From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ After the death of JoShua, the children of Israel asked Jehovah, ‘Who will lead us in battle against the CanaAnites now?’

² And Jehovah replied, ‘The Judeans must take the lead, for I have delivered this land into their hands.’

³ Then the Judeans said to their brothers [of the tribe of] Symeon, ‘Come join us, and we will go to war with the CanaAnites… we’ll all go together.’

So the Symeonites joined with the Judeans, ⁴ and Jehovah delivered the CanaAnites and Pherezites into their hands. It was at Bezek that they cut down ten thousand men. ⁵ For they caught up with the lord of Bezek at [the city of] Bezek and fought against him, cutting down the CanaAnites and the Pherezites. ⁶ But the lord of Bezek escaped, so they chased after him, and when they caught him they cut off his thumbs and big toes.

⁷ And the lord of Bezek said, ‘Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes were cut off gathered under my table. So, God has repaid me for the things that I did to them.’

Then they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died; ⁸ for the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem and captured it, and then they cut down [all who lived there] with swords and burned the city with fire. ⁹ And afterward, the children of Judah went down to fight with the CanaAnites who lived in the hill country, in the south, and in the plains. ¹⁰ And then they went against the CanaAnites who lived in Hebron (formerly Kiriath Arbo-Sepher), and [the people of] Hebron came out to fight. So they cut down Sessi, Achiman, and Tholmi – the children of Enac.

¹¹ And from there they went to [war against] the inhabitants of Dabir (formerly Kiriath-Sepher, or, The City of Letters). ¹² And Caleb said, ‘I’ll give my daughter Ascha to be the wife of whoever is the first to take and destroy The City of Letters.’ ¹³ And it was GothoniEl (the youngest son of Kenez, Caleb’s brother) who captured it, so Caleb gave GothniEl his daughter Ascha, to be his wife.

¹⁴ And when he came to claim her, GothoniEl urged her to ask her father for a plot of land. So as she was sitting on her burro, she started complaining and crying, saying, ‘You’re sending me away into the land in the south!’

And Caleb asked her, ‘What do you want?’

¹⁵ And Ascha replied, ‘I beg you to give me a blessing. For, since you’re sending me into a land in the south, you must provide me watered [land] as my ransom.’

And Caleb gave her what her heart desired as a ransom… the upper and lower [springs].

¹⁶ Then the children of Jethro the Kenite (who was Moses’ father-in-law) left the City of Palm Trees with the children of Judah and traveled to the desert south of Judah, to the edge of Arad, and took up living with the people there.

¹⁷ Thereafter, the Judeans went with their brothers the Symeonites, and they cut down and killed all the CanaAnites who lived in Sepheth, then they renamed the city AnaThema. ¹⁸ However, the Judeans didn’t inherit anything in the borders of Gaza, AshCalon, AcCaron, Azotus, or any of the lands around them. ¹⁹ But Jehovah was with the Judeans, and they inherited all the hill country; yet they weren’t able to destroy the inhabitants in the valley, because the Rechabites kept them from doing so.

²⁰ Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses told them, and he inherited the three cities of the children of Enac.

²¹ Nor did the children of BenJamin take Jerusalem from the Jebusites as their inheritance, so the Jebusites still live among the children of BenJamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The sons of Joseph went up against BethEl and Jehovah was with them. ²³ They camped there and [sent spies] to the city (which was then called Luza). ²⁴ And when the spies noticed a man leaving the city, they captured him and said, ‘Show us a way into the city and we will show you mercy.’

²⁵ So he showed them how to get into the city, and they cut down everyone in the city with swords, but they set the man and his family free. ²⁶ Then he went to the land of ChetTin and built a city there, which he named Luza… and that is what it is still called today.

²⁷ However, ManasSeh failed in his drive against BethSan (in Scythia) and its towns and suburbs, Thanac and its towns, Dor and its suburbs and towns, Balak and its suburbs and towns, MegidDo and its suburbs and towns, JeblaAm and its suburbs and towns, and the CanaAnites started living in this land. ²⁸ But after Israel became strong enough, they made the CanaAnites pay a tribute, however they failed to drive them out.

²⁹ Nor did EphraIm drive out the CanaAnites that lived in Gazer. So the CanaAnites lived in their midst and they were forced to pay a tribute [to EphraIm].

³⁰ And ZebuLon failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kedron and Domana, so the CanaAnites lived in the midst of them and paid them a tribute.

³¹ And Asher didn’t drive out the inhabitants of AcCho (who paid them a tribute), or those of Dor, Sidon, DalAph, AsChazi, ChebDa, Nai, or Ereo. ³² So Asher lived in the midst of the CanaAnites, because they couldn’t drive them out.

³³ And NaphTali didn’t drive out the inhabitants of BethSamus or BethAnach, so NaphTali lived in the midst of the CanaAnites who inhabited the land, but the inhabitants of BethSamus and BethEneth paid them a tribute.

³⁴ Also, the Amorites drove the children of Dan into the mountains and prevented them from moving down into the valley. ³⁵ They also took up living in Shell Mountain, where there are bears and foxes (in MyrSinon and ThalaBin). Yet, the house of Joseph [made life difficult] for the Amorites and they made them pay a tribute. ³⁶ So the Amorite border ran from AcraBin into the hill country.

Chapter 2

¹ Well, a messenger of Jehovah had traveled from GilGal to The Place of Tears at BethEl, to address the house of Israel. And he told them, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: I brought you out of Egypt and into the land that I promised to your ancestors. And I said that I would never break the Agreement that I made with you. ² However, I told you not to make any agreements with [people] who live in this land, and you were not to worship their gods. Rather, [I told you to] destroy their carved images and to pull down their altars. However, you haven’t listened to My voice, and you’ve done [bad] things. ³ Now, as I told you, I won’t drive them out from in front of you. So, they will harass you and their gods will oppress you.’

⁴ Well, after the messenger of Jehovah said all of this to the children of Israel, the people started shouting and crying, ⁵ and that’s why they named it The Place of Tears. Then they offered sacrifices to Jehovah there, ⁶ and thereafter JoShua dismissed the people and they each returned to the lands that they were given as their inheritances.

⁷ So, the people served Jehovah [faithfully] for as long as JoShua and all the elders (who knew of the great things that Jehovah had done in Israel) were still alive. ⁸ But then JoShua (the son of NaWeh), the servant of Jehovah, died at a hundred and ten years old, ⁹ and they buried him along the border of his inheritance, in Thamna-Thares in the hills of EphraIm, on the north side of Mount GaAs. ¹⁰ And then the rest of that generation was laid to rest with their ancestors, and another generation came along that didn’t know Jehovah or of the things that He had done in Israel. ¹¹ So the children of Israel started doing evil things before Jehovah, and they started serving Baal Im. ¹² They left Jehovah (the God of their ancestors) who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and started following and worshiping other gods – the gods of the nations roundabout them – ¹³ and this made Jehovah very angry… they left Him and started serving Baal and the stars!

¹⁴ And because Jehovah was very angry at Israel, He handed them over to looters who plundered them… He sold them into the hands of their enemies [who lived] around them and they were no longer able to stand against their enemies, ¹⁵ for the hand of Jehovah was against them. He caused bad things to happen, as He promised, and they [underwent some very hard times].

¹⁶ Then Jehovah appointed Judges to save them from the hands of those who were looting them, but they wouldn’t even listen to the Judges. ¹⁷ They just continued in their immoral relations with other gods by worshiping them, and they quickly turned from the way that their ancestors had walked, refusing to listen to the words of Jehovah.

¹⁸ Now, because Jehovah had appointed their Judges, He blest the Judges and continued to save [Israel] from the hands of their enemies during the entire period of the Judges, for Jehovah was moved by all their groaning about those who were attacking and looting them. ¹⁹ Yet, whenever a Judge died, they would go right back to being corrupt – even worse than their ancestors – in worshiping and serving other gods, and they stubbornly refused to abandon their evil ways, ²⁰ which made Jehovah very angry with Israel. So He told them: ‘Because this nation has broken the Sacred Agreement that I made with their ancestors and refused to listen to My voice, ²¹ I will no longer drive away a single man from the nations among them, which were allowed to stay in the land by JoShua, the son of NaWeh. ²² [I will do this] to prove whether Israel will choose to follow and walk in My ways, as did their ancestors.’

²³ So, Jehovah just left those nations (that JoShua didn’t conquer) alone, and He didn’t drive them away.

Chapter 3

¹ These are the nations that Jehovah left [in the land] to test those in Israel (those who didn’t know about the wars in CanaAn, ² because that generation of Israel hadn’t fought in the wars): ³ the five kingdoms of the Philistines and all the CanaAnites, Sidonians, and Evites who lived south of Lebanon from Mount Hermon to LaboEmath. ⁴ He used them to test Israel and to find out whether they would obey the commands that He had given their ancestors through Moses.

⁵ So, the children of Israel lived in the midst of the CanaAnites, Hittites, Amorites, Pherezites, Evites, and Jebusites, ⁶ and they married their daughters, gave their daughters to their sons, and they started serving the gods [of these nations]. ⁷ [Of course], this was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, for they had forgotten Jehovah their God and were serving Baal Im and the sacred poles. ⁸ As the result, Jehovah was very angry at Israel and He sold them into the hand of Chusar Sathaim, the king of Syrian-MesoPotamia, and the children of Israel served him for eight years.

⁹ It was then that the children of Israel started calling to Jehovah; so Jehovah appointed a savior for Israel who delivered them… GothoniEl (the son of Kenez), the younger brother of Caleb. ¹⁰ Jehovah poured out His Breath upon him, and he served as Israel’s Judge. And when he went to war against Chusar Sathaim, Jehovah gave the king of Syrian-MesoPotamia into his hands, and he was conquered. ¹¹ And thereafter, the land was quiet for forty years, until GothoniEl (the son of Kenez) died.

¹² However, the children of Israel kept doing evil things before Jehovah, so because of their evil ways, He allowed Eglom (the king of Moab) to grow stronger, and then come against Israel. ¹³ First he brought together all the children of AmMon and Amalec, and then he went and cut down Israel, capturing The City of Palm Trees. ¹⁴ So, the children of Israel served Eglom (the king of Moab) for the next eighteen years.

¹⁵ And again the children of Israel called to Jehovah and He provided them a savior, Aod (the son of Gera and grandson of JeMeni), who was just as strong with his left hand as he was with his right. And when the children of Israel sent him to carry gifts to Eglom, ¹⁶ Aod made a two-edged dagger that was eight-inches long, which he hid on his right thigh under his robe. ¹⁷ Then he went and carried the presents to Eglom, who was a very fat man.

¹⁸ And after he had presented all his gifts, he sent those who had carried the gifts away ¹⁹ (after they had returned from the quarries at GilGal), for he said, ‘I have a secret message for you O king!’ Then Eglom told him not to say anything until after he’d sent all those who were waiting on him away.

²⁰ Then later, Aod went in to see Eglom as he was sitting in his upper summer chamber all by himself. And Aod said, ‘I have a message for you from God, O king.’ And as Eglom got up from his throne, ²¹ Aod reached in with his left hand and grabbed the dagger from his right thigh, then he plunged it into [Eglom’s] belly… ²² he drove it in so far that the handle went in and the fat closed over it, and he left the whole dagger inside his belly. ²³ Then Aod walked out on the porch, passing the guards on the way, closed and locked the chamber doors, ²⁴ and left.

Well, when Eglom’s servants came and saw that the doors to the upper chamber were locked, they said, ‘Doesn’t he usually [lie undressed] in the summer chamber?’ ²⁵ Then they waited so long that they became embarrassed, for they saw that no one had opened the doors to the upper chamber, so then they got the keys and opened them… and that’s when they found their lord lying dead on the ground.

²⁶ Meanwhile, Aod escaped during the confusion, and nobody paid any attention to him. So he passed the quarries and escaped to Setir Otha.

