[ Judges Chapter 2 ]
1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you
to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto
your fathers, and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land, ye shall throw
down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they
shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the
children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto
the LORD.
6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man
unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the
elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that
he did for Israel.
8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and
ten years old.
9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the
mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there
arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works
which he had done for Israel.
11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served
Baalim:
12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the
land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were
round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to
anger.
13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into
the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of
their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their
enemies.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil,
as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly
distressed.
16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand
of those that spoiled them.
17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring
after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the
way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD, but
they did not so.
18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge,
and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge:
for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that
oppressed them and vexed them.
19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and
corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve
them, and to bow down unto them, they ceased not from their own doings, nor from
their stubborn way.
20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he said, Because that
this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and
have not hearkened unto my voice,
21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations
which Joshua left when he died:
22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the
LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily,
neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
[ Judges Chapter 3 ]
1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even
as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan,
2 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them
war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof,
3 Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the
Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon
unto the entering in of Hamath.
4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto
the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses.
5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites,
and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to
their sons, and served their gods.
7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the
LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into
the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel
served Chushanrishathaim eight years.
9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a
deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of
Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out
to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his
hand, and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.
11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the
LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done
evil in the sight of the LORD.
13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote
Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up
a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the
children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length, and he did
gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat
man.
18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people
that bare the present.
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said,
I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that
stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came unto him, and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had
for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he
arose out of his seat.
21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh,
and thrust it into his belly:
22 And the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade,
so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour
upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants came, and when they saw that, behold, the
doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his
summer chamber.
25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors
of the parlour, therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their
lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and
escaped unto Seirath.
27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain
of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he
before them.
28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your
enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the
fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all
men of valour, and there escaped not a man.
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest
fourscore years.
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six
hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
[ Judges Chapter 4 ]
1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud
was dead.
2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in
Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the
Gentiles.
3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred
chariots of iron, and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that
time.
5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount
Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and
said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw
toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of
Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's
army, with his chariots and his multitude, and I will deliver him into thine
hand.
8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou
wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that
thou takest shall not be for thine honour, for the LORD shall sell Sisera into
the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and he went up with ten
thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of
Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain
of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.
12 And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount
Tabor.
13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of
iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto
the river of Kishon.
14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up, for this is the day in which the LORD hath
delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak
went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with
the edge of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot,
and fled away on his feet.
16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of
the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword, and
there was not a man left.
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber
the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of
Heber the Kenite.
18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn
in to me, fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she
covered him with a mantle.
19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink, for I am
thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when
any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou
shalt say, No.
21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her
hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and
fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said
unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came
into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of
Israel.
24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin
the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
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