by Septuagint
[20] And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and said, Forasmuch as this nation has forsaken my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not hearkened to my voice, [21] therefore I will not any more cast out a man of the nations before their face, which Joshua the son of Naue left in the land. And the Lord left them, [22] to prove Israel with them, whether they would keep the way of the Lord, to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or no. [23] So the Lord will leave these nations, so as not to cast them out suddenly; and he delivered them not into the hand of Joshua.
Chapter 3
[1] And these are the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel with them, all that had not known the wars of Chanaan. [2] Only for the sake of the generations of Israel, to teach them war, only the men before them knew them not. [3] The five lordships of the Phylistines, and every Chananite, and the Sidonian, and the Evite who dwelt in Libanus from the mount of Aermon to Laboemath. [4] And this was done in order to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he charged their fathers by the hand of Moses.
[5] And the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chananite, and the Chettite, and the Amorite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite. [6] And they took their daughters for wives to themselves, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. [7] And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. [8] And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and sold them into the hand of Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers: and the children of Israel served Chusarsathaim eight years.
[9] And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and the Lord raised up a saviour to Israel, and he saved them, Gothoniel the son of Kenez, the brother of Chaleb younger than himself. [10] And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war against Chusarsathaim: and the Lord delivered into his hand Chusarsathaim king of Syria of the rivers, and his hand prevailed against Chusarsathaim. [11] And the land was quiet forty years; and Gothoniel the son of Kenez died.
[12] And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglom king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil before the Lord. [13] And he gathered to himself all the children of Ammon and Amalec, and went and smote Israel, and took possession of the city of Palm-trees. [14] And the children of Israel served Eglom the king of Moab eighteen years.
[15] And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and he raised up to them a saviour, Aod the son of Gera a son of Jemeni, a man who used both hands alike: and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglom king of Moab. [16] And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges, of a span long, and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh. [17] And he went, and brought the presents to Eglom king of Moab, and Eglom was a very handsome man.
[18] And it came to pass when Aod had made an end of offering his gifts, that he dismissed those that brought the gifts. [19] And he himself returned from the quarries that are by Galgal; and Aod said, I have a secret errand to thee, O king! and Eglom said to him, Be silent: and he sent away from his presence all who waited upon him. [20] And Aod went in to him; and he sat in his own upper summer chamber quite alone; and Aod said, I have a message from God to thee, O king: and Eglom rose up from his throne near him. [21] And it came to pass as he arose, that Aod stretched forth his left hand, and took the dagger off his right thigh, and plunged it into his belly; [22] and drove in also the haft after the blade, and the fat closed in upon the blade, for he drew not out the dagger from his belly.
[23] And Aod went out to the porch, and passed out by the appointed guards, and shut the doors of the chamber upon him, and locked them. [24] And he went out: and Eglom’s servants came, and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said, Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber? [25] And they waited till they were ashamed, and, behold, there was no one that opened the doors of the upper chamber; and they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead upon the earth.
[26] And Aod escaped while they were in a tumult, and no one paid attention to him; and he passed the quarries, and escaped to Setirotha.
[27] And it came to pass when Aod came into the land of Israel, that he blew the horn in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came down with him from the mountain, and he was before them. [28] And he said to them, Come down after me, for the Lord God has delivered our enemies, even Moab, into our hand; and they went down after him, and seized on the fords of Jordan before Moab, and he did not suffer a man to pass over. [29] And they smote Moab on that day about ten thousand men, every lusty person and every mighty man; and not a man escaped. [30] So Moab was humbled in that day under the hand of Israel, and the land had rest eighty years; and Aod judged them till he died.
[31] And after him rose up Samegar the son of Dinach, and smote the Philistines to the number of six hundred men with a ploughshare such as is drawn by oxen; and he too delivered Israel.
Chapter 4
[1] And the children of Israel continued to do evil against the Lord; and Aod was dead. [2] And the Lord sold the children of Israel into the hand of Jabin king of Chanaan, who ruled in Asor; and the chief of his host was Sisara, and he dwelt in Arisoth of the Gentiles. [3] And the children of Israel cried to the Lord, because he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed Israel twenty years.
[4] And Debbora, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, — she judged Israel at that time.
[5] And she sat under the palm-tree of Debbora between Rama and Baethel in mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel went up to her for judgement.
[6] And Debbora sent and called Barac the son of Abineem out of Cades Nephthali, and she said to him, Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded thee? and thou shalt depart to mount Thabor, and shalt take with thyself ten thousand men of the sons of Nephthali and of the sons of Zabulon.
[7] And I will bring to thee to the torrent of Kison Sisara the captain of the host of Jabin, and his chariots, and his multitude, and I will deliver them into thine hands.
[8] And Barac said to her, If thou wilt go with me, I will go; and if thou wilt not go, I will not go; for I know not the day on which the Lord prospers his messenger with me. [9] And she said, I will surely go with thee; but know that thy honour shall not attend on the expedition on which thou goest, for the Lord shall sell Sisara into the hands of a women: and Debbora arose, and went with Barac out of Cades. [10] And Barac called Zabulon and Nephthali out of Cades, and there went up at his feet ten thousand men, and Debbora went up with him.
