sik !\'-'3''5'^ M^:HJ^J¥^P .\yi>it*"^('.i:>n'^' .:M iiipm? IS' " >!ft'4-&--i>.-'S''.:«!: I for the fouadiag of a, CoMigt^oiiiMiLColort)'] Gift of 190 THE BOOKS OP JOSHUA, JUDGES AND EUTH THE COMMON VERSION REVISED FOR THE AMERICAN BIBLE UNION NEW YORK AMERICAN BIBLE UNION No. 33 GrKBAT Joi^EB StEBET. 1878 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by tlia AMBRIGAN BIBLB UNION, In the OC^ce of the Libi:ariaii of Goiigresa, in Washington. Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Company, 205-313 East uth St.t NEW YORK. JOSHUA. ^ And it came to pass, after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovak said to- Joshua son of Nun, Mo- ^ ses' minister : Moses my servant is dead ; and now arise, pass over this Jordan,, thou and all this people, into the ^ land which I giv^e ta them^, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which, the sole- o-f your foot shall tread, to you * have I given it, as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon,, and unto the great river, the river Eu phrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea where the sun goes down, shall be yoiar border. ^ No man shall stand before thee- all the days of thy life ; as I was with Moses so. will I be with thee ; I will not fail thee ® nor forsake thee. Be strong and firm \ for thou shalt dis tribute to> this people the land which I swore to their fathers "^ to give them. Only be very strong and firm, to observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant com manded thee ; turn not from it right and left,, that thou ^ mayest prosper wherever thou, goest. Let not this book of the law depart from thy mouth ; and thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thom mayest observe, to do ac cording to all that is writtea therein ; for then shalt thou ^ succeed in thy way, and then shalt thou prosper. Have not I commanded thee : Be strong and firm 1 Fear not, and be not dismayed ; for Jehovah, thy Qod is with thee wherever thou goest. ^" And Joshua GOmmanded the' directors- of the people, " saying : Pass through the midst ©f the eamp, and command the people, saying r: Prepare you; food - for within three days shall ye pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Jehovah your God gives you. ta possess. A 1 Chap. n. JOSHUA. 12 And to the Reubenite, and to the Oadite, and to the half 13 tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said : Remember the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying : Jehovah your Ood causes you to rest, and has given you 1* this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall dwell in the land which Moses gave to you beyond the , Jordan ; and ye shall pass over ready for war before your^ brethren, all the strong and valiant men, and shall help 15 them, until Jehovah gives rest to your brethren as to you, and they also shall possess the land which Jehovah your God gives them. Then shall ye return to the land of your possession, and shall possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan, where the sun rises.' i« And they answered Joshua, saying : All which thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest " us we will go. In all points as we hearkened to Moses so will we hearken to thee. Only let Jehovah thy God be with 18 thee, as he was with Moses. Every man who rebels against thy mouth, and hears not thy words in all which thou com- mandest him, shall be put to death ; only be strong and firm. 1 And Joshua son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men as spies, secretly, saying : Go, view the land,- and Jericho. And they went, and came into the house of a woman, a harlot, 2 named Rahab, and lay down there. And it was said to the king of Jericho : Behold, men are come hither to-night, of * the sons of Israel, to search out the land. And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying : Bring out the men that are come to thee, who entered into thy house ; for they are * come to search out all the land. Ahd the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said : True, the men came to ^ me, and I knew not whence they were ; and the gate was about to be shut at dark, and the men went out : I know not whither the men went. Pursue after them quickly ; * for ye will overtake them. Now she had brought them up V. 14. Or, pass over iu ranks V. IS. Or, commandeet ua JOSHUA. Chap. n. to the roof, and concealed them in the stalks of flax which were spread in order for her on the roof. "^ And the men pursued after them by the way to the Jor dan toward the fords ; and they shut the gate after those who pursued them had gone out. 8 And before they had lain down, she came up to them on ' the roof, and said to the men : I know that Jehovah has given you the land, and that the dread of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants ofthe land melt before 1" you. For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt, and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom ye devoted ; 11 and we heard, and our heart was dissolved, and no man's spirit stands any more before you ; for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above and in the earth beneath. 12 And now swear to me, I pray you, by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my 13 father's house, and give me a token of truth ; and save alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our souls from death. 1* And the men said to her : Let our soul die in your stead, if ye declare not this our business. And it shall be, when Jehovah gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. 15 And she let them down by the cord, through the window ; for her house was on the side of the town-wall, and she dwelt on the town-wall. 1* And she said to them : Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you ; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers return, and afterward go your way. " And the men said : We are clear of this thy oath which 18 thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the v. 10. Devoted ; as the same word is translated in Lev. 27 : 21, 28, 29 ; Deut. 13 : 17 (Marg.). The object devoted to Jehovah could not be redeemed, and as when wicked it could not be preserved by him, but must be destroyed, this was an expressive way of saying, that it was doomed and given up to punishment or destruction. V. 13. Or, deliver onr lives V. 1.5. Or, in tbe side. Or, in tHe town-wall. 3 Chap. hi. JOSHUA. land, this line of crimson thread shalt thou bind in the win dow by which thou didst let us down ; and thy father, and thy mother, and thy brothers, and all the house of thy father, 1^ shalt thou gather to thee in the house. And it shall be, that whoever goes forth out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be on his head, and we are clear ; and whoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood be 2" on our head, if any hand shall be upon him. And if thou shalt declare this our business, then are we clear of this thy oath which thou hast made us swear. ^1 And she said : According to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they went. And she bound the crimson line in the window. *2 And they went, and came to the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers sought them in all the way, and found them not. 23 And the two men returned, and came down from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua son of Nun, 2* and told him all that befell them. And they said to Joshua : Jehovah has given into our hand all the land ; and also all the inhabitants of the land melt before «g. 1 And Joshua rose early in the morning ; and they broke up from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, Jie and all the sons of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass at the end of three days, that the directors passed through the midst of the camp, and com- ^ manded the people, sayingn When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests, the Le vites, bearing it, then ye shall break -up from your place, and * go after it. Yet there shall be a space -between you and it, about two thousand cubits by tke measure. Come not near it, that ye may know the -way in which ye are to go ; for ye have not passed along the way heretofore. 5 And Joshua said to the people : Purify yourselves ; for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. And Joshua said to the priests : Take up the ark of the 4 n 6 JOSHUA. Chap. hi. covenant, and pass on before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. '' And Jehovah said ta Joshua : To-day will I begin to make thee great in the eyes of all Israel, who shall know 8 that as I was with Moses I will be with thee. And do thou command the priests bearing the ark of the covenant, say ing : When ye come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, in the Jordan shall ye stand. ® And Joshua said to the sons of Israel : Come hither, 1° and hear the words of Jehovah your God. And Joshua said : By this shall ye know that a living God is in the midst of you, and will surely drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth 1^ passes over before you through the Jordan. And now take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man for each 13 tribe. And it shall be, when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of Jehovah, Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the water of the Jordan, that the water of the Jordan shall be cut off, the water that comes down from above, and shall stand in a heap. 1* And it came to pass, when the people broke up from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, and the priests, bearing the !"• ark of the covenant before the people, and as the bearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, (now the Jordan is full upon all its banks all the days of harvest), 1* that the water stood which came down from above, rose up in a heap, very far off, by Adam, the city which is beside Zaretan 5 and that which went down toward the sea of the Arabah, the salt sea, was wholly cut oflf. And the people 1^ passed over right against Jericho. And the priests bearing V. 11. Gr, into the Jordan V. IS. The Arabah, as oh. 5-. S-, 18 : 18. This word, meaning properly the " arid," " desert" place, is employed uniformly throughout tbe historical books ofthe 0. T. as a proper name for the peculiar desert valley-plain which borders the Jordan and tbe Dead Sea. " The proper name of this valley." Bobmson, Physical Geog. of Palestirm, p. 73. 5 Chap. iv. JOSHUA. the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood on the dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, firmly ; and all Israel passed over on the dry ground, until all the nation had done pass ing over the Jordan. 1 And it came to pass after all the nation had done passing 2 over the Jordan, that Jehovah said to Joshua : Take you out of the people twelve men, one man out of each tribe ; 3 and command ye them, saying : Take you up hence, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones ; and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place where ye lodge this night. * And Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed 5 out of the sons of Israel, one man out of each tribe ; and Joshua said to them : Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God, into the midst of the Jordan, and raise you up each man one stone upon his shoulder, according to the « number of the tribes of the sons of Israel ; that this may be a sign in the midst of you, when your sons shall ask here- '' after, saying : What are these stones to you ? Then ye shall say to them : That the water of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah ; when it passed through the Jordan, the water of the Jordan was cut off; and these stones were to be a memorial to the sons of Israel forever. 8 And the sons of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and 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 sons of Israel, and carried them over with them to the lodging place, and laid them down there. 9 And twelve stones did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where stood the feet of the priests bear ing the ark of the covenant ; and they were there unto this day. ' 0 And the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the 6 JOSHUA. Chap. iv. Jordan, until everything was completed which Jehovah com manded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all which Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hastened 11 and passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people had done passing over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests before the people. 12 And the sons of Reuben passed over, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, ready for war, before the 13 sons of Israel, as Moses spoke to them. About forty thou sand equipped for the host passed over, before Jehovah, for the war, into the desert plains of Jericho. 1* On that day Jehovah made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel ; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15, 16 ^^(j Jehovah said to Joshua : Command the priests bear ing the ark of the law, that they come up out' of the Jordan. " And Joshua commanded the priests, saying : Come up out 18 of the Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priests bear ing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, came up out of the midst of the Jordan, [that] the soles of the priests' feet were plucked out upon the dry ground, and the waters of the Jor dan returned to their place, and went, as before, on all its banks. 1^ And the people went up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east ern edge of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jor- 21 dan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. And he said to the sons of Israel : When your sons shall ask their fathers hereafter, 22 saying: What are these stones? Then shall ye let your sons know, saying : On dry ground Israel passed over this 23 Jordan ; for Jehovah your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until ye had passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us 2* until we had passed over ; that all the peoples of the earth V. 12. Or, in ranks V. 16. Or, ark of the testimony 7 Chap. v. JOSHUA. might know the hand of Jehovah, that it is strong ; that ye might fear Jehovah your God always. 1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were on the sea, heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel, until we had passed over, that their heart melted, and there was no more any spirit in them before the sons of Israel. 2 At that time Jehovah said to Joshua : Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise again the sons of Israel, the second 3 time. And Joshua made him knives of stone, and circum cised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. * And this is the cause why Joshua circumcised. All the people that came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness, on the way, as they came forth ' out of Egypt. For all the people that came out were cir cumcised ; and all the people that were born in the wilder ness, on the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they did * not circumcise ; for the sons of Israel went forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation was consumed, the men of war, that came forth out of Egypt ; because they listened not to the voice of Jehovah ; to whom Jehovah swore that he would not let them see the land which Jehovah swore to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ' And their sons he set up in their stead. Them Joshua cir cumcised ; for they were uncircumcised ; for they had not circumcised them on the way. 8 And it came to pass, when all the nation had done cir cumcising, that they abode in their place in the camp, until they were healed. 8 And Jehovah said to Joshua : This day have I rolled the reproach of Egypt from off you. And he called the name of that place Gilgal unto this day. v. 24. Or, that they might fear V. 2. Or, sharp knives V. 3. Or, sharp knives 8 JOSHUA. Chap. vi. 1" And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal ; and they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, 11 in the desert plains of Jericho. And they ate of the pro duce of the land from the morrow after the passover, un- 12 leavened bread and roasted ears on that very day. And the manna ceased from the morrow, when they ate of the produce of the land ; and the sons of Israel had manna no more ; and they ate of the growth of the land of Canaan that year. 13 And it came to pass, while Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, a man stood 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, 1* our adversaries? And he said : Nay, but I am prince of Je hovah's host ; now am I come — And Joshua fell on his face to the ground, and worshipped, and said to him : What does 1* my Lord speak to his servant ? And the prince of Jehovah's host said to Joshua : Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place on which thou standest is holy ; and Joshua did 1 so. (Now Jericho had shut [her gates] and was fast shut before the sons 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, the strong and valiant men. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six "days. * And seven priests shall bear seven alarm-trumpets before the ark. And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall give a blast on the trum- ^ pets. And it shall be, when they blow strongly on the alarm-horn, when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, that 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 forward. ^ And Joshua son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them : Take up the ark of the covenant ; and let seven priests bear seven alarm-trumpets before the ark of Jehovah. 9 Chap. ti. JOSHUA. ^ And they said to the people : Pass on,. and compass the city ; and those that are equipped shall pass on before the ark of Jehovah. ® And it came to pass, as Joshua said [this] to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven alarm-trumpets be fore Jehovah passed on, and gave blasts on the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went behind them ; ® and those that were equipped went before the priests, who gave blasts on the trumpets ; and the rearward went after 1" the ark, continually giving blasts on the trumpets. And to the people Joshua gave command, saying : Shout not, and let not your voice be heard, and let no word come out of your mouth, until the day when I say to you : Shout ! Then 11 shall ye shout. And the ark of Jehovah compassed the city, going round about once. And they returned to the camp, and lodged in the camp. 1^ And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests 13 took up the ark of Jehovah. And the seven priests bear ing the seven alarm-trumpets before the ark of Jehovah went on, giving blasts on the trumpets continually ; and those that were equipped went before them ; and the rear ward went after the ark of Jehovah, continually giving 1^ blasts on the trumpets. And they compassed the city the second day once, and returned ; so they did six says. 1^ And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early, at the rising of the dawn, and corapassed the city in this manner seven times. Only on this day did they cora ls pass the city seven times. And it came to pass at the sev enth time, when the priests gave a blast on the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people : Shout ; for Jehovah has " given you the city! And the city is devoted, it and all that is in it, to Jehovah ; only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the 18 messengers that we sent. Only keep yourselves from what is devoted, lest ye devote, and take of what is devoted, and V. 7. Or, And he said 10 JOSHUA. Chap. vn. make the camp of Israel a devoted thing, and trouble it. 1^ And all silver, and gold, and vessels of brass, and iron, are holy to Jehovah ; into the treasury of Jehovah shall they come. 2" And the people shouted, and they gave a blast with the' trurapets. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, and the people went up into the city, every man straight forward ; and they took 21 the city. And they devoted everything which was in the city', from man to woman, from young to old, and to ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22 But to the two men who had spied out the land Joshua said : Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the 23 woman, and all that she has, as ye swore to her. And the young men, the spies, went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had ; and they brought out all her families, and placed 2* them without the camp of Israel. And the city they burned with fire, and all that was in it ; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass, and iron, they gave to the treasury 25 of the house of Jehovah. And Rahab the harlot, and her father's house, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive ; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day ; because she hid the messengers that Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26 And Joshua caused them to swear at that time, saying : Cursed be the man before Jehovah, who shall rise up and build this city, Jericho. In his first born shall he lay its foundation, and in his youngest son shall he set up its gates. 2^ And Jehovah was with Joshua and his fame was in all the land. 1 And the sons of Israel comm.itted a fraud in that which was devoted, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of that which was de voted ; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the sons of Israel. 11 Chap. vii. JOSHUA. 2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is by Beth-aven, on the east of Bethel, and said to them : Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out 3 Ai. And the men returned to Joshua and said to him : Let not all the people go up ; about two thousand or about three thousand men can go up and smite Ai. Make not the whole * people to labor thither ; for they are few. And there went up thither of the people about three thousand men ; and 6 they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men, and they chased them before the gate unto the quarries, and smote them on the descent. And the heart of the people melted, and became water. « And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell on his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah, until the evening, he and ¦^ the elders of Israel ; and they put dust on their head. And Joshua said : Alas, Lord, Jehovah, why hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to give us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us ? 0 that we had been 8 content, and dwelt beyond the Jordan ! Beseech thee, Lord! what shall I say, after Israel has turned the back before his ® eneraies? And the Canaanite will hear of it, and all the in habitants of the land, and will compass us about, and cut off our name from the earth ; and what wilt thou do to thy great name ? i» And Jehovah said to Joshua : Up with thee ! Why art thou 11 fallen there on thy face ? Israel has sinned ; and they have also transgressed the covenant which I commanded- them ; and also taken of that which was devoted ; and also stolen ; 12 and also Ued ; and also put it among their own goods. And the sons of Israel can not stand before their enemies ; they will turn the back before their eneraies ; for they are de voted. I will not be with you any more, unless ye destroy 13 that which is devoted from among you. Up ! purify the people, and say : Purify yourselves against to-morrow ; for thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : There is that which was devoted in the midst of thee, 0 Israel ; thou canst not stand V. 6. Or, unto Shebarim 12 JOSHUA. Chap. th. befpre thy enemies, .until ye put away the devoted thing 1* from among you. And ye shall come near, in the morning, by your tribes ; and it shall be that the tribe which Jehovah takes shall come near by its families ; and the family which Jehovah takes shall come near by its houses ; and the house 1^ which Jehovah takes shall come man by man. And it shall be that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has ; because he has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has wrought folly in Israel. 1^ And Joshua rose early in the morning, and brought Israel 1' near by his tribes ; and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought near the family of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhite ; aud he brought near the family of the Zar- 18 hite man by man, and Zabdi was taken ; and he brought near his house man by man, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 1^ 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 me. 2" And Achan answered Joshua, and said : Indeed, I have sinned against Jehovah God of Israel, and thus and thus have 21 I done. I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle frora Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a tongue of gold, of fifty shekels weight; and I desired them and took them ; and, behold, they are hid in the earth within my 22 tent, and the silver under it. And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent ; and, behold, it was hid in his 23 tent, and the silver under it. And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the the sons of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah. 2* And Joshua took Achan, son of Zerah, aud the silver, arid the mantle, and the tongue of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had, and all Israel with him, and V. 17. Or, families of Judah, according to several copies and important versions. 13 Chap, vm, JOSHUA. 26 2* brought them iip into the valley q^ Achor. And Joshua . said ; Why hast thou troubled us ? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones ; and they burned them with fire, and pelted them with stones. | And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. And Jehovah turned from the heat of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called the valley of Achor unto this day. 1 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Fear not, and be not dismayed. Take with thee all the people of war, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his peo- 2 pie, and his city, and his land. And do thou to Ai and Ifer king, as thou didst to Jericho and her king ; only her spoil and her cattle may ye take to you for prey. Set thee an ambush for the city behind it. 3 And Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up tp Ai. And Joshua chose thirty thousand strong and vahant * men, and sent them by night. And he commanded them, saying : See, ye are to lie in ambush for the city, behind the city ; go not very far from the city, and be ye all ready. 