Feb 23 - Judges 4-10

¹But after the death of Ehud, the sons of Israel resumed doing evil in the sight of the Lord²And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Jabin, the king of Canaan, who reigned at Hazor. And he had a commander of his army named Sisera, but this man lived at Harosheth of the Gentiles³And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. For he had nine hundred chariots with scythes, and he vehemently oppressed them for twenty years⁴Now there was a prophetess, Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, who judged the people in that time⁵And she was sitting under a palm tree, which was called by her name, between Ramah and Bethel, on Mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went up to her for every judgment⁶And she sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh of Naphtali. And she said to him: "The Lord, the God of Israel, instructs you: ‘Go and lead an army to Mount Tabor, and you shall take with you ten thousand fighting men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun⁷Then I will lead to you, at the place of the torrent Kishon, Sisera, the leader of the army of Jabin, with his chariots and the entire multitude. And I will deliver them into your hand.’ ⁸And Barak said to her: "If you will come with me, I will go. If you are not willing to come with me, I will not go.⁹She said to him: "Indeed, I will go with you. But due to this change, the victory shall not be reputed to you. And so Sisera will be delivered into the hand of a woman." Therefore, Deborah rose up, and she traveled with Barak to Kedesh¹⁰And he, summoning Zebulun and Naphtali, ascended with ten thousand fighting men, having Deborah in his company¹¹Now Heber, the Kenite, had previously withdrawn from the rest of the Kenites, his brothers, the sons of Hobab, the relative of Moses. And he had pitched his tents as far as the valley that is called Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh¹²And it was reported to Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had ascended to Mount Tabor¹³And he gathered together the nine hundred chariots with scythes, and the entire army, from Harosheth of the Gentiles to the torrent Kishon¹⁴And Deborah said to Barak: "Rise up. For this is the day on which the Lord delivers Sisera into your hands. For he is your commander." And so, Barak descended from Mount Tabor, and the ten thousand fighting men with him¹⁵And the Lord struck Sisera with great fear, and all his chariots and all his multitude with the edge of the sword, in the sight of Barak, so much so that Sisera, leaping from his chariot, fled on foot¹⁶And Barak pursued the fleeing chariots, and the army, as far as Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the entire multitude of the enemy was cut down, unto utter annihilation¹⁷But Sisera, while fleeing, arrived at the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite. For there was peace between Jabin, the king of Hazor, and the house of Heber, the Kenite¹⁸Therefore, Jael went out to meet Sisera, and she said to him: "Enter to me, my lord. Enter, you should not be afraid." And he entered her tent, and having been covered by her with a cloak¹⁹he said to her: "Give me, I beg you, a little water. For I am very thirsty." And she opened a bottle of milk, and she gave him to drink. And she covered him²⁰And Sisera said to her: "Stand before the door of the tent. And if anyone arrives, questioning you and saying, ‘Could there be any man here?’ you shall respond, ‘There is no one.’ ²¹And so Jael, the wife of Heber, took a spike from the tent, and also took a mallet. And entering unseen and with silence, she placed the spike over the temple of his head. And striking it with the mallet, she drove it through his brain, as far as the ground. And so, joining deep sleep to death, he fell unconscious and died²²And behold, Barak arrived, in pursuit of Sisera. And Jael, going out to meet him, said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." And when he had entered her tent, he saw Sisera lying dead, with the spike fixed in his temples²³Thus did God humble Jabin, the king of Canaan, on that day, before the sons of Israel²⁴And they increased every day. And with a strong hand they overpowered Jabin, the king of Canaan, until they wiped him out

