and forgot the LORD their God, and which had two edges, of a span's served Baal and Ashera. 8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the most wicked Cushan, king of Syria of the Rivers. And the children of Israel served the most wicked Cushan for eight years. 9 And when the children of Israel cried to 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 to war. And the LORD delivered the most wicked Cushan, king of Syria, into his hand; and his hand prevailed against the most wicked Cushan, and the land had rest for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 11 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. 12 And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of Palmtrees [or Jericho.] 13 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 14 But when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man crippled in his right hand. And by his hand the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon the king of Moab. 15 And Ehud made him a dagger length; and he did gird it under his outer garment upon his right thigh. 16 And he brought the present to Eglon, king of Moab. And Eglon was a very fat man. 17 And it came to pass that when he had made an end to give the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. 18 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king. And he said, Let there be silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. 19 And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting in a cool upper chamber, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. 20 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body. 21 Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper chamber upon him, and locked them. 22 When he was gone out, his servants came: and when they saw that the doors of the upper chamber were locked, they said, Surely he sleepeth in his cool chamber. 23 And they tarried till late; and behold, he opened not the doors of the upper chamber. Therefore they took the key, and opened them; and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the ground. 24 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirath [or the Goat walks). 25 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he before them. 26 And he said to them, Follow me; for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. 27 And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. 28 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. 29 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. 30 And after him was Shamagar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad. And he also delivered Israel. CHAPTER IV. AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EVIL again in the sight of the LORD when Ehud was dead. Beth-el in the hill country of 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 Kedesh in Naphtali; and she said to him, Hath not the LORD the God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw 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 brook Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and and his rabble: and I will deliver him into thy hand. 8 And Barak said to 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, there will be no honour for thee on the journey that thou takest; for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called together Ze2 And the LORD sold them into the bulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who he went up with ten thousand men at reigned in Hazor; the captain of his feet. And Deborah went up with whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in him. Harosheth of the Gentiles [or lee]. Gali 3 And the children of Israel cried to 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 11 Now Heber the Kenite had severed himself from the Kenites, the children of Hobab the brother in law of Moses, and had pitched his tent at the oak of Zaanim, which is by Kedesh. 12 And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13 And Sisera called together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people and that were with him, from Harosheth | hand, and went to him softly, of the Gentiles unto the brook Kishon. smote the pin into his temples, and 14 And Deborah said to Barak, Up; drove it down into the ground: for for this is the day in which the LORD he was fast asleep and weary. So hath delivered Sisera into thy hand. he died. 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 by the edge of the sword; and there was not one 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 she said to 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 blanket. 19 And he said to 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 a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her 22 And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came in unto her, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin 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 was heavy upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. 10 Ye who ride on white-dappled asses, Ye who sit on carpets, And ye who walk by the way, speak! 11 Louder than herd-drivers shout between water-troughs 20 21 22 Let men sing the victories of the 23 His victories in Israel's fields, 12 Awake, awake, Deborah; 13 Then came a remnant of the migh- The LORD's people came down for me among the heroes. 14 Branches of Ephraim went out against Amalek, Behind thee, Benjamin, with thy From Machir leaders came; 15 The princes of Issachar with De borah, Issachar, so Barak, rushed on foot into the valley. By the brooks of Reuben minds meditated grandly. 16 Why sattest thou among the sheep folds, Listening to the pipings of the flocks? By the brooks of Reuben minds speculated grandly. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; Asher remained on the sea-shore, 18 Zebulun is the people that threw away life to death; Naphtali, too-on the hights of the field. The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, 'Curse ye Meroz' said God's 'Curse, curse its inhabitants; To fight by the LORD among the 24 Blessed above women be Jael, The wife of Heber, the Kenite- 25 He asked for water, milk she gave; cream. 26 She grasped a nail with one hand, And struck Sisera, batterd his head, ples. 27 At her feet he bent, and sank, and lay; 28 At her feet he bent and sank; Where he bent, there he fell-de 19 The kings came and fought, the land had rest for forty CHAPTER VI. AND THE DID CHILDREN OF ISRAEL EVIL in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites the children of Israel made for themselves the caverns which are in the mountains, and the caves and the strongholds. 3 And so it was, when Israel had sown their seed that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the East, even they came up against them. 4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. 5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as locusts for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number. And they entered into the land to destroy it. 6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites: and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried to the LORD because of the Midianites, that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, Thus saith the LORD the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said to you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not obeyed my voice. 8 And the angel of the LORD came and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite. And his son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 9 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, The LORD is with thee, thou warrior of valour. 10 And Gideon said to him, O my lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 11 And the LORD looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee? 12 And he said to him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel ? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 13 And the LORD said to him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 14 And he said to him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 15 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring forth my meal offering, and set it before thee. |