5 And I and all the people that are with me will go near the city. And it shall be when they come out against us, as at ® the first, that we will flee before thera. And they will come out after us, till we have drawn thera away frora the city ; for they will say : They flee before us, as at the first. And ^ we will flee before them. And ye shall rise up out of the ambush, and take possession of the city, and Jehovah your 8 God will give it into your hand. And it shall be when ye seize the city, that ye shall set the city on fire ; according to the word of Jehovah shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. ^ And Joshua sent them, and they went to the ambush, and they reraained between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. And Joshua lodged that night among the people. "* And Joshua rose early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the U JOSHUA. Chap. tiu. 11 people to Ai.' And |iU the people of war that were with him went up, and drew near, and came before the city, and en camped on the north side of Ai ; and the ravine was be- i"2 tween him and Ai. And he took about five thousand men and placed them as an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on 13 the west sido of the city. And they placed the people, all the camp that was on the north side of the city and their liers in wait on the west side of the city ; and Joshua went this night into the midst of the valley. 1* And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hastened and rose early, and went forth, the men of the city, against Israel to battle, he and all his people, to the appointed place before the Arabah ; and he knew not that 15 there was an ambush .for him behind the city. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and 1® fled by the way toward the wilderness. And all the people that were h. the city were called together to piirsue after thera, and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away 1' frora the city. And there was not a man left in Ai and Bethel, that went not out after Israel ; and they left the city open and pursued after Israel. ^8 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Siretch forth the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai ; for into thy hand will I give it. And Joshua stretched forth the spear that was in his hand to- 10 ward the city. And the ambush rose up quickly from their place, and ran, when he stretched forth his hand, and went into the city, and took it, and made haste and set the city on 20 fire. And the men of Ai. turned back, and looked, and, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven ; and there was no- power in thera to flee this way and that way ; and the peo ple that were fleeing toward the wilderness turned back upon 21 the pursuers. And Joshua and all Israel saw that the am bush had taken the city, and that the sraoke of the city went 22 up ; and they returned, and smote the men of Ai. And those came forth out of the city against them: and they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on V. 13. Or, thtough'the midst V. 14. Or, at the appointed time 15 Chap. vm. JOSHUA. that ; and they sraote them, so that they let none of them 23 remain and escape. And the king of Ai they caught alive, and brought him to Joshua. 2* And it came to pass when Israel had finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness whither they had pursued them, and when they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the 25 sword. And all who fell that day, frora man to woman, were 26 twelve thousand, all the men of Ai. And Joshua drew not back his hand, which he had stretched forth with the spear, 2'^ until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of this city Israel seized as their own prey, according to the word of Jehovah which he com- 28 manded Joshua. And Joshua burned Ai, and made it an 20 everlasting rubbish-heap, a desolation, unto this day. And the king of Ai he hanged on the tree until the evening time ; and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took down his dead body from the tree, and threw it down in the opening of the gate of the city, and raised over it a great mound of stones, to this day. 30 At that time Joshua built an altar to Jehovah God of 31 Israel, on mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of Jehovah com manded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the - law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has swung iron. And they offered on it burnt offerings to 32 Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had writ- 33 ten before the sons of Israel. And all Israel, and his elders, and directors, and his judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that, in the presence of the priests, the Levites bear ing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the stranger as he that was born among them ; half of them over against mount Gerizim and the other half of them over against mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded, to 3* bless the people of Israel, in the beginning. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, 16 JOSHUA. Chap. ix. according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses comraanded, which Joshua did not read in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and of the woraen, and the little ones, and the stran ger. who walked among them. 1 And it came to pass, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, on the mountain and in the low country and on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon, heard this, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, 2 the Hivite and the Jebusite, that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua * had done to Jericho and to Ai, they also did craftily, and went and set out on the journey, and took old sacks for their asses, 5 and wine-skins old, and torn, and bound up, and old and _ patched shoes on their feet, and old clothes on them ; and ^ all the bread of their provision was dry, crumbled. And they went to Joshua into the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel : Frora a far country are we "^ come, and now strike a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said to the Hivite : Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how can we strike a covenant with thee ? 8 And they said to Joshua: Thy servants are we. And Joshua said to thera : Who are ye, and whence come ye ? 0 And they said to > him : From a very far country thy ser vants are come, at the name of Jehovah thy God ; for we have heard the farae of him, and all that he did in Egypt ; 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorite, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to 11 Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. And our elders, and all the inhabitants of our land said to us : Take in your hand food for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them : Your servants are we, and now strike with us a V. 1. Mountain ; low country. See geographical explanation in note on ch. 10 : 40. T. 4. Or, provided themselves with food V. 5. Or, dry, spotted ; or, mouldy. B 17 Chap. ix. JOSHUA. 12 covenant. This our bread, we took it for our provision hot out of our houses, the day we came forth to go to you ; and 13 now, behold, it is dry, and has becorae crumbled. And these wine-skins which we filled new, behold, they are torn ; and these our clothes, and our shoes, have become old from 1* the very long journey. And the men took of their' pro- 15 vision ; and the mouth of Jehovah they did not ask. And Joshua made, peace with them, and struck a covenant with them to let them live ; and the princes of the congregation swore to them. 1^ And it came to pass at the end of three days, after they had struck a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them. " And the sons of Israel broke up, and came to' their cities the third day ; and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, 18 and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. And the sons of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Jehovah God of Israel. And all the 10 congregation murmured against the princes. And all the princes said to all the congregation : We have sworn to them by Jehovah, God' of Israel ; and now we can not touch ^0 thera. This will we do to thera, and let them live^ that wrath be not upon us on account of the oath which we swore 21 to thera. And the princes said to them : Let them live. And they became wood-choppers and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them. 22 And Joshua called them, and spoke to them, saying : Why have ye deceived us, saying : We are very far from 23 you ; when ye dwell in the midst of us ? And now cursed are ye ; there shall not fail from among you servants, and wood-choppers and drawers of water for the house of my 2* God. And they answered Joshua, and said : It was told and told to thy servants, that Jehovah thy God commanded Moses his servant to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants ofthe land before you ; and we feared greatly 25 for our lives before you, and did this thing. And now, be- V. 13. Or, spotted ; or, mouldy. 18 JOSHUA. Chap. hold, we are in thy hand ; as it is good and right in thy eyes 20 to do to us, do. And he did to them thus, and delivered them out of the hand of the sons of Israel, and they slew . 2'' them not. And Joshua made thera that day wood-choppers and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, in the place which he should choose. f 1 And it carae to pass, wnen Adoni-zedek king of Jerusa lem heard that Joshua had taken Ai, aud devoted it ; as he did to Jericho and her king, so had he done to Ai and her king ; and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace 2 with Israel, and were in the midst of thera ; that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the cities of the kingdom, and because it was greater than Ai, 3 and all its men were valiant. And Adoni-zedek king of Je rusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarrauth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king * of Eglon, saying : "Corae up to me and help me, and we will smite Gibeon ; for she has made peace with Joshua and the ^ sons of Israel. And they gathered themselves together and went up, five kings of the Amorite, the king of Jerusalera, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, they and all their camps, and encamped camped against Gibeon, and waged war against it. 0 And the men 'of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp in Gilgal, saying : Slack not thy hands from thy servants ; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us ; for collected against us are all the kings of the Amorites dwelling in the "^ mountain. And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the strong and valiant men. 8 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Fear not because of them, for into thy hands have I given them ; not a man of them ' 0 shall stand before thee. And Joshua came to them sud- 10 denly ; all the night was he going up from Gilgal. And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and smote them with a great stroke at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them unto Azekah, 19 Chap. x. JOSHUA. 11 and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass while they fled before Israel — they were in the descent to Beth-horon — that Jehovah hurled great stones upon them out of heaven, unto Azekah, and they died. More were they that died from the hailstones than they whom the sons of Israel slew with the sword. 12 At that time "spoke Joshua to Jehovah, in the day when Jehovah gave up the Amorite before the sons of Israel, and he said before the eyes of Israel : Sun, be thou still on Gibeon, And thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon ! And the sun was still, 13 And the moon stood, Until the nation were avenged on their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of^the Upright : And the sun stood in the middle of the heavens, and hasted not to go 1* down about an entire day? And there was no day like that before it and after it, that Jehovah hearkened to the voice 15 of a man ; for Jehovah fought for Israel. And Joshua re turned, and all Israel with him to the camp to Gilgal. 16 And those five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave " at Makkedah. And they told Joshua, saying : The five 18 kings are found hid in the cave at Makkedah. And Joshua said : Roll great stones against the mouth of the cave, and 10 appoint men over it to guard it. And do* not ye stay ; pur sue after your enemies, and sraite their rear ; let them not come into their cities ; for Jehovah your God has given them into your hand. 20 And it carae to pass, when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished smiting thera with a very great stroke, until they were consumed, (and those that were escaped of them 21 had escaped, and entered into the fortified cities), that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace ; none pointed his tongue at a man of the sons of Israel. 22 And Joshua said : Open the mouth of the cave, and bring 23 out to me those five kings from the cave. And they did so 20 JOSHUA. Chap. x. and b*-oug.ht out to hini those five kings from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarrauth, 2* the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. And it carae to pass, when they brought out these kings to Joshua, that he called to all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with hira : Come near ; put your feet on the necks of these kings. And'they carae near, and 25' put their feet on their necks. And Joshua said to them : Fear not, and be not dismayed ; be strong and firm ; for so will Jehovah do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. 26 And Joshua smote them afterward, and put them to death, and hung thera on five trees ; and they were hanging on the 2^ trees until the evening. And it carae to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and threw them into the cave where they had hid themselves, and placed great stones on tht mouth of the cave, to this very day. 28 And Makkedah Joshua took on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword ; and the king thereof he de voted, them and every soul that was therein. He left none remaining ;. and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did to the king of Jericho. 2" And Joshua passed on, and all Israel with him, from Makkedah to Libnah ; and they fought against Libnah. 30 And Jehovah gave it also into the hand of Israel, and its king ; and he sraote it with the edge of the sword, and every soul that was therein ; he left none remaining there in ; and he did to her king as he did to the king of Jericho. 31 And Joshua passed on, and all Israel with him, from Libnah to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it. 32 And Jehovah gave Lachish into the hand of Israel* and he took it the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and every soul that was therein, according to all which he did to Libnah. 33 Then went up Horam king of Gezer to help Lachish, and V. 28. Or, it [the city] 21 Chap. xi. JOSHUA. Joshua smote him and his people until he left him none re maining. 3* And Joshua passed on, and all Israel with hira, from Lachish to Eglon, and they encaraped against it, and fought : 35 against it. And they took it that day, and sraote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he devoted that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. 36 And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, 3^ to Hebron, and they fought against it. And they took it and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king, and its cities, and all the souls that were therein ; he left none remaining,, according to all that he had done to Eglon ; and he devoted it and all the souls, that were therein. 38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, 30 and fought against it. And he took it, and its king, arid all its cities, and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and devoted every soul that was therein ; he left none re- rriaining. As he had done to Hebron, so did he to Debir, and to its king ; and as he had done to Libnah and its king. -• *o And Joshua sraote the whole land, the mountain" and the south and the low-country and the foot-hills and all their kings ; he left none remaining ; and everything that had breath he devoted, as Jehovah God of Israel commanded ^1 him. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even to ^2 Gaza, and all the land of Goshen even to Gibeon. And all . these kings and their lands Joshua took at one time, be cause Jehovah God of Israel fought for Israel. *3 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with hira, to the camp to Gilgal. 1 And it carae to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard V. 40. Foot-hills, a designation, apparently, of the district lying about the foot of the central mountain region of southern Palestine, especially on the western side of it, by some rendered " the slopes ;" by others, " the ridges." The verse presents a geographical division of Pales-| tine proper. The " mountain" was the abruptly elevated region between the land of the Philistines with the vale of Sharon, on tho west, and the Jordan valley on the east ; and it consti tuted most of the territory of Judah and Ephraim. The " south" was the desert tract which slopnd off at the southern end of Judah, between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. The " low-country" (Shepheleh) was the flats on the west of the "mountain," more particularly their southern part. 22 JOSHUA. Chap. xi. this, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king 2 of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings that were in the north on the mountain, and in the Arabah south of Cinneroth, and in the low country, and in the 3 heights of Dor on the west; to the Oanaaitite on the east and on the west ; and to the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite, on the mountain ; and to * the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. And they went forth, they and all their camps with them, a numerous people, as.the sand that is upon the sea shore for multitude, 5 and horses and chariots very many. And all these kings met together, and came, and encamped together at the water of Merom, to fight with Israel. 6 And Jehovah said to Joshua : Fear not before them ; for to-morrow about this time will I give them all slain before Israel. Their horses shalt thou hough, and burn their chari- ¦^ ots with fire. And Joshua, and all the people of war with him, came against them at the water of Merom, suddenly, 8 and fell upon them. And Jehovah gave them into the hand of Israel, and they smote them, and pursued them to great Zidon, and to Misrephoth-maira, and to the plain of Mizpeh eastward ; and they smote them until he left thera none re- 0 maining. And Joshua did to them as Jehovah had said to him ; their horses he houghed, and their chariots he burnt with fire. 10 And Joshua returned at that time, and took Hazor ; and her king he smote with the sword ; for Hazor before 11 this was the head of all these kingdoms. And they smote all the souls that were therein, with the edge of the sword, devoting them ; therfe was none left that had breath : and 12 Hazor he burned with fire. And all the cities of these kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and smote them with the edge of the sword ; he devoted them, as Moses the ser- 13 vant of Jehovah commanded. Yet none of the cities which stood on their hill did Israel burn, except that Hazor alone " Joshua burnt. And all the spoil of these cities, and the V. 2. Or, the region of Dor £3 Chap. xn. JOSHUA. cattle, the sons of Israel took for their prey ; but all tiie people they smote with the edge of the sword, till they de- 15 stroyed them ; they left none that had breath. As Jehovah commanded Moses his servant, so Moses comraanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all which Jehovah had commanded Moses. 16 And Joshua took all this land, the mountain and all the south and all the land of Goshen and the low-country and the Arabah and the mountain of Israel and its low-coun- " try, frora the smooth mountain, which goes up to Seir, even to Baal-gad in the plain of Lebanon, under mount Hermon ; and all their kings he took, and smote them, and put them 18 to death. Many days did Joshua make war with all these 10 kings. There was not a citj* which made peace with the sons of Israel, except the Hivite dwelling in Gibeon ; they 20 took all in war. For it was from Jehovah to strengthen their heart to meet the war with Israel, in order to devote them, that there might be no pity for them, but in order to destroy them, as Jehovah had comraanded Moses. 21 And Joshua came at that time, and cut oft' the Anakira from the mountain, frora Hebron, from Debir, frora Anab, and frora all the raountain of Judah, and from all the mount- 22 ain of Israel ; with their cities Joshua devoted them. There were no Anakira left in the land of the sons of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod they were left. 23 And Joshua took the whole land, according to all wliich Jehovah spoke to Moses. And Joshua gave it for a posses sion to Israel, according to their divisions, for their tribes. And the land was quiet from war. 1 And these are the kings of the land, whom the sons of Israel smote and took possession of their land, beyond the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the watercourse of Arnon to mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward ; V. 17. Or, from the bald mountain V. 1. Watercourse of Arnon. The reviser has been greatly embarrassed for want of a suita ble English term to denote at once the bed of a rushing, ev.nnescent stream, and the stream itself, when perchance it may flow there. Neither " valley," " river," nor " brook " which are promiscuously used in the Common Version expresses adequately the sense of 'the Hebrew 24 JOSHUA. Chap. xii. 2 Sihon, king of the Amorite, who dwelt in Heshbon, ruling from Aroer, which is on the bank ofthe watercourse of Arnon, and in the midst of the watercourse, and [over] half of Gilead to Jabbok, the watercourse the border ofthe sons of Ammon, 3 and [over] the Arabah to the sea of Cinneroth, eastward, and to the sea of the Arabah, the salt sea, eastward to ward Beth-jeshimoth ; and in the south under the foot-hills * of Pisgah. And the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaites, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at 5 Edrei, and ruled in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurite and the Maachathite, and [in] half of Gilead [to] the border of Sihon king of 6 Heshbon. Moses the servant of Jehovah and the sons of Israel sraote them, and Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it as a possession to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. '' And these are tlie kings of the land, whom Joshua and the sons of Israel smote beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal-gad in the plain of Lebanon even to the smooth mount ain, which goes up to Seir ; and Joshua gave it to the tribes 8 of Israel as their possession, according to their divisions ; on the mountain, and in the low-country, and in the Arabah, and on the foot-hills, and in the wilderness, and in the south ; the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the 0 Hivite, and the Jebusite : the king of Jericho, one ; the king 10 of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one ; the king of Jerusalem, 11 one ; the king of Hebron, one ; the king of Jarrauth, one ; 12 the king of Lachish, one ; the king of Eglon, one ; the king 13 of Gezer, one ; the king of Debir, one ; the king of Geder, 1* one ; the king of Hormah, one ; the king of Arad, one ; ll the king of Libnah, one ; the king of Adullam, one ; the " king of Makkedah, one ; the king of Bethel, one ; the king word. Among foreign terms which do express it, none, perhaps, is so near to being familiar (from its frequent employment by travelers in the Holy Land) as the Arabic " wadi," which is precisely equivalent, being the present name for the same object. In Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, Art. " river," the difficulty is well stated, and various remedies are suggested. The word " torrent," proposed by Dean Stanley (Sinai and Palestine) is hardly satisfactory, yet it is wjth only a shade of preference that " watercourse" has been adopted above. See notes on the passage in Lange's Commentary on Joshna. 25 Chap. xni. JOSHUA. 18 of Tappiiah, one ; the king of Hepher, one ;^ the king/ of 10 Aphek, one ; the king of Lasharon, one ; the king of Madon, 20 one ; the king of Hazor, one ; the king of Shimron-meron, 21 one ; the king of Achshaph, one ; the king of Taanach, one ; 22 tlie king of Megiddo, one ;, the king of Kedesh, one ; the 23 king of Jokneam at Carmel, one ; the king of Dor on the 2i height of Dor, one ; the king of nations at Gilgal, one ; the king 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 of the 2 land there remains very much to possess. This is the land which remains : all the circles of the Philistines, and all 3 Geshuri ; from fhe Sihor, which is before Egypt, to the bor der of Ekron northward, shall be reckoned to the Canaanite : five lords of the Philistines, the Gazathite, and the Ashdod- ite, the Eshkalonite, the Gathite, and the Ekronite, and the * Avites, in the south; all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah, which belongs to the Zidonians, unto Aphek, to 5 the border of the Amorite ; and the land of the Gibhte, and all eastern Lebanon, from Baal-Gad under mount Her- 6 mon until one comes to Hamath : all the inhabitants of the mountain from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Zidonians, I will drive thera out from before the sons of Israel : only divide thou it by lot to Israel for a possession, as I have commanded thee. ¦^ And now divide this land for a possession to the nine 8 tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh. With hira the Reu benite and the Gadite took their possession, which Moses gave thera, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the ser- 0 vant of Jehovah gave them, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the watercourse of Arnon, and the city which is in the midst of the watercourse, and all the table-land of Medeba 10 to Dibon, and all the cities of Sihon king ofthe Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon to the border of the sons of Ammon ; V. 23. Or, in the region of Dor V. 2. Or, from the Nile V. 9. Tahle-land. Tliis seems the best available expression for the Hebrew which constantly designates the elevated region east of the Jordan valley, about Uedeba and Heshbon. 