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Judges:
Chapters: 1 2
3 4 5
6 7
| Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that
the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us
against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? |
| And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have
delivered the land into his hand. |
| And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with
me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise
will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. |
| And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the
Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in
Bezek ten thousand men. |
| And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought
against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. |
| But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and
caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. |
| And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings,
having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat
under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they
brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. |
| Now the children of Judah had fought against
Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword,
and set the city on fire. |
| And afterward the children of Judah went down to
fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the
south, and in the valley. |
| And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in
Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew
Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. |
| And from thence he went against the inhabitants of
Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher: |
| And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and
taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. |
| And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. |
| And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she
moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her
ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? |
| And she said unto him, 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 nether springs. |
| And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in
law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah
into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they
went and dwelt among the people. |
| And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they
slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it.
And the name of the city was called Hormah. |
| Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and
Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. |
| And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the
inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of
the valley, because they had chariots of iron. |
| And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and
he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. |
| And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the
Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the
children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. |
| And the house of Joseph, they also went up against
Bethel: and the LORD was with them. |
| And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now
the name of the city before was Luz.) |
| And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city,
and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the
city, and we will show thee mercy. |
| And when he showed them the entrance into the city,
they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man
and all his family. |
| And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and
built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof
unto this day. |
| Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of
Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants
of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor
the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell
in that land. |
| And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that
they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. |
| Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. |
| Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of
Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among
them, and became tributaries. |
| Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho,
nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah,
nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: |
| But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the
inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. |
| Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of
Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the
Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of
Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. |
| And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the
mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: |
| But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in
Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed,
so that they became tributaries. |
| And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up
to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward. |
| 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. |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And they called the name of that place Bochim: and
they sacrificed there unto the LORD. |
| And when Joshua had let the people go, the children
of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. |
| 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. |
| And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD,
died, being an hundred and ten years old. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of
the LORD, and served Baalim: |
| 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. |
| And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and
Ashtaroth. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which
delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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; |
| I also will not henceforth drive out any from before
them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: |
| 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. |
| Therefore the LORD left those nations, without
driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of
Joshua. |
| 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; |
| Only that the generations of the children of Israel
might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing
thereof; |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And the children of Israel dwelt among the
Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and
Jebusites: |
| And they took their daughters to be their wives, and
gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the
son of Kenaz died. |
| 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. |
| And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and
Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. |
| So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of
Moab eighteen years. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab:
and Eglon was a very fat man. |
| And when he had made an end to offer the present, he
sent away the people that bare the present. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the
dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: |
| 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. |
| Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the
doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed
beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of
Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. |
| 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. |
| And the children of Israel again did evil in the
sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she
judged Israel at that time. |
| 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. |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And they showed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam
was gone up to mount Tabor. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Again he said unto her, Stand in the door 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. |
| 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. |
| And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out
to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom
thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead,
and the nail was in his temples. |
| So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan
before the children of Israel. |
| 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. |
| Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on
that day, saying, |
| Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when
the people willingly offered themselves. |
| Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I,
will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. |
| LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou
marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens
dropped, the clouds also dropped water. |
| The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that
Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel. |
| In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days
of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through
byways. |
| The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased
in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. |
| They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was
there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? |
| My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that
offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD. |
| Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in
judgment, and walk by the way. |
| They that are delivered from the noise of archers in
the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous
acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his
villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the
gates. |
| Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song:
arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. |
| Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over
the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the
mighty. |
| Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against
Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down
governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. |
| And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even
Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the
divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. |
| Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the
bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great
searchings of heart. |
| Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain
in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. |
| Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded
their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. |
| The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of
Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. |
| They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses
fought against Sisera. |
| The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient
river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. |
| Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the
prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones. |
| Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye
bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of
the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. |
| Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the
Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. |
| He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought
forth butter in a lordly dish. |
| She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to
the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote
off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. |
| At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her
feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. |
| The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and
cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why
tarry the wheels of his chariots? |
| Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned
answer to herself, |
| Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey;
to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey
of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both
sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? |
| So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let
them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And
the land had rest forty years. |
| And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of
the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven
years. |
| And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and
because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens
which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. |
| And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the
Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east,
even they came up against them; |
| 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. |
| For they came up with their cattle and their tents,
and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their
camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy
it. |
| And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the
Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. |
| And it came to pass, when the children of Israel
cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, |
| That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of
Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD 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 drave them
out from before you, and gave you their land; |
| And I said unto 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. |
| And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under
an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and
his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the
Midianites. |
| And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and
said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. |
| And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be
with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles
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. |
| And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this
thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites:
have not I sent thee? |
| And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I
save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least
in my father's house. |
| And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with
thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. |
| And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in
thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me. |
| Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto
thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I
will tarry until thou come again. |
| And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and
unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and
he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak,
and presented it. |
| And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh
and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the
broth. And he did so. |
| Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the
staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened
cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh
and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his
sight. |
| And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of
the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an
angel of the LORD face to face. |
| And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear
not: thou shalt not die. |
| Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and
called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the
Abiezrites. |
| And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD
said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock
of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father
hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: |
| And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the
top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and
offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut
down. |
| Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as
the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his
father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by
day, that he did it by night. |
| And when the men of the city arose early in the
morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut
down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar
that was built. |
| And they said one to another, Who hath done this
thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of
Joash hath done this thing. |
| Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out
thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal,
and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. |
| And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will
ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him
be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead
for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. |
| Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal,
saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his
altar. |
| Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the
children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched
in the valley of Jezreel. |
| But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he
blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. |
| And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who
also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto
Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. |
| And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel
by mine hand, as thou hast said, |
| Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor;
and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth
beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as
thou hast said. |
| And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow,
and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a
bowl full of water. |
| And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot
against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee,
but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece,
and upon all the ground let there be dew. |
| And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the
fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. |
| Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people
that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod:
so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by
the hill of Moreh, in the valley. |
| And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are
with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands,
lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath
saved me. |
| Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the
people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and
depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty
and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. |
| And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet
too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee
there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with
thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee,
This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. |
| So he brought down the people unto the water: and
the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his
tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every
one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. |
| And the number of them that lapped, putting their
hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the
people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. |
| And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred
men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine
hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. |
| So the people took victuals in their hand, and their
trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent,
and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath
him in the valley. |
| And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD
said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered
it into thine hand. |
| But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy
servant down to the host: |
| And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward
shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he
down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were
in the host. |
| And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the
children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for
multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea
side for multitude. |
| And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man
that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream,
and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and
came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the
tent lay along. |
| And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing
else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for
into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. |
| And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the
dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned
into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered
into your hand the host of Midian. |
| And he divided the three hundred men into three
companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty
pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. |
| And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise:
and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that,
as I do, so shall ye do. |
| When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with
me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and
say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. |
| So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him,
came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch;
and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and
brake the pitchers that were in their hands. |
| And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake
the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets
in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the
LORD, and of Gideon. |
| And they stood every man in his place round about
the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. |
| And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the
LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the
host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of
Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. |
| And the men of Israel gathered themselves together
out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued
after the Midianites. |
| And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount
Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them
the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim
gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and
Jordan. |
| And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb
and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at
the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb
and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. |
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