ; the colonists, and the remnants of Israel. They feared
Jehovah, Bo-called, by maintaining the Bethel worship, and they served their graven images.
Chs. xviii-xx. Compare 2 Chron. xxix-xxxii., and Is. xxxvi-xxxix.  V. 4. Brazen serpent.
Num. 21 : 8, 9. — Nehushtan; its name, so called from being made of brass.
336

n. KINGS. Chap. xvrn.

turned not away from following him, and kept his command-
7 ments, which Jehovah commanded Moses. And Jehovah
was with him ; he prospered whithersoever he went forth ;
and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him
8 not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the
borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the
fenced city.
9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah,
which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of
Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against
i° Samaria, and laid siege to it. And at the end of three years-
they captured it ; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the
ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, was Samaria captured.
n And the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to
Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor the river
12 of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes ; because they
obeyed not the voice of Jehovah their God, and transgressed
his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Jehovah com
manded, and would not hearken, nor do them.
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib
king of Assyria came up against all the fenced cities of Judah,
14 and took them captive. And Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent
to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying : I have done
wrong ; return from me ; that which thou puttest on me will
I bear. And the king of Assyria laid upon Hezekiah, king
of Judah, three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents.
15 of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was
found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the
16 king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold
from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pil
lars, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave
it to the king of Assyria.
i7 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, and Rabsaris, and
Rab-shakeh, from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great
host, to Jerusalem ; and they went up and came to Jerusa-
V 13 The statements in this and the following verses are very much abridged, compared
with those contained in the Assyrian monuments. But these fully accord with the Biblical
account in all essential points. 00 1

Chap. xvin. II. KINGS.

lem. And they came up, and came and stood by the con
duit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's
18 field. And they called to the king. And there came out to
them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house
hold, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the
19 recorder. And Rab-shakeh said to them, speak now to
Hezekiah : Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria :
20 What confidence is this wherein thou trustest ? Thou sayest
(but they are empty words) : There is counsel and strength
for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou re-
2i bellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the
staff of this bruised reed, upon Egypt, on which if a man
lean it will go into his hand, and pierce it. So is Pharaoh,
22 king of Egypt, to all that trust in him. But if ye say to me :
We trust in Jehovah our God ; is it not he whose high places,
and whose altars, Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to
Judah and Jerusalem, ye shall worship before this altar in
23 Jerusalem ? And now, I pray, make an agreement with my
lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver to thee two thou
sand horses, if thou art able on thy part to set riders upon
24 them. How then wilt thou turn away the face of one cap
tain, among the least of my master's servants ? And thou
puttest thy trust in Egypt, for chariots and for horsemen.
25 Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to
destroy it ? Jehovah said to me : Go up against this land,
26 and destroy it. Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and
Shebna, and Joah, to Rab-shakeh : Speak, I pray thee, to
thy servants in the Syrian language ; for we understand it ;
and talk not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the
27 people that are on the wall. And Rab-shakeh said to them :
Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak
these words ? Is it not to the men who sit on the wall, to

V. 17. There was an interval of some time before this second invasion. In the mean time
Hezekiah, relying on the support of Egypt (vs. 21, 24), had again thrown off the Assyrian
yoke. — Tartan, Rabsaris, Rab-shakeh are official titles ; the first of an Assyrian General, the
second and third of high officers of the court. Conduit of the upper pool. Seels. 7 : 3, and
the noieB.—FuUer's field ; where garments, after cleansing or fulling, were spread to dry. 
V. 18. Eliakim. See Is. 22 : 20-22  Recorder ; the king's annaUst. See 2 Sam. 8 : 16.
338

H. KINGS. Chap. xtx.

30

eat their own dung, and drink their own urine with you ?
28 Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the
Jews' language, and spoke, saying : Hear the word of the
29 great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king : Let
not Hezekiah deceive you ; for he will not be able to deliver
you out of his hand. And let not Hezekiah make you trust
in Jehovah, saying : Jehovah will surely deliver us, and this
city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of As
syria : Make peace with me, and come out to me ; and eat ye
every one of his own vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and
32 drink ye every one the waters of his cistern ; until I come
and take you away, to a land like your own land ; a land of
corn and new wine, a land of bread and of vineyards, a land
of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die ;
and hearken not to Hezekiah, when he persuades you, say-
33 ing : Jehovah will deliver us. Have the gods of the nations
delivered [each] his land out of the hand of the king of
34 Assyria ? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad ?
Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah, that
35 they should have delivered Samaria out of my hand. Who
are they among all the gods of the countries, that have de
livered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah should
36 deliver Jerusalem out of my hand ? And the people held
their peace, and answered him not a word. For it was the
37 king's commandment, saying : Answer him not. Then came
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household,
and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the re
corder, to Hezekiah with garments rent, and told him the
words of Rab-shakeh.

i And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he
rent his garments, and covered himself with sackcloth, and
2 went into the house of Jehovah. And he sent Eliakim, who
was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the
elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the
3 prophet the son of Amoz. And they said to him, thus says
F 339

Chap. xix. n. KINGS.