26 JOSHUA. Chap. xin. 11 and Gilead, and the border ofthe Geshurite and Maachathite, 12 and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan unto Salcah ; all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei ; he was left of the reranant of the Rephaites, 13 and Moses sraote them, and drove thera out. But the sons of Israel did not drive out the Geshurite and the Maacha thite ; and Geshur and Maachath dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day. 1* Only to the tribe of- Levi he gave no possession ; the fire-offerings of Jehovah God of Israel, these are his posses sion, even as he spoke to him. 15 And Moses gave to. the tribe of the sons of Reuben ac-; 16 cording to their families. And the border for them was from Aroer, which is on. the bank ofthe watercourse of Arnon, and - the city which is in the midst of the watercourse, and all the 1'' table-land of Medeba : Heshbon and all her cities, which are on the table-land, Dibon and all Baraoth-baal, Beth-baal- 18 meon, and Jahaza, and Kedemoth, and Mephaoth, and Kirjath- 20 aim, and Sibraah, and Zareth-shahar on the valley-mountain, and Beth-peor, and the foot-hills of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshi- 21 moth, and all the cities of the table-land, and all the kingdom ofSihon, kingof the Amorite, who reigned in Heshbon,. whom * Moses smote, him and the princes of Midian, Evi,. and Rckem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, chiefs of Sihon, that dwelt in 22 the land. And Balaam, son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the 23 sons of Israel slay with the sword upon their slain. And the- border ofthe sons of Reuben wasthe Jordan and [its] border; This is the possession of the sons of Reuben according ta their farailies, the cities and their villages. 2* And Moses gave to. the tribe of Gad, to the sonsi of Gad^ 25 according to their families. And the border for them wa& Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead', and half the land of tliC' 26 sons of Ammon, unto Aroer which is before Rabbah, and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim, and from. Maha- 2'^ naim to the border of Debir ; and in the valley, Beth-arara,. and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Z'aphon, the rest of the kingdomr af Sihon, king of Heshbon, the Jordan and [its] bor- 2Z Chap. xit. JOSHUA. der to the end of the sea of Cinneroth beyond the Jordan 28 eastward. This is the possession of the sons of Gad accord ing to their farailies, the cities and their villages. 20 Arid Moses gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. And the half tribe of the sons of Manasseh had according to their 30 farailies. And their border was from Mahanaira, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and all the towns of 31 Jair which are in Bashan, sixty cities. And half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Ba shan, went to the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, to half 32 the sons of Machir, according to their farailies. These are what Moses distributed in the desert-plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan by Jericho eastward. But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no possession : Jeho vah God of Israel, he is their possession, even as he spoke to them. 33 1 And these are what the sons of Israel received as a possession in the land of Canaan, what Eleazer the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of 2 the tribes, distributed to the sons of Israel, according to the lot of their possession, even as Jehovah had commanded by 3 the hand of Moses, to the nine tribes and the half tribe. For Moses had given the possession of the two tribes and the half tribe, beyond the Jordan ; and to the Levites he had given * no possession araong them. For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim ; and they gave no portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, and their 5 pasture-grounds for their cattle, and for their substance. As Jehovah had coraraanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and divided the land. 6 And the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite, said to hira : Thou knowest the word which Jehovah spoke to Moses the raan ^ of 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 28 JOSHUA. ChaI'. XV. 8 back word as it was in my heart. And my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed Jehovah my God. And Moses swore on 0 that day, saying : Surely the land on which thy foot has trod, to thee shall it be for a possession, and to thy sons for- 10' ever ; for thou hast wholly followed Jehovah my God. And now, behold, Jehovah has kept me alive, even as he spoke, these forty and five years since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness ; and now, be- 11 hold, I am this day eighty and five years old. Yet to-day am: I strong, as I was in the day when Moses sent me forth ; as my strength was then is my strength now, to make w.ar, 12 and to go out, and to come in. And now give me this mount- _ ain, of which Jehovah spoke in that day ; for thou didst hear in that day that Anakira are there, and cities great and forti fied. Perhaps Jehovah will be with me and I shall drive them out, as Jehovah spoke. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb, son 1* of Jephunneh, for a possession. Therefore Hebron became the possession of Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite, to this day, because he wholly followed Jehovah God of Israel. 15 And the name of Hebron before was City of Arba. He was the greatest man among the Anakira. And the land was quiet from war. And there was the lot for the tribe of the. sons of Judah according to their families, toward the border of Edom, the wilderness of Zin southward, in the extreme south. And their south border was from the end of the salt sea, from the tongue which turns southward. And it went out to the south of the ascent of Acrabbim, and passed over to Zin, and went up to the south of Kadesh-barnea, and passed over to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and bent around to Karkaa, and passed over to Azmon, and went out to the watercourse of Egypt ; and the outgoings of the border were at the sea. This shall be your south border. V. 15. Or, Kirjath-arba. 29 Chap. xv. JOSHUA. 5 And the east border was the salt sea to the end of the Jordan. And the border for the north side was from the tongue 6 of the sea, frora the end of the Jordan. And the border went up to Beth-hoglah, and passed over to the north of Beth-arabah, and the border went up to the stone of Bohan, ''son of Reuben. And the border went up to Debir, from the valley of Achor, and northward it turns to Gilgal, which is over against the ascent of Aduramira', which is south of the watercourse ; and the border passed over to the water of 8 En-sheraesh, and its autgoings were unto En-rogel. And the border went up to the ravine of the son of Hinnom to the south shoulder ofthe Jebusite, that is Jerusalem, and the border went np to the top of the mountain which is before the ravine of Hinnom on the west, which is at the north end 0 of the valley of Rephaites. And the border was drawn from the top of the mountain to the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out ta the cities of mount Ephron, and 10 the border was drawn to Baala, that is Kirjath-jearim. And the border bent around from Baala toward the west to mount Seir, and passed over to the shoulder of mount Jearim, that is Chesalon, on the north, and went down to Beth-shemesh, 11 and passed over to Timnah. And the border went out to the shoulder of Ekron northward, and the border was drawn to Shikron, and passed over ta mount Baala, and went out to .Jabneel ; and the outgoings of the border were at the sea. 12^ And the west border was unto^ the great sea and [its] bor der. This was the border of the sons of Judah round about, according to their families. 13 And to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, he gave as a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah, at the word of Jehovah to Joshua, the City of Arba, the father of Anak ; that is 1* Hebron. And Caleb, drove out from thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, children of Anak. 15 And he went up' from thence against the inhabitants of Debir ;. and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. T. 13. Or, Kirjath-arba. 30 JOSHUA. Chap. xv. 16 And Caleb said he that sraites Kirjah-sepher and takes it " to him will I give Achsah my daughter for a wife. And Othniel took it, son of Kenaz, brother of Caleb ; and he gave 18 him Achsah his daughter for a wife. And it came to pass as she came in, that she moved him to ask of her father a field ; and she alighted from the ass. An& Caleb said to 10 her : What wouldst thou ? And she said : Give me a bless ing ; for a south land hast thou given me, give me also springs of water ; and he gave her the upper springs, and the lower springs. 20 This was the possession of the tribe of the sons of Judah, according to their families. 21 And there were the cities in the extreme part of the tribe, of the sons of Judah, toward the border of Edom, in the 22 south : Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur; and Kinah, and 23 Dimonah, and Adadah ; and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ith as nan ; Ziph, and Telem, and Baaloth ; and Hazor-hadattah, 26 and Kerioth-hezron, that is Hazor ; Amam, -and Shema, and 2^ Moladah ; and Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-palet; 29 and Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, and Bizjothjah ; Baalah, 30 and lira, and Azem ; and Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah ; I2 and Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah ; and Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon ; all the cities twenty and nine, and their villages. 33 In the low country : Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah ; II and Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tappuah, and Bnam ; Jarmuth, 36 and AduUara, Socoh, and Azekah ; and Sharaim, and Adith- aim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim ; fourteen cities and their villages. 38 Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad ; and Dilean, and 30 Mizpeh, and Joktheel ; Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon ; fl and Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish ; and Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naahmah, and Makkedah ; sixteen cities, and their villages. tl Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan ; and Jiphtah, and Ashnah, V. 19. Or, for into a south land 31 Chap. xvi. JOSHUA. ** and Nezib ; and Keilab, and Achzib, and Mareshah ; nine cities, and their villages. \l Ekron, and her daughter-towns and her villages ; from Ekron and westward, all which was beside Ashdod, and " their villages ; Ashdod, and her daughter-towns and her villages ; Gaza, and her daughter-towns and her villages, unto the watercourse of Egypt, and the great sea and [its] border. *8 And on the mountain : Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh ; tl and Dannah, and Kirjath-sannah, that is Debir ; and Anab, 51 and Eshtemoh, and Anim ; and Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh ; eleven cities, and their villages. ^1 Arab, and Dumah, and Bshean ; and Janura, and Beth- 5* tappuah, and Aphekah ; and Humtah, and Kirjath-arba, that is Hebron, and Zior ; nine cities, and their villages. 56 Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah ; and Jezreel, and s'' Jokdeam, and Zanoah ; Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah ; ten cities, and their villages. 59 Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor ; and Maarath, and Beth- anoth, and Eltekon ; six cities, and their villages. 6^ Kirjath-baal, that is Kirjath-jearim, and Rabbah ; two cities, and their villages. 61 In the wilderness : Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah ; 62 and Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi ; six cities, and their villages. And the Jebusites, inhabiting Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not dispossess ; and the Jebusite dwelt with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem to this day. 1 And the lot for the sons of Joseph came out frora the Jordan by Jericho to the water of Jericho on the east, [namely] the wilderness which goes up from Jericho on 2 mount Bethel. And it went out from Bethel to Luz, and 3 passed over to the border of the Archite to Ataroth ; and it went down westward to the border ofthe Japhletite, unto the border of Beth-horon the lower, and unto Gezer ; and its V. 54. Or, City of Arba, that is Hebron. V. 1, Or, by the water. 32 63 JOSHUA. Chap. xvii. * outgoings were at the sea. And the sons of Joseph received [it as] a possession, Manasseh and Ephraim. 5 And there was the border of the sons of Ephraim accord ing to their families ; and the border of their possession on the east was, Ataroth-addar unto Beth-horon the upper. 6 And the border went out westward to Michmethah on th^ north, and the border bent around eastward to Taanath- "^ shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah ; and went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and Naarath, and touched 8 upon Jericho, and went out at the Jordan. Frora Tappuah the border went out westward to the watercourse of Kanah, and its outgoings were at the sea. This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, according to their families ; 0 and [also] the cities separated for the sons of Ephraira in the midst of the possession of the sons of Manasseh ; all the ¦ cities and their villages. 10 And they did not dispossess the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer, and the Canaanites dwelt in the midst of Ephraim to' this day, and became tributary servants. 1 And there was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh ; for he was the first-born pf Joseph ; for Machir, the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead ; for he was a man of war, 2 and he had Gilead and Bashan. And it was for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families ; for the ' sons of Abiezer, and for the sons of Helek, and for the sotis of Asriel, and for the sons of Shechem, and for the sons of' Hepher, and for the sons of Shemida ; these were the sotis 3 of Manasseh, the males, according to their families. But Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir; son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters ; and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Mil- * cah, and Tirzah. And they came near before Eleazer the ' priest, and before Joshua, son of Nun, and before the prin ces, saying : Jehovah commanded to give to us a possession in the midst of our brethren. And he gave them, at the' mouth of Jehovah, a possession in the midst of the brethren 0 33 Chap. xth. JOSHUA. 5 of their fathers. And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and of Bashan, which were beyond 0 the Jordan. For the daughters of Manasse'h received a pos session in the raidst of his sons. And the land of Gilead was for the remaining sons of Manasseh. T And the border of Manasseh was frora Asher to Michme thah, which is beyond Shechem ; and the border went to- 8 ward the right, to the inhabitants of En-tappuah. To Manass'eh belonged the land of Tappuah, and Tappuah on 0 the border of Manasseh to the sons of Ephraim. And the border went down to the watercourse of Kanah, on the south of the watercourse. These cities belonged to Ephraim in the midst of the cities of Manasseh. And the border of Manasseh was on the north of the watercourse ; and its out- 10 goings were at the sea. Southward was Ephraim's, and northward was Manasseh's ; and the sea was his border. And they touched upon Asher in the north, and upon Issachar in 11 the east. And Manasseh had in Issachar, and in Asher : Beth-shean and her daughter- towns, and Ibleara and her daughter-towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her daughter- towns ; and the inhabitants of En-dor and her daughter- towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her daughter- towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her daughter- towns, three heights. 12 And the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities ; and the Canaanite would dwell in this land. 13 And it came to pass when the sons of Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanite to tribute, and did not utterly dispossess him. 1* And the sons of Joseph spoke with Joshua, saying : Why hast thou given to rae as a possession one lot and one por tion, when I ara a great people, inasrauch as up to this 15 Jehovah has blessed me ? And Joshua said to them : If thou art a great people, get thee up into the forest, and cut down for thee there in the land of the Perizzite and of the Repha- 16 ites ; for mount Ephraim is too narrow for thee. And the eons of Joseph said : The mountain is not enough for us ; 34 JOSHUA. Chap. xvin. and chariots of iron are among all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley, amo^ig those in Beth-shean and her daughter-towns, and among those in the valley of Jezreel. 1^ And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to Manasseh : A great people art thou, and great power ha'st 18 thou ; thou shalt not have one lot. But a mountain shall be thine ; for it is a forest, and thou shalt cut it down, and thine shall be its outgoings ; for thou shalt disposssess the Canaanite ; for he has chariots of iron ; for he is strong. 1 And all the congregation of the sons of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up there the tent of the congre- 2 gation ; and the land was subdued before them. And there remained among the sons of Israel seven tribes which had 3 not yet received their possession. And Joshua said to the sons of Israel : How long are ye slack to go to possess the land which Jehovah God of your fathers has given you? * Give out for you three men for each trilje, and I will send them ; and they shall arise and go about in the land, and describe it in respect of their possession, and come to me. 5 And they shall divide it among thera into seven parts. Judah will stand on his border in the south, and the house 6 of Joseph will stand on their border in the north. And ye shall describe the land into seven parts, and bring hither to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God. ^ For the Levites have no part among you ; for the priest hood of Jehovah is their possession. And Gad, and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh, received their possession beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave to them. 8 And the men arose and went. And Joshua comraanded the men that went to describe the land, saying : Go, and walk about in the land, and describe it, and return to me ; and here will I cast lots for you before Jehovah in Shiloh. 0 And the men went, and passed through the land, and de scribed it according to the cities into seven parts, in a book, and came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. 35 Chap. xvni. JOSHUA. If And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah ; and Joshua divided there the land for the sons of Israel according to their divisions. 11 And there came up the lot of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families. And the border of their lot went out between the sons of Judah and the sons 12 of Joseph. And their border on the north side was from the Jordan. And the border went up to the shoulder of Jericho on the north, and went up on the mountain west ward, and its outgoings were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 1? And the border passed over frora thence to Luz, to the south side of Luz, that is Bethel, and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain which is south of Beth ia boron the lower. And the border was drawn, and bent around to the west side, south of the mountain which is before Beth-horon, and its outgoings were at Kirjath-baal, that is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the sons of Judah. This is the west side. '5 And the south side was from the end of Kirjath-jearim. And the border went oat westward, and went out to the 16 fountain of the water of Nephtoah. And the border went down to the end of the mountain, which is before the ravine of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of the Rephaites northward, and went down into the ravine of the son of Hin nom, to the shoulder of the Jebusite southward, and went 1'^ down to Bn-rogel. And it was drawn toward the north, and went out to En-shemesh, and went out to Geliloth, which is over against the ascent of Aduramira, and went down to the 18 stone of Bohan, son of Reuben. And it passed over to the shoulder over against the Arabah, northward, and went down 10 to the Arabah. And the border passed over to the shoulder of Beth-hogla northward, and the outgoings of the border were at the tongue of the salt sea northward, at the south- 2° ern end of the Jordan. This is the south border. And the Jordan borders it on the east side. This is the possession of the sons of Benjamin according to its borders, round about, according to their families. 36 JOSHUA. Chap. xix. 21 And the cities for the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, ac cording to their families, were, Jericho, and Beth-hogla, and 22 Emek-keziz, and Beth-arabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel ; 2? and Avim, and Para, and Ophra ; and Cephar-haamaonai, 25 and Ophni, and Gaba ; twelve cities and their villages. Gibe- 26 on, and Raraah, and Beeroth ; and Mizpeh, and Ophirah, 28 and Mozah ; and Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah ; and Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, that is Jerusalem, Gibeath and Kirjath ; fourteen cities and their villages. This is the possession of of the sons of Benjamin, according to their families. 1 And the second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families ; and their possession was in the midst of the possession of the sons of 2 Judah. And they had within their possession Beersheba, 3 aud Sheba, and Moladah ; and Hazar-shual, and Balah, and *'° Azem ; and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah ; and Ziklag, 6 and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah ; and Beth-lebaoth, '' and Sharuhen ; thirteen cities and their villages ; Ain, Rem- mon, and Ether, and Ashan ; four cities and their villages : and all the villages which are round about these cities, unto Baalath-beor, Ramah of the south. 8 This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, according to their families. 0 Out of the portion of the sons of Judah was the possession of the sons of Simeon ; for the part of the sons of Judah was too large for them, and the sons of Siraeon received a pos session in the midst of their possession. 10 And the third lot came up for the sons of Zebulon accord ing to their families ; and the border of their possession was 11 unto Sarid. And their border went up westward, and to Maralah, and touched upon Dabbasheth, and touched upon 12 the watercourse which is before Jokneam. And it turned back from Sarid eastward, toward the sun-rising, to the bor der of Chisloth-tabor ; and went out to Daberath, and went 13 up to Japhia ; and from thence it passed over eastward, to- V. 28. Or, the Jebusite. 37 Chap. xix. JOSHUA. ward the sunrising, to Gittah-hepher, Ittah-kazin, and went 1* out to Rimmon, which extends to Neah. And the border bent around this on the north to Hannathon, and its outgo- 15 ings were at the ravine of Jiphtha-el. And Kahath and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Iddalah, and Bethlehem : twelve cities and their villages. 16 This is the possession of the sons of Zebulon, according to their families ; these cities and their villages. 1^ For Issachar came out the fourth lot, for the sons of Issa- 18 char, according to their families. And their border was to- 10 ward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem ; and Hapharaim, 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 touched upon Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh ; ahd the outgoings of their border were at the Jordan : sixteen cities and their villages. 23 This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, according to their families ; the cities and their villages. 2^^ And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the sons of 25 Asher, according to their farailies. And their border was 26 Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph ; and Alarame- lech, and Amad, and Misheal ; and it touched on Carmel, 2^^ westward, and on Shihor-libnath ; and it turned back toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and touched on Zebulon, and the ravine of Jiphtha-el northward of Beth-emek and Neiel, 28 and went out toward Cabul on the left ; and Hebron, and 20 Rehob, and Haramon, and Kanah, unto great Zidon ; and the border turned back to Ramah, and unto the fortified city of Tyre ; and the border turned back to Hosah, and its outgo-' 30 ings were at the sea, in the portion of Achzib ; and Ummah, and Aphek, and Rehob ; twenty-two cities and their villages. 31 This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Asher, according to their farailies ; these cities and their villages. 32 For the sons of Naphthali carae out the sixth lot, for the i 33 sons of Naphthali, according to their farailies. And their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and V. 13. Or, Eimmon-hamthoar. 38 JOSHUA. Chap. xix. Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakum ; and its outgoings 3* were at the Jordan. And the border turned back westward to Aznoth-tabor, and went out from thence to Hukkok, and touched on Zebulon in the south, and on Asher it touched in the west, and on Judah at the Jordan toward the rising of 35 the sun. And fortified cities, Ziddira, Zer, and Hammath, l^ Rakkath, and Cinnereth ; and Adaraah, and Raraah, and 38 Hazor ; and Kedesh, and. Edrei, and En-hazor ; and Iron, and Migdal-el, Horera, and Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh ; nineteen cities and their villages. 30 This is the possession of the tribe of thfe sons of Naphtali, according to their families ; the cities and their villages. *o For the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their fami- *i lies came out the seventh lot. And the border of their *2 possession was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and Ir-shemesh ; and *3 Shaalabbin, and Aijalon, and Jethlah ; and Elon, and Thim- ** nathah, and Ekron ; and Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baa la lath ; and Jehud, and Bene-berak, and Gath-riinraon ; and Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho. *'^ And the border of the sons of Dan went out from them ; and the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and pos sessed it, and dwelt iu it, and called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan their father. *8 This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Dan, ac cording to their families ; these cities and their villages. *o And they made an en,d of distributing the land according to its borders. And the sons of Israel gave a possession to Joshua, son 50 of Nun, araong thera. At the mouth of Jehovah they gave him the city which he asked, Tiranath-serah in mount Ephraim ; and he built the city and dwelt in it. 51 These are the possessions which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua, son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel, distributed by lot ia Shiloh, be fore Jehovah, at the door of the tent of the congregation. And they made an end of dividing the land. 39 Chap, xx, xxi. JOSHUA. *' ^ And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying : Speak to the sons of Israel, saying : Give out for you the cities of refuge of 3 which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses ; that a slayer who smites a person through mistake and unwittingly may flee thither ; and they shall be a refuge for you from the * avenger of blood. And when he flees into one of these cities, and stands at the opening of the gate of the city, and declares his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, then they shall receive him into the city unto them, and give him 5 a place, and he shall dwell with them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand ; because he smote his neighbor unwittingly, ^ and hated him not before. 