²⁷ And when Aod got back to the land of Israel, he blew his horn in the hills of EphraIm, and the children of Israel came down from the mountains to him. Then he stood before them ²⁸ and said, ‘Now follow me, for Jehovah God has given our enemies the Moabites into our hands.’

So they followed him and they captured the fords that cross the Jordan near the land of Moab, and they wouldn’t allow anyone to cross. ²⁹ Then they cut down Moab that day, killing about ten thousand virile, mighty men, and no one escaped. ³⁰ So, Moab was put into the hands of Israel, and the land rested for the next eighty years… and Aod judged them until he died.

³¹ After him, Jehovah appointed SamEgar (the son of Dinach). He’s the one who cut down six hundred Philistines with an ox plough. And he too delivered Israel.

Chapter 4

¹ And again, after Aod died, the children of Israel went back to doing evil things against Jehovah. ² So Jehovah sold them into the hands of JaBin (the king of CanaAn) who ruled from Asor. The leader of his army was SiSara, and he lived in ArisOth-of-the-Gentiles. ³ Then the children of Israel started calling to [Jehovah again], because [SiSara] had nine hundred iron chariots, which [he used to] oppress Israel for twenty years.

⁴ DeborAh (the wife of LapidOth) was a Prophetess, and she was the Judge of Israel at the time. ⁵ For she would sit under [what came to be known as] ‘The Palm Tree of DeborAh’ (which was located between Rama and BethEl in the hills of EphraIm), and the children of Israel would go to her for judgment.

⁶ Then DeborAh sent for BaRak (the son of AbineEm) who was in Cades of NaphTali, and she asked him, ‘Hasn’t Jehovah the God of Israel given you any instructions? Take ten thousand men from among the sons of NaphTali and ZebuLon, and go to Mount Tabor. ⁷ There I will send SiSara (JaBin’s general) against you with his army and chariots at the Kison wadi, and I will give them into your hands.’

⁸ And BaRak replied, ‘If you’ll go with me, I will go. But if you won’t go, I’m not going; because I’m not sure which day Jehovah will bless me [by sending] His messengers.’

⁹ And she said, ‘Then I’ll go with you, but understand this: You won’t be honored by this expedition, for Jehovah will give SiSara into the hands of a woman.’

So DeborAh left Cades and went with BaRak… ¹⁰ for he had called [for help from] ZebuLon and NaphTali there at Cades, and ten thousand men showed up, and they all left with DeborAh.

¹¹ Now, Heber (the Kenite) had moved away from the sons of Jobab (Moses’ father-in-law) at Cana, and pitched his tent beside the Oak-of-the-Envious, which is near KaDesh. ¹² And when SiSara was told that BaRak (the son of AbineEm) had left for Mount Tabor, ¹³ he called for all his iron chariots (all nine hundred of them) and for all the people [who lived between] ArisOth-of-the-Gentiles and the Kison wadi.

¹⁴ Then DeborAh told BaRak, ‘Now [get ready], for this is the day when Jehovah will give SiSara into your hands… because Jehovah will go ahead of you!’

So, BaRak descended Mount Tabor with ten thousand men, ¹⁵ and Jehovah created problems for SiSara, his chariots, and his army; and BaRak cut them down with swords. Then SiSara jumped from his chariot and ran.

¹⁶ Well, BaRak pursued the chariots and SiSara’s army [all the way] to ArisOth-of-the-Gentiles and cut them all down, leaving no survivors. ¹⁷ Meanwhile, SiSara had run toward the tent of JaEl, the wife of Heber the Kenite (because [Heber] was his friend, and there was peace between JaBin the king of Asor and Heber’s family). ¹⁸ So JaEl went out to meet SiSara, and said to him, ‘Hide here my lord… come here to me and don’t be afraid.’

So he turned to her and entered her tent, and then she covered him with a mantle. ¹⁹ And SiSara said to her, ‘I’m very thirsty… please give me a little water to drink.’

So he opened a jar of milk, gave it to him to drink, and covered him again. ²⁰ Then SiSara said to her, ‘Now stand by the entrance to the tent, and if anyone comes and asks if you’ve seen me, tell him no.’

²¹ However, JaEl (the wife of Heber) took a tent pin and a hammer, then crept up to him and drove the pin through his temple… driving it all the way into the ground. Well, he passed out, everything went dark, and he died.

²² And when JaEl saw that BaRak was pursuing SiSara, she went out to meet him and said, ‘Come here and I’ll show you the man you’re looking for.’ Then he entered [her tent] and saw SiSara dead with the pin through his temple.

²³ So God drove JaBin (the king of CanaAn) away from before the children of Israel that day, ²⁴ and they kept attacking JaBin until they had destroyed him.

Chapter 5

¹ And on that day, DeborAh and BaRak (the son of AbineEm) sang this song:

² ‘Israel was shown what to do,
And the people were made willing… HalleluJah!
³ Hear O you kings and listen you rulers,
For this I will sing… Yes, I’ll sing a song to Jehovah…
A psalm to Jehovah, Israel’s God.

⁴ O Jehovah; You went up to Seir…
You went to the land of Edom;
The earth quaked and the sky dripped with dew,
And from the clouds dropped the rain.

⁵ Mountains shook before the face of the Lord;
O God; Sinai [trembled] before the face of Jehovah (God of Israel),
⁶ In the days of SamEgar, son of Anath,
And in the days of JaEl.

For [Israel] had strayed from their way,
And followed paths that were crooked.
⁷ In Israel there were no more mighty men;
They failed ‘til DeborAh arose… a mother in Israel she was.

⁸ Then new gods they did choose;
And when the cities of their rulers went to fight;
There wasn’t a shield or a spear to be seen,
Among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹ My heart yearned for Israel to be ordered,
(Among those who still praised Jehovah)
¹⁰ To have someone mount a burro at noon,
And sit upon the seat of judgment,
For the sake of those who travel the roads,
To sit and be judged along the way.

Now, proclaim ¹¹ that you’ve been saved from those who disturbed us;
And may those who go to draw water,
Tell the righteous things that You’ve done, O Jehovah.
And may Your righteous deeds keep growing in Israel;
May the people of Jehovah return to their cities.

¹² Awaken… wake up O DeborAh!
Awaken and sing us a song.
And get up O BaRak, lead your captives,
Into captivity (you son of AbineEm).

¹³ A small group of the strong people of Jehovah went with him;
They were the mighty that came from among us.

¹⁴ EphraIm rooted them out in Amalec,
And behind them was BenJamin among your people.
The people of Machir also came with me,
In order to search out the enemy.
And from ZebuLon came those who wrote down the record,
With the pen of a scribe.

¹⁵ For, the leaders of IsSachar were with DeborAh and BaRak.
She sent BaRak on foot to the valleys of Ruben.
And although their hearts were trembling,
¹⁶ They then sat between pens of sheep,
Hearing the bleating of Ruben’s flocks,
As each man searched through his heart.

¹⁷ But Gilead stayed in their tents,
On the other side of the Jordan,
And Dan remained in their ships.
Asher sat down by their seashores,
And they tented at their ports,
¹⁸ While the people of ZebuLon [laid] their lives [on the line],
And NaphTali marched on the hills in their lands.

¹⁹ The kings of CanaAn formed for battle free of charge,
And fought in ThanaAch at the water of MegidDo,
²⁰ While the stars from heaven formed for the battle,
In their path to fight against SiSara.

²¹ Then the Kison wadi swept them away…
The ancient brook Kison (my mighty soul);
[Is what] trampled them down.
²² For, the hoofs of their horse got entangled,
And his mighty men ran away.

²³ May you be cursed, O Meroz,
For, the messenger of Jehovah has cursed all who live there,
Because they didn’t [fight] for Jehovah,
And [they didn’t come] to the aid of His mighty.

²⁴ Bless JaEl, the wife of Heber the Kenite;
May she be praised above tent-dwelling women.
²⁵ For, he asked for water and she gave him milk…
In a dish she brought butter to a leader.

²⁶ Then she leaned with a nail in her left hand,
And hit it with the hammer in her right hand.
She cut down SiSara with a nail through his head…
She cut down him with a nail through his temples.
²⁷ He fell and rolled between her feet… and just lay there;
He bowed and fell where he bowed, lying dead.

²⁸ Sisera’s mother looked down through her window;
She looked out of the peephole and asked,
Why was his chariot shamed?
Why did the wheels of his chariots stop?

²⁹ And thus replied her wise ladies;
And she answered herself when she said:
³⁰ Won’t they find him dividing the loot?
Surely he’s dividing dyed clothes with his men.

For SiSara are the spoils of many dyed clothes;
Now embroidered dyed clothes are the spoils for his neck.
³¹ May all your enemies perish thus, O Jehovah;
But may those who love You be just as strong,
As the voyages of the sun.’

³² And the land rested [for the next] forty years.

Chapter 6

¹ However, the children of Israel kept doing evil things in the eyes of Jehovah, so He put them under the hand of the Midianites for seven years. ² And they proved to be so strong against Israel that the Israelites took up living in mountain caves, in [animal] dens, and in holes in the rocks. ³ And whenever the children of Israel would plant anything, the Midianites, Amalechites, and the sons of the east would get together ⁴ and [fight] against them and destroy their crops. And in Gaza they stole all the [cattle], leaving nothing to support life in the land of Israel. ⁵ They just moved in with their livestock, camels, and tents like locusts, as the land of Israel was being destroyed.

⁶ So, Israel was mostly impoverished because of Midian, ⁷ and the children of Israel started calling to Jehovah over Midian.

⁸ Then Jehovah sent a Prophet to the children of Israel, who told them, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: I’m the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and it was I who brought you out of the house of slavery. ⁹ I saved you from the hands of the Egyptians and from those who are now persecuting you, and I threw them out and gave you their land. ¹⁰ I also told you that I am Jehovah your God, so you are not to be afraid of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live; but you just wouldn’t listen to Me!’

¹¹ Then a messenger of Jehovah came and sat down under the fir tree at EphRatha (BethLehem) in the land of JoAs (the father of EsDri), as [EsDri’s] son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press (so the Midianites wouldn’t notice [what he was doing]). ¹² It was there that Jehovah’s messenger appeared to him and said, ‘Jehovah is with you, you mighty [man].’

¹³ And Gideon said to him, ‘Be patient with me, my lord; If Jehovah is with us, then why are all these bad things happening to us… and where are all His miracles that our ancestors have told us about, such as when He brought them out of Egypt? For, now he has rejected us and given us into the hands of the Midianites.’

¹⁴ Then the messenger of Jehovah turned to him and said, ‘Go and use your strength to save Israel from the hands of Midian. For look, I am sending you!’

¹⁵ But Gideon replied, ‘Be patient with me my lord; How can I save Israel? For look, there are thousands in [the tribe of] ManasSeh, yet they are weak… and I’m the least prominent one in my father’s house.’

¹⁶ And the messenger of Jehovah said to him, ‘Jehovah will be with you and you must cut down everyone in Midian.’

¹⁷ And Gideon said, ‘If I’ve found mercy in your eyes and you’re going to do all these things that you told me today, ¹⁸ don’t leave here until I return with an offering and lay it before you.’

And he replied, ‘I’ll stay here until you return.’

¹⁹ So, Gideon went back and prepared a kid goat and a quart of fine fermentation-free flour. He put the [cooked] meat in a basket, poured its gravy into a jar, and carried it to [the messenger, who was still sitting] under the fir tree.

²⁰ And the messenger of God said to him, ‘Now take the meat and the fermentation-free cakes and put them on that rock, then pour the gravy over it.’ And that’s what he did.

²¹ Then the messenger of Jehovah stuck out the walking stick that was in his hand and touched the meat and fermentation-free bread, and fire came out of the rock and consumed it all. Then the messenger of Jehovah vanished from his sight.

