Category: Judges

Jephthah Becomes Israel’s Leader

1 Jephthahthe Gileadite was a great warrior,but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.

2 Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”

3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob.Then some lawless men joined Jephthah and traveled with him.

4 Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel.

5 When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

6 They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight against the Ammonites.”

7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trouble? ”

8 They answered Jephthah, “Since that’s true, we now turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and theLordgives them to me, I will be your leader.”

10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “TheLordis our witness if we don’t do as you say.”

11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people put him over themselves as leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of theLordat Mizpah.

Jephthah Rejects Ammonite Claims

12 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against me in my land? ”

13 The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbokand the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably.”

14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites

15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

16 But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

18 “Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

19 “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon.Israel said to him, ‘Please let us travel through your land to our country,’

20 but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

21 Then theLordGod of Israel handed over Sihon and all his people to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possessionof the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country.

22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23 “TheLordGod of Israel has now driven out the Amorites before His people Israel, and will you now force us out?

24 Isn’t it true that you may possess whatever your god Chemosh drives out for you, and we may possess everything theLordour God drives out before us?

25 Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?

26 While Israel lived 300 years in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, why didn’t you take them back at that time?

27 I have not sinned against you, but you have wronged me by fighting against me. Let theLordwho is the Judgedecide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

28 But the king of the Ammonites would not listen to Jephthah’s message that he sent him.

Jephthah’s Vow and Sacrifice

29 The Spirit of theLordcame on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead.

30 Jephthah made this vowto theLord: “If You will hand over the Ammonites to me,

31 whatever comes out of the doors of my house to greet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will belong to theLord, and I will offer it as a burnt offering.”

32 Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and theLordhanded them overto him.

33 He defeated 20 of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subduedbefore the Israelites.

34 When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing!She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her.

35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me.I have given my word to theLordand cannot take it back.”

36 Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to theLord. Do to me as you have said, for theLordbrought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.”

37 She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”

38 “Go,” he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity as she wandered through the mountains.

39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel

40 that four days each year the young women of Israel would commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/11-f8322855fbd90871470c353823693da6.mp3?version_id=72—

Conflict with Ephraim

1 The men of Ephraim were called together and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon.They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight against the Ammonites but didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you in it! ”

2 Then Jephthah said to them, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites. So I called for you, but you didn’t deliver me from their power.

3 When I saw that you weren’t going to deliver me, I took my life in my own hands and crossed over to the Ammonites, and theLordhanded them over to me. Why then have you cometoday to fight against me? ”

4 Then Jephthah gathered all of the men of Gilead. They fought and defeated Ephraim, because Ephraim had said, “You Gileadites are Ephraimite fugitives in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”

5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite? ” If he answered, “No,”

6 they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 from Ephraim died.

7 Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

8 Ibzan, who was from Bethlehem,judged Israel after Jephthah

9 and had 30 sons. He gave his 30 daughters in marriage to men outside the tribe and brought back 30 wives for his sons from outside the tribe. Ibzan judged Israel seven years,

10 and when he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

11 Elon, who was from Zebulun, judged Israel after Ibzan. He judged Israel 10 years,

12 and when he died, he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

13 After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel, who was from Pirathon,judged Israel.

14 He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons, who rode on 70 donkeys. Abdon judged Israel eight years,

15 and when he died, he was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/12-577dc698ca3d761342fc4e56b1379b3d.mp3?version_id=72—

Birth of Samson, the Last Judge

1 The Israelites again did what was evil in theLord’s sight,so theLordhanded them over to the Philistines 40 years.

2 There was a certain man from Zorah,from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was unable to conceive and had no children.

3 The Angel of theLordappeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are unable to conceive and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

4 Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer,or to eat anything unclean;

5 for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair,because the boy will be a Naziriteto God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.”

6 Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring Angel of God. I didn’t ask Him where He came from, and He didn’t tell me His name.