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 into his city, and into his house, into the city from which he fled. "^ And they consecrated Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountain of Naphthali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath- 8 arba, that is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. And be yond the Jordan by Jericho eastward, they gave Bezer in the wilderness on the table-land, out of the tribe of Reu ben, and. Ramoth in Gilead, out of the tribe of Gad, and 0 Golan in Bashan, out of the tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities appointed for all the sons of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourns araong thera. that every one who sraites a person through mistake raay flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stand before the congregation. -1 And the heads of the fathers of the Levites drew near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua, son of Nun, and to the 2 heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and spoke to thera, in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, saying: Jehovah coramanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities 3 to dwell in, and their pasture lands for our cattle. And the 40 JOSHUA. Chap. xxi. sons of Israel gave to the Levites, out of their possession, at the mouth of Jehovah, these cities and their pasture lands. * And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathite. And the sons of Aaron the priest, of the Levites, had out of Judah, and out of the tribe of Siraeon, and out of the tribe 5 of Benjamin, by the lot, thirteen cities. And the rest of the sons of Kohath had out. of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half 0 tribe of Manasseh, by the lot, ten cities. And the sons of Gershon had out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out -of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphthali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, by the lot, "* thirteen cities. The sons of Merari had, according to their families, out ofthe tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of 8 Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulon, twelve cities. And the sons of Israel gave to the Levites these cities and their pasture lands, by lot, as Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses. 0 And they gave out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, these cities which are 10 called by name. And there came to the sons of Aaron of the families of the Kohathite, of the sons of Levi ; for they 11 had the. first lot ; and they gave to them the City of Arba, the father of Anak, that is Hebron, in the mountain of 12 Judah, and its pasture lands round about it. And the field of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb, son of 13 Jephunneh, in his possession. And to the sons of Aaron the priest, they gave the city of refuge for the slayer, Heb ron and its pasture lands, and Libnah and its pasture lands ; 1* and Jattir and its pasture lands, and Eshtemoa and its pas- 15 ture lands ; and Holon and its pasture lands, and Debir and 16 its pasture lands ; and Ain and its pasture lands, and Juttah and its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh and its pasture " lands ; nine cities out of those two tribes. And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its pasture lands, Geba and 18 its pasture lands ; Anathoth and its pasture lands, and Almon 10 and its pasture lands ; four cities. All cities of the sons 41 Chap. xxi. JOSHUA. of Aaron the priest ; thirteen cities and their pasture lands. 20 And to the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites that were left of the sons of Kohath ; and the cities of their 21 lot were out of the tribe of Ephraim. .A.nd they gave to them the city of refuge for the slayer, Shechem and its pas ture lands, in mount Ephraim, and Gezer and its pasture 22 lands ; and Kibzaim and its pasture lands, and Beth-horoa 23 and its pasture lands ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its pasture lands, Gibbethon and its pas- 2* ture lands ; Aijalon and its pasture lands, Gath-rimmon and 25 its pasture lands ; four cities. And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon 26 and its pasture lands ; two cities. In all ten cities and their pasture lands, for the families of the sons of Kohath that remained. ^'^ And to the sons of Gershon, of the families of the Levites ; out of the half tribe of Manasseh [they gave] the city of ref uge for the slayer, Golan in Bashan and its pasture lands, 28 and Beeshterah and its pasture lands ; two cities. And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon aud its pasture lands, Daba- 20 reh and its pasture lands ; Jarmuth and its pasture lands, 30 Ba-gannim and its pasture lands ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its pasture lands, Abdon and 3'- its pasture lands ; Helkath and its pasture lands, and Rehob 32 and its pasture lands ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Naphthali, Kedesh in Galilee and its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the slayer, and Haramoth-dor and its pasture 33 lands, and Kartan and its pasture lands ; three cities. All cities of the Gershonite according to their families ; thirteen cities and their pasture lands. 3* And to the families of the sons of Merari, the Levites that were left ; out of the tribe of Zebulon, Jokneam and its pas- 35 ture lands, and Kartah and its pasture lands ; Dimnah and its pasture lands, Nahalal and its pasture lands ; four cities. 36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its pasture lands, 3^ and Jahazah and its pasture lands ; Kedemoth and its pas- 42 JOSHUA. Chap. xxii. ture lands, and Mephaath and its pasture lands ; four cities. 38 And out of the tribe of Gad the city of refuge for the slayer, Raraoth in Gilead and its pasture lands, and Mahanaira and 30 its pasture lands ; Heshbon and its pasture lands, Jazer and *o its pasture lands ; in all four cities. All cities of the sons of Merari according to their families, which were left of the *i families of the Levites ; and their lot was twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the sons of *2 Israel were forty-eight cities and their pasture lands. These cities were city by city and its pasture lands round about it ; so with all these cities. *3 And Jehovah gave to Israel the whole land which he had sworn to give to their fathers ; and they possessed it, and ** dwelt in it. And Jehovah gave them rest round about, ac cording to all that he had sworn to their fathers ; and there stood not a man before them of all their enemies ; all their *5 enemies Jehovah gave iuto their hands ; there fell not a word of all the good words which Jehovah had spoken to the house of Israel ; all came to pass. 1 Then Joshua called the Reubenite, and the Gadite, and 2 the half tribe of Manasseh, and said to them : Ye have kept all which Moses, the servant of Jehovah, commanded you, and have hearkened to ray voice in all which I have cora- ' manded you. Ye have not left your brethren these many days, unto this day, and have kept that which was to be * kept, the commandment of Jehovah your God. And now Jehovah your God has given rest to your brethren as he spoke to them ; and now turn and get you to your tents, in the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of * Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan. 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 command ments, and to cleave to him, and to serve him, with all your ^ heart, and with all your soul. And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 43 Chap. xxii. JOSHUA. ^ And to half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given in the land of Bashan, and to half of it Joshua gave with their brethren beyond the Jordan westward. And also when Joshua sent them away to their tents, and blessed them, ^ then he said to them : With great riches return je to your tents, and witb very many cattle, with silver and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. ^ And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and went frora the sons of Israel, from Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession, of which they had obtained possession, at the word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses. *o And when they came to the circles of the Jordan, which are in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, built there an altar on the Jordan, a great altar to behold. 11 And the sons of Israel heard say : Behold, the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, have built the altar over against the land of Canaan, in the 12 circles of the Jordan, at the side of the sons of Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled together at Shiloh to go up against thera for war. 13 And the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the ^* land of Gilead, Phinehas, son of Eleazer the priest, and ten princes with hira, one prince for a chief house for all the tribes of Israel ; and they were all heads of their chief houses for the thousands of Israel. 15 And they carae to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of 16 Gilead, and spoke with them, saying : Thus say all the con- V. 14. Chief house: Heb. house of a father. Chief houses : Heb. houses of fathers. The Hebrew tribes were divided into "families" or clans, and these into subordinate farailies, hdre called chief houses (father houses), comprising each an indefinite number of families in oar usual sense of the word, descendants of the comraon ancestor. Such for example was proba bly, the house of Zabdi, ch. 7 : 17, 18. 44 JOSHUA. Chap. xxil. gregation of Jehovah : What fraud is this which ye have practised against the God of Israel, to turn this day from following Jehovah by building you an altar, to rebel this 1*^ day against Jehovah ? Had we not enough of the iniquity of Peor, from which we are not cleansed unto this day, and 18 there was the plague on the congregation of Jehovah ? Ye too will turn back this day from following Jehovah ; and it will be, that to-day ye will rebel against Jehovah, and to morrow he will break forth against all the congregation of Israel. 10 And truly, if the land of your possesion is unclean, pass ye over into the land of Jehovah's possession, where the dwelling of Jehovah stands, and take a possession among us ; but rebel not against Jehovah, and rebel not against us, by building you an altar beside the altar of Jehovah our 20 God. Did not Achan, son of Zerah, practise fraud in re spect of that which was devoted, and wrath fell on the whole congregation of Israel ? And that man perished not alone in his iniquity. 21 Then answered the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and spoke to the heads of 22 the thousands of Israel : God of gods, Jehovah ! God of gods, Jehovah ! He knows, and Israel he shall know : if [it was] in rebellion, and in fraud toward Jehovah, (save 23 thou us not this day !) that we might build us an altar, to return from following Jehovah, and if to offer on it burnt- offerings and meat-offerings, and if to offer peace-offerings 2* on it, Jehovah shall require it ! And if we did this not [rather] frora fear, for a reason, saying : Hereafter your sons will say to our sons : What have ye to do with Jehovah God 25 of Israel ? And a border has Jehovah set between us and you, ye sons of Reuben and sons of Gad, even the Jordan ; ye have no part in Jehovah. And your sons will make our 26 sons cease from fearing Jehovah. And we said : Let us do now for ourselves to build the altar, not for burnt- offering 2'' and not for sacrifice ; but a witness let it be between us and V. 22. Or, God, God, Jehovah ! God, God, Jehovah 1 45 Chap. xxni. JOSHUA. you, and between our generations after us, that we may perform the service of Jehovah before him with our burnt- offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offer ings ; and that your sons may not say to our sons hereafter : ^8 Ye have no part in Jehovah. And we said : It shall be when . they say [it] to ua and to our generations hereafter, that we will say : See the pattern of the altar of Jehovah, which our fathers made, not for burnt-offering and not for sacrifice, 20 but a witness is it between us and you. Far be it from us to rebel against Jehovah, and to turn this day from follow ing Jehovah, to build an altar for biirnt-offering, for food- offering, and for sacrifice, beside the altar of Jehovah our God, which is before his dwelling. '0 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation, and the heads of the thousands of Israel, who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it 31 pleased them. And Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the sons of Reuben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Manasseh : This day we know that Jehovah is among us, because ye have not practised this fraud toward Jehovah ; then did ye deliver the sons of Israel out of the hands of Jehovah. '2 And Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the princes, returned from the sons of Reuben, and from the sons of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, into the land of Canaan, to 33 the sons of Israel, and brought them back word. And the word pleased the sons of Israel ; and the sons of Israel blessed God ; and thought not of going up against them to war, to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad dwelt.. ^* And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad named the altar : A witness is it between us that Jehovah is God. 1 And it came to pass at the end of many days, after Jeho vah had given rest to Israel from all his enemies roundabout, T. 31. Or, named the altar [Witness] ; for a witness is it 46 JOSHUA. Chap. xxm. 2 and Joshua was old, far gone in years, that Joshua called all Israel, his elders, and his heads, and his judges, and his directors, and said to them : I am old, far gone in years. 3 And ye have seen all that Jehovah your God has done to all these nations because of you ; for Jehovah your God it * is who has fought for you. See, I have allotted to you these nations that remain as a possession for your tribes, from the Jordan, and all the nations which I have cut off,. 5 and the great sea where the sun goes down. And Jehovah your God will thrust them out from before you, and dis possess them before you, ahd ye shall possess their land, as 6 Jehovah your God spoke to you. And be ye very strong to observe and to do all that is written in the book of the ^ law of Moses, that ye turn not from it right and left ; that ye corae not in among these nations, these that remain with you : and the name of their gods ye shall not mention, nor swear by them, nor serve them, nor bow down to them. 8 But to Jehovah your God shall ye cleave, as ye have done 0 unto this day. And Jehovah has driven out from before you nations great and strong ; and you, not a man has stood ^0 before you unto this day. One man of you would chase a thousand ; for Jehovah your God, he it is who fought for 11 you, as he spoke to you. And take diligent heed to your selves, that ye love Jehovah your God. 12 For, if ye at all turn back, and cleave to the remng,nt of these nations, these that remain with you, and intermarry with thera, and go in among them, and they among you, 13 know ye assuredly that Jehovah your God will not any more drive out these nations from before you, aud they shall be for you a snare, and a trap, and avscourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good ground which Jehovah your God has given you. 1* And, behold, I am going this day the way of all the earth ; and ye know in all your heart and in all your soul, that not one word has fallen of all the good words which Jehovah , your God spoke concerning you ; all are come to pass for 15 you ; not one word of it has fallen. And it shall be, that 47 Chap. xxiv. JOSHUA. as every good word has come to pass concerning you, which Jehovah your God spoke to you, so Jehovah will bring upon you every evil word, until he destroys you from off this good 16 ground which Jehovah your God has given you. When ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God which he com manded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down to them, then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and ye will perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you. 1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem ; and he called the elders of Israel, and his heads, and his judges, and his directors, and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people : Thus says Jehovah, God of Israel : Your fathers dwelt beyond the river from of old, Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor, 3 and served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and led hira through all the land of * Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau ; and I gave to Esau mount Seir to possess, and Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt, according to that which I did in the midst 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 horsemen, to 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 saw what I did to the Egyp- 8 tians. And ye dwelt in the wilderness many days. And I brought you into the land of the Amorite, who dwelt be yond the Jordan ; and they fought with you ; and I gave them into your hand ; and ye possessed their land, and I 0 destroyed them before you. And Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose up, and fought with Israel ; and he sent and 10 called Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you. But I would not 48 JOSHUA. Chap. xxrv. hearken to Balaam, and he steadfastly blessed you ; and I 11 delivered you out of his hand. And ye passed over the Jordan, and carae to Jericho ; and the citizens of Jericho fought with you, the Araorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, the Hivite, 12 and the Jebusite ; and I gave thera into your hand. And I sent before you the hornets, and they drove them out from before you, the two kings of the Amorite, not with thy 13 sword nor with thy bow. And I gave you a land for which thou didst not labor, and cities which ye did not build, and ye dwell in them ; of vineyards and olive-trees which ye planted not do ye eat. 1* And now fear Jehovah, and serve him with uprightness and truth ; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt ; and serve ye Jehovah. 15 And if it seem evil to you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served, that were beyond the river, or the gods of the Am orite in whose land ye dwell. But I and my house, we will serve Jehovah. 16 And the people answered and said: Far be it from us, 1'^ that we should forsake Jehovah to serve other gods ! For Jehovah is our God, he that brought us up, and our fathers, out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bond-men, and who did before our eyes those great signs, and kept us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through 18 the midst of whom we passed. And Jehovah drove out all the peoples, and the Amorite that dwelt in the land, before us. We also will serve Jehovah, for he is our God. 10 And Joshua said to the people : Ye will not be abJe to serve Jehovah ; for he is a holy God ; he is a jealous God ; 20 he will not forgive your transgressions and your sins. If ye forsake Jehovah and serve strange gods, then will he turn and do you evil, aud make an end of you, after he has done you good. 21 And the people said to Joshua : Nay ; for we will serve 22 Jehovah. And Joshua said to the people : Ye are witnesses D 49 Chap. xxit. JOSHUA. against yourselves, that ye have chosen you Jehovah, to 23 serve him. And they said : [We are] witnesses. And now put away the strange gods which are among you, and in- 2* cline your heart to Jehovah, God of Israel. And the people said to Joshua : Jehovah our God will we serve, and his voice will we hear. 25 And Joshua struck a covenant with the people that day, 26 and set for thera a statute and a judgment in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and tobk a great stone, and set it up there under the oak which 2'' was in the sanctuary of Jehovah. And Joshua said to all the people : Behold this stone shall be a witness against us ; for it has heard all the words of Jehovah which he spoke with us, and it shall be a witness against you lest ye deny 28 your God. And Joshua sent away the people, each one to his possession. 20 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten 30 years old. And they buried him in the border of his posses sion, in Tiranath-serah, which is in the raountain of Ephraim, north of mount Gaash. 31 And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and who knew all the deeds of Jehovah, which he had done for Israel. 32 And the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a por tion of the field which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitas ; and the sons of Joseph had them for a possession. 33 And Eleazar, son of Aaron, died, and they buried him on the hill of Phinehas, his son, which they gave to him in mount Ephraim. V. 32. Kesitas. The kesita was a weight of gold or silver, employed as money in the patri archal age. See Gen. 23 : 19 (Revised Version). 50 JUDGES. 1 And it carae to pass after the death of Joshua, that the ' sons of Israel inquired of Jehovah, saying : Who shall go up for us against the Canaanite first, to fight with him ? 2 And Jehovah said : Judah shall go up : behold, I have 3 given the land .into his hand. And Judah said to Simeon, his brother : Go up with me into my lot, and let us fight with the Canaanite, and I also will go with thee into thy lot. And Simeon went with him. * And Judah went up, and Jehovah gave the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand, and they smote thera in 5 Bezek, ten thousand men. And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek, and fought with him, and smote the Canaanite and 0 the Perizzite. And Adoni-bezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut oft" his thumbs and liis '' great toes. And Adoni-bezek said : Seventy kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off gathered [food] under my table. As I did, so has God requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 8 And the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalera, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the city they set on fire. 0 And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight with the Canaanite inhabiting the mountain, and the south, and' 10 the low country. And Judah went against the Canaanite who dwelt in Hebron ; now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba ; and they sraote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and 11 Talmai. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir ; and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. 12 And Caleb said : He that smites Kirjath-sepher, and takes 13 it. to him will I give Achsah my daughter for a wife. And A 1 Chap. i. JUDGES. Othniel, sonof Kenez, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and 1* he gave hira Achsah his daughter for a wife. And ,it came to pass when she came, that she mf)ved hira to ask of her father the field ; and she alighted frora the ass, and Caleb 15 said -to her : What wilt thou ? And she said to hira : Give me a blessing ; for thou hast given me a south land ; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 16 And the sons of the Kenite, the father-in-law of Moses, went up frora the city of palra-trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is south of Arad : and he went and dwelt with the people. 1'' And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanite inhabiting Zephath, and devoted it, and called 18 the name of the city Hormah. And Judah took Gaza and its border, and Ashkelon and its border, and Ekron and its 10 border. And Jehovah was with Judah, and he took posses sion of the mountain ; for he could not dispossess the inhab- 20 itants of the valley ; for they had chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove out frora thence the three sons of Anak. ^1 And the Jebusite inhabiting Jerusalem the sons of Benja min did not dispossess ; and the Jebusite has dwelt with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. 22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up to Bethel, 23 and Jehovah was with them. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel ; now the narae of the city before was Luz. 2* And the watchers saw a raan coming out of the city, aud said to him : Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the 25 city, and we will do thee kindness. And he showed them the entrance into the city, and they smote the city with the edge ofthe sword ; but the man and all his family they let 26 go. And the man went to the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name of it Luz ; this is the name of it unto this day. 2'' And Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and V. 16. Or, the brother-in-law of Moses JUDGES. " Chap. H. her daughter- towns, and Taanach and her daughter-towns, and the inhabitants' of Dor and her daughter-towns, and the inhabitants of Ibleam and her daughter-towns, and the in habitants of Megiddo and her daughter-towns ; and "the *8 Canaanite would dwell in this land. And it came to pass when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanite to tribute, and did not entirely dispossess him. 2' And Ephraim did not dispossess the Canaanite that dwelt in Gezer, and the Canaanite has dwelt in the midst of them in Gezer. 30 Zebulon did not dispossess the inhabitants of Kitron, and tlie inhabitarjts of Nahalol ; and the Canaanite dwelt in the midst of them, and they becarae tributary. 31 Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Accho, and the inhabitants of Zidon, and of Achlab, and of Achzib, and of '2 Helbah, and of Aphik, and of Rehob ; and the Asherite dwelt in the raidst of the Canaanites inhabiting the land ; for he did not dispossess them. '3 Naphtali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beth-she mesh and the inhabitants of Beth-anath; and he dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites inhabiting the land, aud the in habitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became tributary to them. 3'' And the Amorite forced the sons of Dan into the mount ain ; for he did not suffer them to corae down into the 35 valley. And the Amorite would dwell in mount Heres^ in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. And the hand of the house of Joseph grew heavy, and they became tributary. And the border of the Amorite was frora the ascent of Acrabbim, from Selah and upward. And Jehovah's angel went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said : I led you up out of Egypt, and brought you into the land which I swore [to give] to your fathers, and said : 36 V. 36. Or, from the cliff and upward V. 1. Or, Jehovah's messenger V. 1. J led you up .