²² It was then that Gideon realized it was a messenger of Jehovah, and he said, ‘Ah… ah… Jehovah my God! I’ve seen the messenger of Jehovah face to face!’

²³ And Jehovah replied, ‘May you have peace. Now, don’t be afraid, for you’re not going to die.’

²⁴ And so Gideon built an altar to Jehovah there and called it ‘The Peace of Jehovah.’ And it’s still there today in EphRatha, [at the home of his] father, EsDri.

²⁵ Then that night, Jehovah said to him, ‘Now take the young calf that your father has, the second one that is seven-years old, and then destroy your father’s altar to Baal and his sacred poles. ²⁶ For, you must build an altar to Jehovah your God on the top of this hill and get things ready; then take the calf and sacrifice it as a whole burnt offering, using the wood from the sacred poles that you cut down.’

²⁷ So, Gideon took ten of his servants and did as Jehovah said. But, because he was afraid of the house of his father and the men of the city, he did it at night.

²⁸ Then, when the men of the city woke up early the next morning and saw that the altar of Baal and the nearby sacred poles had been demolished, and the calf that Gideon had offered on the altar (which he had built), ²⁹ they each started asking their neighbors, ‘Who did this?’

Then they asked around and found out that Gideon (the son of JoAs) had done it. ³⁰ And the men of the city went and told [the family of] JoAs to bring out this son, and let them kill him for destroying the altar of Baal and the nearby sacred poles. ³¹ But Gideon said to the men who had come for him, ‘Are you now pleading for Baal, and are you going to save him? May all those who plead for him be killed this morning! Why, if he’s a god, let him plead for himself because someone has torn down his altar!’

³² And that day [they started calling him] JeroBaal. For he said, ‘Let Baal plead, because his altar has been torn down.’

³³ Well, all the Midianites, Amalechites, and sons of the east had gathered and camped in the JezreEl Valley. ³⁴ So, the Breath of Jehovah came upon Gideon and he blew his [battle] horn, and AbiEzer came to his aid. ³⁵ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout ManasSeh, Asher, ZebuLon, and NaphTali, and he went out to meet with them.

³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You’re going to use me to save Israel, as You said; ³⁷ look, I’ve put some wool fleece on the threshing floor. And if only the fleece is covered with dew and the ground all around it is dry [in the morning], I will know that You’re going to use me to save Israel, as You said.’

³⁸ Well, when he got up early the next morning, he wrung out the fleece, and a full bowl of water poured from it.

³⁹ But Gideon said to God, ‘Please don’t be angry, but please allow me to ask for just one more thing. To make sure, now let the fleece be dry, while dew is all over the ground.’

⁴⁰ And that’s what God did that night. There was dew all over the ground, but the fleece was dry.

Chapter 7

¹ So JeroBaal (Gideon) rose early and his army camped at the Spring of Arad, with the camp of Midian to the north… it ran from BabaAh ThamorAi into the valley. ² And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are too many people with you, so I won’t deliver Midian into their hands. For then Israel would boast before Me and claim that they had saved themselves! ³ So now, say this to the people: All who are nervous or afraid may now leave Mount Gilead.’

And of the twenty-two thousand who came with him, ten thousand remained.

⁴ Then Jehovah said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many people, so lead them all down to the water, and I will reduce their numbers for you. Then, whichever ones I select and say, This one must go with you, you must take. And those that I tell you not to take must not go with you… make sure that they don’t come along!’

⁵ So, Gideon led the people down to the water, and Jehovah said to Gideon, ‘Now, I want you to set all those who lap the water like a dog aside from those who get down on their knees to drink.’

⁶ And three hundred men lapped water with their hands to their mouths, while all the rest got down on their knees to drink. ⁷ And Jehovah said to Gideon, ‘Now I’m going to save you and give Midian into your hands with these three hundred men who lapped the water. All the rest may return home.’

⁸ So, they gathered provisions from the rest of the people and took their trumpets, and he sent them back to their tents. Then he armed the three hundred and got them ready, for the army of Midian was just below them in the valley.

⁹ And that night, Jehovah said to him, ‘Now get up and go down into the camp, for I have given it into your hands. ¹⁰ But if you’re afraid, I want you and your servant Phara to go down into their camp ¹¹ and listen to what they’re saying, then you won’t be afraid anymore.’

So, he went down to the edge of where the companies of fifty men were camped, along with his servant Phara, ¹² for Midian, Amalec, and all the children of the east were scattered throughout the valley like locusts. And they had so many camels that they were like the sands on the seashore.

¹³ Then Gideon overheard a man telling his comrade of a dream he had, saying, ‘{Look} I had a dream, and in it I saw a cake of barley bread roll into [our] camp, and when it reached a tent, it knocked it down. And when it fell, [the tent] turned upside down.’

¹⁴ And his comrade replied, ‘This was none other than the sword of Gideon, the son of JoAs, an Israelite man; for God has given Midian and our entire army into his hands.’

¹⁵ So, when Gideon heard the story of the dream and its interpretation, he thanked Jehovah. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, ‘Now get up, for Jehovah has given the camp of Midian into our hands.’

¹⁶ Then he divided his three hundred men into three companies, and gave them all trumpets, torches, and empty pitchers. Thereafter, he had them put the torches inside the pitchers, ¹⁷ and said, ‘Now watch me, and do what I do! For, I’m going down to the edge of their army; ¹⁸ then I’ll blow my horn, and at the same time you must start blowing your trumpets all around their camp and shouting, For Jehovah and Gideon!’

¹⁹ Then Gideon and his company [crept] down to the edge of their army (toward the start of the middle watch), and he aroused the guards by blowing his horn and breaking the pitcher that was in his hands. ²⁰ Then all three companies blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers, and they held the torches in their left hands as they blew their trumpets with their right hands and shouted, ‘A sword for Jehovah and Gideon!’

²¹ Well, they each just stood there around the camp as the army sounded an alarm and everyone started running about. ²² And when the three hundred blew their trumpets, Jehovah caused the entire army to start attacking each other with swords. ²³ Then [the remaining] army retreated as far as BethSeEd, TagaraGatha, and from AbelMeula to TaBath, and the men of Israel (from NaphTali, Asher, and everyone in ManasSeh) came to help, and chased after Midian.

²⁴ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout the mountains of EphraIm, saying, ‘Come down to meet Midian, and take (control of) all the water and the Jordan as far as BethEra.’

So, all the men of EphraIm started shouting, and they captured all the water along the Jordan up to BethEra. ²⁵ And they also captured the leaders of Midian (Oreb and Zeb). Then they killed Oreb in Sur-Oreb, and they killed Zeb in JakephZeph. Then they chased Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.

Chapter 8

¹ Then the men of EphraIm asked Gideon, ‘What are you doing? Why didn’t you didn’t call us when you went to fight against Midian?’ And they were very angry with him.

² But he replied, ‘What have I done in comparison to you? For, aren’t the leftovers of EphraIm better than the full harvest of AbiEzer? ³ Why, Jehovah delivered the leaders of Midian (Oreb and Zeb) into your hands, and what did I do to compare with that?’

Well when he said that, they calmed down.

⁴ Then Gideon went to the Jordan and crossed it by himself, for his three hundred men (who were very hungry) lagged behind. ⁵ And he went to SocChoth and asked the men there, ‘Please give me some bread to feed these people who are following me, because they’re starting to get weak. For look, we’re in pursuit of Zebee and Salmana, the kings of Midian.’

⁶ But the leaders of SocChoth said, ‘Have you already captured Zebee and Salmana so that we should now feed your army?’

⁷ And Gideon said, ‘Okay then, but when Jehovah gives Zebee and Salmana into my hands, [I’m going to return] and tear your flesh with thorns in the BarKenim Desert.’

From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. ⁹ So Gideon told them, ‘When I return with peace, I’m going to tear down this fortification.’

¹⁰ Well, Zebee and Salmana were in CarCar with their army, but there were only about fifteen thousand left of their army of mercenaries remaining, for a hundred and twenty thousand of their soldiers had already been killed. ¹¹ Then Gideon traveled past the people who lived in tents east of NabAi and JegEbal, and he cut down and captured their army. ¹² But Zebee and Salmana fled, so he chased after them and caught the two kings of Midian, and he routed [the rest] of their army.

¹³ Then, after Gideon (the son of JoAs) returned from the battle, ¹⁴ he took a young man prisoner who lived in SocChoth and questioned him, and he had him write down the names of the leaders and elders of SocChoth… all seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ Then Gideon went to the leaders of SocChoth and said, ‘See; here are Zebee and Salmana about whom you so rudely asked, Are Zebee and Salmana now in your hands, so that we should give your hungry men bread?’

¹⁶ Then he took the elders of that city [and dragged them through] the thorns of the BarKenim Desert, tearing them to pieces.. ¹⁷ And from there he went and tore down the fortification of PhanuEl and killed all the men in that city.

¹⁸ Then he asked Zebee and Salmana, ‘Who were those men that you killed in Tabor?’

And they replied, ‘Why, they looked like you… like the sons of a king.’

¹⁹ And Gideon said, ‘They were my brothers… the sons of my mother. So, as Jehovah lives, if you had left them alive I wouldn’t have to kill you.’ ²⁰ And he said to Jether (his firstborn), ‘Take them out and kill them,’

But the young man wouldn’t draw his sword, because he was young and afraid. ²¹ Then Zebee and Salmana said, ‘If you’re a man, then why don’t you kill us?’ So, Gideon got up and killed Zebee and Salmana, and he took the round ornaments that were hung around the necks of their camels.

²² Then the men of Israel [came to him] and said to Gideon, ‘My lord; become our ruler… you, your sons, and your son’s sons, for you’ve saved us from the hands of Midian.’

²³ But Gideon replied, ‘I’m not going to rule over you, nor will my sons, for Jehovah must be your ruler.’ ²⁴ And Gideon added, ‘All I ask from you is one thing: I want each man to give me an earring from his loot.’ For, because they were IshMaElites, he knew they would have golden earrings.

²⁵ And they said, ‘Sure, we’ll give them to you.’

³³ However, after Gideon died, the children of Israel turned back and had immoral relations with Baal Im, and they agreed that Baal would be their god. ³⁴ So, the children of Israel forgot Jehovah their God who had saved them from the hands of all those around them that were oppressing them. ³⁵ And they did not deal mercifully with the house of JeroBaal (Gideon), despite all the good things that he had done for Israel.

Chapter 9

¹ Thereafter, AbiMelech (the son of JeroBaal [or Gideon]) went to see his mother’s brothers in Sychem and he spoke to them and all his relatives in his grandfather’s house. He said, ² ‘Please speak to all the men of Sychem and ask, Which is better for you; to have seventy men (all the sons of JeroBaal) rule over you, or just one man? And remember that I’m your flesh and [blood].’

³ So, his uncles spoke about him to all the men of Sychem and told them about all the things he said. And this moved their hearts [to follow] AbiMelech, for they said that he was their brother. ⁴ Then they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the [temple] of Baal Berith, which AbiMelech used to hire some vain and cowardly men to be his followers. ⁵ So, he went to the house of his father in EphRatha and killed all of his brothers (JeroBaal’s legitimate sons) on a rock, except JoAtham the youngest (because he ran away and hid).

⁶ And then all the men of Sicima and the house of BethMaAlo got together, and they appointed AbiMelech to be their king (at the Oak of Sedition in Sicima).

⁷ But when JoAtham heard about this, he went and stood on top of Mount Girizim and shouted to them: ‘Listen to me, you men of Sicima, for God is listening too. ⁸ The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they asked the olive tree to reign over them. ⁹ But the olive replied, Must I now give up my oil that men use to glorify God to be promoted over the [the rest of the] trees?

¹⁰ ‘Then they said to the fig tree, Come rule over us. ¹¹ But the fig tree replied, Must I leave all my sweetness and good fruit to be promoted over the [the rest of the] trees?