Hezekiah : This day is a day of distress, and of chastisement,
and of reproach. For the children are come to the birth,
4 and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be that
Jehovah, thy God, will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh,
whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach
the living God ; and will reprove the words which Jehovah,
thy God, has heard. Wherefore lift up thy prayer for the
6 remnant that are left. And the servants of king Hezekiah
came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them : Thus shall ye say to your master ;
thus says Jehovah : Be not afraid because of the words which
thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of As-
7 syria have reproached me. Behold, I will put a spirit in
him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return to his own
land ; and I will cause him to fall by the sword, in his own
land.
8 So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria
warring against Libnah ; for he heard that he had removed
9 from Lachish. And he heard it said of Tirhakah king of
Ethiopia : Behold, he has come out to fight against thee. And
i° he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, thus shall ye
speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying : Let not thy God
in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying : Jerusalem shall
11 not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold,
thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all
lands, destroying them utterly ; and shalt thou be delivered ?
i2 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers
have destroyed, — Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the
X3 children of Eden which are in Thelasar ? Where is the king
of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city
Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Ivah ?
14 And Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the mes
sengers, ' and read it. And Hezekiah went up to the house
15 of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. And Hezekiah
prayed before Jehovah, and said : Jehovah, God of Israel,
V. 7. I will put a spirit in him ; a spirit of alarm and fear.— Tidings ; of the destruction of
bis army, vs. 35, 36. — To fall by the sword; v. 37.
340

n. KINGS. Chap. xix.

who sittest above the cherubim. Thou art the God, thou
alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth ; thou hast made the
tG heavens and the earth. Bow down thine ear, Jehovah, and
hear ; open thine eyes, Jehovah, and see ; and hear the
words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the
17 living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have
i8 destroyed the nations and their lands ; and have cast their
gods into the fire ; for they were no gods, but the work of
men's hands, wood and stone ; and they have destroyed them.
19 And now, Jehovah our God, I beseech thee, save us out of
his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that
thou Jehovah art God, thou only.
20 And Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent to Hezekiah saying,
thus says Jehovah God of Israel: That which thou hast
prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have
21 heard. This is the word that Jehovah has spoken concern
ing him : — She despises thee, she scorns thee, the virgin, daughter of Zion.
She shakes her head after thee, the daughter of Jerusalem.
22 Whom hast thou reproached and reviled?
Against whom hast thou lifted up the voice?
Thou hast raised thine eyes on high,
Against the Holy one of Israel.
23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and said :
I come up, with my chariots upon chariots,
To the height of the mountains,
To the sides of Lebanon.
And I cut down its loftiest cedars,
And its choicest cypresses ;
I come to its utmost height, to its garden forest.
2* I dig, and I drink the waters of strange nations,
And dry up with tho sole of my feet all the streams of Egypt.

V. 21. Virgin, daughter of Zion. Daughter of a city or country 1B put poeticaUy for the
people of the place ; and thus the whole body of inhabitants is personifled as a bm^»
caned a virgin -as in the text. It is the opinion of some critics, that by virgin daughter !S
meant a P op!; that remain inviolate, having never been subjected to .* foreign power, and
that this may properly be said of Zion, the city of David, in distinction ^m Jerusalem. Bu
this opinion needs corroboration.-Some translate, "the virgin daughter, Zion , butthe _ren
deringTn the text is more probably the correct one. -State her head ; a gesture of mockery,
Pa 99. • 7- 109 ¦ 25 — After tttee; as already put to flight.
Vv! 23, 24 To him there are no obstacles ; neither inaccessible mountains, nor lands with-
out water, nor impassable rivers.

341

Chap. xrx. II. KINGS.