- there is considerable reason to think that immediately before these wordj a verb, signifying " I said," and referring to Ex. 3 : 17, may have fallen out of the origi nal text. On that supposition, the translation would be : [I said :] I will lead you up out of Egypt, and I brought yon. etc. o Chap. n. JUDGES. 2 I will not break my covenant with you forever : and ye shall raake no covenant with the inhabitants of this land ; their altars ye shall tear down ; and ye have not hearkened 3 to ray voice. What is this that ye have done ? And I also , said : I will not drive thera out from before you, and they ' shall be adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you. * And it came to pass when the angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted 5 up their voice and wept. And they called the narae of that place Bochira, and sacrificed there to Jehovah. 6 And Joshua let the people go, and they went each one to '' his portion, to possess the land. And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great deeds of Jehovah which he had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua, son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, 0 being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his possession in Tiranath-heres, in the 10 mountain of Ephraim, north of mount Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers ,- and another generation arose after them who knew not Jehovah, nor yet the deeds which he had done for Israel. 11 And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, 12 and served the Baals. And they forsook Jehovah, God of their fathers, who had brought thera up out of the land of Egypt, and went after other gods among the gods of the peoples that were round about thera, and bowed down to 13 them, and provoked Jehovah. And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. V. 3. Or, And I also say V. 3. Or, they shall be thorns to you V. 11. The Baals. The name of the chief male divinity of the Piicenioian and Canaanitish nations is sometimes given in the plural, as here. Whether this was owing to the numerous statues or other symbols of the imaginary god, or to the differently modified conceptions of him i in different places aud relations, it seems requisite that the diversity of number should be dis- t tinctly indicated in the translation, V. 13. Ashtoreih. This was the name of a female divinity (Greek and Latin, Astarte) whose worship was closely associated, among the Canaanitish nations, with that of I3aal. The re mark above made, on the varying number of the latter name, is applicable to this also, only the plural here is relatively much more common. 4 JUDGES. Chap. ni. 1* And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he gave thera into the hands of spoilers, and they spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their eneihies round about, and they were not able any longer to stand 15 before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was upon them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn to them : and they were greatly distressed. 16 And Jehovah raised up judges, and they saved them out " of the hand of those that spoiled thera. But neither to their judges did they hearken, for they adulterously followed other gods, and bowed down to thera. They turned quickly aside out of the way in which their fathers had walked, obeying the comraandraents of Jehovah. They did not so. 18 And when Jehovah raised up for thera judges, and Jeho vah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge ; for Jehovah had corapassion because of their groaning, by reason of those 10 that oppressed and afflicted thera ; then it carae to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned and corrupted theraselves more than their fathers, to go after other gods, to serve thera, and to bow down to thera. They ceased not from any of their doings, nor from their stubborn way. 20 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he said ; Because this nation has transgressed my covenant, which I comraanded their fathers, and has not hearkened to 21 my voice, I also will not drive out another man frora before 22 thera of the nations which Joshua left when he died ; in order to prove Israel by thera, whether they would keep the way of Jehovah, to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not. 23 And Jehovah let those nations rest, without driving them out speedily, and gave thera not into the hand of Joshua. 1 And these are the nations which Jehovah let rest, to prove Israel by them, all those [of Israel] who had not 2 known all the wars of Canaan ; only in order that the gen- T. 2. Or, only those [of Israel J who had not known them. 5 Chap. ni. JUDGES. orations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them 3 war, only those [wars] which they had not known : [namely,] five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonian, and the Hivite inhabiting mount Lebanon, from * mount Baal-hermon, until one comes to Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by thera, to know whether they would hear the commands of Jehovah, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 And [so] the sons of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite ; and they took their daughters to them for wives, and gave their daughters to ^ their sons, and served their gods. And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God, and served the Baals, and the Ashtoreths. 8 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-risbathaim king of Mesopotamia ; and the sons of Israel served Chushah- 0 rishathaira eight years. And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, and Jehovah raised up a savior for tbe sons of Israel, and he saved them, Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's 10 younger brother. And the spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war ; and Jeho vah gave into his hand Chushan-rishathaira king of Mesopo tamia, and his hand was powerful against Chushan-risha- 11 thaim. And the land was quiet forty years ; and Othniel, son of Kenaz, died. 12 And the sons of Israel did evil again in tbe eyes of Jeho vah; and Jehovah strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, against 13 Israel, because they did evil in the eyes af Jehovah. And he gathered to him the, sons of Amnion and Amalek, and went and smote Israel - and they possessed the city of palm- 1-^ trees. And the sons af Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen years. 15 And the sons of Isaael cried ta Jehovah, and Jehovah V. 15. Left-handed i strictly, " bound of the right han«J," and so dependent on the left. 6 JUDGES. Chap. hi. raised them up a savior ; Ehud, son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left handed. And by him the sons of Israel sent a present to Eglon, 16 king of Moab. And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, of a cubit's length, and girded it under his rai- 1'' ment, upon his right thigh. And he offered the present to Eglon, king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And it came to pass when he had finished offering the present, that he sent away the people that bore the present ; 10 but he himself turned back from the carved images that were by Gilgal, and said : I have a secret word for thee, 0 king. And he said : Silence ! And all that stood about him 20 went out from him. And Ehud carae to him, and he was sitting in the cool upper room, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said : I have a word of God for thee ¦ 21 and he arose from the seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust 22 it into his belly. And the haft also went in after the blade • and the fat closed upon the blade, because he did not draw out the sword frora his belly ; and it came out between the 23 legs. And Ehud went forth on the balcony, and shut the 2* doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them. When he had gone out his servants came, and saw that, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked. And they said : 25 Surely, Ke covers his feet in the inner cool chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed, and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room ; and they took the key and opened it, and behold, their lord lay on the earth dead. 26 And Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond ^ the carved images, and escaped to Seirah. And it carae to pass, when he came, that he gave a blast with the trumpet in V. 16. CfubU's ; the word here translated "cubit" is fotmd nowhere else in the Bible, and may have signified a length less than the cubit proper, somewhere betweea tbat and the span. V. 19. Oaroed images ; Heb. pesilim, whieh some take for a proper name of a place, but which everywhere else has the raeaning " images," and may in this place have designated idolatrous flgures set up to mark the boundary between Moab and Israel. V. 19. Or, secret matter V, 20, Or, a matter from God. 7 Chap. it. JUDGES. the mountain of Ephraira, and the sons of Israel went down 28 with him from the mountain, and he before them. And he said to them : Follow after me ; for Jehovah has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against 20 Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they smote of Moab at that time, about ten thousand raen, all well-fed, and all men of valor, and not a man escaped. 30 And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet eighty years. 31 And after him was Sharagar, son of Anath, and he smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an oxgoad ; and he also saved Israel. 1 And the sons of Israel again did evil in the eyes of Jeho- 2 vah ; and Ehud was dead. And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor ; and the general of his host was Sisera, and he dwelt in Ha- 3 rosheth of the nations. And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah ; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron : and he oppressed the sons of Israel with strength for twenty years. ' * 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 Bethel, in the mount ain of Ephraim ; and the sons of Israel went up to her for 6 judgment. And she sent and called Barak, son of Abinoam, out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to hira : Has not Jehovah, God of Israel, coramanded ? Go, and draw unto mount Ta bor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the sons of ' Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulon? And I will draw to thee, unto the water-course of Kishon, Sisera, general of Jabin's host, and his chariots and his multitude, and will give him into thy hand. 8 And Barak said to ,her : If thou wilt go with me, then I 0 will go ; and if thou wilt not go with me, I. will not go. And she said : I will indeed go with thee ; nevertheless, not thy v. 5. Or, sat under the palm-tree, viz., to dispense judgment 8 JUDGES. Chap. it. honor shall be on the way in which thou goest ; for into the hand of a woraan will Jehovah sell Sisera. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. 1** And Barak called together Zebulun and Naphtali to Ke desh, and there went up at his feet ten thousand men. And 11 Deborah went up with him. (Now Heber, the Kenite, had separated himself from Kain, from the sons of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, and spread his tent unto the 12 oak at Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh). And they told Sisera that Barak, son of Abinoam, had gone up to mount 13 Tabor. And Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with hira, from Harosheth of the nations unto the water-course of Kishon. 1* And Deborah said to Barak : Arise, for this is the day in which Jehovah has given Sisera into thy hand ; has not Jehovah gone out before thee ? And Barak went down 15 from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And Jehovah discomfited Sisera, and aU his chariots, and all his camp, with the edge of the sword, before Barak ; and Sisera I* came down from his carriage, and fled away on foot^ And Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the camp, unto Harosheth of the nations ; and all the camp of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not left even one. 1^ And Sisera fled away on foot, to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite ; for there was peace between Jabin, 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 unto me ; fear not. And he turned aside to her, into the tent, and she covered him with 10 the carpet. And he said to her : Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink ; for I am thirsty. And she opened the 20 skin of railk, and gave him drink, and, covered him. And he said to her : Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be if any one comes and asks thee, and says : Is there any 21 one here ? thou shalt say : No. And Jael, Heber's wife, Y. 11. Or, brother-in-law of Moses lb. Or, unto Elon-bezaanaim 9 Chap. v. JUDGES. took the tent-pin, and put the hammer in her hand, and came to him softly, and struck the pin into his temples, and it went through into the earth : and he was fast asleep, and was weary, and he died. ^2 And behold, Barak was pursuing Sisera, and Jael came out to meet him, and said to him : Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came to her, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the pin was in his temples. 23 And God humbled on that day .Jabin, king of Canaan, 2* before the sons of Israel. And the hand of the sons of Israel became more and more heavy upon Jabin king of Canaan, until they cut off Jabin king of Canaan. 1 Then sang Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam, on that day, saying : 2 That the leaders led in Israel, That the people willingly offered themselves, Bless Jehovah ! 3 Hear, 0 kings ! Give ear, 0 princes ! I, to Jehovah will I sing ; I will strike the harp to Jehovah God of Israel. * Jehovah, when thou wentest forth from Seir, When thou marchedst from the field of Edom, The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, The clouds also dropped water. ^ Mountains flowed down before Jehovah, This Sinai, before Jehovah God of Israel. ^ In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the roads ceased. And those who walked in the paths walked by crooked roads. ^ Government ceased in Israel, ceased, Until I arose, Deborah, Till I arose, a mother in Israel. ^ They chose new gods, V. 5. Or, mountains quaked V. 7. Or, villages ceased in Israel ' 10 JUDGES. Chap. t. Then there was war at the gates. Was there a shield seen, and a spear. Among forty thousand in Israel ? 0 My heart is with the rulers of Israel, Those who willingly offered themselves araong the people. Bless Jehovah 1 10 Ye that ride on white she asses, Ye that sit on carpets, And ye that walk in the way, speak his praise ! 11 Amid the voice of those who divide [the spoil] between the water-troughs. There let them rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, The righteous acts of his government in Israel. Then came down to the gates the people of Jehovah. 12 Awake, awake, Deborah ! Awake, awake, utter a song 1 Up, Barak, and lead captive thy captives, son of Abinoam ! 13 Then [I said :] Come down, remnant of the nobles, of the people ! Come down for me, Jehovah, among the heroes!- 1* Out of Ephraim [came they] whose root is in Amalek, After thee, Benjarain, among thy peoples ; Out of Machir came down governors. And out of Zebulon those that wield the writer's staff ; 15 And princes in Issachar with Deborah : And Issachar, the support of Barak, Rushed into the valley at his feet. v. 11. Or, voice of the archers between Ib. "id memb. Or, his righteous acts in the villages V. 13. With change in the punctuation of one or two words, and with different views as to the root of one of them, or as to the tenor of the context, a variety of renderings have been pro posed for this difficult verse. One or two of the most probable are subjoined : Then came down a remnant of the nobles of the people ; Jehovah came down for me among the heroes. Another : Then came down a remnant against the nobles {or, the mighty) The people of God carae down for (or, with) me among (or, against) the he roes (or, the powerful). v. 15. Or, my princes in Israel V. 1.5. 2d memb. Or, tas] Issachar so Barak 11 Chap. v. JUDGES. By the streams of Reuben there were great resolutions I 16 Why didst thou sit among the sheep-folds. To hear the pipings of the flocks ? By the streams of Reuben there were great inquiries! " Gilead abode beyond the Jordan ; And Dan — why sojourns he in ships ? Asher sat on the shore of the sea. And. abode in his havens. Zebulon ! a people that hazarded his soul unto death. And Naphtali, 01 the high places of the field ! 18 10 Kings came, they fought. Then fought the kings of Canaan, By Taanach, on the waters of Megiddo ; Spoil of silver they took not. From heaven they fought. The stars from their courses fought with Sisera. The torrent Kishon swept them away. The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. Tread, 0 ray soul, with strength ! 22 Then stamped the hoof of horses. From the tramping, the tramping of his mighty ones. 20 21 23 Curse ye Meroz, (said the angel of Jehovah), Curse with a curse its inhabitants ; Because they came not to the help of Jehovah. To the help of Jehovah among the heroes. 2* Blessed araong woraen be Jael, The wife of Heber, the Kenite ; Above women in the tents let Jier be blessed. Water he asked, milk she gave ; In a dish of the nobles she brought curdled milk. Her hand she stretched forth to the tent-pin. And her right hand to the workmen's hammer : And hammered Sisera, broke his head ; And crushed and pierced his temples. V. 21. 2d memb. Or, the torrent of battles. 25 26 V. 21. 3d memb. Or, tread down strength, 0 my Bonl. 12 JUDGES. Chap. ti. ;27 :28 Between her feet he bowed down, he fell, he lay ; Between her feet he bowed down, he fell ; Where he bowed down, there he fell slain. Through the window looked out, and cried The mother of Sisera, through the lattice : Why does his car delay to come ? Why do the wheels of his chariots linger? ' 20 The wise ones of her princesses answer. Yea, she returns her words to herself: ' 30 Will they not find, divide booty ? A maiden, two maidens for each warrior ; Booty of dyed garments for Sisera ; Booty of dyed garments, embroidered vesture, A dyed garment, two embroidered vestments, for the neck of the booty. ¦ 31 So perish all thy enemies, 0 Jehovah ! And let thera who love him, be as the going forth of the sun in his strength ! And the land was quiet forty years. 1 And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah gave tiiera into the hand of Midian seven 2 years. And the hand of Midian was powerful upon Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made them the holes that are ih the raountains, and the caves, and the strong 3 holds. And it was so, when Israel had sown, that Midian carae up, and Amalek, and the sons of the east, and came * up upon them, and encaraped upon thera, and ruined the produce of the land, until thou coraest to Gaza, and left no 5 sustenance in Israel, nor sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they and their camps came up, and their tents, and they came as locusts for multitude, and they and their camels were' without number; and they came into the land to ruin it.. 6 And Israel was greatly weakened before Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah. 13 Chap. ti. JUDGES. '' And it carae to pass when the sons of Israel cried to « Jehovah on account of Midian, that Jehovah sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to thera : Thus says Jeho- vah God of Israel : I led you up out of Egypt, and brought 0 you out of the house of servants, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the. hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and 10 gave you their land. And I said to you : I, Jehovah, am your God ; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorite, in whose land ye dwell ; and ye have not hearkened to my voice. 11 And an angel of Jehovah came and sat under the oak that is in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abi-ezrite. And Gideon, his son, was beating out wheat in the wine- 12 press, to hide it away from Midian. And the angel of Jeho vah appeared to him, and said to him : Jehovah is with thee, 13 thou strong and valiant man. And Gideon said to him : Beseech thee, my lord, if Jehovah be with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all his wonders which our fathers recounted to us, saying: Did not Jehovah bring us up out of Egypt ? And now Jehovah has cast us off, and given us into, the hand of Midian. " And Jehovah turned toward him, and said: Go in this thy strength, and thou shalt save Israel frora 'the hand of 15 Midian : have not I ^ent thee ? And he said to hira : Be seech thee, 0 Lord, with what shall I save Israel ? Be hold, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I ara the 16 youngest in my father's house. And Jehovah said to him : I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite Midian as one man. 1'^ And he said to him : If now I have found favor in thine eyes, 18 then show me a sign that thou speakest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my offering, and lay it before thee. And he said : t will tarry until thou come again. 10 And Gideon came, and made ready a kid of the goats, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour ; the flesh he put in V. 15. My family, lit. " my thousand," i. e. the thousand to which I belong. 14 JUDGES. Chap. vi. the basket, and the broth he put in the pot, and brought it 20 out to him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said to him : Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon that 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 the fire ascended out of the stone, and con sumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of Jehovah went out of his sight. 22 And Gideon saw that it was the angel of Jehovah, and Gideon said : Alas, 0 Lord, Jehovah ! for to this end have 23 I seen the angel of Jehovah face to face ! And Jehovah said to him : Peace be to thee ; fear not : thou wilt not die. 2* And Gideon built an altar there to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom, unto this day ; it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. 25 And it came to pass in that night, that Jehovah said to him : Take thy father's bullock of the herd, and the second bullock of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that is thy father's, and cut down the Asherah that is upon 26 it. And build an altar to Jehovah thy God upon the top of this strong-hold, with the pile, and take the second bullock, and offer up a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah, which thou shalt cut down. 2'^ And Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Je hovah had spoken to him ; and it carae to pass, because he feared the house of his father and the men of the city, so as not to do it by day, that he did it by night. 28 And when the men of the city rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and" the Asherah that was upon it was cut down, and the second bullock was 20 offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another : Who has done this thing ? And when they had inquired, and sought, they said : Gideon, son of Joash, has 30 done this thing. And the men of the city said to Joash : V. 24. Or, and called it : Jehovah-Peace ! 15 Chap. vii. JUDGES. Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the 31 Asherah that was. upon it. And Joash said to all that stood around him : Will ye plead for Baal ? or will ye save him ? he that will plead for him shall be put to death : [wait] until raorning. If he be a god, he will plead for himself, because one has torn down his altar. 32 And on that day they called bin; Jerub-baal, saying : Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar. 33 And all Midian, and Anaalek, and the sons of the Bast were gathered together, and passed over, and encamped in 3* the valley of Jezreel. And the spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon, and he gave a blast on the trumpet, and Abiezer 35 was called together after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they were called together after him ; and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulon, and to Naphtali, and they came up to raeet them. 3? And Gideon said to God : If thou wilt save Israel by my 3^ hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put the fleece of wool in the threshing-floor ; if dew be on the fleece only,. and on all the ground be drought, then shall I know that thou 38 wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken. And it came to pass thus. And he rose up early on the morrow, •and pressed the fleece together, and wrung dew out of the 30 fleece, the bowl full of water. And Gideon said to God : Let not thy anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once : Let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let drought now be upon the fleece only, and *o upon all the earth let there be dew. And God did so that night ; and there was drought upon the fleece only, and upon all the earth there was dew. 1 And Jerub-baal. who is Gideon, rose up early, and all the people that were with him, and encamped above the fountain of Harod ; and the carap of Midian was on the north side of him, at the hill of Moreh, in the valley. V. 31. Or, be put to death against the morning 16 JUDGES. Chap. vn. ¦ 2 And Jehovah said to Gideon : The people that are with thee are too many that I should give Midian into their hand, lest Israel boast himself against me, saying : Mine own hand 3 has saved me. And now go, call out in the ears of the peo ple, saying : Whoever is fearful and trembling, let hira turn back and return frora mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and ten thousand reraained. * And Jehovah said to Gideon : The people are yet too many ; bring thera down to the water, and I will prove them for thee there ; and it shall be that of whom I shall say to thee : This shall go with thee, he shall go with thee ; and every one of whom I shall say to thee : This shall not go with thee, he shall not go. 5 And he brought down the people to the water, and Jeho vah said to Gideon : Every one that shall lap of the water with his tongue, as the dog laps, him shalt thou put by hira self ; and every one that shall bow down upon his knees to 6 drink. And the number of those that lapped with their hand [put] to their mouth was three hundred men, and all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. ' And Jehovah said to Gideon : By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and give Midian into thy hand ; and all [the rest of] the people shall go each to his place. 8 And they took the provisions of the people in their hand, and their trurapets : and all the men of Israel he sent each to his .tents, and retained the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was below hira in the valley. 