¹² ‘Then they said to the [grape] vine, Come rule over us. ¹³ And the vine replied, Must I leave my wine that brings happiness to God and men just to be promoted over the [the rest of the] trees?

¹⁴ ‘And finally, all the trees said to the brier bush, Come rule over us. ¹⁵ And the brier bush replied, If you will really anoint me to be your king, then [all of you] must come and stand under my shadow. And if you refuse to do this, I will send out fire to burn down the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ ‘Now, [judge for yourselves whether] what you’ve done is the right thing when you made AbiMelech your king. Have you been fair with JeroBaal and his house, and have you given him the reward he deserves? ¹⁷ Why, my father fought for you and put his life in jeopardy when he saved you from the hands of Midian. ¹⁸ But today you’ve risen against the house of my father and murdered his sons – seventy men – on a stone. And you’ve made AbiMelech, the son of his slave [woman] the king over the men of Sicima, just because he’s your brother.

¹⁹ ‘Now, if you think that you’ve dealt faithfully and righteously with JeroBaal and his house, then rejoice with AbiMelech, and may he rejoice over you. ²⁰ But if not, may fire come from AbiMelech to devour the men of Sicima and the house of BethMaAlo… and may fire come from the men of Sicima and the house of BethMaAlo to devour AbiMelech.’

²¹ Then JoAtham ran away and lived at BaeEr, to get way from his brother AbiMelech.

²² Well, AbiMelech reigned over Israel for three years. ²³ But God created a bad relationship between AbiMelech and the men of Sicima. So, the men of Sicima started dealing treacherously with the house of AbiMelech – ²⁴ [which is what he was due], because of the bad things he did to the seventy sons of JeroBaal. [For God] laid the blood of his brothers upon AbiMelech who had murdered them, and on the men of Sicima, because they had empowered him to kill his brothers.

²⁵ So, the men of Sicima made trouble for [AbiMelech] by sending robbers to the mountaintops, where they robbed everyone that passed that way, and it was reported to King AbiMelech.

²⁶ Well, GaAl (a son of JoBel) and his brothers moved to Sicima. And because the men of Sicima trusted him, ²⁷ they all went into the field and gathered grapes, had a good time squashing them, and they brought the grapes into the house of their god, where they ate, drank, and cursed AbiMelech.

²⁸ Then GaAl (the son of JoBel) said, ‘Just who is AbiMelech… just who is this son of Sychem that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of JeroBaal, and isn’t Zebul his steward the son of EmMor? So, why should we serve him? ²⁹ I wish that these people would [start serving] me, then I would remove AbiMelech… I would say to him, Gather your army and come here.’

³⁰ However, Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard what GaAl (the son of JoBel) said, and it made him very angry. ³¹ So, he sent messengers to AbiMelech secretly, who said, ‘Look! GaAl (the son of JoBel) and his brothers have come to Sychem and they [are stirring up] the city against you. ³² So, come here tonight with your army and wait in the fields. ³³ And at sunrise, advance toward the city; then he and his people will come out to confront you, and you can do whatever you wish to him… if you’re strong enough.’

³⁴ Well, AbiMelech and his army marched by night and formed an ambush against Sychem with four companies. ³⁵ And when GaAl (the son of JoBel) went out and stood by the city gate, AbiMelech and his army attacked. ³⁶ And when GaAl saw the people, he said to Zebul, ‘Look, there are people coming down from the tops of the mountains.’

And Zebul replied, ‘You’re just seeing the shadows on the mountains as men.’

³⁷ But GaAl kept talking. He said, ‘Look, there are people coming from the west, near the middle of the land, and another group is coming down the road from Helon-MaOnenim.’

³⁸ And Zebul said to him, ‘Just what were you thinking when you said, Who is AbiMelech that we should serve him? Why, aren’t these the same people that you don’t care for? So now, get ready and form your battle lines.’

³⁹ Then GaAl gathered the men of Sychem and set up battle lines to fight AbiMelech. ⁴⁰ So AbiMelech attacked and killed many people… all the way up to the city gate, and GaAl ran away. ⁴¹ Then AbiMelech returned to Arema, and Zebul drove GaAl and his brothers out of Sychem.

⁴² Well the next day, the people [of Sychem unlocked the gates] and went out into their fields, and someone told AbiMelech. ⁴³ So, he gathered his army and divided them into three companies, then he formed an ambush in the fields. And when he saw the people leaving the city, he attacked and cut them down. ⁴⁴ Then AbiMelech and his generals rushed up and attacked the city gate, as the other two companies were attacking the people in the fields. ⁴⁵ And AbiMelech fought against the city all that day and captured it. Then he killed the people, [burned] the city, and poured salt over its land.

⁴⁶ Well, when all the men in Sychem’s citadel heard what happened, they all gathered in the Temple of God Berith. ⁴⁷ And when AbiMelech heard that all the men in the citadel had gathered in one place, ⁴⁸ he took his army up Mount Selmon, took an axe, cut off a tree branch, and laid it on his shoulders, then he said to his troops, ‘Now, do what I’m doing as quickly as you can.’

⁴⁹ So, they each cut a branch off a tree and they followed AbiMelech, then they laid them against the temple and set them on fire, burning it and killing all the people in the citadel of Sicima (about a thousand men and women).

⁵⁰ Then AbiMelech left the temple of God Berith and attacked Thebes, and captured it. ⁵¹ It also had a citadel in the middle of the city, and all the people ran there and locked the door, then they climbed to the top of the citadel.

⁵² Well, AbiMelech attacked the citadel and laid siege to it, and when he got near the door, he set it on fire. ⁵³ But as he was doing this, a woman dropped a piece of a millstone on his head, fracturing his skull. ⁵⁴ So, he quickly called to the young man who was his armor bearer and said, ‘Draw your sword and kill me, because I don’t want anyone to say that I was killed by a woman.’ And the young man ran him through with a sword, and he died.

⁵⁵ Then, when the men of Israel saw that AbiMelech was dead, they just went back home.

⁵⁶ And that’s how God paid AbiMelech back for all the bad things he did against his father, and for murdering his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ And that’s also how he paid back the men of Sychem. God brought their guilt on their heads, and the curse of JoAtham (the son of JeroBaal) came true.

Chapter 10

¹ After AbiMelech [died], Thola (the son of Phua) arose to save Israel. He was from the family of IsSachar and he lived in SamIr in the mountains of EphraIm. ² He judged Israel for twenty-three years, and then he died and was buried in SamIr.

³ And after him, there was JaIr of Gilead, and he judged Israel for twenty-two years. ⁴ He had thirty-two sons, they had thirty-two burros, and they ruled over thirty-two cities in the area of Gilead. So they still call those cities JaIr’s Towns today. ⁵ And when JaIr died, he was buried in RhamNon.

⁶ Then the children of Israel once again started doing evil things in the eyes of Jehovah, ¹¹ but Jehovah said to the children of Israel: ‘Haven’t I delivered you from the oppression of Egypt, the Amorites, the children of AmMon, the Philistines, ¹² the Sidonians, the Amalechites, and the Midianites… when you called to Me, didn’t I save you from them? ¹³ But you still left Me and served other gods, so I won’t be saving you anymore. ¹⁴ Go and call to the gods that you’ve chosen for yourselves, and let them save you whenever you’re in trouble.’

¹⁵ And the children of Israel said, ‘We have sinned, so do to us whatever You find good in Your eyes, but just save us today!’ ¹⁶ Then they removed all their other gods and started serving just Jehovah again. However, He was hurt by all the trouble that Israel was causing.

¹⁷ Well, the children of AmMon had gone and camped in Gilead, and then the children of Israel got together and camped on the hill above it. ¹⁸ And the leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, ‘Who will lead the battle against the children of AmMon? That person will be the head over everyone who lives in Gilead.’

Chapter 11

¹ JephThah, the Gileadite, was a mighty man, who was the son of Gilead by a whore. ² However, Gilead’s wife had also given birth to sons, and when they grew up, they drove JephThah out of the house, saying, ‘You aren’t going to receive an inheritance in the house of our father, because you’re the son of [his] mistress.’ ³ So JephThah left his brothers and went to live in the land of Tob. And there a lot of worthless men started following JephThah and traveling with him.

⁴ Well, when the children of AmMon prepared to fight against Israel, ⁵ the elders at Gilead sent [messengers] to call JephThah from the land of Tob, ⁶ saying, ‘Come and lead us in our fight against the sons of AmMon.’

⁷ But JephThah replied, ‘Aren’t you the ones who disliked me, drove me out of my father’s house, and banished me? So, how have you [the nerve] to call for me now?’

⁸ And the elders of Gilead said, ‘Well, we’ve now turned to you, and we’re asking you to lead us in battle against the sons of AmMon. Then you can be the head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.’

⁹ So JephThah told the elders of Gilead. ‘Okay, if you bring me back to fight against the children of AmMon and Jehovah hands them over to me; then I must be your leader.’

¹⁰ And the elders of Gilead replied, ‘Jehovah is our witness that we will do just as you said.’

¹¹ So JephThah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him the head [of their army and their] ruler. Then JephThah prayed to Jehovah about this at MasSepha. ¹² And thereafter, he sent messengers to the king of the children of AmMon to ask, ‘What have I done to you, that you’ve come to fight against me and my land?

¹³ And the king of the AmMonites told JephThah’s messengers, ‘Because Israel took away all our land from Arnon, to Jaboc, to the Jordan, when they came from Egypt. Now, return it peacefully and we’ll leave.’

¹⁴ Then JephThah sent messengers to the king of AmMon again, ¹⁵ to tell him: ‘JephThah says that Israel didn’t just take the land of Moab or the land of the children of AmMon. ¹⁶ For when we left Egypt, Israel traveled through the desert along the Red Sea until we got to Cades. ¹⁷ And there Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom and asked if we could pass through their land, but the king of Edom wouldn’t allow us to do that… and Israel asked the same thing of the king of Moab, and he wouldn’t allow us [to cross his land]; so we stayed in Cades. ¹⁸ And thereafter, we traveled through the desert and went around the lands of Edom and Moab. And when we got to the east side of Moab, we camped in the country on the other side of Arnon, and never crossed the borders of Moab (for Arnon is their border).

¹⁹ ‘Then Israel sent messengers to Seon (the king of the Amorites and the king of Esbon) to say: Please allow us cross your land to get to our land. ²⁰ But Seon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his land, so he gathered all his people to the camp at Jasa and set up battle lines against Israel. ²¹ However, Jehovah the God of Israel gave Seon and all his people into the hands of Israel, and they them cut him down and inherited all the land of the Amorites who lived there, ²² from Arnon to Jaboc, and from the desert to the Jordan.’

²³ ‘So, now that Jehovah the God of Israel has removed the Amorites [and given their land to] His people Israel, are you going to take it back? ²⁴ Why not accept the land that your god Chamosh has given you as your inheritance, and allow us to inherit all the land that our God Jehovah has taken from you?

²⁵ ‘Are you any better than Balac (the son of SepPhor), the king of Moab? For, didn’t he fight with Israel and make war ²⁶ when Israel lived in and around EshEbone, and in the land of AroEr, and in all the cities around the Jordan for three hundred years? And just what [land] did you recover then? ²⁷ So now, I haven’t sinned against you, but you’re doing me wrong by preparing to war against me. May Jehovah our Judge serve as the judge between the children of Israel and the children of AmMon today!’

²⁸ However, the king of the children of AmMon refused to listen to the words that JephThah sent to him. ²⁹ And Jehovah’s Breath settled upon JephThah, so he went up to Gilead (in ManasSeh), passed by its watchtower (as well as the children of AmMon), and went to the other side of the city. ³⁰ Then JephThah made a vow to Jehovah. He said, ‘If you’ll give the children of AmMon into my hands, ³¹ then whoever is the first to come out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace after [conquering] the children of AmMon, must be Jehovah’s… I will offer him as a whole burnt offering.’