25 Hast thou not heard? From far off time have I done It,
From days of old, and formed it.
Now have I brought it to pass ;
That thou shouldst be to lay waste
Fenced cities, in heaps of ruins.
26 And their inhabitants were weak-handed,
They were dismayed, and they were confounded ;
They were as grass of the field, and as the green herb ;
As grass on the house-tops, as blighted corn before the stalk.
27 And thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, I know,
And thy raging against me.
28 Because thy raging against me, and thine arrogance,
Have come up into mine ears ;
I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bit in thy lips,
And will turn thee back, by the way in which thou camest.
29 And this shall be the sign to thee.
Eat, this year, that which grows of itself ;
And in the second year, that which springs up from the same ;
And in the third year, sow and reap,
And plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
30 And the escaped of the house of Judah that are left,
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
31 For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant,
And escaped ones from mount Zion.
The zeal of Jehovah will do this.
32 Therefore, thus says Jehovah concerning the king of As
syria : — He shall not come into this city.
He shall not shoot an arrow there,
Nor bring a shield before it,
Nor cast up a mound against it.
33 By the way by which he came shall he return,
And into this city he shall not come, says Jehovah.
34 And I will protect this city, to save it,
For my sake, and for my servant David's sake.
V. 25. Have I done it; enacted it, in the divine purpose. — And formed it; shaped and
directed it, in the divine mind and purpose.
V. 28. Hook. Or, as the word may be translated, ring ; such as was put into the nostrils of
refractory animals, to lead them. It is shown by sculptures on the Assyrian monuments, that
prisoners of rank were thus led like beasts, by rings inserted in the lip or the nostrils.
V. 29. Sign. Much has been written on what is here given as a sign, to show what is meant
by the Bign itself, and how such a sign could be a pledge of the promised deliverance. (See
the discussions in Dr. Schaff's edition of Lange's Commentary). It seems clear, however,
that it must be of the same nature as that given to Moses in Ex. 3 : 12. See Is. 7 : 14, and
the writer's notes on his revised version, and on the Hebrew text. — Grows of itself ; without
planting, from seed dropped in harvests of the previous year. — Springs up from the same ; an
after-growth from the roots. 342

II. KINGS. Chap. xx.

35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of Jehovah
went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hun
dred fourscore and five thousand ; and when men rose early
3G in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. And
Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned,
37 and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was wor
shipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech
and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword ; and they
escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son
reigned in his stead.
i In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the
prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said to
him, thus says Jehovah : Set thy house in order ; for thou
2 shalt die, and shalt not live. Then he turned his face to the
3 wall, and prayed to Jehovah, saying : I beseech thee, Jeho
vah, remember now, how I have walked before thee in truth
and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good
4 in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And it came to
pass, that Isaiah had not yet gone out into the midst of the
6 city, when the word of Jehovah came to him, saying : Turn
again, and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, thus
says Jehovah, the God of David thy father : I have heard
thy prayer, I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will heal thee ;
on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of Jehovah.
6 And I will add to thy days fifteen years ; and I will deliver
thee, and this city, out of the hand of the king of Assyria ;
and 1 will protect this city, for my sake and for my servant
7 David's sake. And Isaiah said : Bring a cake of figs. And
they brought and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah : What is the sign that Jeho
vah will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of
9 Jehovah the third day ? And Isaiah said : This sign shalt
thou have from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing
that he has spoken. Shall the shadow go forward ten de-
10 grees, or go back ten degrees ? And Hezekiah answered :
It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees.
343

Chap. xxi. II. KINGS.

11 Nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And
Isaiah the prophet cried to Jehovah ; and he caused the
shadow to return, on the dial where it had gone down, on
the dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.
J2 At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king
of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah ; for he
13 heard that Hezekiah was sick. And Hezekiah hearkened to
them ; and he showed them all his treasure-house, the silver,
and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and
all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his
treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his
realm, that Hezekiah showed them not.
14 Then came Isaiah the prophet to king Hezekiah, and said
to him : What said these men ? And from whence came
they to thee ? And Hezekiah said : They came from a far
15 country, from Babylon. And he said : What have they seen
in thy house ? And Hezekiah answered : All that is in my
house have they seen ; there is nothing among my treasures,
26 that I have not showed them. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah :
17 Hear the word of Jehovah. Behold, the days come, that
all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid
up in store unto this day, shall be carried to Babylon ; noth-
18 ing shall be left, says Jehovah. And of thy sons that shall
issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away ;
and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Baby-
19 Ion. And Hezekiah said to Isaiah : Good is the word of
Jehovah, which thou hast spoken. And he said : Is it not,
if peace and security be in my days !
20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might,
and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought
water into the city, are they not written in the book of the
21 Chronicles of the kings of Judah ? And Hezekiah lay down
with his fathers ; and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign ;
and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his
2 mother's name was Hephzi-bah. And he did that which was
344