0 And it carae to pass in that night, that Jehovah said to him : Arise, go down into the camp ; for I have given it into 10 thy hand. And if thou art afraid to go down, go down thou 11 and Phurah, thy servant, to the camp. And thou wilt hear what they say, and afterward thy hands wil be strengthened to go down to the camp. And he went down, he and Phu rah, his servant, to the outer line of the armed raen that 12 were in the camp. And Midian, and Amalek, and all the B 17 Chap, til JUDGES. sons of the Bast lay along in the valley like the locusts for. multitude, and their camels were without number, as the 13 sand which is on the sea-shore for multitude. And when Gideon came, behold a man telling his fellow a dream, and he said : Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread rolled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it that it fell, and utterly overturned it, " and the tent lay there. And his fellow answered, and said : This is nothing but the sv/ord of Gideon, son of Joash, a man of Israel ; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand. 15 And it came to pass, when Gideon heard the telling of the dreara, and its interpretation, that he bowed himself, and returned to the camp of Israel, and said : Arise ; for Jeho- 16 vah has given into your hand tho carap of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and gave trumpets into the hand of all of thera, and empty 1" pitchers, and torches within the pitchers. And he said to them : Take pattern frora me, and do in like manner ; and behold, when I come into the outer line of the camp, it shall 18 be that as I do, so ye shall do. When I give a blast on the trumpet, I, and all that are with me, then give ye also a blast on the trumpets, on every side of all the carap, and say: For Jehovah, andfor Gideon I 10 And Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came into the outer line of the carap, at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but just set the watchers ; and they gave a blast on the trumpets, and broke the pitchers 20 that were in their hand. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers ; and they held the torches in their left hand, and the trumpets in their right hand to blow, and said : A sword for Jehovah and for Gide- 21 on! And they stood each in his place, round about the 2^ camp, and all the camp ran, and cried out, and fled. And V. 16. Pitchers; a kind cf earthen jar for storing provisions is probably intended here the sarae as the widow's " barrel" (1 K. 17: 12, 14, 16), althongh the same word in earlier times denotes the bucket, or pail, with whioh water was drawn from the well and carried (Gen. 24 : 14 18 JUDGES. Chap. vm. the three hundred trumpets blew, and Jehovah turned the sword of each man against his fellow, and against all the camp : and the camp fled to Beth-shittah, toward Zererah, 23 to the brink of Abel-meholah upon Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called togther out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. 2* And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountain of Ephraim, saying : Come down to meet Midian, and seize against them the waters unto Beth-barah and the Jordati. And all the men of Ephraim were called together, and seized 25 the waters unto Beth-barah and the Jordan. And they seized two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb ; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the head of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, from beyond the Jordan. 1 And the men of Ephraim said to him : What is this thing that thou hast done to us, that thou didst not call us, when thou wentest to fight against Midian ? And they contended 2 with him sharply. And he said to them : What havo I done now in coraparison with you? Is not the gleaning of 3 Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? Into your hand God has given the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb : and what was I able to do in comparison with you ? Then their anger abated toward him, on his saying this word. * And Gideon came to the Jordan, passing over, he, and thb three hundred men that were with him, faint, and pur- 5 suing. 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 Midian. 6 And the princes of Succoth said : Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread '' to thy army ? And Gideon said : Therefore when Jehovah gives Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thresh your flesh with thorns of the wilderness, and with briers. 8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spoke to them in 19 Chap. vm. JUDGES. like manner ; and the men of Penuel answered hira as the 0 men of Succoth had answered. And he spake also to the men of Penuel, saying : When I return in peace, I will tear down this tower. iio And Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their camp with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the camp of the sons of the East ; and there had fallen a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of the dwellers in tents, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the camp : 12 now the camp was secure. And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued after them, and seized the two kings of Midian, Zebah, and Zalmunna, and terrified all the camp. . 13 And Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the war, even 1* from the Ascent of Heres. And he seized a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him ; a-nd he wrote down for him the princes of Suecoth, and its elders, seventy 15 and seven men. And he came to the men of Succoth, and said : Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whora ye scorned me, saying ; Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy men that are faint ? 16 And he took the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the briers, and with them he gave the men " of Succoth a lesson. And he tore down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna : Of what appear ance were the men whom ye slew at Tabor ? And they answered : As thou art, so were they ; each one resembled 10 the sons of a king. And he said : They were my brothers, sons of my mother : as Jehovah lives, if ye had saved them 20 alive, I would not slay you. And he said to Jether, his first-born : Rise, slay them : but the youth drew not his 21 sword ; for he feared ; for he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said : Rise thou, and strike us ; for as the | man is, so is his strength. And Gideon rose, and slew Ze- V. 13. Or, ascent of the sun V. 21. Crescents, crescent-shaped ornaments of precious metals, " little moons." 20 JUDGES. Chap. vm. bah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels. 22 And the men of Israel said to Gideon : Rule over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also ; for thou hast 23 saved us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said to them : I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you ; Jehovah shall rule over you. 2* And Gideon said to them : I would make a request of you ; give me each one the ring of his booty. (For they 25 had golden rings, for they were Ishmaelites). And they said : We will willingly give them. And they spread the 26 cloak, and cast into it each one the ring of his booty. And the weight of the golden rings that he requested was a thou- thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, beside the crescents, and the rings, and the purple garments that were on the kings of Midian, and beside the collars that were on the necks of their camels. 2'' And Gideon made of them an ephod, and placed it in his city, in Ophrah : and all Israel went adulterously after it there ; and it became a snare to Gideon and to his house. 28 And Midian was humbled before the sons of Israel ; and they lifted up their head no more. And the land was quiet forty years in the days of Gideon. 20 And Jerub-baal, son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own 30 house. And Gideon had seventy sons the offspring of his 31 loins ; for he had many wives. And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, and he gave him his name Abimelech. 32 And Gideon, son of Joash, died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. 33 And it came to pass when Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel turned again, and went adulterously after the Baals, 3* and made Baal-berith their god. And the sons of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side. 35 Neither did they do kindness toward the house of Jerub- 21 Chap. ix. JUDGES. baal-Gideon, according to all the good which he had done toward Israel. 1 And Abimelech, son of Jerub-baal, went* to Shechem to the brothers of his mother, and spoke to them, and to all the 2 faraily ofthe house of his mother's father, saying : Speak, I pray you, in the ears of al! the citizens of Shechem : Which is better for you, that seventy men, ail the sons of Jerub- baal, shall rule over you, or that one man shall rule over you ? And remember that I ara your bone and your flesh. 3 And the brothers of his mother, spoke concerning him ah these words in the ears of all the citizens of Shechem. And their heart inclined after Abiraelech ; for they said : He is * our brother. And they gave him seventy shekels of silver out of the house of Baal-berith : and Abimelech hired with them worthless and wanton men, and they went after them. 5 And he came to the house of his father at Ophrah, and slew his brothers, the sons of Jerub-baal, seventy men on one stone, but Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-baal, was left; for he had hid himself. 6 And all the citizens of Shechera, and all Beth-millo, gathered together, and went and made Abiraelech king, by "^ the oak of the garrison that was at Shechem. And they told Jotham, and he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and called, saying : Listen to me, 8 citizens of Shechem, and God will listen to you. The trees once went to anoint a king over them ; and they said to the 0 olive-tree : Reign over us. But the olive-tree said to them : Should I leave my fatness, which God aud man honor in 10 me, and go to wave over the trees ? And the trees said to 11 the fig-tree : Go thou, reign over us. And the fig-tree said to them : Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, 12 and go to wave over the trees ? And the trees said to the 13 vine : Go thou, reign over us. And the vine said to them : Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, 1^ and go to wave over the trees? And all the trees said to V. 6. Or, the house of Millo. lb. Or, by the oak of the monument, " memorial-oat." T. 9, Or, with which they honor God and man. 22 JUDGES. Chap. ix. 15 the thorn-bush : Go thou, reign over us. And the thorn- bush said to the trees : If in truth ye anoint me to be king over you, come, trust in my shadow ; and if not, let fire come forth from the thorn-bush, and consume the cedars of Leb anon. 16 And now if ye have acted in truth and in upriglitness, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerub-baal, and with his house, and have done to him 1'' according to the desert of his hands ; (seeing that my father fought for you, and cast his life away, and delivered you 18 from Midian ; and yet ye have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abiraelech, son of his raaid-serv- ant, king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your 10 brother ;) now if ye have acted in truth and in uprightness toward Jerub-baal and toward his house this day, rejoice in 20 Abimelech, and let hira also rejoice in you ; and if not, let fire corae forth frora Abiraelech, and let it consume the citizens of Shechera and Beth-raillo, and let fire corae forth ' from the citizens of Shechem and from Beth-millo, and let it consume Abimelech. 21 And Jotham fled, and escaped, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, because of Abimelech his brother. 1 And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem dealt treacherously 2* with Abimelech ; that the violence to the seventy sons of Jerub-baal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon th3 citizens of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his 25 brothers. And the citizens of Shechera placed liers in wait for him upon the tops of the mountains, and they robbed every one that passed by them in the way : and it was told to Abimelech. 26 And there came Gaal, son of Ebed, and his brothers, and they passed over into Shechem. And the citizens of She chem trusted in him. 23 Chap. rx. JUDGES. 2'^ And they went forth into the fields, and gathered the grapes of their vineyards, and trode them, and kept thanks giving-feasts, and came into the house of their god, and ate 28 and drank, and cursed Abiraelech. And Gaal, son of Ebed, said: Who is Abiraelech, and who is Shechem, that wp should serve hira? Is he not Jerub-baal's son, and Zebul his overseer? Serve the men of Haraor, the father of She- 20 chem ; and why should we serve him ? Ah ! would that this people were in my hand, then would I put away Abiraelech!* And he said to Abimelech : Increase thy host, and come out. 30 And Zebul, prince of the city, heard the words of Gaal, 31 son of Bbed, and his anger was kindled. And he sent mes sengers to Abimelech, covertly, saying : Behold, Gaal, son of Ebed, and his brothers, have come to the city, and behold, 32 they are fortifying the city ag.iinst thee. And now rise up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in 33 vvait in the field. And it shall be in the morning, at the coming up of the sun, that thou shalt rise up early and spread thyself out against the city ; and, behold, he and the people that are with him will come forth toward thee, and thou shalt do to him as thy hand finds opportunity. 3i And Abimelech, and all the people that were with him, rose up by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four 35 companies. And Gaal, son of Ebed, went forth, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city : and Abiraelech, and the people that were with hira, rose up frora the place of 36 arabush. And Gaal saw the people, and said to Zebul : Be hold, people are coming down from the tops of the mount ains. And Zebul said to him : The shadow of the mountains 3'' thou seest as if raen. And Gaal spoke again, saying : There are people coraing down frora about the summit of the land, and one corapany coraes from the way of the oak of Meone- nim. 38 And Zebul said to him : Where now is thy mouth, with which thou didst say : Who is Abiraelech, that we should V. 31. Or, to Abimelech in Tormah V. 37. Or, from the magician's oak 24 JUDGES. Chap. ix. 39 serve him ? Is not this the people that thou didst despise ? Go forth now, I pray, and fight with them. And Gaal went forth before the citizens of Shechera, and *o fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him ; and many fell slain, even unto the entrance of the gate. *i And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah': and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, that they should not dwell in She chem. *2 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went *3 forth into the field ; and they told Abimelech. And he took the people and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field. And he looked, and, behold, the people were coming forth out of the city ; and he rose up ** against them, and sraote them. And Abiraelech, and the companies that were with him, spread themselves out and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city ; and the two companies .spread themselves out agaiast all that were in the *5 field, and smote thera. And Abimelech fought against the city all that day ; and took the city, and slew the people that were in it, and tore down the city, and sowed it with salt. *o And all the citizens of the tower of Shechem heard it, and *''' came into the hold of the house of the god Berith. And it was told Abimelech that all the citizens of the tower of She- *8 chem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with hira ; and Abimelech took the axes in his hand, and cut off a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder, and said to the people that were with him : What *o ye have seen mo do, make haste, do as I have done. And all the people also cut off each one his bough, and followed Abimelech, and placed them on the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them. And all the men of the tower of She chem died also, about a thousand men and woraen. V. >.&. The precise meaning of the very rare word translated " hold" (also in v. 49) is not set tled. The connection here, and in the other passage in which it occurs, shows that it denotes a place of strength, and one diatinguishable from the " tower" of Shechem. 25 Chap. x. JUDGES. 50 And Abiraelech went to Thebez, and besieged Thebez, and 51 took it. And there was a strong tower in the raidst of the city ; and all the men and the woraen fled thither, and all the citizens of the city, and they closed it after them, and went 52 up on the roof of the tower. And Abimelech carae to the tower, and fought against it, and drew near to the entrance 53 of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon the head of Abiraelech, and 5* crushed his skull. And he .called in haste to the young • man, his armor-bearer, and said to him : Draw thy sword, and put rae to death, lest they say of me : A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the raen of Israel saw that Abimelech was deadj they went each one to his place. 56 And God requited the evil of Abiraelech, which he had 5^ done to his father, in slaying his seventy brothers. And all the evil of the raen of Shechem God brought back on their head ; and upon them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-baal. 1 And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola, son of Puab, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar ; and he dwelt in 2 Sharair, in the raountain of Ephraira. And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 3 And after hira arose Jair, the Gileadite, and he judged * Israel twenty and two years. And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty young asses, and they had thirty cities that are called Havoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of 5 Gilead. And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. 6 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the eyes of Jeho vah, and served the Baals, and.the Astartes, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines ; and forsook Jehovah, and served him not. ¦^ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the V. 4. Or, are called Jair-hamlets, 26 JUDGES. Chap. xi. 8 hand of the sons of Ammon. And they broke, and crushed the sons of Israel in that year ; eighteen years [they op pressed] all the sons of Israel that were beyond the Jordan, 0 in the land of the Amorite who was in Gilead. And the sons of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjarain, and against the house of Eph raim. And Israel was greatly distressed. 10 And the sons of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying : We have sinned against thee, and we have forsaken our God, 11 and have served the Baals. And Jehovah said to the sons of Israel : Did I not [deliver you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the sons of Ammon, and from the 12 Philistines? And the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon oppressed you, and ye cried to me, and I saved you out of 13 their hand. And ve have forsaken me, and served other 1* gods ; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry to the gods whora ye have chosen ; let thera save you in the time of your distress. 15 And the sons of Israel said to Jehovah : We have sinned ; do thou to us according to all that is good in thine eyes ; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the foreign gods frora among them, and served Jehovah ; and his soul was impatient on account of the misery of Israel. 1'^ And the sons of Ammon were called together, and they encamped in Gilead : and the sons of Israel were gathered, 18 and they encamped in Mizpeh. And the people, the prin ces of Gilead, said one to one another : Who is the man that will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon ? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 1 And Jephthah the Gileadite was a strong and valiant man • and he was the son of a harlot, and Gilead had be- 2 gotten Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bore him sons ; and when the wife's sons grew up they drove out Jephthah, and said to him : Thou shalt have no possession in our father's V. 10. Or, and in that we have forsaken 27 Chap. xi. JUDGES. 3 house ; for thou art the son of another woman. And Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob : and worthless men gathered themselves to Jephthah, and went forth with him. * And it carae to pass after a time, that the sons of Amrnon 5 made war against Israel. And it came to pass when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of 6 Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob. And they Said to Jephthah : Go, and be our leader, and let us ¦^ fight against the sons of Ammon. And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead : Did ye not hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? and why have ye come to me now 8 when ye are in distress ? And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah : Therefore have we now returned to thee, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the sons of Am mon, and be head for us, for all the inhabitants of Gilead! 0 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead : If ye bring me back to fight with the sons of Araraon, and Jehovah gives thera up before me, then I will be your head. 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah : Jehovah shall be witness between us, if we do not thus according to thy word. 11 And Jephthah went with the el(Jers of Israel, and the people made him head and leader over them ; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Jehovah in Mizpeh. 12 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying : What hast thou to do with me, that thou 13 hast come unto me, to fight against my land? And the king of the sons of Araraon said to the messengers of Jephthah : Because Israel took my land, when thoy came up out of Egypt, from Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jor dan : and now restore it again peaceably. 1* And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the 15 sons of Ammon, and said to him : Thus says Jephthah : Israel took not the land of Moab, and the land of the sons 10 of Ammon. For when they came up from Egypt, then V. 10. Or, literally, shall be a hearer JUDGES. Chap. xi. Israel .went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and " came to Kadesh. And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying : Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land ; and the king of Edom heard them not. And he sent also to the king of Moab and he was not willing ; and Israel 18 abode in Kadesh. And he went through the wilderness, and passed around the land of Edora and the land of Moab, ahd carae on the east side of the land of Moab, and encaraped on the other side of Arnon, and carae not into the border of 10 Moab ; for Arnon was the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to hira : Let us pass, we pray thee, through 20 thy land into my place. And Sihon did not trust Israel, to allow them to pass through his border ; but Sihon gathered together all his people, and they encamped in Jahaz, and he 21 fought with 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 Amorite, 22 who inhabited this land. And they possessed all the border of the Amorite, from Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from 23 the wilderness even unto the Jordan. Now therefore Je hovah God of Israel dispossessed the Amorite from before 2* his people Israel, and wouldest thou dispossess them ? That which Chemosh thy god gives thee to possess, dost thou not possess it ? And whatever Jehovah our God gave us td 25 possess, we will possess it. And now art thou indeed better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Mottb ? Did he indeed 26 contend with Israel, or fight indeed against them? While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her daughter-towns, and in Aroer and her daughter-towns, and in all the cities which are on the banks of Arnon, three hundred years, why did 2'' ye not deliver them in that time ? I have not sinned against thee, and thou doest me wrong to fight against me. Jeho vah the judge shall judge this day between the sons of Israel ' and the sons of Ammon. 28 But the king of the sons of Ammon listened not to the words of Jephthah which he sent to him. V. 23. Or, aud wilt thou possess it ? 29 Chap. xi. JUDGES. 20 And the spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead, and through Manasseh, and passed on to Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed on to the sons of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah', saying : If thou wilt indeed give the sons of Araraon into my hand, 31 then it shall be, that whoever coraes forth out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Araraon, shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer hira up a burnt-offering. 32 ^ 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, even till thou comest to Minnith, twenty cities, and unto Abel-keramim, with a very great slaughter. And the sons of Ammon were humbled before the sons of Israel. 3^ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house ; and, be hold, his daughter comes forth to meet hira with tirabrels and with dances : and only she alone ; he had beside her 35 neither son nor daughter. And it carae to pass when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said : Alas! my daugh ter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art among those, that trouble me ; for I have opened my mouth to Je hovah, and I can not go back. 36 And she said to him : My father, thou hast opened thy mouth to Jehovah ; do to me according to that which has gone forth from thy mouth; since Jehovah has taken venge ance for thee upon thy enemies, upon the sons of Ammon. 3'' And she said to her father : Let this thing be done for me ; let me alone for two months, that I may go down upon the mountains, and weep for my virginity, I and my corapanions. 38 And he said : Go. And he sent her forth for two months ; and she went with her companions, and wept for her vir ginity upon the mountains. 30 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to father, and he performed his vow on her which V. 31. Or, whatever comes forth ; Or, will offer it. 30 JUDGES. Chap. xii. he had vowed. Now she had known no man. And it be- *o came a custom in Israel : the daughters of Israel from year to year went to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. 