followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold
on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem
died also, about a thousand men and women.
07:009:050 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez,
and took it.
07:009:051 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled
all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it
to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
07:009:052 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and
went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
07:009:053 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon
Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
07:009:054 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer,
and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say
not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him
through, and he died.
07:009:055 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they
departed every man unto his place.
07:009:056 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did
unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
07:009:057 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon
their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of
Jerubbaal.
07:010:001 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son
of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in
Shamir in mount Ephraim.
07:010:002 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was
buried in Shamir.
07:010:003 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel
twenty and two years.
07:010:004 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they
had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day,
which are in the land of Gilead.
07:010:005 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
07:010:006 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria,
and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of
the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and
forsook the LORD, and served not him.
07:010:007 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold
them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of
the children of Ammon.
07:010:008 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel:
eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the
other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in
Gilead.
07:010:009 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight
also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the
house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
07:010:010 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We
have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our
God, and also served Baalim.
07:010:011 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I
deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from
the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
07:010:012 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did
oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of
their hand.
07:010:013 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I
will deliver you no more.
07:010:014 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them
deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
07:010:015 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned:
do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us
only, we pray thee, this day.
07:010:016 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served
the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
07:010:017 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and
encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled
themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.
07:010:018 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What
man is he that will begin to fight against the children of
Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
07:011:001 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he
was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
07:011:002 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up,
and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt
not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a
strange woman.
07:011:003 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of
Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went
out with him.
07:011:004 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of
Ammon made war against Israel.
07:011:005 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war
against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah
out of the land of Tob:
07:011:006 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we
may fight with the children of Ammon.
07:011:007 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate
me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come
unto me now when ye are in distress?
07:011:008 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn
again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight
against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the
inhabitants of Gilead.
07:011:009 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me
home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the
LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
07:011:010 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be
witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
07:011:011 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people
made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all
his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
07:011:012 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of
Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art
come against me to fight in my land?
07:011:013 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the
messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when
they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and
unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again
peaceably.
07:011:014 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the
children of Ammon:
07:011:015 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away
the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
07:011:016 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the
wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
07:011:017 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let
me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom
would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto
the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode
in Kadesh.
07:011:018 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the
land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side
of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon,
but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the
border of Moab.
07:011:019 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites,
the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we
pray thee, through thy land into my place.
07:011:020 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but
Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz,
and fought against Israel.
07:011:021 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people
into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel
possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of
that country.
07:011:022 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon
even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
07:011:023 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites
from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
07:011:024 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee
to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out
from before us, them will we possess.
07:011:025 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of
Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or
did he ever fight against them,
07:011:026 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and
her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts
of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not
recover them within that time?
07:011:027 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me
wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day
between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
07:011:028 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto
the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
07:011:029 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed
over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead,
and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of
Ammon.
07:011:030 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou
shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine
hands,
07:011:031 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of
my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children
of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up
for a burnt offering.
07:011:032 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight
against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
07:011:033 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith,
even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with
a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were
subdued before the children of Israel.
07:011:034 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his
daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances:
and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor
daughter.
07:011:035 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his
clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me
very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have
opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.
07:011:036 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy
mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath
proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken
vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of
Ammon.
07:011:037 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me:
let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the
mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
07:011:038 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she
went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the
mountains.
07:011:039 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she
returned unto her father, who did with her according to his
vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a
custom in Israel,
07:011:040 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the
daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
07:012:001 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went
northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou
over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not
call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee
with fire.
07:012:002 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great
strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye
delivered me not out of their hands.
07:012:003 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my
hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the
LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come
up unto me this day, to fight against me?
07:012:004 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and
fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim,
because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim
among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
07:012:005 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the
Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which
were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said
unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
07:012:006 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said
Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then
they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and
there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two
thousand.
07:012:007 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the
Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
07:012:008 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
07:012:009 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent
abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons.
And he judged Israel seven years.
07:012:010 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.
07:012:011 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged
Israel ten years.
07:012:012 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the
country of Zebulun.
07:012:013 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged
Israel.
07:012:014 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on
threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight
years.
07:012:015 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was
buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the
Amalekites.
07:013:001 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the
Philistines forty years.
07:013:002 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the
Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and
bare not.
07:013:003 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said
unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but
thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
07:013:004 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor
strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
07:013:005 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor
shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto
God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of
the hand of the Philistines.
07:013:006 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God
came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of
an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he
was, neither told he me his name:
07:013:007 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a
son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any
unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from
the womb to the day of his death.
07:013:008 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the
man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach
us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
07:013:009 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God
came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah
her husband was not with her.
07:013:010 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and
said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that
came unto me the other day.
07:013:011 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the
man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the
woman? And he said, I am.
07:013:012 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we
order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
07:013:013 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said
unto the woman let her beware.
07:013:014 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither
let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing:
all that I commanded her let her observe.
07:013:015 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let
us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
07:013:016 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain
me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a
burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah
knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
07:013:017 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name,
that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
07:013:018 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus
after my name, seeing it is secret?
07:013:019 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon
a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and
Manoah and his wife looked on.
07:013:020 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from
off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the
flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and
fell on their faces to the ground.
07:013:021 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to
his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
07:013:022 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we
have seen God.
07:013:023 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill
us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat
offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all
these things, nor would as at this time have told us such
things as these.
07:013:024 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the
child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
07:013:025 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the
camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
07:014:001 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of
the daughters of the Philistines.
07:014:002 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said,
I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
07:014:003 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a
woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my
people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised
Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me;
for she pleaseth me well.
07:014:004 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the
LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for
at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
07:014:005 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to
Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a
young lion roared against him.
07:014:006 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent
him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his
hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had
done.
07:014:007 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased
Samson well.
07:014:008 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside
to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm
of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
07:014:009 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came
to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat:
but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the
carcase of the lion.
07:014:010 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there
a feast; for so used the young men to do.
07:014:011 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought
thirty companions to be with him.
07:014:012 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto
you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days
of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty
sheets and thirty change of garments:
07:014:013 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty
sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him,
Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
07:014:014 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and
out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in
three days expound the riddle.
07:014:015 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto
Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us
the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with
fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?
07:014:016 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but
hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto
the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he
said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my
mother, and shall I tell it thee?
07:014:017 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast
lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told
her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to
the children of her people.
07:014:018 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day
before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what
is stronger than a lion? and he said unto them, If ye had not
plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
07:014:019 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to
Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil,
and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the
riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his
father's house.
07:014:020 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used
as his friend.
07:015:001 But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat
harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said,
I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would
not suffer him to go in.
07:015:002 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly
hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her
younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead
of her.
07:015:003 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless
than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.
07:015:004 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took
firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in
the midst between two tails.
07:015:005 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into
the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the
shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and
olives.
07:015:006 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they
answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he
had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the
Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
07:015:007 And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will
I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
07:015:008 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he
went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
07:015:009 Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread
themselves in Lehi.
07:015:010 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And
they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as
he hath done to us.
07:015:011 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock
Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the
Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast
done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so
have I done unto them.
07:015:012 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we
may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson
said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me
yourselves.
07:015:013 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee
fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not
kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought
him up from the rock.
07:015:014 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against
him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and
the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was
burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
07:015:015 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand,
and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
07:015:016 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,
with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
07:015:017 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that
he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that
place Ramathlehi.
07:015:018 And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said,
Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy
servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the
hand of the uncircumcised?
07:015:019 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there
came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came
again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof
Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
07:015:020 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty
years.