Chapter 5

¹In that day, Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang out, saying²"All you of Israel who have willingly offered your lives to danger, bless the Lord³Listen, O kings! Pay attention, O princes! It is I, it is I, who will sing to the Lord. I will sing a psalm to the Lord, the God of Israel⁴O Lord, when you departed from Seir, and you crossed through the regions of Edom, the earth and the heavens were moved, and the clouds rained down water⁵The mountains flowed away before the face of the Lord, and Sinai, before the face of the Lord God of Israel⁶In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the paths were quiet. And whoever entered by them, walked along rough byways⁷The strong men ceased, and they rested in Israel, until Deborah rose up, until a mother rose up in Israel⁸The Lord chose new wars, and he himself overturned the gates of the enemies. A shield with a spear was not seen among the forty thousand of Israel⁹My heart loves the leaders of Israel. All you who, of your own free will, offered yourselves during a crisis, bless the Lord¹⁰You who ride upon donkeys laboring, and you who sit in judgment, and you who walk along the way, speak out¹¹Where the chariots were struck together, and the army of the enemies was choked, in that place, let the justices of the Lord be described, and let his clemency be for the brave of Israel. Then did the people of the Lord descend to the gates, and obtain leadership¹²Rise up, rise up, O Deborah! Rise up, rise up, and speak a canticle! Rise up, Barak, and seize your captives, O son of Abinoam¹³The remnants of the people were saved. The Lord contended with the strong¹⁴Out of Ephraim, he destroyed those with Amalek, and after him, out of Benjamin, those of your people, O Amalek. From Machir, there descended leaders, and from Zebulun, those who led the army to war¹⁵The commanders of Issachar were with Deborah, and they followed the steps of Barak, who endangered himself, like one rushing headlong into a chasm. Reuben was divided against himself. Contention was found among great souls¹⁶Why do you live between two borders, so that you hear the bleating of the flocks? Reuben was divided against himself. Contention was found among great souls¹⁷Gilead rested beyond the Jordan, and Dan was occupied with ships. Asher was living on the shore of the sea, and dwelling in the ports¹⁸Yet truly, Zebulun and Naphtali offered their lives to death in the region of Merom¹⁹The kings came and fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, beside the waters of Megiddo. And yet they took no spoils²⁰The conflict against them was from heaven. The stars, remaining in their order and courses, fought against Sisera²¹The torrent of Kishon dragged away their carcasses, the onrushing torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, tread upon the stalwart²²The hoofs of the horses were broken, while the strongest of the enemies fled away with fury, and rushed on to ruin²³‘Cursed be the land of Meroz!’ said the Angel of the Lord. ‘Cursed be its inhabitants! For they did not come to the aid of the Lord, to the assistance of his most valiant men.²⁴Blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. And blessed is she in her tabernacle²⁵He begged her for water, and she gave him milk, and she offered him butter in a dish fit for princes²⁶She put her left hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman’s mallet. And she struck Sisera, seeking in his head a place for the wound, and strongly piercing his temples²⁷Between her feet, he was ruined. He fainted away and passed on. He curled up before her feet, and he lay there lifeless and miserable²⁸His mother gazed through a window and wailed. And she spoke from an upper room: ‘Why does his chariot delay in returning? Why are the feet of his team of horses so slow?²⁹One who was wiser than the rest of his wives responded to her mother-in-law with this³⁰‘Perhaps he is now dividing the spoils, and the most beautiful among the women is being selected for him. Garments of diverse colors are being delivered to Sisera as spoils, and various goods are being collected for the adornment of necks.³¹O Lord, so may all your enemies perish! But may those who love you shine with splendor, as the sun shines at its rising." And the land rested for forty years.