³² Then JephThah advanced to meet the sons of AmMon in battle, and Jehovah gave them into his hands. ³³ He cut them down all the way from AroEr to Arnon… twenty of their cities as far as Ebel Charmim. It was a huge destruction and the children of AmMon were conquered before the children of Israel.

³⁴ Then, when JephThah returned to his home in MasSepha, he saw his daughter coming out to meet him, dancing and shaking a tambourine. Well, she was his only child… for he didn’t have any other sons or daughters. ³⁵ And when he saw her, he ripped his clothes and shouted, ‘Oh no, my daughter! You’ve ruined me! Oh, I’m so sad, because I made a promise about you to Jehovah, and now I can’t change it.’

³⁶ And she said: ‘Father, do to me whatever you’ve promised to Jehovah, for He has given you vengeance on our enemies, the children of AmMon.’ ³⁷ Then she said, ‘Father, I know that you must do this thing, but let me have two months as my friends and I travel through the mountains to wail over my virginity.’

³⁸ And he said, ‘Then go.’ So he allowed her to leave for two months as she and her friends went into the mountains and cried over the fact that she was to remain a virgin.

³⁹ Well after two months, she returned to her father and he kept his vow concerning her, and she never [had sex with] a man. ⁴⁰ And it became a rule that the daughters of Israel were to go and cry over the daughter of JephThah (the Gileadite) for four days each year.

Chapter 12

¹ Then the men of EphraIm got together and traveled north to JephThah, and they said, ‘Why did you go over to fight with the children of AmMon and not call for us to go with you? Why, we’re going to burn your house down with you in it!’

² And JephThah told them, ‘My people and I were too busy fighting the children of AmMon. And when I called for you, you didn’t come to save me from their hands. ³ So, when I saw that you weren’t any help, I put my life in my own hands and attacked the sons of AmMon, and Jehovah gave them to me. So now, just why are you coming against me today?’

⁴ Then JephThah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against EphraIm, and the men of Gilead cut them down. Then those who escaped said, ‘[Don’t forget that your town] of Gilead is in the midst of EphraIm and ManasSeh!’ ⁵ So Gilead took the fords of the Jordan before the EphraImites could get there, and when they tried to cross [to get back home], the men of Gilead would ask, ‘Are you an EphraImite?’ And when they said ‘No,’ ⁶ they told them to say ‘Stachys’ (for the EphraImites couldn’t pronounce it properly). Then they killed them there at the fords of the Jordan, and forty thousand men of EphraIm died that day.

⁷ Well, JephThah (the Gileadite) judged Israel for six years, and then he died and was buried in his city of Gilead. ⁸ Thereafter, Aba IsSan of BethLehem judged Israel. ⁹ He had thirty sons and thirty daughters (who he sent away), and he brought in thirty [wives] for his sons from [outside the land]. He judged Israel for seven years, ¹⁰ then Aba IsSan died and was buried in BethLehem.

¹¹ And after him, AiLom of ZebuLon judged Israel for ten years. ¹² Then AiLom died and was buried in [the town of] AiLom in the land of ZebuLon.

¹³ After him, AbDon (the son of ElLel the Pharathonite) judged Israel. ¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode upon seventy young burros, and he judged Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Then AbDon (the son of ElLel the Pharathonite) died, and he was buried in Pharathon, in the land of EphraIm on Mount Amalec.

Chapter 13

¹ Then the children of Israel started sinning against Jehovah again, so He handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.

² And there was a man [from the town of] SaraAh named ManoEh, who was of the family of Dan, and he had a wife who hadn’t given birth to any children. ³ Then a messenger of Jehovah appeared to her and said, ‘I see that you have never given birth to a son. ⁴ Now, be very careful and don’t drink any wine or liquor, or eat anything that’s unclean, ⁵ for {Look!} you are pregnant and will give birth to a son [upon whom] an iron [razor] may not [be used] on his head. This child will be dedicated to God (a Nazarite) from the time he’s born and he will start to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.’

⁶ Then the woman went inside and told her husband, saying, ‘A man of God came to me who looked very impressive… like one of God’s messengers. So I didn’t ask him where he came from and he didn’t tell me his name. ⁷ But he said to me, {Look!} You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son [upon whom] an iron [razor] may not [be used] on his head. This child will be dedicated to God (a Nazarite) from the day he’s born until the day that he dies.’

⁸ So ManoEh prayed to Jehovah and said: ‘I beg You, O Jehovah my Lord, concerning the man of God that you sent. Let him come to us once again and teach us what to do to this child that’s about to be born.’

⁹ And Jehovah heard the voice of ManoEh and sent His messenger to the woman again as she was sitting in a field… but ManoEh (her husband) wasn’t with her. ¹⁰ Then she ran home and told her husband, saying, ‘Look! The man who came the other day has appeared to me again!’

¹¹ So ManoEh got up and followed his wife; and when they got to the man, ManoEh asked, ‘Are you the man who spoke to my wife?’

And the messenger replied, ‘I am.’

¹² And ManoEh said, ‘Now may [your] words come to pass. But tell us how we must raise the child and how we must deal with him.’

¹³ And the messenger of Jehovah said to ManoEh: ‘The woman will be aware of all the things that I spoke to her about; ¹⁴ she must eat nothing that comes from the vine that produces wine, nor drink wine or strong drink, and she may not eat anything that is unclean… she must follow all of these [instructions] that I gave her.’

¹⁵ And ManoEh said to the messenger of Jehovah, ‘Please stay for a while and let us prepare a meal of young goat for you.’

¹⁶ And the messenger of Jehovah said to ManoEh, ‘If you want me to stay, I won’t eat your bread. But if you wish to sacrifice a whole burnt offering to Jehovah, you should do it.’

Now, ManoEh didn’t realize that he was a messenger of Jehovah, ¹⁷ so he said, ‘Tell us your name, so that when your words come true, we may praise you.’

¹⁸ And the messenger of Jehovah replied, ‘Why do you ask my name? It’s just too wonderful.’

¹⁹ So then, ManoEh took a kid goat and its meat offering, and offered it to Jehovah on a rock. And the messenger did something unusual as ManoEh and his wife looked on. ²⁰ For the flames of the altar flew up into the sky, and the messenger of Jehovah went up in the flames. And when ManoEh and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.

²¹ Well, the messenger never appeared to ManoEh and his wife again.

But MonoEh then realized that it was a messenger of Jehovah. ²² So ManoEh said to his wife, ‘Now we’re going to die, because we’ve seen God!’

²³ But his wife said to him, ‘If Jehovah wanted to kill us, He wouldn’t have accepted our whole burnt offering and food offering, nor would He have shown us or caused us to hear all these things.’

²⁴ Thereafter, the woman gave birth to a son who she named Sampson, and Jehovah blest him as he grew. ²⁵ For, the Breath of Jehovah went with him into the camp of Dan and between SaraAh and EsthaOl.

Chapter 14

¹ Then Sampson went down to ThamNatha and noticed a woman in ThamNatha who was a daughter of the Philistines. ² So he went and told his father and mother, ‘I have seen a woman in ThamNatha (a daughter of the Philistines); take her for me to be my wife!’

³ And his parents asked, ‘Aren’t there any daughters among our brothers, or any women among all our people? Why do you want to take a wife from among the uncircumcised Philistines?’

And Sampson replied, ‘Take her, because she really appeals to me.’

⁴ Well, what his father and mother didn’t realize, is that this [action] came from Jehovah, for He wanted to bring His vengeance upon the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at the time.

⁵ So Sampson took his father and mother down to ThamNatha, and when he got to the vineyard there, a young lion roared and ran out to meet him. ⁶ Well, the Breath of Jehovah came over him in a powerful way, and he crushed the lion as though it were a kid goat, leaving nothing in his hands. But he didn’t tell his father and mother what he had done. ⁷ Then they went and spoke to the woman who Sampson found so attractive.

⁸ And sometime later, when he returned to take her [as his wife], he went to look at the carcass of the lion and noticed that a swarm of bees had taken up living in its mouth; ⁹ so he took the honey and went on. He ate some of it, and then went and offered it to his father and mother, and they ate it, because he didn’t tell them that he had gotten the honey out of the mouth of a lion.

¹⁰ Well, his father then went [to take] the woman; and Sampson held a wedding banquet there for seven days, which was customary for young men to do at the time, ¹¹ and they invited thirty guests who stayed there with him. ¹² Then Sampson said to them, ‘Let me tell you a riddle, and if you can answer it correctly during the next seven days of the banquet, I will give [each of you] a wrap and a new set of clothes. ¹³ But if you can’t answer it, you must each give me a wrap and a new set of clothes.’

‘And they replied, ‘Okay; tell us your riddle.’

¹⁴ Then he told it to them, saying, ‘The eater came for the meat, but sweetness came out of the strong one.’

Well, they tried to solve the riddle for three days, but were unable to figure it out. ¹⁵ Then on the fourth day, they went to Sampson’s wife and said, ‘We want you to fool your husband. Have him tell you the riddle, or we will burn your father’s house down with you in it. For, surely you didn’t invite us here just to [rob] us.’

¹⁶ So, Sampson’s wife went to him crying, and said ‘You don’t care for me… you don’t love me, because you haven’t told me the answer to the riddle that you posed to the sons of my people!’

And Sampson asked her, ‘Why, if I haven’t given the answer to my own father and mother, so why should I tell it to you?’

¹⁷ Well, she just kept on crying in front of him throughout their banquet; so on the seventh day he gave her the answer, because she kept bothering him, and then she told it to the [guests]. ¹⁸ And before sunrise on the seventh day, the [guests] (who were from the city) came to him and answered, ‘What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?’

Then Sampson said to them, ‘If you hadn’t been plowing with my heifer, you would never have figured out my riddle!’

¹⁹ Then the Breath of Jehovah came over him and he went down into the city and destroyed thirty men, took their clothes, and gave them to those who answered the riddle. And Sampson was so angry that he just went back to the house of his father, ²⁰ so Sampson’s wife lived with his best man, who was one of his friends.

Chapter 15

¹ Well, it was after some time (during the wheat harvest) that Sampson visited his wife, bringing along a kid goat. And he said, ‘I want to go in to my wife… into her bedroom.’

² But her father spoke to him and said, ‘I said that you must surely hate her, so I gave her to one of your friends. And isn’t her sister better than her? Let her become yours instead!’

³ And Sampson said, ‘Well, I finally I have a good reason to harm the Philistines, and no one can blame me now.’ ⁴ So Sampson trapped three hundred foxes; then he paired the foxes and tied each pair’s tails together, then he tied torches to their tails, ⁵ lit them, and released the foxes into the Philistine’s grain fields; so everything was burned, from the threshing floors to the fields of grain, and even the vineyards and olive groves.

⁶ And when the Philistines asked, ‘Who did this?’ They were told, ‘It was Sampson, the son-in-law of the ThamNite, because we gave [Sampson’s] wife to one of his friends.’

So, the Philistines went and burned the house of Sampson’s father-in-law with his wife inside it.

⁷ Then Sampson went to them and said, ‘Because you did this to her, I’m going to get even… and only then will I be satisfied!’

⁸ So he cut off all their legs to their thighs, and then he went down and lived in a cave in the Rock of Etam.

⁹ Well then the Philistines went into Judah and set up camps all around Lechi. ¹⁰ And when the men of Judah asked why they were getting ready to attack, the Philistines answered, ‘We’ve come here to capture Sampson and to deal with him in the same way that he dealt with us!’

¹¹ So, three thousand men of Judah went down to the hole in the Rock of Etam and said to Sampson, ‘Don’t you know that the Philistines rule this country? What have you done to us?’

And Sampson replied, ‘I’ve just treated them the way they treated me.’