II. KINGS. Chap. xxi.

evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the
heathen, whom Jehovah drove out before the children of
3 Israel. For he built up again the high places, which Heze
kiah his father destroyed ; and he reared up altars for Baal,
and made an Ashera, as did Ahab king of Israel ; and he
4 worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And
he built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah
5 said : In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built
altars for all the host of heaven, in the two courts of the
6 house of Jehovah. And he made his son pass through the
fire ; and he used magic, and divination, and dealt with divin
ing spirits and wizards. He wrought much wickedness in the
7 sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. And a carved
image of Ashera, that he had made, he set up in the house
of which Jehovah said to David, and to Solomon his son : In
this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all
8 the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever. And I will
not make the feet of Israel wander any more from the land
which I gave to their fathers ; if only they will take heed to
do according to all that I have commanded them, and accord
ing to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.
9 And they hearkened not ; and Manasseh seduced them to do
more evil, than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed
before the children of Israel.
i° And Jehovah spoke by his servants the prophets, saying :
n Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abomina
tions, has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did who
were before him, and has caused Judah also to sin with his
i2 idols ; therefore thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : Behold,
I bring evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever
13 hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over
Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house

V 3 Worshipped all the host of heaven. From this time Sabaism, or star-worship, became
prevalent among the Jews. See ch 23 : 5, 11 ; and compare Jer. 19 : 13 ; Ezek. 8 : 16 ; Zeph.
1-5  y. 6. Divining-spirits. See Is. 8 : 19, and the writer'B notes on his revised version
and the Hebrewtext.  V. 13. In architecture, the line and the plummet determine the hori
zontal level and the perpendicular direction, of any structure. What varies from either is
contrary to right rule, and will not stand. When God says (Is. 28 : 17), " I will put justice fol
345

Chap. xxi. II. KINGS.

of Ahab ; and I will wipe Out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish,
14 wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will cast off
the remnant of my inheritance, and give them into the hand
of their enemies ; and they shall become a prey and a spoil
15 to all their enemies ; because they have done that which was
evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the
day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this
day.
i6 Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till
he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other ; besides
his sin wherewith he caused Judah to sin, in doing that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
n Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did.
and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book
i8 of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Manasseh
lay down with his fathers ; and he was buried in the garden
of his own house, in the garden of Uzza ; and Amon his son
reigned in his stead.
19 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to
reign ; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his
mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of
20 Jotbah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
21 Jehovah, as his father Manasseh had done. And he walked
in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols
22 that his father served, and worshipped them. And he for
sook Jehovah, the God of his fathers, and walked not in the
way of Jehovah.
23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew
24 the king in his own house. And the people of the land slew
all that conspired against king Amon ; and the people of the
25 land made Josiah his son king in his stead. Now the rest
of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in
26 the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah ? And he
was buried in his sepulchre, in the garden of Uzza. And
Josiah his son reigned in his stead.
a line, and righteousness for a plummet," he means that he will exact strict conformity to
what is just and right. The same rule, by which Samaria and Ahab were judged, shali be
applied to Jerusalem. 346

n. KINGS. Chap. xxn.

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign ; and
he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his
mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of
2 Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of
Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and
turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah,
that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of
4 Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying : Go
up to Hilkiah the high-priest, that he may sum up the money
which has been brought into the house of Jehovah, which
5 the keepers of the door have gathered from the people, and
may give it into the hand of them that do the work, hav
ing the oversight of the house of Jehovah ; and that they
may give it to the doers of the work who are in the house
6 of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house ; to carpen
ters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn
7 stone to repair the house. But let there be no reckoning
with them of the money that is delivered into their hand,
for they deal faithfully.
8 And Hilkiah the high-priest said to Shaphan the scribe : I
have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah.
And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought back
word to the king, and said : Thy servants have emptied out
the money that was found in the house, and have given it
into the hand of them that do the work, having the over-
i° sight of the house of Jehovah. And Shaphan the scribe
told the king, saying : Hilkiah the priest has delivered to me
11 a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came
to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of
i2 the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded
Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and
Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and
13 Asahiah a servant of the king, saying : Go ye, inquire of
Jehovah on my behalf, and on behalf of the people, and on
347