Chapter 6

¹Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, who delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years²And they were greatly oppressed by them. And they made for themselves hollows and caves in the mountains, and very fortified places for defense³And when Israel had planted, Midian and Amalek, and the rest of the eastern nations ascended⁴and pitching their tents among them, they laid waste to all that was planted, as far as the entrance to Gaza. And they left behind nothing at all to sustain life in Israel, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys⁵For they and all their flocks arrived with their tents, and they filled all places like locusts, an innumerable multitude of men and camels, devastating whatever they touched⁶And Israel was humbled greatly in the sight of Midian⁷And he cried out to the Lord, requesting assistance against the Midianites⁸And he sent to them a man who was a prophet, and he said: "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I caused you to ascend from Egypt, and I led you away from the house of servitude⁹And I freed you from the hand of the Egyptians and from all of the enemies who were afflicting you. And I cast them out at your arrival, and I delivered their land to you¹⁰And I said: I am the Lord your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. But you were not willing to listen to my voice.’ ¹¹Then an Angel of the Lord arrived, and he sat under an oak tree, which was at Ophrah, and which belonged to Joash, the father of the family of Ezri. And while his son Gideon was threshing and cleaning the grain at the winepress, so that he might flee from Midian¹²the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and he said: "The Lord is with you, most valiant of men.¹³And Gideon said to him: "I beg you, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why have these things happened to us? Where are his miracles, which our fathers described when they said, ‘The Lord led us away from Egypt.’ But now the Lord has forsaken us, and he has delivered us into the hand of Midian.¹⁴And the Lord looked down upon him, and he said: "Go forth with this, your strength, and you shall free Israel from the hand of Midian. Know that I have sent you.¹⁵And responding, he said: "I beg you, my lord, with what shall I free Israel? Behold, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in the house of my father.¹⁶And the Lord said to him: "I will be with you. And so, you shall cut down Midian as if one man.¹⁷And he said: "If I have found grace before you, give me a sign that it is you who is speaking to me¹⁸And may you not withdraw from here, until I return to you, carrying a sacrifice and offering it to you." And he responded, "I will wait for your return.¹⁹And so Gideon entered, and he boiled a goat, and he made unleavened bread from a measure of flour. And setting the flesh in a basket, and putting the broth of the flesh in a pot, he took it all under the oak tree, and he offered it to him²⁰And the Angel of the Lord said to him, "Take the flesh and the unleavened bread, and place them on that rock, and pour out the broth upon it." And when he had done so²¹the Angel of the Lord extended the end of a staff, which he was holding in his hand, and he touched the flesh and the unleavened loaves. And a fire ascended from the rock, and it consumed the flesh and the unleavened loaves. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight²²And Gideon, realizing that it had been the Angel of the Lord, said: "Alas, my Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.²³And the Lord said to him: "Peace be with you. Do not be afraid; you shall not die.²⁴Therefore, Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, and he called it, the Peace of the Lord, even to the present day. And while he was still at Ophrah, which is of the family of Ezri²⁵that night, the Lord said to him: "Take a bull of your father’s, and another bull of seven years, and you shall destroy the altar of Baal, which is your father’s. And you shall cut down the sacred grove which is around the altar²⁶And you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, at the summit of this rock, on which you placed the sacrifice before. And you shall take the second bull, and you shall offer a holocaust upon a pile of the wood, which you shall cut down from the grove.²⁷Therefore, Gideon, taking ten men from his servants, did just as the Lord had instructed him. But fearing his father’s household, and the men of that city, he was not willing to do it by day. Instead, he completed everything by night²⁸And when the men of that town had risen up in the morning, they saw the altar of Baal destroyed, and the sacred grove cut down, and the second bull set upon the altar, which then had been built²⁹And they said one to another, "Who has done this?" And when they inquired everywhere as to the author of the deed, it was said, "Gideon, the son of Joash, did all these things.³⁰And they said to Joash: "Bring forward your son here, so that he may die. For he has destroyed the altar of Baal, and he has cut down the sacred grove.³¹But he responded to them: "Could you be the avengers of Baal, so that you fight on his behalf? Whoever is his adversary, let him die before the light arrives tomorrow; if he is a god, let him vindicate himself against him who has overturned his altar.³²From that day, Gideon was called Jerubbaal, because Joash had said, "Let Baal avenge himself against him who has overturned his altar.³³And so, all of Midian, and Amalek, and the eastern peoples were gathered together. And crossing the Jordan, they encamped in the valley of Jezreel³⁴But the Spirit of the Lord entered Gideon, who, sounding the trumpet, summoned the house of Abiezer so that he might follow him³⁵And he sent messengers into all of Manasseh, who also followed him, and other messengers into Asher, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, who went to meet him³⁶And Gideon said to God: "If you will save Israel by my hand, just as you have said³⁷I will set this wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there will be dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that by my hand, as you have said, you will free Israel.³⁸And so it was done. And rising in the night, wringing out the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew³⁹And again he said to God: "Let not your fury be enkindled against me, if I test once more, seeking a sign in the fleece. I pray that only the fleece may be dry, and all the ground may be wet with dew.⁴⁰And that night, God did as he had requested. And it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew on all the ground