7 He said to me, ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.’ ”

8 Manoah prayedto theLordand said, “Please Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born.”

9 God listenedtoManoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field, and her husband Manoah was not with her.

10 The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, “The man who came to me today has just come back! ”

11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are You the man who spoke to my wife? ”

“I am,” He said.

12 Then Manoah asked, “When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and missionbe? ”

13 The Angel of theLordanswered Manoah, “Your wife needs to do everything I told her.

14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine or drink wine or beer. And she must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have commanded her.”

15 “Please stay here,” Manoah told Him, “and we will prepare a young goatfor You.”

16 The Angel of theLordsaid to him, “If I stay, I won’t eat your food. But if you want to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to theLord.” For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of theLord.

17 Then Manoah said to Him, “What is Your name, so that we may honor You when Your words come true? ”

18 “Why do you ask My name,” the Angel of theLordasked him, “since it is wonderful.”

19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to theLord, and He did a wonderful thingwhile Manoah and his wife were watching.

20 When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of theLordwent up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown on the ground.

21 The Angel of theLorddid not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the Angel of theLord.

22 “We’re going to die,” he said to his wife, “because we have seen God! ”

23 But his wife said to him, “If theLordhad intended to kill us, He wouldn’t have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and He would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us now like this.”

24 So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson.The boy grew,and theLordblessed him.

25 Then the Spirit of theLordbegan to direct him in the Camp of Dan,between Zorah and Eshtaol.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/13-4187a1ccbc3086840e2546c165a3d10f.mp3?version_id=72—

Samson’s Riddle

1 Samson went down to Timnahand saw a young Philistine woman there.

2 He went back and told his father and his mother: “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

3 But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you finda young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife? ”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, because I want her.”

4 Now his father and mother did not know this was from theLord,who was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. At that time, the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

5 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,

6 the Spirit of theLordtook control ofhim, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

7 Then he went and spoke to the woman, because Samson wanted her.

8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass.

9 He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion’s carcass.

10 His father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as young men were accustomed to do.

11 When the Philistines saw him, they brought 30 men to accompany him.

12 “Let me tell you a riddle,”Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.

13 But if you can’t explain it to me, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they replied.“Let’s hear it.”

14 So he said to them:

Out of the eater came something to eat,

and out of the strong came something sweet.

After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle.

15 On the fourthday they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us? ”

16 So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me!You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.”

“Look,” he said,“I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you? ”

17 She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people.

18 On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:

What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?

So he said to them:

If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow,

you wouldn’t know my riddle now!

19 The Spirit of theLordtook control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house,

20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/14-5efcc1c948ba3b42ebc6914a926157e1.mp3?version_id=72—

Samson’s Revenge

1 Later on, during the wheat harvest,Samson took a young goat as a gift and visited his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.

2 “I was sure you hated her,” her father said, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead? ”

3 Samson said to them, “This time I won’t be responsiblewhen I harm the Philistines.”

4 So he went out and caught 300 foxes.He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.

5 Then he ignited the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the piles of grain and the standing grain as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

6 Then the Philistines asked, “Who did this? ”

They were told, “It was Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because he has taken Samson’s wife and given her to another man.” So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned them to death.

7 Then Samson told them, “Because you did this, I swear that I won’t rest until I have taken vengeance on you.”

8 He tore them limb from limbwith a great slaughter, and he went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.

9 The Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and raided Lehi.

10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you attacked us? ”

They replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he did to us.”

11 Then 3,000 men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines rule over us?What have you done to us? ”

“I have done to them what they did to me,” he answered.

12 They said to him, “We’ve come to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.”

Then Samson told them, “Swear to me that you yourselves won’t kill me.”

13 “No,” they said,“we won’t kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they tied him up with two new ropesand led him away from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of theLordtook control ofhim, and the ropes that were on his arms became like burnt flax and his bonds fell off his wrists.

15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand, took it, and killed 1,000 men with it.

16 Then Samson said:

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have piled them in a heap.

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have killed 1,000 men.

17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and named that place Ramath-lehi.