[11] And Chaber the Kenite had removed from Caina, from the sons of Jobab the father-in-law of Moses, and pitched his tent by the oak of the covetous ones, which is near Kedes.
[12] And it was told Sisara that Barac the son of Abineem was gone up to mount Thabor. [13] And Sisara summoned all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron and all the people with him, from Arisoth of the Gentiles to the brook of Kison.
[14] And Debbora said to Barac, Rise up, for this is the day on which the Lord has delivered Sisara into thy hand, for the Lord shall go forth before thee: and Barac went down from mount Thabor, and ten thousand men after him. [15] And the Lord discomfited Sisara, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barac: and Sisara descended from off his chariot, and fled on his feet. [16] And Barac pursued after the chariots and after the army, into Arisoth of the Gentiles; and the whole army of Sisara fell by the edge of the sword, there was not one left. [17] And Sisara fled on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Chaber the Kenite his friend: for there was peace between Jabin king of Asor and the house of Chaber the Kenite. [18] And Jael went, out to meet Sisara, and said to him, Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me, fear not: and he turned aside to her into the tent; and she covered him with a mantle.
[19] And Sisara said to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink,
for I am thirsty: and she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink, and covered him. [20] And Sisara said to her, Stand now by the door of the tent, and it shall come to pass if any man come to thee, and ask of thee, and say, Is there any man here? then thou shalt say, There is not. [21] And Jael the wife of Chaber took a pin of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him, and fastened the pin in his temple, and it went through to the earth, and he fainted away, and darkness fell upon him and he died. [22] And, behold, Barac was pursuing Sisara: and Jael went out to meet him, and he said to him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest: and he went in to her; and, behold, Sisara was fallen dead, and the pin was in his temple. [23] So God routed Jabin king of Chanaan in that day before the children of Israel.
[24] And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin king of Chanaan, until they utterly destroyed Jabin king of Chanaan.
Chapter 5
[1] And Debbora and Barac son of Abineem sang in that day, saying,
[2] A revelation was made in Israel when the people were made willing: Praise ye the Lord. [3] Hear, ye kings, and hearken, rulers: I will sing, it is I who will sing to the Lord, it is I, I will sing a psalm to the Lord the god of Israel. [4] O Lord, in thy going forth on Seir, when thou wentest forth out of the land of Edom, the earth quaked and the heaven dropped dews, and the clouds dropped water. [5] The mountains were shaken before the face of the Lord Eloi, this Sina before the face of the Lord God of Israel. [6] In the days of Samegar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, they deserted the ways, and went in by-ways; they went in crooked paths. [7] The mighty men in Israel failed, they failed until Debbora arose, until she arose a mother in Israel. [8] They chose new gods; then the cities of rulers fought; there was not a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel.
[9] My heart inclines to the orders given in Israel; ye that are willing among the people, bless the Lord. [10] Ye that mount a she-ass at noon-day, ye that sit on the judgement-seat, and walk by the roads of them that sit in judgement by the way; declare [11] ye that are delivered from the noise of disturbers among the drawers of water; there shall they relate righteous acts: O Lord, increase righteous acts in Israel: then the people of the Lord went down to the cities. [12] Awake, awake, Debbora; awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barac, and lead thy captivity captive, son of Abineem. [13] Then went down the remnant to the strong, the people of the Lord went down for him among the mighty ones from me.
[14] Ephraim rooted them out in Amalec, behind thee was Benjamin among thy people: the inhabitants of Machir came down with me searching out the enemy, and from Zabulon came they that draw with the scribe’s pen of record. [15] And princess in Issachar were with Debbora and Barac, thus she sent Barac on his feet in the valleys into the portions of Ruben; great pangs reached to the heart. [16] Why did they sit between the sheep-folds to hear the bleating of flocks for the divisions of Ruben? there were great searchings of heart. [17] Galaad is on the other side of Jordan where he pitched his tents; and why does Dan remain in ships? Aser sat down on the sea-coasts, and he will tabernacle at his ports. [18] The people Zabulon exposed their soul to death, and Nephthali came to the high places of their land.
[19] Kings set themselves in array, then the kings of Chanaan fought in Thanaach at the water of Mageddo; they took no gift of money. [20] The stars from heaven set themselves in array, they set themselves to fight with Sisara out of their paths. [21] The brook of Kison swept them away, the ancient brook, the brook Kison: my mighty soul will trample him down. [22] When the hoofs of the horse were entangled, his mighty ones earnestly hasted [23] to curse Meroz: Curse ye it, said the angel of the Lord; cursed is every one that dwells in it, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to his help among the mighty.
