altar, built to the false god, Baal; and to cut down the grove that was planted round it, and to build an altar to him, and sacrifice his father's bullock upon it. So Gideon did so by night, and took ten of his father's servants to help him.

In the morning the men of the city saw what Gideon had done, but they did not know who did it. And at last they found out that it was Gideon, and they were very angry, and wanted to kill him. But Gideon's father said, "Let Baal kill him if he can, but do not you kill him;" and you know that a wooden god could not, and so his father saved his life; and he called his name, after that, Jerubbaal, which means, let Baal plead, that is, let Baal defend himself.

Now the Midianites and the Amalekites pitched in the valley of Jezreel, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew the war-trumpet, and called many of the tribes of Israel to help him. And he would fain know if God was pleased with what he was doing, and so he asked God for two signs. First, he would put a piece of fleece of wool off a sheep's back upon the floor, and if the wool were all wet, and the floor dry, he should believe that God was with him to help him; and the fleece was so wet, that he wrung a bowl full of water out of it, while the floor was dry. Still, Gideon did not know what to do, and he asked God for another sign, and that was to be the reverse of this, for the fleece should be dry and the floor wet; "and God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew upon all the ground."

Gideon now took his army and pitched by the side of the well of Harod. And God told Gideon that he had too many soldiers, for they would be apt to be proud after the victory, and to say, "Mine own hand hath saved me;" so Gideon was to tell all that were afraid to go back to their homes, and out of thirty-two thousand, only ten thousand remained behind, twenty-two thousand being afraid. Still there were too many; so God commanded Gideon to take them to the water to drink, and some lapped or dipped up the water with their hands, and then lapped it with their tongues, while the others knelt down to drink it, and God told Gideon that those who lapped should go with him to the battle, and no more. How many do you suppose there were that God would have to fight a great army of the Midianites? Why, only three hundred! So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets, and Gideon sont all the rest away; "and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley."

The same night the Lord told Gideon that he was to beat the Midianites, but

if he had still any fear, he was to take a companion, and go and visit their camp in secret. And he did so, and the enemy covered the ground, and their camels which carried their luggage were too many in number.

Now, a Midianitish soldier dreamt that a cake of barley-bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and overturned a tent. And he told it to his fellowsoldier that was near him, and he said, "This is the sword of Gideon," for into his hand hath God delivered Midian and all his host.". Gideon was near and heard this, for God made the soldier dream, and taught the other to explain it, and caused Gideon to hear it, that his heart might not be afraid. So Gideon worshipped God, and returned full of courage.

And now he took an odd method to fight the Midianites. He divided his three hundred men into three companies of one hundred each; "and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers, and he ordered every man to do everything that he should do."

So about midnight, when the Midianites were fast asleep, he marched quietly with his little army to the outside of their camp. And he blew his trumpet, and all the three hundred blew theirs. And then he smashed his pitcher and all the rest smashed theirs, which they held in their left hands. And, lo, in a moment there were three hundred lights! And then they shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." No wonder that the Midianites were afraid, especially as God had resolved to destroy them, for they must have thought, at the moment, that there was a large army indeed behind, when there were no less than three hundred trumpeters, and three hundred light-bearers besides, as they probably imagined. So, they thought their best way was to flee; indeed, when a man awakes out of sleep in a fright, he hardly knows what to do. "All the host ran, and cried, and fled." And every man killed his fellow, not knowing him from a foe.

And Gideon sent for the men of Ephraim to pursue after the flying army, and they did so, and they took and slew Oreb and Zeeb, two Midianitish princes.

The people of Israel were delighted with Gideon's bravery and success, and asked him to be their king, but he would not.

To keep up the remembrance of this victory, he asked them to give him the golden ear-rings which they had taken from the Midianites, and he made out of them a sacred garment, called an ephod; partly, perhaps, mixing the gold with the garment, and paying for other costly materials with the rest. This ephod, if nothing else was made out of the gold, was worth more than three thousand pounds. But some think that he made a little tabernacle with it, putting in

it all the furniture for worship. In doing so he did what was wrong, because God had fixed one place at his command, for the purpose of worship, and none were to fix another. The consequence was, that the people made an idol of the ephod, and foolishly worshipped it.

Gideon having died in a good old age, was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father. But no sooner was he dead than all Israel went again after the false gods of the heathen; and as for Gideon, they quite forgot him, and cared nothing for his family of seventy sons which he had left behind him, though, through his victories, the land had enjoyed quietness forty years.

King Abimelech.

JUDGES IX. 6.

And now Israel were all in confusion without a leader, and instead of being given up to foreign enemies, they were punished for their idolatry, by being let loose against each other.