Chapter 7

¹And so Jerubbaal, who is also Gideon, rising in the night, and all the people with him, went to the fountain which is called Harod. Now the camp of Midian was in the valley, to the northern region of the high hill²And the Lord said to Gideon: "The people with you are many, but Midian shall not be delivered into their hands, for then Israel might glory against me, and say, ‘I was freed by my own power.³Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all, ‘Whoever has dread or fear, let him return.’ And twenty-two thousand of the men from the people withdrew from Mount Gilead and returned, and only ten thousand remained⁴And the Lord said to Gideon: "The people are still too many. Lead them to the waters, and there I will test them. And those about whom I tell you that he may go with you, let him go; he whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.⁵And when the people had descended to the waters, the Lord said to Gideon: "Whoever will lap the water with the tongue, as dogs usually lap, you shall separate them by themselves. Then those who will drink by bending their knees shall be on the other side.⁶And so the number of those who had lapped the water, by bringing it with the hand to the mouth, was three hundred men. And all the remainder of the multitude drank by bending the knee⁷And the Lord said to Gideon: "By the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will free you, and I will deliver Midian into your hand. But let all the remainder of the multitude return to their place.⁸And so, taking food and trumpets in accord with their number, he instructed all the rest of the multitude to go back to their tents. And with the three hundred men, he gave himself to the conflict. Now the camp of Midian was below, in the valley⁹In the same night, the Lord said to him: "Rise up, and descend into the camp. For I have delivered them into your hand¹⁰But if you dread to go alone, let your servant Purah descend with you¹¹And when you will hear what they are saying, then your hands will be strengthened, and you will descend more confidently to the camp of the enemy." Therefore, he descended with his servant Purah into a portion of the camp, where there was a watch of armed men¹²But Midian, and Amalek, and all the eastern peoples lay spread out in the valley, like a multitude of locusts. Their camels, too, were innumerable, like the sand that lies on the shore of the sea¹³And when Gideon had arrived, someone told his neighbor a dream. And he related what he had seen, in this way: "I saw a dream, and it seemed to me as if bread, baked under ashes from rolled barley, descended into the camp of Midian. And whenever it arrived at a tent, it struck it, and overturned it, and utterly leveled it to the ground.¹⁴He to whom he spoke, responded: "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. For the Lord has delivered Midian into his hands, with their entire camp.¹⁵And when Gideon had heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped. And he returned to the camp of Israel, and he said: "Rise up! For the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into our hands.¹⁶And he divided the three hundred men into three parts. And he gave trumpets, and empty pitchers, and lamps for the middle of the pitchers, into their hands¹⁷And he said to them: "What you will see me do, do the same. I will enter a portion of the camp, and what I do, you shall follow¹⁸When the trumpet in my hand blares out, you also shall sound the trumpets, on every side of the camp, and shout together to the Lord and to Gideon.¹⁹And Gideon, and the three hundred men who were with him, entered a portion of the camp, at the beginning of the watch in the middle of the night. And when the guards were alerted, they began to sound the trumpets and to clap the pitchers against one another²⁰And when they had sounded their trumpets in three places around the camp, and had broken their water pitchers, they held the lamps in their left hands, and sounded the trumpets in their right hands. And they cried out, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!²¹And each one was standing in his place throughout the camp of the enemies. And so the entire camp was in confusion; and they fled away, wailing and crying out²²And the three hundred men nevertheless continued sounding the trumpets. And the Lord sent the sword into the entire camp, and they maimed and cut down one another²³fleeing as far as Bethshittah, and the base of Abelmeholah in Tabbath. But the men of Israel pursued Midian, shouting from Naphtali and Asher, and from all of Manasseh²⁴And Gideon sent messengers throughout all of Mount Ephraim, saying, "Descend to meet Midian, and occupy the waters ahead of them as far as Bethbarah and the Jordan." And all of Ephraim cried out, and they occupied the waters ahead of them, from the Jordan even to Bethbarah²⁵And having apprehended two men of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, they put Oreb to death at the Rock of Oreb, and truly, Zeeb, at the Winepress of Zeeb. And they pursued Midian, carrying the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, across the waters of the Jordan

