Judges

The Israelites, led by Judah, fought against the Canaanites and were victorious in several battles, capturing key cities such as Jerusalem, Hebron, and Debir. Caleb offered his daughter Achsah to the man who could capture Kirjathsepher, which was accomplished by Othniel. However, not all the tribes were successful in driving out the Canaanites, and many were forced to coexist with them, with some even being subjected to tribute.

The angel of the Lord reminded the Israelites of their covenant and warned them against making alliances with the inhabitants of the land, but they disobeyed. As a result, the Lord allowed the surrounding nations to remain and trouble the Israelites. The Israelites served the Lord during Joshua's lifetime and the lifetime of the elders who outlived him, but after their deaths, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord and turned to idolatry. The Lord delivered the Israelites into the hands of their enemies, but raised up judges to deliver them, only for the Israelites to return to their idolatrous ways after the judges' deaths.

The Israelites failed to drive out the remaining Canaanites and instead intermarried and worshiped their gods, leading to God's anger and Israel's subjugation to Chushanrishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, for eight years. The Israelites cried out to God, who raised up Othniel as a deliverer, and he led Israel to victory, resulting in 40 years of peace. However, the Israelites again disobeyed God, leading to their subjugation to Eglon, king of Moab, for 18 years. God then raised up Ehud, who assassinated Eglon and led the Israelites to victory over the Moabites, resulting in 80 years of peace.

The Israelites were oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan, for 20 years, until Deborah, a prophetess, judged Israel and called upon Barak to lead an army against Jabin's captain, Sisera. Barak agreed to go to battle only if Deborah accompanied him, and they defeated Sisera's army at the river Kishon. Sisera fled to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, who pretended to be friendly but ultimately killed him by driving a nail into his temples. The Israelites then prevailed against Jabin, king of Canaan, and ultimately destroyed him.

Deborah and Barak sing a song of praise to God for avenging Israel and defeating their enemies, led by Sisera. The song describes the bravery of those who fought and the cowardice of those who did not, specifically rebuking the tribes of Reuben, Dan, and Asher for not participating in the battle. The song also praises Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for killing Sisera and curses the people of Meroz for not helping the Israelites. The chapter concludes with the mother of Sisera lamenting her son's death and the Israelites enjoying 40 years of peace.

The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and as a result, they were delivered into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites destroyed the Israelites' crops and livestock, leaving them impoverished. The Lord sent a prophet to remind the Israelites of their disobedience, and then an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, a young man from the tribe of Manasseh, and commissioned him to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon was hesitant at first, but after receiving a sign from the Lord in the form of fire consuming his offering, he obeyed the Lord's instructions to tear down the altar of Baal and build an altar to the Lord. The men of the city sought to punish Gideon for his actions, but his father Joash defended him, and Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal. The Lord then came upon Gideon, and he gathered an army to fight against the Midianites, but before going into battle, he asked the Lord for a sign of victory, using a fleece to test the Lord's promise.

The Lord instructed Gideon to reduce the size of his army, first by allowing the fearful to leave, resulting in 22,000 departing, and then by testing the remaining 10,000 at a water source, where only 300 men lapped water like dogs, and these were chosen to fight against the Midianites. Gideon and his 300 men then attacked the Midianite army at night, using trumpets, lamps, and pitchers to create confusion and panic, and the Lord caused the Midianites to turn against each other, allowing the Israelites to emerge victorious. The Israelites then pursued the fleeing Midianites, capturing and killing their leaders, Oreb and Zeeb.

The men of Ephraim were angry with Gideon for not calling them to fight against the Midianites, but Gideon calmed them down by saying the Ephraimites had done more than he had. Gideon then asked the men of Succoth and Penuel for food for his men, but they refused, so Gideon threatened to punish them when he returned. Gideon defeated the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna, then punished the men of Succoth and Penuel for their refusal to help him. The Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but he refused, saying God would rule over them instead. Gideon asked the Israelites for gold earrings from their spoils, which they gave him, and he made an ephod that later became a snare to him and his house.

Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, convinced the men of Shechem to make him king, and he then killed 70 of his brothers, except for Jotham, who escaped. Jotham cursed Abimelech and the men of Shechem, warning them that if they had not dealt sincerely with Jerubbaal and his house, fire would come out from Abimelech and devour them. Abimelech reigned for three years, but God sent an evil spirit between him and the men of Shechem, causing them to turn against each other. Gaal, the son of Ebed, rose up against Abimelech, but was defeated, and Abimelech eventually destroyed the city of Shechem, killing about 1,000 men and women. Abimelech then went to Thebez, where he was killed by a woman who dropped a millstone on his head.

Tola, a man of Issachar, judged Israel for 23 years, followed by Jair, a Gileadite, who judged for 22 years. After Jair's death, the Israelites again turned to idolatry, serving various gods and forsaking the Lord, prompting God's anger and Israel's subsequent oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites for 18 years. The Israelites cried out to the Lord, acknowledging their sin and asking for deliverance, and after putting away their idols and serving the Lord, God's heart was grieved for their misery. The chapter ends with the Ammonites gathering to attack Gilead, and the people of Gilead seeking a leader to fight against them.