1 And the men of Ephraim were called together, and passed over to Zaphon, and said to Jephthah : Why didst thou pass over to fight against the sons of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee ? We will burn thy house over thee with 2 fire. And Jephthah said to them : I was in a very great strife, I and my people, with the sons of Ammon, and I 3 cried to you, -and ye saved me not out of their hand. And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put ray life in my hand, and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah gave them into my hand ; and for what have ye come up to me this day to fight against me ? * And Jephthah collected all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim, and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim ; for they said : Fugitives of Ephraim are ye, Gilead, in the 5 midst of Ephraim, [and] in the midst of Manasseh. And Gilead seized the fords ofthe Jordan against Ephraim; and it was so, that when 'the fugitives of Ephraira said : Let me pass over, the men of Gilead said to him : Art thou an Eph- 6 rathite ? And if he said : No ; then they said to him : Say now Shibboleth ; and he said : Sibboleth, taking no care to speak right ; and they laid hold of him, and slaughtered hira at the fords of the Jordan : and there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand men. "^ And Jephthah judged Israel six years ; and Jephthah, the Gileadite, died, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead. 8'0 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. And he had thitty sons ; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought from abroad for his sons. 10 And he judged Israel seven years. And Ibzan died and was buried in Shechem. V.l. Or, passed over northward 31 Chap. xm. JUDGES. 11 And after him Elon, the Zebulonite, judged Israel ; and 12 he judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulon. 13 And after him Abdon, son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged 1* Israel. And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, that rode on seventy ass-colts. And he judged Israel eight years. 15 And Abdon,^ son of Hillel, the Pirathonite, died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of 'Ephraim, in the mountain of the Amalekite. * And the sons of Israel again did evil in the eyes of Jeho vah, and Jehovah gave thera into the hand of the Philistines forty years. * And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, whose name was Manoah ; and his wife was ' barren, and bore not. And an angel of Jehovah appeared to the woraan, and said to her : Behold, now, thou art bar ren, and hast not borne ; but thou shalt conceive, and bear * a son. And now beware, I pray thee, and diink not wine * and strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing ; for, behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon? his head ; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. * And the woman went and told her husband, saying : A man of God came to me, and his appearance was as the ap pearance of an angel of God, very wonderful : and I asked hira not whence he carae, and his narae he did not tell me. ' And he said to me : Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son ; and now drink not wine and strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing ; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb unto the day of his death. 8 And Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said : Beseech thee, 0 Lord, let now the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do to this ' boy that shall be born. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah. and the angel of God came again to the woman, 32 JUDGES. Chap, xm. and she was sitting in the field, and Manoah her husband 10 was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him : Behold, the man that came to me that day has appeared to rae. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and carae to the man, and said to hira : Art thou the raan that spoke to 12 the woman ? And he said : I am. And Manoah said : Since now thy words will corae to pass, what shall be the rule of 13 the boy, and what his conduct? And the angel of Jehovali said to Manoah : Of all that I said to the woman let her 1* beware. Of all that comes forth from the vine she shall not eat, and wine and strong drink let her not drink, nor eat any unclean thing : everything which I have commanded let her observe. 15 And Manoah said to the angel of Jehovah : I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid before 16 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 shalt thou offer it. For 1'^ Manoah knew not that he was an angel of Jehovah. And Manoah said to the angel of Jehovah : What is thy name ? When thy word coraes to pass, then we would honor thee. 18 And the angel of Jehovah said to hira : Why now askest 10 thou after my narae, for it is wonderful ? And Manoah took the kid and the food-offering, and offered them upon the rock to Jehovah ; and he did a wonderful thing : and Ma- 20 noah and his wife were looking on. And it carae to pass, when the flarae went up frora off the altar toward heaven, that the angel of Jehovah went up in the flame of the altar ; ' and Manoah and his wife were looking on, and they fell on their faces on the earth. 21 And the angel of Jehovah appeared no more to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of 22 Jehovah. And Manoah said to his wife : We shall surely 23 die, because we have seen God. And his wife said to him : If Jehovah were pleased to put us to death, he would not v. 16. Or, but if thou wouldest make a burnt-offering to Jehovah, thou mayest offer it. 33 Chap. xiv. JUDGES. have taken at our hands a bunit-offering and a food-offer ing, nor have let us see all this, nor at this time have let us hear such things. 2* And the woman bore a son, and called his narae Samson. 25 And the boy grew, and Jehovah blessed him. And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. 1 And Samson went down to Tiranathah, and saw a woraan 2 ill Tiranathah of the daughters of the Philistines. And he went up and told his father and his mother, saying : I have seen a woman in Tiranathah of the daughters of the Philis tines ; and now take her for me for a wife. And his father said to him, and his mother : Is there not a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, and among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the Philistines, the uncir curacised ? And Sarason said to his father : Take her for rae ; for she is pleasing in ray eyes. * Now his father and his mother knew not that this was from Jehovah ; for he sought occasion on the part of the Philis tines. And at this time the Philistines were rulers in Israel. 5 And Sarason went down, and his father and his raother, to Tiranathah ; and they came unto the vineyards of Tim- 6 nathah, and, behold, a young lion roared against hira. And the Spirit of .Jehovah came suddenly upon him, and he rent it as one rends a kid, and there was nothing in his hand; and he told not his father and his raother what he had "f done. And he went down and spoke to the woman, and she was pleasing in Samson's eyes. •8 And he returned after a time to take her : and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion ; and, behold, there was 0 a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took it out into his hands, and went on eating as he went. And he went to his father and to his mother, and gave to them, and they ate ; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion. 10 And his father went down to the woman, and Samson 34 JUDGES. Chap. xit. 11 made there a feast ; for so the young men used to do.- And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they took thirty companions, and they were with him. 12 And Samson said to them : Let me put forth a riddle for you : if ye indeed declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty shirts 13 and thirty changes of garments. And if ye are not able to declare it to me, then ye shall give me thirty shirts and thirty changes of garments. And they said to hira : Put forth thy riddle, and let us hear it. " And he said to thera : Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong carae forth sweetness. And they were not able to declare the riddle in three days. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife ; Persuade thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire. Have ye invited us to take from us our goods? Is it not so ? 1^ And Samson's wife wept over hira, and said : Thou hatest me only, and dost not love me. Thou hast put forth the riddle for the sons of my people, and hast not told it to me. And he said to her : To my father and my mother I have " not told it, and should I tell it to thee ? And she wept over him the seven days, while they had the feast. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she urged him. And she told the riddle to the sons of her people. 18 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 : Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have found out my riddle. ^0 And the Spirit of Jehovah came suddenly upon hira, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote of them thirty men, and took off what they wore, and gave the changes [of gar ments] to those who declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. T. 15. Or, on the fourth day 35 Chap. xv. JUDGES. 20 And Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had chosen as his companion. 1 And it came to pass after a while, in the days of wheat- , harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid. And he" said : Let rae go in to ray wife into the charaber. But her 2 father suffered him not to go in. And her father said : I verily thought that thou didst utterly hate her ; and I gave her to thy companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than 3 she ? Let her now be thine instead of her. And Samson said to them : I am guiltless this time in respect to the Phi listines, if I do them evil. * And Samson went and caught three hundred jackalls, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put one torch in . 5 the raidst between the two tails, and set the torches on fire, and sent them forth into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the stacks of sheaves, and the standing grain, and the olive-yards. 6 And the Philistines said : Who has done this ? And they said : Samson, son-in-law of the Tiranite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. '' And Sarason said to thera : If ye will do like this, surely ^ 8 when I have avenged myself on you, then I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a great blow. And he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the cliff of Etam. 0 And the Philistines went up and encaraped in Judah, and 10 spread theraselves out in Lehi. And the men of Judah said : Wherefore have ye come up upon us ? And they said : To bind Samson have we come up ; to do to him as 11 he has done to us. And three thousand men of Judah went down to the xleft of the cliff Etam, and said to Samson : Knowest thou not that the Philistines rule over us? now what is this that thou hast done to us ? And he said to 12 thera : As they did to me, so have I done to them. And they said to him : We have come down to bind thee, that we may give thee into the hand of the Philistines. And 36 JUDGES. CffAP. XTi. Sarason said to thera : Swear to me that ye will not strike 13 me yourselves. And they said to him : No ; for we will bind thee, and give thee into their hand, but we will not put thee to death. And they bound him with two new cords, and 1* brought him up out of the cliff. As soon as he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him, and the spirit of Jehovah came suddenly upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as threads of flax which are burnt 15 with fire, and his bands melted from off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew with it a thousand men. And Samson said : 16 With the jawbone of an ass, A heap, two heaps. With the jawbone of an ass I have smitten a thousand men. 1'' And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called the place 18 Ramath-lehi. And he was very thirsty, and called unto Jehovah, and said.: Thou hast given by the hand of thy servant this great deliverance, and now shall I die for thirst, 10 and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised ? And God cleft the hollow which is in Lehi, and there came forth water from it, and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he re vived. Wherefore they called its name En-hakkore, which is at Lehi unto this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines ten years. 1 And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a woman, a 2 harlot, and came to her. [And it was told] to the men of Gaza, saying: Samson has come hither. And they com passed [him] about, and laid wait for him all night at the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying : Until 3 morning light! and we will slay him. And Samson lay until midnio-ht, and rose up at midnight, and seized the doors of V 2 And it was told; this clause is added to supply the manifest lack of a Hebrew word, which was probably lost through the oversight of transcribers. 37 Chap. xvi. JUDGES. the gate of the city, and the two posts, and tore them up together with the bar, and placed them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is before Hebron. * And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in 5 the watercourse of Sorek, and her name was Dehlah, And the lords of the Philistines went up to her, and said to her : Persuade him, and see wherein is his great strength, and with what we can prevail against him, that we raay bind hira to subdue hira : and we will each one give thee eleven hundred [pieces] of silver. ^ And Delilah said to Sarason : Tell rae, I pray thee, wherein is thy great strength, and with what thou raayest be bound ' to subdue thee ? And Samson said to her : If they bind me with seven fresh cords which have not been dried, I shall be ^ weak, and shall be as one of the men. And the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords which had 0 not been dried, and she bound him with them. And the lier in wait sat in the chamber for her ; and she said to him : The Philistines are upon thee, Samson ! And he broke the cords as a line of tow is broken, when it smells fire. And his strength was not known. 10 And Delilah said to Samson : Behold, thou hast deceived me, and spoken lies to me : now tell me, I pray thee, with 11 what thou mayest be bound. And he said to her : If they bind me fast with new ropes which have never been used, I 12 shall be weak, and shall be as one of the men. And Delilah took new ropes, and bound hira with them, and said to him : The Philistines are upon thee, Samson ! And the lier in wait sat in the chamber : and he broke them off from his arms like a thread. 13 And Delilah said to Samson : Hitherto thou hast deceived me, and spoketi lies to me : tell me with what thou mayest be bound. And he said to her : If thou weavest the seven 1* braids of my head with the warp. And she struck a blow ' on the pin, and said to hira : The Philistines are upon thee, v. 14. Or, fastened [themj with tbe pin 38 JUDGES. Chap. xvi. Samson ! And he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the loom-pin and the warp. 15 And she said to him : How canst thou say : I love thee, when thy heart is not with me ? These three times hast thou deceived me, and hast not told me wherein is thy great 16 strength. And it came to pass when she urged hira all the tirae with her words, aud pressed him, and his soul was vexed 1'^ unto death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her : A razor has never come upon my head ; for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb ; if I be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I shall be like all men. 18 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 bf the Philistines came up to her, and brought up the 10 silver in their hand. And she made him sleep on her knees, and called to the man, and had him shave off the seven braids of his head, and began ta subdue him, and his strength de- 20 parted from him. And she said : The Philistines are upon thee, Samson ! And he awoke out of his sleep, and said : I will go out as at other tiraes, and rouse myself. , And he 21 knew not that Jehovah had departed from him. And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza, and bound him with brazen fetters ; and he 22 turned the mill in the prison house. And the hair of his head began to grow after it had been shaven. 23 And the lords of the Philistines gathered themselves to gether to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their god, and to rejoice ; and they said : Our god has given Samson our ene- 2* my into our hand. And the people saw him, and praised their god ; for they said : Our god has given into our hand our ememy, and him that wasted aur land, and multiplied ,*5 our slain. And it came to pass when their heart was merry, that they said: Call Samson, that he may dance before us. And they called Samson out of the prison-house, and he danced before them ; and they made him stand between the' 26 pillars. And Samson said to the boy that held his hand: ad Chap. xvii. JUDGES. Let rae alone that I raay feel the pillars upon which the house 2' stands, that I raay lean upon them. And the house was full of raen and woraen ; and all the lords of the Philistines were there ; and on the roof about three thousand men and wom- 28 en, that looked on while Samson danced. 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 take vengeance once for my two 20 eyes upon the Philistines. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house stood, and supported himself on them, of one with his right hand, and of o!ie with 30 his left. And Samson said : Let my soul die with the Phi listines ; and he bowed with might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. And the dead whom he put to death by his death were more than those whom he put to death in his life. 31 And his brothers and all his father's house went down, and took him, and went up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the sepulchre of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years-. 1 And there was a man frora the mountain of Ephraim, and 2 his narae was Micaihu. And he said to his mother : The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from thee (and thou didst curse, and also saidst [it] in my ears), be hold, the silver is with me ; I took it. And his mother 3 said ; Blessed of Jehovah be my son ! And he returned the. eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother, and his mother said : I have verily dedicated the silver to Jehovah from my hand for my son, to raake a carved and raolten ' * iraage, and now I will return it to thee. And he returned the silver to his mother ; and his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave it to the goldsmith, and he made of it a carved and molten image, and it was in the house of 5 Micaihu. And the man Micah had a house of God, and he T. 28. Or, that I may take vengeance for one of my two eyes T. 5. " To fill the hands," viz. : with offerings to Jehovah, is here used as equivalent to " to set apart," or " appoint, to the priesthood." The same flgure is employed ia Ex. 28; 41; Lev., 21 : 10, and elsewhere ; comp. Ex. 32 : 29. 40 JUDGES. Chap, xtiii. in-ade an ephod and teraphim, and filled the hand of one of 6 his sons, and he became priest for hira. In those days there was no king in Israel ; each one did what was right in his eyes. ' And there was a young man from Bethlehera-judah, of the family of Judah ; and he was a Levite, and he sojourned 8 there. And the man went from the city, from Bethlehera- judah, to sojourn wherever he might find [a place], and came to the mountain of Ephraira, unto the house of Micah, 0 as he journeyed. And Micah said to hira : Whence coraest thou ? And he said unto him : I am a Levite, from Bethle hera-judah ; and I ara going to sojourn wherever I raay find 10 [a place]. And Micah said to hira : Dwell with rae, and be to me a father and a priest ; and I will give thee ten [pieces] of silver by the year, a.nd a suit of clothing, and 11 thy food. And the Levite went. And the Levite con sented to dwell with hira, and the young raan became to 12 him as one of his sons. And Micah filled the hand of the Levite, and the young man became a priest for hira, and 13 was in Micah's house. And Micah said : Now know I that Jehovah will do me good ; for the Levite has become a priest for me. 1 In those days there was no king in Israel ; and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves a posses sion to dwell in, "because no [land] had fallen to them unto that day araong the tribes of Israel as a possession. 2 And the sons of Dan sent of their family five men, out of their whole number, men that were valiant, 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 the mountain of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and 3 lodged there. They were just by the house of Micah, and they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him : Who brought thee hither? And what doest thou in this place? And * what hast thou here ? And he said to them : Thus and so 41 Chap. xvni. JUDGES. has Micah deti^t with me, and has hired me, and I have be- 5 come a priest for him. And they said to hira : Ask of God, we pray thee, that we may know whether our way in which 6 we go shall prosper. And the priest said to them : Go in peace : before Jehovah is your way in which'ye go. '' And the five men went, and came to Laish, and they saw the people who were in it dwelling in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure ; and none did any harm in the land, possessing dominion, and they were far frora the Zidonians, and had nothing to do with men. 8 And they carae to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol; 0 and their brethren said to them : What [say] ye ? And they said : Up ! and let us go up against them ; for we have seen the laud, and, behold, it is very good ; and are ye still? 10 Be not slothful to go, to enter in, to possess the land. When ye corae, ye will come to a people secure, and the land is broad on both hands ; for God has given it into your hands ;. a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth. 11 And there broke up from thence of the family of the Dan ites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girded 12 with weapons of war. And they went up, and encamped in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah ; therefore they have called that place Camp of Dan unto this day ; behold, it is behind Kir jath- j ear ira. 13 And they passed over from thence jjo the mountain of 1* Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. And the five men who went to spy out the land of Laish answered, and said to their brethren : Know ye that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved and raolten image? 15 And now consider what ye have to do. And they turned aside thither, and came to the house of the young man, the 10 Levite, the house of Micah, and saluted him. And the six - hundred men, girded with the weapons of war, were stand ing at the opening of the gate, who were of the sons of Dan. " And the five men who went to spy out the land went up,- V. 15. Or, and asked him concerning his welfare 42 JUDGES. Chap, xtiii. came thither, took the carved image, and||;he ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image : and the priest was standing at the opening of the door, and the six bundled men that 18 were girded with weapons of war. And these came to the house of Micah, and took' the carved iraage, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image ; and the priest said to 10 them : What are ye doing? And they said to hira : Hush ! put thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for thee to be priest for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe, and for a 20 family in Israel ? And the heart of the priest was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the carved image, 21 and came into the midst of the people. And they turned, and went, and placed the little ones, and the cattle, and the valuables before them. 22 They were already far from the house of Micah, when the men who were in the houses which were with the house of Micah were called together, and followed close upon the 23 sons of Dan. And they called to the sons of Dan, and they turned their faces, and sail to Micah : What ails thee, that 2* thou art called together ? And he said : My god, which I had made, ye have taken, and the priest, and have gone away, and what have I more ? And how then do ye say : 25 What ails thee ? And the sons of Dan said to him : Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest men embittered in spirit fall upon thee, and thou destroy thy life and the life of thy 26 house. And the sons of Dan went their way : and Micah saw that they were stronger than he, and he turned and went back to his house. 2'' And they took what Micah had made, and the priest , whom he had, and came to Laish, upon a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword ; and 28 the city they burned with fire. And there was no deliverer ; for it was far from Zidon, and they had nothing to do with men ; and it was in the valley [belonging] to Beth-rehob ; 20 and they built the city, and dwelt in it. And they called V. 28. Or, the valley whioh [extends to] Beth-rehob. 43 Chap. xix. JUDGES. the name of the city Dan, frora the narae of Dan their father, who was born to Israel ; but yet Laish was the name of the city at first. 30 And the sons of Dan set up for theraselves the carved iraage ; and Jonathan, son of Gershora, son of Moses, he and « his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the 31 day of the captivity of the land. And they set up for them Micah's carved image which he made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh. 1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a man of Levi sojourning in the uttermost parts of the mountain of Ephraim, and he took to 2 him a woman, a concubine, out of Bethlehera-judah. And his concubine played ttie harlot against hira, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehera-judah, and was 3 there for a time, even four months. And her husband arose and went after her, to speak to her heart, that he might bring it 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 young woman saw him, and rejoiced to meet * him. And his father-in-law, the young woman's father, de tained hira, and he abode with him three days ; and they ^ ate and drank, and lodged there. And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to go ; and the young woman's father said to his son-in-law : Refresh thy heart with a piece of bread, and 6 afterward thou mayest go. And they sat, and ate, both of them together, and drank ; and the young woman's father said to the raan : Be content, I pray thee, and spend the ' night, and let thy heart be raerry. And the man rose up to go ; and his father-in-law pressed him, and he returned, 8 and spent the night there. And he rose early in the morn ing on the fifth day to go ; and the young woman's father said : Refresh thy heart, I pray thee. And they tarried till 0 the day declined ; and they both ate. And the man rose up T. 2. Or, and was there a year [and] four months T. 3. Or, might bring her back v. 8. Or, and tarry ye until the day declines 44 JUDGES. Chap. xix. to go, he, and his concubine, and his servant. And his father- in-law, the young woman's father, said to him : Behold now, the day sinks down toward evening ; spend the night, I pray you : behold, the day goes to rest ; spend thou the night here, and let thy heart be merry, and rise ye early on the 10 morrow for your journey, and go to thy tent. But the man would not spend the night, and he rose up, and went, and came opposite to Jebus, that is Jerusalem, and with him a 11 pair of asses saddled, and his concubine with him. They were by Jebus, and the day was very far down ; and the servant said to his master : Go, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusite, and spend the night in it. 12 And his master said to him : W e will not turn aside into the city of the stranger, where there are none of the sons of 13 Israel, but we will pass over unto Gibeah. And he said to his servant : Come, and let us draw near to one of the places, and spend the night in Gibeah, or in Raraah.