Chapter 8

¹And the men of Ephraim said to him, "What is this, that you wanted to do, so that you would not call us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they rebuked him strongly, and came close to using violence²And he responded to them: "But what could I have done that would be so great as what you have done? Is not one bunch of grapes of Ephraim better than the vintages of Abiezer³The Lord has delivered into your hands the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What could I have done that would be so great as what you have done?" And when he had said this, their spirit, which was swelling up against him, was quieted⁴And when Gideon had arrived at the Jordan, he crossed over it with the three hundred men who were with him. And they were so weary that they were unable to pursue those who were fleeing⁵And he said to the men of Succoth, "I beg you, give bread to the people who are with me, for they are greatly weakened, so that we may be able to pursue Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.⁶The leaders of Succoth answered, "Perhaps the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hand, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to your army.⁷And he said to them, "So then, when the Lord will have delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the desert.⁸And going up from there, he arrived at Penuel. And he spoke to the men of that place similarly. And they also answered him, just as the men of Succoth had answered⁹And so he said to them also, "When I will have returned as a victor in peace, I will destroy this tower.¹⁰Now Zebah and Zalmunna were resting with their entire army. For fifteen thousand men were left out of all the troops of the eastern people. And one hundred twenty thousand warriors that drew the sword had been cut down¹¹And Gideon ascended by the way of those who were dwelling in tents, to the eastern part of Nobah and Jogbehah. And he struck the camp of the enemies, who were confident and were suspecting nothing adverse¹²And Zebah and Zalmunna fled. And Gideon pursued and overtook them, sending their entire army into confusion¹³And returning from the war before sunrise¹⁴he took a boy from among the men of Succoth. And he asked him the names of the leaders and elders of Succoth. And he described seventy-seven men¹⁵And he went to Succoth, and he said to them: "Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, over whom you rebuked me, saying: ‘Perhaps the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna are in your hands, and for this reason, you request that we give bread to men who are languishing and weakened.’ ¹⁶Therefore, he took the elders of the city, and, using the thorns and briers of the desert, he threshed them with these, and he cut the men of Succoth to pieces¹⁷He also overturned the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city¹⁸And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were those whom you killed at Tabor?" They responded, "They were like you, and one of them was like the son of a king.¹⁹He answered them: "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had preserved them, I would not kill you.²⁰And he said to Jether, his firstborn son, "Rise up, and put them to death." But he did not draw his sword. For he was afraid, being still a boy²¹And Zebah and Zalmunna said: "You should rise up and rush against us. For the strength of a man is in accord with his age." Gideon rose up, and he killed Zebah and Zalmunna. And he took the ornaments and studs, with which the necks of the royal camels are usually adorned²²And all the men of Israel said to Gideon: "You should rule over us, and your son, and your son’s son. For you freed us from the hand of Midian.²³And he said to them: "I will not rule over you. Neither shall my son rule over you. Instead, the Lord shall rule over you.²⁴And he said to them: "I petition one request from you. Give me the earrings from your spoils." For the Ishmaelites were accustomed to wear gold earrings²⁵They responded, "We are very willing to give them." And spreading a cloak on the ground, they cast upon it the earrings from the spoils²⁶And the weight of the earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, aside from the ornaments, and necklaces, and purple garments, which the kings of Midian were accustomed to use, and aside from the gold chains on the camels²⁷And Gideon made an ephod from these, and he kept it in his city, Ophrah. And all of Israel committed fornication with it, and it became a ruin to Gideon and to all his house²⁸But Midian was humbled before the sons of Israel. Neither were they able any longer to lift up their necks. But the land rested for forty years, while Gideon presided²⁹And so Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and lived in his own house³⁰And he had seventy sons, who went forth from his own thigh. For he had many wives³¹But his concubine, whom he had in Shechem, bore him a son named Abimelech³²And Gideon, the son of Joash, died in a good old age, and he was buried in the sepulcher of his father, at Ophrah, of the family of Ezri³³But after Gideon died, the sons of Israel turned away, and they committed fornication with the Baals. And they struck a covenant with Baal, so that he would be their god³⁴And they did not remember the Lord their God, who rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on all sides³⁵Neither did they show mercy to the house of Jerubbaal Gideon, in accord with all the good that he had done for Israel