Chap. xxin. II. KINGS.

behalf of all Judah, on account of the words of this book
that is found. For great is the wrath of Jehovah that is
kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened
to the words of this book, to do according to all that which
14 is written concerning us. And Hilkiah the priest, and Ahi-
kam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went to Huldah
the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah the
son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. And she dwelt in
Jerusalem in the lower city ; and they talked with her.
-5 And she said to them, thus says Jehovah, God of Israel :
16 Tell the man who sent you to me, thus says Jehovah : Be
hold, I bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants
thereof, all the words of the book which the king of Judah
17 has read. Because they have forsaken me, and have burned
incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger
with all the works of their hands ; and my wrath is kindled
18 against this place, and shall not be quenched. And to the
king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus
shall ye say to him : Thus says Jehovah, God of Israel, As
19 to the words which thou hast heard, — because thy heart was
tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when
thou heardst what I had spoken against this place, and
against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a
desolation and accursed, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept
20 before me ; I also have heard, says Jehovah. Therefore
behold, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt
be gathered to thy graves in peace ; and thine eyes shall not
look on all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And
they brought back word to the king.
i And the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders
2 of Judah, and of Jerusalem. And the king went up to the
house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the in
habitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the
V. 20. Thy graves, graves of thine ancestors ; thine in that sense, and thine as thou shalt
be gathered among them.— Observe that gathered to one's fathers is here, as elsewhere, distin
guished from gathered to their graves ; an intimation among many of a belief in a continued
existence beyond the grave. See Gen. 25 : 8 (and the writer's notes), and 35 : 23,
348

n. KINGS. Chap, xxiil

prophets, and all the people, both small and great ; and he
read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant,
which was found in the house of Jehovah.
3 And the king stood on the platform, and made the covenant
before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his com
mandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all the
heart and all the soul, to perform the words of this covenant
that were written in this book. And all the people joined in
4 the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high-
priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers
of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all
the vessels that were made for Baal, and for Ashera, and for
all the host of heaven ; and he burned them outside of Jeru
salem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the dust thereof to
5 Beth-el. And he put away the idol-priests, whom the kings
of Judah had appointed, and they burned incense on the
high places in the cities of Judah, and round about Jerusa
lem ; th^oi also that burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and
to the moon, and to the constellations, and to all the host of
6 heaven. And he brought out the Ashera from the house of
Jehovah, outside of Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron. And
he burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to
powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the
7 common people. And he tore down the houses of the sod
omites, that were by the house of Jehovah, where the women
8 wove tents for the Ashera. And he brought all the priests
out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where
the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba.
And he tore down the high places of the gates ; that at the
entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, that
9 on one's left hand at the gate of the city. Yet the priests of
the high places offered not on the altar of Jehovah in Jeru-
V. 3. The platform ; 2 Chron. 6 : 13, and the note.— Made the covenant, renewed it ; the
covenant made in Horeb (Deut. 5 : 2), and in Moab (Deut. 29 : 1, and 10-15).  V. 5. Round
about Jerusalem. Compare v. 13.— The Ashera; statue of the idol, set up by Manasseh in
the temple cf Jehovah, ch. 21 : 7. Compare the note on ch. 17 : 16, and references there
given.  V. 6. Common people; as properly translated in Jer. 26 : 23. Their graves were
in the open fields ; and the ashes of the idol cast on them would pollute no one, since graves
were shunned as unclean. 349

Chap. xxm. n. KINGS.

salem ; but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.
i° And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of
Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter
u pass through the fire to Molech. And he took away the
horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, from
the entering into the house of Jehovah to the chamber of
Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the colonnade,
12 and burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars
that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, wiiich
the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh
had made in the two courts of the house of Jehovah, did
the king tear down, and broke them down thence, and cast
13 the dust thereof into the brook Kidron. And the high places
that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand
of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel
built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for
Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom
the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king
u defile. And he broke in pieces the images, and cut down
the Asheras, and filled their place with the bones of men.
15 And also the altar that was at Beth-el, the high place which
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, had
made, both that altar and the high place he tore down, and
burned the high place, stamped it small to powder, and
16 burned the Ashera. And Josiah looked about him, and saw
the sepulchres that were there in the mount. And he sent,
and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them
on the altar, and polluted it ; according to the word of Jeho
vah, which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed
n these things. And he said : What pillar is this that I see ?
And the men of the city said to him : It is the sepulchre of
the man of God, who came from Judah, and proclaimed
these things which thou hast done, against the altai of Beth-el.
V. 16. Saw the sepulchres. "Beth-el stands upon a low hill, between the courses of two shal
low wadys. . . . The sepulchres were probably in the rocky sides of this valley." (Speaker's
Commentary).— According to the word of Jehovah. See 1 Kings 13 : 2  V. 17. Pillar; a
short column, marking the place of a grave, like the pillar set up by Jacob over Eachel's grave,
Gen. 35 : 20.
350