¹² And they said, ‘Well, we’ve come here to take you and give you into the hands of the Philistines.’

Then Sampson told them, ‘Swear to me that you won’t do anything bad to me yourselves.’

¹³ And they promised, ‘No, we’ll just tie you up and hand you over to them… we won’t kill you.’

Then they tied him up with two new ropes and led him from the [cave].

¹⁶ Then Sampson sang:
‘With the jaw of a burro I destroyed them;
A thousand men I cut down,
With the jaw of a burro.’

¹⁸ Well, he was extremely thirsty, so he called to Jehovah and said, ‘Since it has pleased You to use Your servant’s hands to bring about this great deliverance, must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?’

¹⁹ Then God broke open a hole in the ground [near] the jaw, and water poured out. So he drank it, his spirit was renewed, and he regained his strength. Then he named that spring ‘The Well of the Calling,’ which is still in Lechi today.

²⁰ So [Sampson] Judged Israel for twenty years during the period of Philistine [domination].

Chapter 16

¹ Well, Sampson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute and went inside with her. ² And when this was reported to the Gazites (when they were told that Sampson was there), they surrounded [the house] and quietly waited for him all night long inside the city gate. [Their plan] was to wait until he left at dawn, then [catch him] and kill him.

³ Well, Sampson slept until midnight, then he got up and went to the city gate, [but it was locked]. So he pulled its two posts [out of the ground], lifted them and the locked gate, and laid them on his shoulders, then he climbed to the top of the mountain in front of Hebron and laid them there.

⁴ Well after that, he fell in love with a woman from AlsOrech named DeliLa (gr. DeliDa). ⁶ And the leaders of the Philistines came up to her and said: ‘Beguile him and find out where he gets all his great strength… what the source of his strength is, so we can take him, bind him up, and humble him. Then we will give you eleven hundred silver coins.’

⁶ So DeliLah said to Sampson: ‘Please tell me where you get all your strength… is there any way that you could be tied up, captured, and imprisoned?’

⁷ And Sampson replied, ‘Yes; if I were tied up with seven ropes that have been soaked in water, then I would be as weak as any ordinary man.’

⁸ So the leaders of the Philistines brought her seven wet ropes and she used them to tie him up ⁹ (as their men hid in her bedroom). Then she shouted, ‘The Philistines are here, Sampson!’ And he broke the ropes as though they were burnt threads, for no one knew how strong he was.

¹⁰ And then DeliLah said to Sampson, ‘Why, you’ve misled me and lied to me! Now, tell me how you can really be held.’

¹¹ And he said to her, ‘I would have to tied up with new ropes, not with ropes that have been used for work. And then I would be as weak as any other man.’

¹² So, DeliLah took new ropes and tied him up. Then the men who were waiting in her bedroom ran out as she shouted, ‘The Philistines are here Sampson!’ But he broke them off his arms like thread.

¹³ And again, DeliLah said to Sampson: ‘Look, you’ve deceived me and lied to me. Now, please tell me how you can be held.’

And he said to her, ‘If the seven locks on my head were woven together into a net and fastened to the wall with a nail, then I would be as weak as any other man.’

¹⁴ So after he fell asleep, DeliLah took the seven locks on his head and wove them with a net, and nailed them to the wall. Then she shouted, ‘The Philistines are here, Sampson!’ And when he woke up, he just jerked the nail that held the net out of the wall.

¹⁵ And DeliLah asked Sampson, ‘How can you say that you love me when your heart doesn’t belong to me? Why, this is the third time you’ve deceived me, for you haven’t told me where you get all your strength.’

¹⁶ Well, she kept nagging him and complaining all night long, until he was exasperated to the point of dying ¹⁷ So he told her all the things that were in his heart, saying, ‘A razor must never touch my head, for I have been a person dedicated to God since [I came from] my mother’s belly. So, if [my hair] should be shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any man.’

¹⁸ And DeliLah realized that what he said came from his heart, so she sent for the Philistine rulers, saying, ‘Come here one more time, for he has told me what’s in his heart.’ And all the Philistine rulers came there and put the silver into her hands.

¹⁹ Then DeliLah allowed Sampson to fall asleep on her knees, and she [motioned to] a man who cut the seven locks off his head, and his strength left him. ²⁰ So when DeliLah shouted ‘The Philistines are here, Sampson!’ he woke up thinking, ‘I’ll just shake myself free and leave, as before.’ But he didn’t know that Jehovah had left him. ²¹ So the Philistines captured him, put his eyes out, bound him in brass fetters, and took him down to Gaza and threw him in prison. ²² But while he was there, his hair started to grow again, and soon it became as long as it was before.

²³ Well, the leaders of the Philistines got together to offer a big sacrifice to their god Dagon… and to celebrate what they claimed their god had done by giving their enemy Sampson into their hands. ²⁴ And when the people saw him, they started singing praises to their god, saying, ‘You’ve given our enemy who destroyed our land and who killed many of our people into our hands!’ ²⁵ And after everyone had been worked into a joyful frenzy, they said, ‘Now, bring Sampson from the prison and let him [act the fool] before us.’

So they sent for Sampson, and he was brought from the prison to stand as a fool before them. Then they led him by the hand and stood him between the [temple] columns. ²⁶ And Sampson said to the young man who held his hand, ‘Please let me feel the columns that support the building, so I can steady myself on them.’

²⁷ Well, the building was filled with men and women, including all the leaders of the Philistines, and almost three thousand people were on the roof (they had come to watch as they made fun of Sampson).

²⁸ Then Sampson called to Jehovah and said, ‘O Jehovah my Lord; please remember me and give me strength just one last time, O God, so I can make the Philistines pay for the loss of my eyes.’

²⁹ Then he braced his hands against the two columns that supported the building and pushed – one with his right hand and the other with his left. ³⁰ And Sampson said, ‘And let my wife die with the Philistines!’ Then he bent over and shoved, and the temple collapsed, killing the leaders and all the people in it. And in his death, Sampson killed more than all he had killed during the rest of his lifetime.

³¹ Well thereafter, his brothers and the rest of his father’s house went there and recovered his body, and they buried it between SaraAh and EsthaOl, in the tomb of his father ManoEh. So, he Judged Israel for twenty years.

Chapter 17

¹ Then there was a man from the mountains of EphraIm named MichaYas. ² And he said to his mother, ‘Do you remember those eleven hundred silver coins that you once had, and which you cursed me for taking? Well, here they are, for I did in fact take them.’

And his mother said, ‘May Jehovah bless you, my son.’

³ So he returned her eleven hundred silver coins, and his mother said, ‘I had dedicated this money to the Lord and set it aside for [you] my son, to make a molded and carved image… so it’s yours.’

⁴ However, he gave the money back to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred of the silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to mold a carved image for the house of MichaYas. ⁵ So the house of MicaYas became the temple to this god. Then [MicaYas] made a sacred vest and a sign of worship, and he anointed one of his sons to be his priest. ⁶ For back in those days, there was no king in Israel and everyone did whatever was right in his own eyes.

⁷ Well, there was a young man from BethLehem (in Judea) who was a Levite, and he happened to be passing by ⁸ (he had left BethLehem in Judea to move to whatever place he might find). And when he got to the hills of EphraIm and the house of MicaYas, his journey ended. ⁹ For MicaYas asked him, ‘Where have you come from?’

And he replied, ‘I’m a Levite from BethLehem Judea, and I’m traveling to any place that I may find.’

¹⁰ And MicaYas said to him, ‘Then live with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten silver coins per year, a change of clothing, and provide your room-and-board.’

¹¹ So the Levite lived there with MicaYas and became like one of his sons. ¹² For, he anointed the Levite as his priest and he lived inside MicaYas’ home. ¹³ And MicaYas said, ‘Now I know that Jehovah will treat me well, because a Levite has become my priest.’

Chapter 18

¹ Well, there was no king over Israel back then, and the tribe of Dan was looking for its own land to inherit, because they hadn’t received an inheritance among the tribes of the children of Israel. ² So, the sons of Dan selected five mighty men from among their families, and sent them to spy in the land around SaraAh and EsthaOl, and to search for a land [that they could inherit].

Well, when they reached the hills of EphraIm and the house of MicaYas, they spent the night there, ³ for they had recognized the voice of the young Levite man. So they stopped and asked him questions such as, ‘Who brought you here… what do you do here… and, do you like it here?’

⁴ And he replied, ‘MicaYas took me in and hired me to be his priest.’

⁵ And they told him, ‘Then, please use your powers to ask God whether the direction we are headed will be blest.’

⁶ And the priest said to them, ‘Go your way in peace, for the direction you’re heading is the direction of Jehovah.’

⁷ So the men traveled on, and when they got to LaIsa, they saw that the people there lived peacefully and leisurely (like the Sidonians). For there was no crime or violence in the land or any robbery, because they were a long way from the Sidonians, and they were quite isolated. ⁸ So the five men returned to their brothers at SaraAh and EsthaOl and they said, ‘Why are you just sitting here?’ ⁹ And they said, ‘Get up and let’s attack them, for we’ve seen their land and found it to be very good! Don’t be so silent… don’t restrain yourselves from going there and inheriting their land! ¹⁰ For we have found a land where people are living in security and where the land is large enough… and God has given it into your hand… it’s a place where the ground produces everything we need!’

¹¹ And thereafter, the families of Dan sent six hundred armed troops to SaraAh and EsthaOl, ¹² and they went and camped in Kiriath JaIrim in Judah. So, that’s why that place is still called the Camp of Dan to this day. Look, it’s behind Kiriath JaIrim. ¹³ So they marched to the mountains of EphraIm, and when they reached the house of MicaYas, ¹⁴ the five men (who had come as spies in the land of LaIsa) told their brothers: ‘You know this: There’s a sacred breast piece, a sign of worship, and a molded and carved image in this place. Now, let’s think about what we should do.’

¹⁵ So they stopped there and entered the house of the young Levite man (the house of MicaYas), and they asked him how things were going, ¹⁶ as the six hundred armed men of the sons of Dan were standing outside, near the gate.

¹⁷ Well, the five men who had come as spies in the land went inside the house of MicaYas where the priest was standing, ¹⁸ and took the image, the breast piece, and the sign of worship. And when the priest asked them what they were doing, ¹⁹ they said, ‘Put your hand over your mouth and be quiet! We want you to come with us and to be a father and a priest to us. For, which is better… for you to be the priest of the house of one man, or to be the priest of a whole tribe and house of a family of Israel?’

²⁰ Well, this sounded good to the heart of the priest, so he took the sacred breast piece, the sign of worship, and the molded and carved image, and he went along with the men.

²¹ Now, [the army] had brought all their children, property, and baggage with them. ²² And when they were some distance from MicaYas’ house, MicaYas and his neighbors (who saw them in his house) caught up with them and started shouting at them. ²³ Then the children of Dan turned and faced MicaYas, and asked, ‘What’s the matter with you? Why are you shouting at us?’

²⁴ And MicaYas replied, ‘Because you’ve taken the image that I made and my priest. So, what have you left me… why do you think I’m shouting at you?’

²⁵ And the children of Dan said, ‘Stop shouting or you’ll make us angry and our men will kill you and your entire household.’

²⁶ Then the children of Dan traveled on, for MicaYas realized that they were more powerful that he was, so he just went back home; ²⁷ and they carried off the things that MicaYas had made and his priest (who was with them).

Then they went to LaIsh, where people had been living peacefully and securely, and they attacked them with their broadswords, and they burned the city in a fire. ²⁸ No one came to their aid, because the city was far from Sidon and there was no communication, for it was located in a valley near the house of ReHob. Then [the children of Dan] rebuilt the city and lived there, ²⁹ and they renamed it ‘the City of Dan’ (after their ancestor, the son of Israel), although it used to be called LaIsh. ³⁰ And there the children of Dan set up the carved image for themselves.