- 1* And they passed over, and went on, and the sun went down for them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15 And they turned aside there, to come in to spend the night in Gibeah. And he came in, and sat in the street of the city, and no man took them into his house to spend the 16 ni^ht. And, behold, an old man came from his work out of the field at evening ; and the man was from the mountain of Ephraim, but he sojourned in Gibeah, and the men of the " place were Benjamites. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the way-faring man in the street of the city : and the old man said : Whither goest thou ? and whence aft thou come ? 18 And he said to him : We are passing frora Bethlehem-judah to the uttermost parts of the mountain of Ephraim ; I am from thence, and I went to Bethlehem-judah, and am going . to the house of Jehovah, and no man takes me to his house. 10 And we have both straw and also provender for our asses ; and we have both bread and wine for me, and for thy hand- ' maid, and for the young man that is with thy servants. , 20 There is no want of anything. And the old man said : V. 18. Or, and I walk in the honse of Jehovah, . 45 Chap. xx. JUDGES. Peace be with thee ; only let all thy wants lie upon me ; 21 only do not spend the night in the street. And he brought ^. hira into his house, and gave provender to the asses, and they washed their feet, and ate, and drank. 22 They were making their heart merry, and, behold, men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the door, and said to the master of the house, the old man : Bring out the man who has come into thy house, that we 23 may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them : Do npt, my brethren, do not, I pray you, act wickedly ; since this man has come 2* into my house, do not this folly. Behold my daughter, the virgin, and his concubine ; let me bring them out, I pray you, and humble ye them, and do to them what is good in your 25 eyes, but to this man do nothing of this folly. But the men would not hearken to him. And the man seized his concu bine, and brought her out to them outside, and they knew her, and abused her all the night until morning, and let her 26 go at the rising of the dawn. And the woman came, at the turn of the morning, and fell down at the entrance of the 2'' man's house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way ; and, behold, the woman, his concubine, was lying at the entrance of the house, and 28 her hands upon the threshold. And he said to her : Rise, and let us be going. But none answered, and he took her up on the ass, and the man rose up, and went to his place. 20 And he came to his house, and took the knife, and seized his concubine, and cut her into twelve pieces according to her bones, and sent her throughout all the border of Israel. 30 And it was so, that every one who saw it said : No such thing has been done or seen in Israel, from the day that the sons af Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day : Consider of it, give counsel, and speak. 1 And all the sons of Israel went forth, and the congrega- T. 30. Or, and it shall be, that every one who Sees it rfiall say 46 JUDGES. Chap. xx. tion was assembled as one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, 2 and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. And the chief men of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hun dred thousand footmen that drew the sword. 3 And the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the sons of Israel said : Speak ; * how was this wickedness? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said : To Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin, came I and my concubine to. 5 spend the night. And the citizens of Gibeah rose up against me, and surrounded the house against me by night ; me they meant to kill, and my concubine they hurabled, that she died. 6 And I seized my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the fields of the possession of Israel ; for ¦^ they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, all of you, sons of Israel ! give for yourselves here word and coimsel. 8 And all the people rose as one man, saying : We will not any of us go to his tent, and will not any of us turn aside to 0 his house. And now this is the thing which we will do to 10 Gibeah ; [we will go up] against it by lot. And we will take ten men to the hundred of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred to the thousand, and a thousand to the ten thou sand, to fetch provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah-benjamin they may do according to all the folly that they have done in Israel. 11 And all the men of Israel were gathered together unto 12 the city, banded together as one man. And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin, say- 13 ing : What wickedness is this that is done among you ?¦ And now give up the men, worthless fellows who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and remove wickedness from Israel. And Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of 1* their brethren, the sons of Israel. And the sons of Benja-' min gathered themselves together from the cities unto Gib- is eah, to go forth to the battle with the sons of Israel. And 47 Chap. xx. JUDGES. the sons of Benjamin were mustered in that day out of the cities twenty-six tliousand men drawing sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were mustered, seven hundred ^6 chosen men. Out of all this people there were seven hun dred chosen men, left-handed ; every one of them could " sling a stone at a hair, and not miss. And the men of Israel were mustered, besides Be"njamin, four hundred thousand men drawing sword, every one of these a man of war. 18 And they arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked of God, and the sons of Israel said : Who shall go up for us first to the battle with the sons of Benjamin ? And Jehovah said : Judah, first. 10 And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning, and en- *o camped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went forth to the battle with Benjamin ; and the men of Israel set 21 themselves in battle array against them at Gibeah. And the sons of Benjarain went forth frora Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground in Israel on that day twenty and two thousand men. ^2 And the people, the men of Israel, strengthened them selves, and again set themselves in battle array in the place where they had set themselves in array on the first day. 23 And the sons of Israel went up, and wept before Jehovah until evening, and asked of Jehovah, saying : Shall I again draw near for battle with the sons of Benjamin my brother? 2* And Jehovah said : Go up against him. And the sons of Israel came near to the sons of Benjaminthe second day. 25 And Benjarain went forth to meet them from Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground again of the sons of Israel eighteen thousand men ; all these drew the sword. 26 Then went up all the sons of Israel, and all the people, and carae to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Jeho vah, and fasted on that day till the evening, and offered 2'' burntrofferings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the 28 covenant of God was there in those days, and Phine^has, son 43 JUDGES. ' Chap. xx. of Eleazar, son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), say- , ing : Shall I yet again go forth for battle with the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease ? And Jehovah said : 20 Go up, for to-morrow I will give hira into thy hand. And Israel placed men in ambush round about Gibeah. 30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah," 31 as at other tiraes. And the sons of Benjamin went forth to meet the people, were drawn away frora the city, and began to smite some of the people dead, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel, and one to Gibeah 32 in the field, about thirty men in Israel. And the sons of Ben jamin said : They are beaten before us as at first ; and the sons of Israel said : Let us flee, and draw them away from 33 the city to the highways. And all the men of Israel rose up from their place, and set themselves in array at Baal- tamar : and the ambush of Israel rushed forth frora their 3* place, from the open field of Geba. And they came from before Gibeah, ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel ; and the battle was heavy ; and those knew not that 35 evil was near them. And Jehovah smote Benjarain before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed in Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men ; all these drew the sword. 36 And the sons of Benjamin saw that they were beaten, and the sons of Israel gave place to Benjarain, because they trusted to the arabush which they had placed against Gib- 3' eah. And the arabush hastened and spread themselves against Gibeah, and the arabush drew forth, and smote all the city with the edge of sword. 38 And the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambush was, that they should make a great cloud of 30 smoke ascend out of the city. And the men of Israel turned about in the battle, and Benjamin began to sraite dead of the men of Israel about thirty men : for they said : Surely *o he is altogether beaten before us, as in the first battle. Aud the cloud began to ascend from the city, a pillar of smoke, D 49 Chap. xxi. JUDGES. andBenjamin turned back, and, behold, the whole city was *i ascending to heaven. And the men of Israel turned about, and the men of Benjamin were confounded ; for they saw *2 that the evil had corae upon thera. And they turned before the raen of Israel, to the way of the wilderness ; and the battle followed hard upon hira, and those out of the cities "*3 destroyed them in the midst of them. They surrounded Benjarain, pursued hira, trod hira down at the resting place *i as far as over against Gibeah toward the sun rising. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these *5 were valiant men. Aud they turned, and fled into the wil derness to the cliff Rimmon ; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them unto Gidom, and sraote of thera two thousand men. *6 And all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty and five thousand raen that drew sword ; all these were valiant men. *'' And they turned, and fled into the wilderness to the cliff Rimmon, six hundred men, and dwelt in the cliff Rimmon *8 four months. And the raen of Israel returned to the sons of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle and whatever was found ; also all the cities that were found they set on fire. 1 Now the sons of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying : No 2 one of us shall give his daughter to Benjarain for a wife. And the people carae to Bethel, and sat there until the evening before God, and lifted up their voice, and wept with a great 3 weeping. And they said : Wherefore, 0 Jehovah, God of Israel, has this corae to pass in Israel, that one tribe should * be raissing this day frora Israel? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose up early and built there an altar, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 5 And the sons of Israel said : Who is there that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah out of all the tribes of Israel ? For the great oath had been taken concerning hira who came V. 42. Or, and the battle followed hard upon them, and [upon] those out of the cities, while they destroyed them in the midst of it. V. 48. Or, both the city, from men to cattle, and whatever was found, 50 JUDGES. Chap. xxi. not up to Jehovah unto Mizpeh, saying : He shall surely be ^ put to death. And the sons of Israel repented toward Ben jamin their brother, and said : One tribe has been cut off ' this day from Israel. What shall we do for them, those that are left, for wives, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah hot to 8 give them of our daughters for wives. And they said : What one is there from the tribes of Israel, that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh? And, behold, not one had come up to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead to the assembly. 0 And the people were mustered, and, behold, thq,re was not one there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying : Go, and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the 11 sword, and the women and the little ones. And this is the thing which ye shall do : Every male and every woman who 12 has lain with a male ye shall devote. And they found of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who had not known a man by lying with a male ; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, w'hich is in the land of Canaan. 13 And all the congregation sent, and spoke to the sons of Benjamin, that were in the cliff Rimmon, and proclaimed to 1* thera peace. And Benjarain returned at that time ; and they gave to them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they found not enough 15 for them. And the people were sorry for Benjarain, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16 Then the elders of the congregation said : What shall we do for wives for those that are left ? for women are destroyed " out of Benjamin. And they said : A possession of the es caped [must be] for Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted 18 out of Israel. Yet we are not able to give them wives of our daughters ; for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying : 10 Cursed be he that gives a wife to Benjamin. And they said : Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah in Shiloh from year to V. 11. Or, lit. who has known lying with a male 51 Chap. xxi. JUDGES. year, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the 20 south of Lebonah. And they commanded the sons of Ben- 21 jamin, saying : Go, and lie in wait in the vineyards : and see,' and, behold, when the daughters of Shiloh come forth to dance in the dances, then come forth out of the vineyards, and seize for yourselves each one his wife from the dsLugh- 22 ters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. And it shall be when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with us, that we will say to them : Grant them to us ; for we did not receive a wife for .each man in the war. For ye have not given them to us, in that case ye would' have been guilty. 23 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives accord ing to their nuraber from the dancers whom they caught ; and they went, and returned to their possession, and built 2* the cities, and dwelt in them. And the sons of Israel de parted thence at that time, every one to his tribe and his family, and they went forth from thence every one to his possession. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel : each one did what was right in his own eyes. 52 RUTH. 1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethle hem-judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his 2 wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the narae of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethle hem-judah. And they came into the fields of Moab, aud were there. * And Elimelech Naomi's husband died, and she was left, * and her two sons. And they took to themselves wives, women of Moab, the narae of the one Orpah, and the narae of the other Ruth ; and they dwelt there about ten years. 5 And both of them also, Mahlon and Chilion, died, and the woman [alone] of her husband and her two sons was left. ® And she arose, she, and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the fields of Moab ; for she heard in the field of Moab that Jehovah had visited his people to give them bread. '^ And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way 8 to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law : Go, return, each to the house of her mother. Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt 0 with the dead and with me ! Jehovah grant you to find a place of rest, each in the house of her husband ! And she 10 kissed them ; and they, lifted up their voice and wept, and ^1 said to her : With thee will we return to thy people. And Naomi said : Return, my daughters ; why would ye go with mo ? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be hus^ ^2 bands for you ? Return, my daughters, go ; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say : I have hope, [and] should even have a husband to-night, and should even bear A 1 Chap. n. EUTH. 13 sons, would ye then wait till they were grown up ? Would ye then shut yourselves up so as not to have a husband? Nay, my daughters ; for to me it is much more bitter than to you ; for the hand of Jehovah has gone out against me. 1* And they lifted up their voice and wept again : and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. , 15 And she said : Behold, thy sister-in-law has returned to her people, and to her god ; return thou after thy sister-in- 10 law. And Ruth said : Urge me not to leave thee, to return from following thee ; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people are my people, 1'^ and thy God my God ; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. Let Jehovah do so to me, and more also ! 18 Death shall part between me and thee. And when she saw that she was fully resolved to go with her, she ceased to speak to her. 10 And they went, both of them, until they came to Bethle hem. And it came to pass when they came to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved on account of them ; and they 20 said : Is this Naomi ? And she said to them : Call me not Naomi, call me Mara ; for the Almighty has dealt very bit- 21 terly with me. I went away full, and empty has Jehovah brought me back. Why call ye me Naomi, when Jehovah has borne witness against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? 22 And [so] Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned from the fields of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley-harvest. 1 And Naomi had an acquaintance of her husband's, a strong and valiant man, of the family of Elimelech, and his 2 name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi :. Let me, I pray thee, go into the field, and glean among the ears after him in whose eyes I may find favor. And she 3 said to her : Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, V. 14. Or, wept long % EUTH. Chap. u. and gleaned in the field after the reapers ; and her lot was to fall on the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was * of the family cf Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers : Jehovah be with you ! 5 And they said to him : Jehovah bless thee ! And Boaz said to his young man that was set over the reapers : Whose 0 maid is this? And the young man who was set over the reapers answered and said : She is a Moabitish maid, who '' has come back with Naomi from the fields of Moab : and she said: Let me glean, I pray thee, and I will gather among the sheaves after the reapers : and she came, and has stood from the morning even until now ; her sitting there in the house has been but little. 8 Then said Boaz to Ruth : Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, and do not even pass from 0 hence, but here keep close with my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have not I commanded the young men not to touch thee ? And when thou art thirsty go to the vessels, and drink of 10 that which the young men draw. And she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the earth, and said to hira : Why have I found favor in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take notice 11 of me, when I am a stranger ? And Boaz answered, and said to her : It has been fully told me all that thou hast done with thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband, and that thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy birth, and hast gone to a people that thou knewest 12 not heretofore. Jehovah recompense thy work, and full be thy reward from Jehovah God of Israel, under whose wings 13 thou hast come to trust. And she" said : Let me find favor in thine eyes, my lord ; for thou hast comforted me and hast spoken to the heart of thy maid-servant, though I be not as }^ one of thy maid-servants. And Boaz said to her at meal time : Come thou hither, and eat thy bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her roasted ears, and she ate, and was satisfied, 15 and had more left. And when she rose up to glean, Boaz 3 Chap. m. EUTH. commanded his young men, saying: Let her glean among 16 the sheaves also, and reproach her not ; and even pull out some frora the bundles for her, and leave it, and let her glean it ; and rebuke her not. 1^ And she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up, and went into the city ; and her raother- in-law saw what she had gleaned ; and she brought forth and gave to her what had been left after she was satisfied. 10 And her mother-in-law said to her : Where hast thou gleaned to-day ? and where hast thou worked ? Blessed be he that took notice of thee ! And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said : The man's name with whom I 20 worked to-day is Boaz. And Naomi said to her daughter- in-law : Blessed be he of Jehovah, who has not left off his kindness toward the living and toward the dead! And Naomi said to her : The man is near of kin to us, one of 21 those who should redeem us. And Ruth the .Moabitess said : He said to rae also : Thou shalt keep close with my 22 young men, until they have ended all my harvest. And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law : It is good, my daughter, that thou goest out with his maidens, that men 23 meet thee not in another field. And she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean, unto the end of the barley harvest, and of the 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 for thee a place of rest, where it may be well 2 with thee ? And no\^ is not Boaz our acquaintance, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley to- 3 night in the threshing-floor ; and wash, and anoint thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and go down to the thresh ing-floor ; make not thyself known to the man until he has * done eating and drinking. And it shall be when he lies down, that thou shalt mark the place where he lies, and T. 20. who should redeem us ; strictly, " our redeemers," in the sense of Lev, 25 ; 23 ff. EUTH. Chap. ni. shalt go and uncover at his feet, and lie down ; and he will 5 tell thefe 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 threshing-floor, and did accord- '' ing to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. And Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he came to lie down at the end ofthe heap of grain-sheaves; and she 8 came softly, and uncovered at his feet^ and lay down. And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was frightened, and turned himself, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet, 0 And he said : Who art thou ? And she said : I am Ruth thy handmaid, and spread thy wing over thy handmaid ; for 10 thou art a redeemer. And he said r Blessed be thou of Je hovah, my daughter ; thou hast made thy latter kindness better than the former, in not going after the young men, 11 whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not ; all that thou sayest I will do for thee ; for all the gate of my 12 people knows that thon art a brave woman. And now it is true, assuredly, that I am- thy redeemer, and yet there is a 13 redeemer nearer than I. Tarry to-night, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem thee, well ; let him redeem ; but if he be not pleased to redeem thee, then will I re deem thee, as Jehovah hves. Lie down until the morning. 1* And she lay down at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could know another; and he said: Let it not be knawn that the woman carae to the threshing- 15 floor. And he said :¦ Give here the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it. And she held it, and he measured six [meas ures] of barley, and laid it on her, and went into the city. 16 And she came to her mother-in-law : and she said : Who art thou, my daughter ? 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 : Go not empty to thy 18 mother-in-law. And she said r Abide, my daughter, until thou knowest how the matter will fall out ; for' the man will not be quiet, unless he finish the matter to-day. ' V 11. and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of 10 Naorai. And also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, have I bought to be ray wife, to raise up the narae of the dead on his possession, that the narae ofthe dead raay not be cut off from araong 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 who comes to thy house like Rachel, and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel ; and acquire V. I. Or, and if he will not redeem 6 EUTH. Chap. iv. thou strength in Ephraitah, and get ?, name in Bethlehem. 12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Ta- mar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman. 13 And Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he came in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she 1* bore a son. And the women said to Naomi : Blessed be Jehovah, who has not left thee without a redeeraer this day; 15 and let his name be famous in Israel ! And may he be to thee a restorer of thy soul, and a sustainer of thy old age ; for thy daughter-in-law, who loves thee, has borne him, she 16 who is better for thee than seven sons. And Naomi took the child, and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. 1'^ And the neighbor woraen gave him a name, saying : A son is born to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He was the father -of Jesse, the father of David. 18 And this is the family record of Pharez : Pharez begot Hez- 10 ron ; and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Araminadab ; 20 and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Sal- i mon ; and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed ; and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David. 7 ' ^?ffl!BBWSH^S9f^