II. KINGS. Chap. xxnr.

18 And he said : Let him alone ; let no man move his bones. So
they rescued his bones, with the bones of the prophet who
19 came out of Samaria. And also all the houses on the high
places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of
Israel had made to provoke [Jehovah] to anger, Josiah took
away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had
20 done in Beth-el. And he slew all the priests of the high
places that were there, upon the altars, and burned men's
bones upon them. And he returned to Jerusalem.
21 And the king commanded all the people, saying : Keep the
passover to Jehovah your God, as is written in this book of
22 the covenant. For there had not been held such a passover
from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the
23 days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah ; but
in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, was this passover held
to Jehovah in Jerusalem.
24 And also the divining-spirits, and the wizards, and the
household images, and the idols, and all the abominations
that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did
Josiah put away ; that he might perform the words of the
law, which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest
25 found in the house of Jehovah. And like to him was there
no king before him, who turned to Jehovah with all his
heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according
to all the law of Moses ; nor after him arose there any like
him.
26 Yet Jehovah turned not from the fierceness of his great
anger, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah,
because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had
27 provoked him. And Jehovah said : I will remove Judah
also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel ; and I will
cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the

V. 18. Samaria. Not the city, but the country. He was an Israelitish prophet.  V. 21.
Household images. Literally, teraphim. See Judges 17 : 5, and 1 Sam. 19 : 13, 16  V. 26.
Notwithstanding the vigorous and thorough measures of the government, the people were not
reclaimed. False religions had struck their roots too deep in the minds of the people, to be
rooted out by external reforms, and enforced outward obedience. This was shown in the
succeeding reign. Compare Jer. 3 : 6-11.)
351

Chap. xxiv. II. KINGS.

28 house of which I said : My name shall be there. Now the
rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not
written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah ?
29 In his days Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt, went up
against the king of Assyria, to the river Euphrates. And
king Josiah went against him ; and he slew him at Megiddo,
30 when he saw him. And his servants conveyed him dead in
a chariot from Megiddo ; and they brought him to Jerusalem,
and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the
land took Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, and anointed him,
and made him king in his father's stead.
31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began
to reign ; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And
his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah
32 of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
33 Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done. And
Pharaoh-necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of
Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem ; and he laid
upon the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver, and a
34 talent of gold. And Pharaoh-necho made Eliakim, the son
of Josiah, king in place of Josiah his father ; and he changed
his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away. And he
35 came to Egypt, and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the
silver and the gold to Pharaoh ; but he assessed the land in
order to give the money at the command of Pharaoh. He
exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of
each one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh-
necho.
35 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began
to reign ; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And
his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of
37 Rumah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
i In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up,
V. 1. In his days. In his third year (Dan. 1 : 1); or his fourth year (Jer. 25 : 1). ' By
comparing Berosus with the Canon of Ptolemy, we can fix the date to B. C. 605, which was the
third completed, and fourth commencing year of this king." (Speaker's Commentary.)—
352

II. KINGS. Chap. xxiv.

and Jehoiakim became his servant three years ; then he
2 turned, and rebelled against him. And Jehovah sent against
him bands of the Chaldseans, and bands of the Syrians, and
bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon ;
and he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to
the word of Jehovah, which he spoke by his servants the
3 prophets. Only at the command of Jehovah came this upon
Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of
4 Manasseh, in all that he did ; and also for the innocent blood
that he shed, and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and
Jehovah would not pardon.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did,
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
6 kings of Judah ? And Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers ;
7 and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. And the king
of Egypt came no more out of his land ; for the king of
Babjdon had taken all, from the river of Egypt to the river
Euphrates, that belonged to the king of Egypt.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign ;
and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's
name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah,
according to all that his father had done.
i° At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against the city ;
i2 and his servants laid siege to it. And Jehoiachin the king
of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his
mother, and his servants, and his nobles, and his officers ;
and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his
L3 reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the
house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and
cut in pieces all the vessels of gold, which Solomon king of
Israel had made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had
Rebelled against him. Probably relying on the king of Egypt, whose army was routed by
Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish, as described by Jeremiah, ch. 46 : 2-13. Compare v. 7 of
this chapter.  V. 12. Went out ; to surrender, without terms of submission. — In the eighth
year of his (Nebuchadnezzar's) reign. 353

Chap. xxv. II. KINGS.