Besides his seventy sons, who were his heirs, Gideon left one by a concubine, or wife, whose son was not allowed to inherit or share any part of his property. This young man was, however, very ambitious, or desirous of being above all the rest in power. So he went to Shechem, where his mother's brethren lived, and he persuaded them to make him king. "For," said he, "if you do not choose me, you will have all Gideon's other sons for kings, and is it not better to support one than seventy? Besides, I am your relation, and they care nothing about you; if I am king, I may do you some service." So they gave him money out of their idol's temple, and he hired a set of base fellows to protect him, and he went and killed his brethren, that he might have the throne to himself; one only escaping out of the seventy, which was Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, or Gideon. Now Jotham was a wise young man, and he went and warned the people against his wicked half-brother. And he told them a parable, to get their attention. He said that the trees met to choose a king; but the most noble trees, the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine, would not be kings, but chose to do good in a different way; but a bramble, which is a mean and scratching thing, and will tear you to pieces, had the audacity to accept of the honour, and looked very great. Here he meant that neither his father, nor the other judges before him, would be made kings, but, at last, a mean and wicked man had taken the high rank which they refused. Well, if they ever

prospered with such a king, they had done well, but time would soon prove. And when he had warned them he escaped. This is the oldest fable in the world; which, under the representation of trees talking, concealed the talk of men, which all the while he meant. It is very amusing, and was very wise; for, not at first knowing his meaning, the people heard all he had to say, which, had he spoken out at first, they would not have done.

Abimelech had only reigned three years over Israel, when he quarrelled with the men of Shechem. So Abimelech went and fought them, and killed them all, and destroyed their city, and sowed it with salt, which was a sign. then used that the city should be built no more. Still the tower of the city was not taken, so Abimelech took his men to the top of a mountain, and took an axe with him, and told them to do as he did; and he cut down a large bough from a tree and put it on his shoulder, and his men did the same. And then they went to the tower, piled the huge heap of wood round it, set it on fire and burnt all the people that remained there, which were "about a thousand men and women." Then the king went to a place called Thebez, and took that, but the people fled to a strong tower which was in their city. And the king thought to burn this as he had done the other. So he went to the door to set the wood on fire, when a woman threw a large mill-stone from the top, and it fell upon his head and broke his skull. He had, however, sense enough left to know who did it; and, as he thought it was disgraceful to be killed by a woman, he begged his armour-bearer, or the man that carried his heavy shield, and perhaps his spear, that he would run him through, and he did so, and the king died. So God rewarded the wickedness of Abimelech in slaying his brethren, and the wickedness of the Shechemites in helping him to do so vile a deed; " and upon them came the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal," as he had told them: Lord is known by the judgments he executeth; the wicked is snared by the work of his own hands."

Jephthah's Vow-The Ephraimites Slain.

JUDGES X. XI. XII.

"The

After Abimelech was dead there arose a new judge named Tola, and, in his time, which was during twenty-three years, things went on well in Israel.

Jair, a Gileadite, followed him in office, and judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons that helped him, and rode on asses' colts

from place to place, to see that things were properly done throughout the kingdom, and that no neighbour was unjust to another.

After Jair died, Israel returned again to false gods. Then God let the Philistines afflict them, and they and the Ammonites troubled them eighteen years.

And a large army of the Ammonites marched against Israel, who were greatly frightened, and they cried to the Lord. And the Lord, still gracious, heard them yet again. Then they confessed their sins, and trusting in God, they gathered an army to meet their enemies. But they had no general. So the princes or chiefs of Gilead offered to make him their ruler who would take the command of their armies.

Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a mighty man of valour; and as he was famed for his bravery, the Gileadites now thought of him, and they sent for him, and asked him to be their leader. Jephthah told them how ill they had used him, but if they would promise to obey his commands, he would come and aid them.

So Jephthah sent to the king of the Ammonites, to ask why he had invaded or entered with armies into his country. And the king made some excuses about some quarrels which had happened several hundred years before. Then Jephthah accused the king of intending wickedly to shed blood, and he appealed to God to be his help.

And now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he resolved to meet his foe. And he vowed to the Lord, that if he defeated him, he would, on his return, offer to him the first thing he met as a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

He soon defeated the children of Ammon, and on his return was first met by his own and only daughter and child. It was often the custom for women to go out with music and dancing to meet the conqueror on his return. She went so to meet her father, and being the first object he saw, he remembered and he rent his clothes, which was the sign of great grief used among the Israelites.

his vow,

Alas, my daughter!" said he, "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 cannot go back." And she, a most kind, obedient daughter, who loved her father, 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."