Jephthah, the son of a harlot, was forced out of his home by his half-brothers and later became a leader of a group of men in the land of Tob. When the Ammonites attacked Israel, the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to lead them in battle, and he agreed on the condition that he would be their head if they were victorious. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, arguing that Israel had not taken Ammonite land, but the king refused to listen. Jephthah then made a vow to God that if he was victorious, he would offer as a burnt offering the first thing that came out of his house to meet him. Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, but when he returned home, his daughter was the first to greet him, and he was forced to fulfill his vow, sacrificing her as a burnt offering.

The men of Ephraim confronted Jephthah for not calling them to fight against the Ammonites, but Jephthah explained that they had not come to his aid when he needed it. This led to a battle between the men of Gilead and Ephraim, in which the Gileadites were victorious, killing 42,000 Ephraimites who were identified by their inability to pronounce the word "Shibboleth" correctly. Jephthah judged Israel for six years before his death. The chapter then briefly describes the judgeships of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, who judged Israel for seven, ten, and eight years, respectively.

The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and were delivered into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. An angel of the Lord appeared to a barren woman, the wife of Manoah, and told her she would conceive a son who would be a Nazarite and begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. The angel instructed her to abstain from wine, strong drink, and unclean things, and later appeared to Manoah, reiterating the instructions. The angel then ascended in the flame of the altar after Manoah offered a burnt offering, and the couple realized they had seen God. The woman gave birth to a son named Samson, who was blessed by the Lord and began to be moved by the Spirit of the Lord as he grew up.

Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman from Timnath and asked his parents to arrange a marriage, despite their objections. On the way to meet the woman, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands and later found a beehive in the lion's carcass, from which he ate honey. At the wedding feast, Samson proposed a riddle to the Philistine guests, offering them 30 shirts and garments if they could solve it within seven days. The guests pressured Samson's wife to extract the answer from him, and on the seventh day, he revealed the solution, which was related to the lion and the honey. In anger, Samson killed 30 men from Ashkelon and gave their garments to the guests who had solved the riddle, and then returned to his father's house, only to find that his wife had been given to another man.

Samson's father-in-law refused to let him see his wife, instead offering her younger sister as a replacement. In response, Samson caught 300 foxes, tied them together with torches, and set them loose in the Philistines' fields, burning their crops. The Philistines retaliated by killing Samson's wife and her father, prompting Samson to slaughter many Philistines. The men of Judah, fearing the Philistines' wrath, bound Samson and handed him over, but he broke free and killed 1,000 men with a donkey's jawbone. Afterward, God provided Samson with water from a rock, reviving him.

Samson visited a harlot in Gaza, but escaped by carrying away the city gate. He then fell in love with Delilah, who was bribed by the Philistine lords to discover the source of Samson's strength. Samson initially deceived Delilah, but eventually revealed that his strength came from his uncut hair as a Nazarite. Delilah had Samson's hair cut off, and he was captured by the Philistines, who blinded and imprisoned him. However, Samson's hair grew back, and he was able to exact revenge on the Philistines by pulling down the temple of Dagon, killing more people in his death than he had in his life.

A man named Micah from Mount Ephraim returned 1,100 shekels of silver to his mother, who then used 200 shekels to make a graven image and a molten image. Micah had a house of gods and made an ephod and teraphim, consecrating one of his sons as a priest. A young Levite from Bethlehemjudah, seeking a place to stay, was offered a position as Micah's priest in exchange for 10 shekels of silver, clothing, and food. Micah believed having a Levite as his priest would bring him good fortune from the Lord.

The Danites, who had not yet received their inheritance, sent five men to spy out the land and they came to the house of Micah, where they met a Levite who was serving as Micah's priest. The Danites asked the priest to inquire of God whether their journey would be successful, and the priest told them to go in peace. The Danites then went to Laish, a city that was vulnerable to attack, and decided to take it. They returned to their brethren and convinced them to join them in taking the city. On their way, they stopped at Micah's house and stole his idols and convinced the Levite to join them as their priest. They then attacked Laish, killed its inhabitants, and burned the city, renaming it Dan.

A Levite's concubine left him and returned to her father's house in Bethlehem. The Levite went after her, and her father welcomed him, but the Levite eventually left with his concubine. They stopped in Gibeah, where they were refused lodging by the locals, but an old man took them in. However, the men of the city, sons of Belial, demanded that the old man hand over the Levite, and when he refused, they took the concubine and abused her all night. The next morning, the Levite found his concubine dead at the old man's doorstep, and in grief and outrage, he cut her body into 12 pieces and sent them to the 12 tribes of Israel, sparking widespread outrage and calls for action.

The Israelites gathered to avenge the death of a Levite's concubine, who was brutally killed by the men of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites demanded that the Benjamites hand over the perpetrators, but they refused, leading to a civil war. The Israelites were initially defeated, but after seeking God's counsel, they were victorious on the third day, with the help of a clever ambush. The Benjamites were severely punished, with 25,000 men killed, and the tribe was nearly wiped out.

The Israelites realized that the tribe of Benjamin was on the verge of extinction due to their oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin in marriage. They discovered that the people of Jabesh-gilead had not attended the assembly at Mizpeh, so they sent 12,000 men to destroy the city, sparing only 400 young virgins who had not known a man. These virgins were given to the remaining Benjamites as wives, but there were still not enough. The elders then devised a plan for the Benjamites to capture wives from the daughters of Shiloh during a festival, which they successfully did, and the tribe of Benjamin was preserved.