14 said. And he carried away captive all Jerusalem ; even all
the nobles, and all the mighty men in wealth, ten thousand
captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained,
15 save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he
carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon ; and the king's mother,
and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of
the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Baby-
i° Ion. And all the men of might, seven thousand, and crafts
men and smiths a thousand, all the strong, apt for war, them
the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his father's
brother, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to
reign ; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his
mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of
X9 Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
20 Jehovah, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For
through the anger of Jehovah was it done in Jerusalem and
in Judah, until he cast them out from his presence.
1 And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And
it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth
month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon came, he and all his host, against Jerusa
lem, and encamped against it ; and they built towers against
2 it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh
3 year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth of the month the
famine was sore in the city, and there was no bread for the
4 people of the land ; and the city was broken into, and all the
men of war fled by night, by the way of the gate between
the two walls, which is by the garden of the king ; and the
Chaldasans were against the city round about, and he went
5 by the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chal-
daeans pursued after the king ; and they overtook him in the
plains of Jericho, and all his army were scattered from him.
6 And they seized the king, and brought him up to the king
VV. 3, 4. The date is that of the storming of the city ; the severity of the prevailing famine,
weakening the power of resistance, is mentioned in connection with it. Compare Jer. 21 : 1-7.
354

H. KINGS. Chap. xxv.

of Babylon to Riblah ; and they gave judgment upon him.
7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he
put out the eyes of Zedekiah ; and they bound him with
two chains of brass, and brought him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month,
which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the executioners,
9 a servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem. And he
burned the house of Jehovah, and the king's house ; and all
the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he
10 with fire. And all the army of the Chaldaeans, that were
with the captain of the executioners, tore down the walls of
u Jerusalem round about. And the rest of the people that
were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the
king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, did Nebuzar-
adan the captain of the executioners carry away captive.
12 But the captain of the executioners left of the poor of the
13 land to be vine-dressers and husbandmen. And the pillars
of brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases,
and the brazen sea that was in the house of Jehovah, did
the Chaldteans break in pieces, and carried the brass thereof
u to Babylon. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers,
and the censers, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they
15 ministered, took they away. And the snuff-dishes, and the
basins, what was of gold, in gold, and what was of silver, in
ifl silver, the captain of the executioners took away. The two
pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon made for
the house of Jehovah, the brass of all the^e vessels was with-
17 out weight. The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits,
and the capital upon it was brass ; and the height of the
capital was three cubits ; and lattice-work and pomegranates
were on the capital round about, all of brass ; and like to
these had the second pillar on lattice-work.
X8 And the captain of the executioners took Seraiah the chief
VV. 18-21. Leading and representative men holding official stations, and private men of
sufficient account in position and numbers, were selected for exemplary punishment, and as a
warning against further attempts at resistance.- For the personal character of the agent" in
this transaction, see Jer. 40 : 1-6.
355

Chap. xxv. II. KINGS.

priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and three keepers of
19 the door ; and out of the city he took an officer that was set
over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the
king's presence, who were found in the city, and the scribe
of the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the
land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were
20 found in the city. And Nebuzar-adan captain of the execu
tioners took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon
21 to Riblah. And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew
them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was
carried away captive out of their land.
22 And the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, over them he made
23 Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler. And
all the captains of the armies, they and the men, heard that
the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor. And they
came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,
and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhu-
meth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maacha-
24 thite, they and their men. And Gedaliah swore to them,
and to their men, and said to them : Fear not the servants
of the Chaldasans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of
Babylon ; and it shall be well with you.
25 And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal,
came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he
died, and the Jews and the Chaldseans that were with him
26 at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and
the captain of the armies, rose up, and came to Egypt ; for
they were afraid of the Chaldseans.
27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the
captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month,
on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-
V. 21. So Judah was carried away captive out of their land. This transaction completed
the work of removing the population of the country, in the year 587 before Christ. None of
any account were left in the land. As a provision against anarchy and misrule, the king
placed over them a competent ruler, selected from their own people  W. 23-25. For a
more detailed account, see Jer. 40 : 7 — 41 : 3.  V. 26. Rose up and came to Egypt. See
Jer. 42 : 1-43 : 7. 353

H. KINGS. Chap. xxv.

merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to
reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, out of
prison. And he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne
above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon.
And he changed his prison garments, and ate bread continu-
30 ally before him, all the days of his life. And his allowance,
there was given him a continual allowance from the king, a
daily rate for every day, all the days of his fife.