Then JoNathan (the son of Gerson and grandson of ManasSeh) and his sons became the priests of the tribe of Dan until the time when the nation was captured and carried away [into captivity]. ³¹ And the carved image that MicaYas made was there for as long as the house of God was in Shiloh, since back then there was no king in Israel.

Chapter 19

¹ Now, there was a Levite who was staying in the hills of EphraIm, and he took a concubine for himself who was from BethLehem of Judea. ² However, his concubine got angry and left him, and went back home to her father in BethLehem. Then after four months, ³ her man went there to plead with her to come back to him, bringing along his servant and a pair of burros. Well, she let him into her father’s house, and she and her father met with him, for she was very happy to see him.

⁴ Then his father-in-law (the father of the young woman), urged him to stay there for three days; so they ate, drank, and stayed together there. ⁵ Then on the fourth day, when they got up early in the morning to leave, the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, ‘Have a bite to eat before you go.’ ⁶ So the two of them sat down together and ate and drank.

Then the girl’s father said to her husband, ‘Stick around; spend another night, and enjoy yourself!’ ⁷ And when the man got up to leave, his father-in-law wouldn’t allow him to go, so he stayed and spent another night there.

⁸ Then, when he got up early the next morning (the fifth day) and got ready to leave, the girl’s father said, ‘Stop acting like a soldier… stay here and build your strength until later in the day.’ So, the two [sat down to] eat.

⁹ And when the man, his concubine, and his servant got ready to go, his father-in-law said to him, ‘Look, it’s almost evening… spend the night and lets enjoy ourselves, then you can leave early in the morning and start your trip back home.’ ¹⁰ But he wouldn’t spend another night there, so he got up and left. Then he saddled his burros and set off with his concubine.

¹¹ Well, they got as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) and it was getting late, so the servant said to his master, ‘Please, let’s stop here in this Jebusite city and spend the night.’

¹² But his master replied, ‘We don’t want to stay in a city of foreigners, for there are no children of Israel there. ¹³ We’ll just continue on and spend the night in BabaAh or in Rama.’ ¹⁴ So they traveled on and arrived at BabaAh (in the tribe of BenJamin) later that night.

¹⁵ Well when they got to BabaAh, they had to stay in the street, because no one invited them in to spend the night in their home. ¹⁶ But then, an old man came in from working in the fields, who was from the mountains of EphraIm, but he was staying in BabaAh among the sons of BenJamin. ¹⁷ And when he saw the travelers sitting in the street, the old man asked them, ‘Where are you going and where did you come from?’

¹⁸ And [the Levite] replied, ‘We’re coming from BethLehem of Judea, and we’re heading toward the side of Mount EphraIm. I live there, and I’ve gotten this far from BethLehem in my journey home, but no one has invited us into his house. ¹⁹ We have enough straw and food for our burros, and enough bread and wine for me, my mistress, and my servant, and we really don’t need anything.’ ²⁰ So he brought them into his house, provided a place for their burros, washed their feet, ²¹ then fed them and gave them something to drink.

²² Well, as they were sitting there enjoying themselves, some men from the city (sons of criminals) surrounded the house and banged on the door. Then they told the old man who owned the house, ‘Send out the man who came into your house so we can [have sex] with him.’

²³ But [the old man] went outside and said to them, ‘No brothers; please don’t do him any harm, for he’s a guest in my home! Don’t do such a terrible thing! ²⁴ Look, here’s my daughter, who’s a virgin, and here’s the man’s concubine. I’ll bring them out to you and you can treat them however you wish… but don’t mistreat this man!’

²⁵ However, the men wouldn’t listen to him, so he grabbed the concubine and brought her outside to them, and they raped and abused her all night long, releasing her in the morning. ²⁶ Then the woman came and fell at the door of the house where her man [had hidden] himself. ²⁷ And when her man got up and opened the door to continue his journey, he found her lying by the door with her hands on the threshold. ²⁸ And he said to her, ‘Get up, let’s go!’ But she didn’t answer, because she was dead.

So he lifted [her body] on his burro and returned home. ²⁹ And [when he got home], he took his sword and cut his concubine’s body into twelve parts, then he sent them to [all the tribes] of Israel. ³⁰ And everyone who saw it said, ‘We’ve never seen such a day, nor has anyone seen such a day since the children of Israel left the land of Egypt. So, let’s get together and discuss this matter.’

Chapter 20

¹ Then the whole gathering of the children of Israel (from Dan to BerSabeEh) came to a meeting before Jehovah at MasSepha in the land of Gilead. ² They all stood there before Jehovah as an assembly of the people of God, along with four hundred thousand sword carrying soldiers, ³ and the children of BenJamin had heard that everyone had gone there. Then, when everyone was there, they asked, ‘Tell us; Where did this terrible thing happen?’

⁴ And the Levite (the husband of the woman who was killed) said, ‘My concubine and I had gone into BabaAh of BenJamin to spend the night. ⁵ Then the men there came against me and surrounded the house at night, and they wanted to kill me. But they abused and raped my concubine instead, until she was dead. ⁶ So, I picked her up and cut her into pieces, then I sent them to all the inheritances of the children of Israel; for these men have done a lewd and disgusting thing in Israel! ⁷ And look, all you children of Israel; Think about what happened and then discuss it among yourselves.’

⁸ Well, all the people agreed and said, ‘None of us will return to our tents or houses ⁹ until this thing that was done in BabaAh [is settled]. Let’s have a lottery to choose who will go to fight against that city… ¹⁰ we’ll choose ten men from among every hundred of all the tribes of Israel (a hundred out of every thousand and a thousand out of every ten thousand), then we will gather enough provisions and send them to BabaAh of BenJamin to pay them back for the disgusting things they’ve done in Israel.’

¹¹ So, all the men of Israel agreed, and they prepared to march on the city. ¹² Then they sent messengers throughout the whole tribe of BenJamin to say: ‘What is this wicked thing that has been done among you? ¹³ Now, surrender the sons of criminals that are in BabaAh, and we will execute them to purge their wickedness from Israel.’

But the children of BenJamin refused to listen to the voices of their brothers, the children of Israel, ¹⁴ and [men from] all their cities gathered at BabaAh to fight against the rest of Israel. ¹⁵ The children of BenJamin sent twenty-three thousand soldiers, along with seven hundred of the best men from BabaAh, all of whom were capable of fighting with both hands… ¹⁶ they could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ Now, the army of Israel (other than those of BenJamin) numbered four hundred thousand men of war. ¹⁸ But [before they went to battle], they went to BethEl to ask God, ‘Who must lead us in the fight against the children of BenJamin?’

And Jehovah replied, ‘Judah must go first and serve as your leader.’

¹⁹ Then the next morning, the children of Israel went and camped around BabaAh, ²⁰ and the battle began. ²¹ Well, the sons of BenJamin came out from BabaAh in an attack and cut down twenty-two thousand men of Israel. ²² So the men of Israel sent for reinforcements and got ready to fight in the same place where they had fought on the previous day. ²³ [But first], they went and spent the day crying before Jehovah, and in the evening they asked Him, ‘Should we go to fight against our brothers the children of BenJamin again?’

And Jehovah said, ‘Go and fight them.’

²⁴ So the children of Israel advanced against the children of BenJamin on the second day. ²⁵ And the children of BenJamin came out of BabaAh to meet them and killed eighteen thousand more of their soldiers. ²⁶ Then all the children of Israel (the people and their troops) went to BethEl and sat there crying before Jehovah, and they fasted all that day until the evening. Then they offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices to Jehovah.

²⁷ Well, back then, the [Sacred Chest] of Jehovah God was there [in BethEl]. ²⁸ And Phineas (the son of EliEzer and grandson of Aaron) would go and stand before it whenever the children of Israel wanted to ask Jehovah for anything. So, again they asked: ‘Must we go again to fight with our brothers, the sons of BenJamin?’

And Jehovah replied, ‘If you go there in the morning, I will give them into your hands.’

²⁹ Then the children of Israel [went back] and encircled BabaAh, [but this time] they set up an ambush. ³⁰ So when the children of Israel went to fight the children of BenJamin on the third day, they prepared for an attack against BabaAh as they had done before. ³¹ And after the children of BenJamin came out to meet them and started cutting them down between the roads that lead to BethEl and BabaAh (after they had killed about thirty men), everyone had been drawn outside the city. ³² For the children of BenJamin said, ‘They’re falling before us as they did before.’

But then the children of Israel said; ‘Now let’s retreat and we’ll draw them out of the city and into the roads.’ And that’s what they did. And that’s when all the men who were hiding ³³ got up out and engaged them at Baal Thamar, and Israel’s reinforcements also came from MaraAgabe. ³⁴ So, ten thousand of Israel’s best men attacked BabaAh. And although [BenJamin’s] troops fought back fiercely, they didn’t know that they were doomed.

³⁵ So, Jehovah allowed the children of Israel to cut down BenJamin that day. And all together, the children of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand of BenJamin’s soldiers. ³⁶ For, when they realized that the children of BenJamin were losing, the men of Israel turned back and attacked, because they trusted in the ambush that they had prepared against BabaAh. ³⁷ [The plan was that] when they pulled back, those who were hiding were to get up and attack BabaAh and cut [everyone in] the city down with swords.

³⁸ Well, the children of Israel had arranged for a battle signal from those who had been hiding. For when they captured the city, they were to send up a smoke signal. ³⁹ And when the children of Israel saw that they had taken BabaAh, that’s when they turned and attacked. For by then, the children of BenJamin had started killing the wounded among the men of Israel (about thirty of them), and they were saying, ‘Surely they’re going to fall again as they did in the first [two] battles.’

⁴⁰ But then the [smoke] signal started to arise, and it kept growing into a huge column of smoke rising into the sky. And when the men of BenJamin looked behind them, they saw that the city was being destroyed. ⁴¹ So when the men of Israel turned back and attacked, the men of BenJamin started running, because they saw that something bad had happened. ⁴² Then they retreated all the way into the desert before of the children of Israel, but they were soon overtaken, and even people from the [surrounding] cities came to fight them… ⁴³ they chased the men of BenJamin from Nua almost to BabaAh in the east. ⁴⁴ And eighteen thousand mighty men of BenJamin fell there.

⁴⁵ Well, the rest [of BenJamin’s army] then turned and ran through the desert to the rock of RemMon, where the children of Israel picked off five thousand of them; and then they chased the remaining ones as far as GeDan, where they cut down two thousand men. ⁴⁶ So, BenJamin lost twenty-five thousand of their finest soldiers, ⁴⁷ and the rest (six hundred of them) turned and ran through the desert to the rock of RemMon, where they hid out for four months.

⁴⁸ Meanwhile, the children of Israel returned to the territory of BenJamin and cut down [everyone] in their cities (around MethLa), including their cattle, and they burned all the cities and everything they found there in a fire.

Chapter 21

¹ Now, the children of Israel all swore there in MasSephath, not to give their daughters as wives to the BenJaminites. ² And they had all gone to BethEl and sat there before God until the evening, calling to Him and crying. ³ For they asked, ‘Why, O Jehovah the God of Israel, should one tribe of Israel now be missing?’

⁴ Then the next morning, the people got up early and built an altar there, and sacrificed whole burnt offerings and peace offerings. ⁵ Then the children of Israel started asking, ‘Who among the tribes of Israel hasn’t come here to meet with the gathering of Jehovah?’ (For they had all sworn an oath that those who didn’t come to Jehovah at MasSephath would be put to death). ⁶ However, the children of Israel grieved for their brothers of [the tribe of] BenJamin, for they said, ‘Today, one tribe has been cut off from Israel. ⁷ But, what must we do to provide wives for those [among BenJamin] who are still alive, since we’ve all sworn by Jehovah not to give them our daughters as wives?’