18 He became very thirsty and called out to theLord: “You have accomplished this great victory throughYour servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised? ”

19 So God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived.That is why he named it En-hakkore,which is in Lehi to this day.

20 And he judged Israel 20 years in the days of the Philistines.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/15-34eaaf5ae183dcc8a477a1d611d81345.mp3?version_id=72—

Samson and Delilah

1 Samson went to Gaza,where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her.

2 When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded the place and waited in ambush for him all that night at the city gate. While they were waiting quietly,they said, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”

3 But Samson stayed in bed until midnight when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.

4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.

5 The Philistine leaderswent to her and said, “Persuade him to tell youwhere his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me, where does your great strength come from? How could someone tie you up and make you helpless? ”

7 Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

8 The Philistine leaders brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.

9 While the men in ambush were waiting in her room, she called out to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ”But he snapped the bowstrings as a strand of yarn snaps when it touches fire. The secret of his strength remained unknown.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and told me lies! Won’t you please tell me how you can be tied up? ”

11 He told her, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used,I will become weak and be like any other man.”

12 Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ”But while the men in ambush were waiting in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me all along and told me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up.”

He told her, “If you weave the seven braids on my head with the web of a loom — ”

14 She fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ”He awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, with the loom and the web.

15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ ”she told him, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great! ”

16 Because she nagged him day after day and pleaded with him until she wore him out,

17 he told her the whole truth and said to her, “My hair has never been cut,because I am a Naziriteto God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: “Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the money with them.

19 Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way, she made him helpless,and his strength left him.

20 Then she cried, “Samson, the Philistines are here! ”When he awoke from his sleep, he said, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that theLordhad left him.

Samson’s Defeat and Death

21 The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison.

22 But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved.

23 Now the Philistine leaders gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon.They rejoiced and said:

Our god has handed over

our enemy Samson to us.

24 When the people saw him, they praised their godand said:

Our god has handed over to us

our enemy who destroyed our land

and who multiplied our dead.

25 When they were drunk,they said, “Bring Samson here to entertain us.” So they brought Samson from prison, and he entertained them. They had him stand between the pillars.

26 Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.”

27 The temple was full of men and women; all the leaders of the Philistines were there, and about 3,000 men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.

28 He called out to theLord: “LordGod, please remember me.Strengthen me, God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”

29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left.

30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. And the dead he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life.

31 Then his brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he judged Israel 20 years.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/16-df35835e184229dbf7a8a753209c2430.mp3?version_id=72—

Micah’s Priest

1 There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah.

2 He said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you utter a curse about — here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you.”

Then his mother said, “My son, you are blessed by theLord! ”

3 He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I personally consecratethe silver to theLordfor my son’s benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver.”

4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image overlaid with silver,and it was in Micah’s house.

5 This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols,and installed one of his sons to be his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel;everyone did whatever he wanted.

7 There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who resided within the clan of Judah.

8 The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah’s home in the hill country of Ephraim.

9 “Where do you come from? ” Micah asked him.

He answered him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I’m going to settle wherever I can find a place.”

10 Micah replied,“Stay with me and be my fatherand priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions.” So the Levite went in

11 and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons.

12 Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priestand lived in Micah’s house.

13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that theLordwill be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/17-e84ecc098be69f5ed364dd87acac6529.mp3?version_id=72—

Dan’s Invasion and Idolatry

1 In those days, there was no king in Israel,and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy.Up to that time no territory had been captured by them among the tribes of Israel.

2 So the Danites sent out five brave menfrom all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol,to scoutout the land and explore it. They told them, “Go and explore the land.”

They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.

3 While they were near Micah’s home, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here? ”

4 He told them what Micah had done for him and that he had hired him as his priest.

5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of Godso we will know if we will have a successful journey.”

6 The priest told them, “Go in peace. TheLordis watching over the journey you are going on.”

7 The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lackingin the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.

8 When the men went back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol,their people asked them, “What did you find out? ”

9 They answered, “Come on, let’s go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don’t hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!

10 When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

11 Six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol armed with weapons of war.

12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearimin Judah. This is why the place is called the Camp of Danto this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.