28

29

V. 27. EoU-merodach ; Nebuchadnezzar's son, and his successor B. C 561.
Here closes the history of the occupation of Palestine, commenced in the book of Joshua,
and continued through the books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, a period of about eight and
a half. centuries.

The kingdom of Judah was now annihilated. The city of Jerusalem, and the temple of
Jehovah, were leveled to the ground ; the consecrated vessels of the sanctuary were borne
away for use in an idol temple ; the population of the country was dispersed in other lands.
Not a vestige of the nation, or of its institutions, remained. The name of the true God was
blotted out, in the only place on earth where he had been known and worshipped ; and tho
only people, among whom he had been acknowledged as God, were scattered through nations
knowing only idol-gods. To all human foresight, the institutions f jr the maintenance of Jeho
vah's worship were now extinct, and their restoration hopeless. The light which had illumined
Palestine was extinguished, and darkness settled down on all the earth.
But only in part was the Divine purpose thus terminated. It had a wider field than Pales
tine, and a wider scope than that which now came to an end. The dispensation of law, do
this and live, had been fully tried, under circumstances the most favorable, and by every
means consistent with human freedom and moral accountability. All had failed ; and in their
failure had left a lesson of instruction for all mankind.
But the continuity of the Divine purpose was unbroken. The promise to the world through
Abraham, " In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," was yet to be fulfilled.
In this hope the dispersed exiles were encouraged to return to their own land ; that in them
might be completed the Divine purpose, by the coming of the promised Deliverer, the Savior
of mankind. That he came in the fullness of time, is abundantly shown in the record of the
world's history. 357

NOTES ON THE HEBREW TEXT.

I. Sam. 13:1. Literally, Saul was the son of a year when he began to reign. It is conceded
by all, that the rendering of the first four words, in our common English version, is a false
construction of the Heb. text. It is supposed that a letter, expressing the number of years,
has fallen out of the text. There is nothing to indicate what that number was.
Ch. 14 : 32. The people flew upon ; the reading of the Keri.
II. Sam. 2 : 23. The fifth. The Heb. word occurs in five places. In Gen. 47 : 26 it means
a fifth ; a meaning which should not be sacrificed, for an uncertain etymology, in the other
four. *
Ch. 3 : 24. Is quite gone. For this use of the Infin. abs., see Ges. Gram. §131, Kern. 1,
Ewald, Lehrb. 8te Ausg. § 280i>.
Ch. 13 : 16. There is no cause. The form in Heb. is deprecatory. The nearest expression
of the meaning in English is that of the common version.
Ch. 15 : 7. Four years. " Forty years " appears to be a clerical error. See the discussion
in Keil, Lange, Speaker's Commentary, and others.
Ch. 21 : 9. AU seven. The dual form indicates Beven-fold ; an emphasis best expressed
by the all of the common version.
Ch. 22 : 51. Great deliverances, etc. ; as in Kethib.
I. Kings 12 : 4. Somewhat best expresses the force of the Heb. particle ; lighten from
it, by taking a part from it.
Ch. 15 : 13. An idol. So Gesenius ; and without doubt correctly. The ground-meaning
of the root is fear or terror, and by metonomy that which inspires fear. Gen. 31 : 42, 43.
Fiirst, in his lexicon, assuming here the signification horror, supposes a Phallus-image to be
meant. But the horror expressed by a derivative of the verb (Ps. 55 : 5 ; Ezek. 7 : 18) is that
inspired by fear or dread, not by disgust and aversion.
Ch. 19 : 4. Asked for his life, that he might die. Ewald's unnatural construction (Lehrb.
8te Ausg. § 336b) is far less probable.
n. Kings 6 : 5. The axe-head. Literally, the iron itself, the part that was iron, in dis
tinction from the wooden handle.
Ch. 10 : 24. The man who lets one escape. The verb should be pointed as Piel, and not as
Niphal in the common Heb. text. 358
THE END.