Chapter 9

¹Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem, to his maternal brothers, and he spoke to them, and to all the relatives of the house of his maternal grandfather, saying²"Speak to all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you: that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, should rule over you, or that one man should rule over you? And consider also that I am your bone and your flesh.³And his maternal brothers spoke about him to all the men of Shechem, all these words, and they inclined their hearts after Abimelech, saying, "He is our brother.⁴And they gave to him the weight of seventy silver coins from the shrine of Baal-berith. With this, he hired for himself indigent and wandering men, and they followed him⁵And he went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon one stone. And there remained only Joatham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, and he was in hiding⁶Then all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the families of the city of Millo, and they went and appointed Abimelech as king, beside the oak that stood at Shechem⁷When this had been reported to Jotham, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim. And lifting up his voice, he cried out and said: "Listen to me, men of Shechem, so that God may listen to you⁸The trees went to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.⁹And it responded, ‘How could I abandon my fatness, which both gods and men make use of, and depart to be promoted among the trees?¹⁰And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power over us.¹¹And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my sweetness, and my very sweet fruits, and depart to be promoted among the other trees?¹²And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.¹³And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my wine, which gives joy to God and men, and be promoted among the other trees?¹⁴And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and reign over us.¹⁵And it responded to them: ‘If truly you would appoint me as king, come and rest under my shadow. But if you are not willing, let fire go forth from the bramble, and let it devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ ¹⁶So now, if you are upright and without sin in appointing Abimelech as a king over you, and if you have acted well with Jerubbaal, and with his house, and if you have repaid, in turn, the benefits of him who fought on your behalf¹⁷and who gave his life to dangers, so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian¹⁸though you now have risen up against my father’s house, and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have appointed Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as a king over the inhabitants of Shechem, since he is your brother¹⁹if therefore you are upright and have acted without fault with Jerubbaal and his house, then you should rejoice on this day in Abimelech, and he should rejoice in you²⁰But if you have acted perversely, may fire go forth from him and consume the inhabitants of Shechem and the town of Millo. And may fire go forth from the men of Shechem and from the town of Millo, and devour Abimelech.²¹And when he had said these things, he fled and went away to Beer. And he lived in that place, out of fear of Abimelech, his brother²²And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years²³And the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem, who began to detest him²⁴and to place blame for the crime of the killing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and for the shedding of their blood, upon Abimelech, their brother, and upon the rest of the leaders of the Shechemites, who assisted him²⁵And they stationed an ambush against him at the summit of the mountains. And while they were waiting for his arrival, they committed robberies, taking spoils from those passing by. And this was reported to Abimelech²⁶Now Gaal, the son of Ebed, went with his brothers, and crossed over to Shechem. And the inhabitants of Shechem, uplifted by his arrival²⁷departed into the fields, laying waste to the vineyards, and trampling the grapes. And while singing and dancing, they entered into the shrine of their god. And while feasting and drinking, they cursed Abimelech²⁸And Gaal, the son of Ebed, cried out: "Who is Abimelech, and what is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, who has appointed Zebul, his servant, as ruler over the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? Why then should we serve him²⁹I wish that someone would set this people under my hand, so that I might take away Abimelech from their midst." And it was told to Abimelech, "Gather the multitude of an army, and approach.³⁰For Zebul, the ruler of the city, upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, became very angry³¹And he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying: "Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, has arrived at Shechem with his brothers, and he has set the city against you³²And so, rise up in the night, with the people who are with you, and lie hidden in the field³³And at first light in the morning, as the sun is rising, rush upon the city. And when he goes out against you, with his people, do to him what you are able to do.³⁴And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night, and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places³⁵And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and he stood at the entrance to the gate of the city. Then Abimelech rose up, and all the army with him, from the places of the ambushes³⁶And when Gaal had seen the people, he said to Zebul, "Behold, a multitude is descending from the mountains." And he responded to him, "You are seeing the shadows of the mountains, as if they were the heads of men, and so you are being deceived by this error.³⁷Again, Gaal said, "Behold, a people is descending from the middle of the land, and one company is arriving by the way that looks towards the oak.³⁸And Zebul said to him: "Where is your mouth now, with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people that you were despising? Go out and fight against him.³⁹Therefore, Gaal went out, with the people of Shechem watching, and he fought against Abimelech⁴⁰who pursued him, fleeing, and drove him into the city. And many were cut down on his side, even to the gate of the city⁴¹And Abimelech made camp at Arumah. But Zebul expelled Gaal and his companions from the city, and he would not permit them to remain in it⁴²Therefore, on the following day, the people departed into the field. And when this had been reported to Abimelech⁴³he took his army, and divided it into three companies, and he placed ambushes in the fields. And seeing that the people had departed from the city, he rose up and rushed upon them⁴⁴along with his own company, assaulting and besieging the city. But the two other companies pursued the enemies scattered in the field⁴⁵Now Abimelech assaulted the city all that day. And he seized it, and he killed its inhabitants, and he destroyed it, so much so that he scattered salt in it⁴⁶And when those living in the tower of Shechem had heard about this, they entered the temple of their god, Berith, where they had formed a covenant with him. And it was because of this, that the place had taken its name. And it was greatly fortified⁴⁷Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined together⁴⁸ascended to mount Zalmon, with all his people. And taking an axe, he cut down the branch of a tree. And laying it on his shoulder, and carrying it, he said to his companions, "What you see me do, you must do quickly.⁴⁹And so, eagerly cutting down branches from the trees, they followed their leader. And surrounding the fortified place, they set it on fire. And so it happened that, by smoke and fire, one thousand persons died, men and women together, the occupants of the tower of Shechem⁵⁰Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez, which he surrounded and besieged with his army⁵¹Now there was, in the midst of the city, a high tower, to which men and women were fleeing together, with all the leaders of the city. And, having very strongly sealed the gate, they were standing on the roof of the tower to defend themselves⁵²And Abimelech, drawing near the tower, fought valiantly. And approaching the gate, he strove to set it on fire⁵³And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above, struck the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull⁵⁴And he quickly called to his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and strike me, otherwise it may be said that I was slain by a woman." And, doing as he was ordered, he killed him⁵⁵And when he was dead, all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes⁵⁶And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers⁵⁷The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them