[24] Blessed among women be Jael wife of Chaber the Kenite; let her be blessed above women in tents. [25] He asked for water, she gave him milk in a dish; she brought butter of princes. [26] She stretched forth her left hand to the nail, and her right to the hand workman’s hammer, and she smote Sisara with it, she nailed through his head and smote him; she nailed through his temples. [27] He rolled down between her feet; he fell and lay between her feet; he bowed and fell: where he bowed, there he fell dead. [28] The mother of Sisara looked down through the window out of the loophole, saying, Why was his chariot ashamed? why did the wheels of his chariots tarry? [29] Her wise ladies answered her, and she returned answers to herself, saying, [30] Will they not find him dividing the spoil? he will surely be gracious to every man: there are spoils of dyed garments for Sisara, spoils of various dyed garments, dyed embroidered garments, they are the spoils for his neck. [31] Thus let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: and they that love him shall be as the going forth of the sun in his strength.
[32] And the land had rest forty years.
Chapter 6
[1] And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Madiam seven years. [2] And the hand of Madiam prevailed against Israel: and the children of Israel made for themselves because of Madiam the caves in the mountains, and the dens, and the holes in the rocks. [3] And it came to pass when the children of Israel sowed, that Madiam and Amalec went up, and the children of the east went up together with them. [4] And they encamped against them, and destroyed their fruits until they came to Gaza; and they left not the support of life in the land of Israel, not even ox or ass among the herds. [5] For they and their stock came up, and their tents were with them, as the locust in multitude, and there was no number to them and their camels; and they came to the land of Israel, and laid it waste. [6] And Israel was greatly impoverished because of Madiam. [7] And the children of Israel cried to the Lord because of Madiam.
[8] And the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I am he that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and I brought you up out of the house of your bondage. [9] And I delivered you out of the hand of Egypt, and out of the hand of all that afflicted you, and I cast them out before you; and I gave you their land. [10] And I said to you, I am the Lord your God: ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but ye hearkened not to my voice.
[11] And an angel of the Lord came, and sat down under the fir tree, which was in Ephratha in the land of Joas father of Esdri; and Gedeon his son was threshing wheat in a wine-press in order to escape from the face of Madiam. [12] And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty in strength. [13] And Gedeon said to him, Be gracious with me, my Lord: but if the Lord is with us, why have these evils found us? and where are all his miracles, which our fathers have related to us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? and now he has cast us out, and given us into the hand of Madiam. [14] And the angel of the Lord turned to him, and said, Go in this thy strength, and thou shalt save Israel out of the hand of Madiam: behold, I have sent thee. [15] And Gedeon said to him, Be gracious with me, my Lord: whereby shall I save Israel? behold, my thousand is weakened in Manasse, and I am the least in my father’s house. [16] And the angel of the Lord said to him, The Lord shall be with thee, and thou shalt smite Madiam as one man. [17] And Gedeon said to him, If now I have found mercy in thine eyes, and thou wilt do this day for me all that thou hast spoken of with me, [18] depart not hence until I come to thee, and I will bring forth an offering and offer it before thee: and he said, I will remain until thou return.
[19] And Gedeon went in, and prepared a kid of the goats, and an ephah of fine flour unleavened; and he put the flesh in the basket, and poured the broth into the pot, and brought them forth to him under the turpentine tree, and drew nigh. [20] And the angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and put them on that rock, and pour out the broth close by: and he did so. [21] And the angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened bread; and fire came up out of
the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened bread, and the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
[22] And Gedeon saw that he was an angel of the Lord; and Gedeon said, Ah, ah, Lord my God! for I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. [23] And the Lord said to him, Peace be to thee, fear not, thou shalt not die.
[24] And Gedeon built there an altar to the Lord, and called it The peace of the Lord, until this day, as it is still in Ephratha of the father of Esdri. [25] And it came to pass in that night, that the Lord said to him, Take the young bullock which thy father has, even the second bullock of seven years old, and thou shalt destroy the altar of Baal which thy father has, and the grove which is by it thou shalt destroy. [26] And thou shalt build an altar to the Lord thy God on the top of this Maozi in the ordering it, and thou shalt take the second bullock, and shalt offer up whole-burnt-offerings with the wood of the grove, which thou shalt destroy. [27] And Gedeon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord spoke to him: and it came to pass, as he feared the house of his father and the men of the city if he should do it by day, that he did it by night.
[28] And the men of the city rose up early in the morning; and behold, the altar of Baal had been demolished, and the grove by it had been destroyed; and they saw the second bullock, which Gedeon offered on the altar that had been built. [29] And a man said to his neighbour, Who has done this thing? and they enquired and searched, and learnt that Gedeon the son of Joas had done this thing. [30] And the men of the city said to Joas, Bring out thy son, and let him die, because he has destroyed the altar of Baal, and because he has destroyed the grove that is by it. [31] And Gedeon the son of Joas said to all the men who rose up against him, Do ye now plead for Baal, or will ye save him? whoever will plead for him, let him be slain this morning: if he be a god let him plead for himself, because one has thrown down his altar. [32] And he called it in that day Jerobaal, saying, Let Baal plead thereby, because his altar has been thrown down.