⁸ Then they asked, ‘Are there any among the tribes of Israel who failed to come to Jehovah at MasSephath?’ And they found that no one had come there from JabIsh in Gilead ⁹ (for they had counted all the people and found that there wasn’t a single man from [JabIsh]). ¹⁰ So, the gathering sent twelve thousand of their mightiest men there, and told them, ‘Take your swords and kill everyone who lives in JabIsh Gilead. ¹¹ Kill every man and every woman who has [had sex] with a man, but don’t kill the virgins.’ And that’s what they did. ¹² And among the inhabitants of JabIsh Gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never [had sex] with a man, and they brought them to Shiloh in the land of CanaAn.

¹³ Then the entire gathering agreed to send [ambassadors] to speak to the remaining children of BenJamin at the Rock of RemMon, and they invited them to make peace. ¹⁴ So, [the tribe of] BenJamin returned to the children of Israel that day, and they gave them the women who they hadn’t killed among the daughters of JabIsh Gilead, and they were satisfied. ¹⁵ The reason why the people made this concession to Benjamin, was because Jehovah had allowed this breakup among the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ Then the elders of the gathering asked, ‘What must we do to provide other wives for those of BenJamin who are still alive, since all their women have been destroyed?’ ¹⁷ And they said, ‘The BenJaminites who escaped must be allowed an inheritance, so a tribe won’t be destroyed from Israel. ¹⁸ Yet, we can’t give them our daughters as wives, because we swore among the gathering that anyone who gives a wife to BenJamin will be cursed.’

¹⁹ Then they said, ‘Look, there’s a feast of Jehovah that’s held each year in Shiloh’ (which is north of BethEl and east of the road between BethEl and Sychem, south of Lebona). ²⁰ And they told the children of BenJamin this: ‘You may go and hide in the vineyards there, ²¹ and then watch. And when you see any of the daughters of the people in Shiloh come out to dance, you should each run from the vineyards and grab a wife and take her into the land of BenJamin. ²² Then, when their fathers or brothers come to argue the matter with you, you can reply, You must give them to us freely, for we haven’t taken them from you in battle. Rather, we’ve taken them to keep you from sinning against the oath that you made.’

²³ And that’s what the children of BenJamin did. They went and took wives from among the dancers and brought them back to their inherited land, where they rebuilt the cities and lived in them.

²⁴ Thereafter, all the children of Israel went back home to their own tribes, families, and inheritances. ²⁵ For in those days (since there was no king in Israel), every man did whatever he thought was right.

Notes

Bible Measurements

The most common unit for measuring length, height, and depth in the Bible is a cubit, which is the length of a man’s forearm. And of course, the lengths of forearms vary depending on the size of the person, so a cubit may be anywhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. However, to give you a better idea of the size and proportions of things in the Bible, we have converted the units of measure to more familiar terms, such as feet and inches. And we have roughly averaged the sizes or lengths.

Also, some units of measure, such as a cor (about 32 bushels), hin, or bath (about 6 gallons), have been roughly estimated, since such terms are obsolete.

We have also dropped the obscure names of coins, since most readers have no idea of their value, and simply inserted the type of coin they are (gold, silver, or copper), and sometimes their size, to provide you some frame of reference.

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Synagogue

We find the word synagogue (gr. synagoges) mentioned several times while the Israelites were in the desert. Just what type of building was this?

Well, it wasn’t a building at all. Actually, synagogue means a gathering, and the entire nation of Israel was usually referred to as a synagogue. It wasn’t until in later years, after they had entered the Promised Land, and possibly after their return from exile in Babylon, that they built buildings for worship (other than the Temple). Then later, they started referring to the buildings as synagogues. And while synagogues are mentioned several times in the Christian Era Scriptures, the only mention of one as a Christian meeting place can be found at James 2:2. In every other instance, it refers to Judaic houses of worship.

This referring to a building as a gathering is similar to what happened in Christendom. For, in older Bibles, Christian gatherings (gr. ekklesias) were called churches. But before long, members started referring to the buildings as churches. For more information see the linked document, Church, Synagogue, or Called Ones.

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Spirit or Breath?

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath’ are spoken of together) is found at Matthew 28:19, which appears to be spurious (See the Note in Matthew). All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is also spurious (something that was added to the Bible). So, there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though; what God was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and gave up the breath’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to ‘the breath of life,’ or that force which gave him life as a human.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In the beginning, God created the sky and the ground.’

This is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. There was no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space… it just wasn’t necessary at the time! However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text.

This is why you’ll find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You’ll also find the Greek words ge and ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, ‘The thing that they don’t want to understand is this: That the ancient earth and sky were out of the water, but (in obedience to God’s instructions) they stood together between the waters.’ (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge and ges, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located ‘between the water.’ So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the sky. Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting ‘the earth; since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth,’ we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not land or ground. However, the words land and ground are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water, ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken in a celestial chariot, most people think he was taken to (as their Bibles put it) ‘heaven,’ where he went to live with God. This isn’t true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into the sky (the proper translation here), where he was then taken to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Hebrew Songs and Poetry

While we as translators claim no in-depth knowledge of the Hebrew language (this is a GREEK Bible translation), we do find its poetry, blessings, and songs interesting and beautiful. For, rather than putting the words together in a rime (as we do in English, where ending words must sound alike), the sentences fit together where the thoughts follow each other, so that they could be easily remembered and sung. Therefore, the actual words didn’t have to be memorized, for, as long as a person understands the thought, the poetry can be correctly repeated using slightly different words.

You’ll notice that each song seemed to have about four verses, for the verses followed in a logical order. However, in our translation we sometimes find only three verses… or sometimes two or six. And this may be due to our misunderstanding of their methods, or due to problems with translation (both ancient and ours).

However, as you go along in the Bible, you will also find entire books written in poetry (such as Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.), and most prophecies (such as those of Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) were spoken and written in a form that is similar to songs, especially where God and His messengers are speaking. It was probably done this way to be remembered and repeated… perhaps even as songs, for that was an ancient Hebrew means of mass communication.

Why, many of Jesus’ parables were spoken and recorded as poetry, such as that portion called the beatitudes (Matthew 5).

Notice that; where we find the natural poetic rhythm in our translating, we have tried to restore the cadence for your benefit. This requires some rearranging and the addition or removal of extraneous words, but we have zealously worked to maintain the true meaning of the texts. Why is this necessary? Well, not only does it provide pleasant reading, but in places where the lyrics can’t be resolved, this provides a clear indication that something has been lost through the years. Proverbs 25 and 26, for example, by their lack of natural cadence and harmony, indicate questionable inspiration or a corruption of the original text. Also, God must consider the beauty of the text important, because that was the way He inspired it to be written.

You might notice the two verses of a song that the Israelite women were singing when Saul and David returned from a battle (1 Samuel 18:7): ‘Saul has cut down thousands,
And David his ten thousands.’
Although these were just a few words of a much longer victory song, those particular words offended Saul, for he felt that David was being considered more important than he was. Yet, if you understand Hebrew poetry, you would see that the words were part of a natural progression of words and they weren’t actually chosen to elevate David or to offend Saul. Rather, Saul was being petty.

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Baal, Beel, Bel, and El

Throughout the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT), you will read of Gods, people, and places with names that start with Baal, Beel, and Bel. These terms mean the Lord, the Master, or the Owner, and they refer to various gods of nations, not necessarily to a particular god. The word was just a title for a god, and the God’s name (or the place that he/it represented) follows the title, such as Beel Phegor (as found at Numbers 25:3). And where people called their god just Baal (or Beel), they were referring to their particular lord or god of that city or land. Also, where a person’s name includes one of these terms (such as BelShazzar), it usually means that they were named after a local god (in this case, Shazzar).

Of course, having the title Baal or Beel in a name doesn’t necessarily imply that a person is a worshiper of a pagan god, for several faithful worshipers of Jehovah also had that title as part of their names. For example, the faithful Judge Gideon came to be known as JeroBaal (meaning ‘May Baal Defend Himself’), because of his action in cutting down an altar to Baal. Also, one of King Saul’s grandsons (through faithful JoNathan) was named MeriBaal (meaning ‘Opposer of Baal’); one of King David’s faithful warriors was named BaalJah (meaning ‘Lord Jehovah’); and David named one of his sons BaalJada (meaning ‘Lord Knows’).

By the way, Baal is pronounced Bah-ahl and Beel is pronounced beh-el, not Bayel or Beel.

Also, in places where we find the letters El in a name or place, this is usually just a shortened version of the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning God. So, whereas many Bibles translate the Greek word ‘Baithelbereth’ (found at Judges 9:46) as ‘Bethel Bereth,’ or, ‘the temple of god ElBereth,’ or, ‘the vault of the house of El-Berith;’ recognize that ‘Beth (or Baith)’ means ‘the house (or temple) of,’ ‘El’ means ‘God,’ and ‘Bereth’ is that God’s name. So, we have translated it there as ‘the temple of God Bereth.’

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Who Wrote the Book of Judges?

There are some interesting idiosyncrasies in the book of Judges that would lead us to question who actually wrote it. We receive one clue from the words found at Judges 1:21, where we read, ‘Nor did the children of BenJamin take Jerusalem from the Jebusites as their inheritance, so the Jebusites still live among the children of BenJamin in Jerusalem to this day.’

Then we read at Judges 18:1, ‘There was no king over Israel back then.’

So, whoever did the writing must have lived during the time when a king ruled Israel, but before the kings started ruling in Jerusalem, or during the reign of Saul… and the prophet Samuel seems to be the likely source.

However, notice the apparent contradiction found at Judges 18:30, where we read, ‘And Jonathan (the son of Gerson and grandson of Manasseh) and his sons became the Priests of the tribe of Dan until the time when the nation was captured and carried away [into captivity].’

These words would then indicate that the book was written sometime after Israel’s conquest by the Assyrians and Jerusalem’s conquest by the Babylonians, or in the late 6^th Century B.C.E. And the likely writer then would be the Scribe Ezra. So, how do we resolve the differences?

Well, we can see from the context that the book of Judges was written close to the time of the Judges (perhaps by Samuel), then it appears as though a later copyist (perhaps Ezra) added the comment at Judges 18:30. And since this comment is found both in the Hebrew and Greek texts, we know that it had to have been made sometime before the 3^rd Century B.C.E.

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Mistreatment of Women

Many people have commented on the mistreatment of women in Bible texts, and speak as though such things were condoned by God… they weren’t. Nor was polygamy or keeping concubines permitted in God’s Law. That’s just the way the male-dominated society worked at the time. And recognize that; Where women were allowed to be mistreated (as in the case of the concubine mentioned in Judges the 20^th Chapter), this doesn’t indicate the Bible’s approval of the actions, it’s just relating a true story. For, especially during the period of Judges, the people of Israel had come a long way from God’s Laws, and their society had become corrupt. This is proven by all the times that God had allowed them to come under the control of (and to be oppressed by) the surrounding pagan nations.

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God’s Messengers

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was said in certain instances.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and had appeared at the door of some faithful Christians. In Greek, the latter part of this verse reads, ‘oi de elegon Ho aggelos estin autou’ and is often translated as, ‘They began to say, It is his angel.’

This rendering doesn’t sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, ‘So they said, It’s his messenger.’

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn’t always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, ‘Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou’ or, ‘Sent of Jacob angels ahead of him toward Esau the brother of him.’ Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.’ Then in verse 16, it says that ‘Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.’

Obviously, although the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used to speak of two different types of messengers here… those who are human and those who were sent from heaven by God. As the result, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, and we have rendered the word as messenger or messengers in each instance, because this proper translation of the word provides readers a better look at what position these heavenly sons of God held. For, angel isn’t a heavenly rank, it’s a duty.

Also, consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: ‘Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!’

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit.

Translating aggelos as messenger (when it truly means an ‘angel’) helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such spiritual sons of God play in His dealings with mankind. And it helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels.

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Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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