Chapter 10

¹After Abimelech, a leader rose up in Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the paternal uncle of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, who lived in Shamir on mount Ephraim²And he judged Israel for twenty-three years, and he died and was buried at Shamir³After him succeeded Jair, a Gileadite, who judged Israel for twenty-two years⁴having thirty sons sitting upon thirty young donkeys, and who were leaders of thirty cities, which from his name were called Havvoth Jair, that is, the towns of Jair, even to the present day, in the land of Gilead⁵And Jair died, and he was buried in the place which is called Kamon⁶But the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, joining new sins to old, and they served idols, the Baals and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria and Sidon, and of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines. And they abandoned the Lord, and they did not worship him⁷And the Lord, becoming angry against them, delivered them into the hands of the Philistines and the sons of Ammon⁸And they were afflicted and vehemently oppressed for eighteen years, all who were living beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorite, which is in Gilead⁹to such a great extent that the sons of Ammon, crossing over the Jordan, laid waste to Judah and Benjamin and Ephraim. And Israel was exceedingly afflicted¹⁰And crying out to the Lord, they said: "We have sinned against you. For we have forsaken the Lord our God, and we have served the Baals.¹¹And the Lord said to them: "Did not the Egyptians, and the Amorites, and the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines¹²and also the Sidonians, and Amalek, and Canaan, oppress you, and so you cried out to me, and I rescued you from their hand¹³And yet you have forsaken me, and you have worshipped foreign gods. For this reason, I will not continue to free you any more¹⁴Go, and call upon the gods whom you have chosen. Let them free you in the time of anguish.¹⁵And the sons of Israel said to the Lord: "We have sinned. You may repay us in whatever way pleases you. Yet free us now.¹⁶And saying these things, they cast out all the idols of the foreign gods from their regions, and they served the Lord God. And he was touched by their miseries¹⁷And then the sons of Ammon, shouting out together, pitched their tents in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together against them, and they made camp at Mizpah¹⁸And the leaders of Gilead said to one another, "Whoever among us will be the first to begin to contend against the sons of Ammon, he shall be the leader of the people of Gilead.