13 From there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah’s house.

14 The five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told their brothers, “Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image overlaid with silverin these houses? Now think about what you should do.”

15 So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.

16 The 600 Danite men were standing by the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

17 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver,the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.

18 When they entered Micah’s house and took the carved image overlaid with silver,the ephod, and the household idols, the priest said to them, “What are you doing? ”

19 They told him, “Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut.Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel? ”

20 So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.

21 They prepared to leave, putting their small children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.

22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near it mobilized and caught up with the Danites.

23 They called to the Danites, who turned to face them, and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you mobilized the men? ”

24 He said, “You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘What’s the matter with you? ’ ”

25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

26 The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.

27 After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned down the city.

28 There was no one to rescue thembecause it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.

29 They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.

30 The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses,and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.

31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/18-c563ccbb87efda0133c7c2489c4a3115.mp3?version_id=72—

Outrage in Benjamin

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel,a Levite living in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine.

2 But she was unfaithful tohim and left him for her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for a period of four months.

3 Then her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to herand bring her back. He had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him to her father’s house, and when the girl’s father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.

4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, detained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there.

5 On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat to keep up your strengthand then you can go.”

6 So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and enjoy yourself.”

7 The man got up to go, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed and spent the night there again.

8 He got up early in the morning of the fifth day to leave, but the girl’s father said to him, “Please keep up your strength.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.

9 The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home.”

10 But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up, departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). The man had his two saddled donkeys and his concubine with him.

11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servantsaid to his master, “Please, why notlet us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here? ”

12 But his master replied to him, “We will not stop at a foreign city where there are no Israelites. Let’s move on to Gibeah.”

13 “Come on,” he said,“let’s try to reach one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”

14 So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.

15 They stoppedto go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night.

16 In the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill country of Ephraimbut was residing in Gibeah, and the men of that place were Benjaminites.

17 When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where do you come from? ”

18 He answered him, “We’re traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I’m going to the house of theLord.No one has taken me into his home,

19 although we have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, your female servant, and the young man with your servant.There is nothing we lack.”

20 “Peace to you,” said the old man. “I’ll take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.”

21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank.

22 While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden, perverted men of the citysurrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him! ”

23 The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don’t do this horrible thing.

24 Here, let me bring out my virgin daughterand the man’s concubine now. Use themand do whatever you wantto them. But don’t do this horrible thing to this man.”

25 But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They rapedher and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.

26 Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was.

27 When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.

28 “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response.So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

29 When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into 12 pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel.

30 Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day.Think it over, discuss it, and speak up! ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/19-522cff485d18fb3ffad3904bdc90b0d5.mp3?version_id=72—

War against Benjamin

1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer-shebaand from the land of Gilead came out, and the community assembled as one body before theLordat Mizpah.

2 The leadersof all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 armed foot soldiers.

3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.

The Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this outrage occur? ”

4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.

5 Citizens of Gibeah ganged up on me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died.

6 Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel’s territory, because they committed a horrible shamein Israel.

7 Look, all of you are Israelites. Give your judgment and verdict here and now.”

8 Then all the people stood united and said, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house.

9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go against it by lot.

10 We will take 10 men out of every 100 from all the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of every 1,000, and 1,000 out of every 10,000 to get provisions for the people when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the horror they did in Israel.”

11 So all the men of Israelgathered united against the city.

12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this outrage that has occurred among you?

13 Hand over the perverted menin Gibeah so we can put them to death and eradicate evilfrom Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not obey their fellow Israelites.

14 Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

15 On that day the Benjaminites rallied 26,000 armed menfrom their cities, besides 700 choice men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah.

16 There were 700 choice men who were left-handed among all these people; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, rallied 400,000 armed men, every one an experienced warrior.

18 They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God.The Israelites asked, “Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites? ”

And theLordanswered, “Judah will be first.”

19 In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

20 The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.

21 The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered 22,000 men of Israel on the field that day.

22 But the Israelite army rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.

23 They went up, weptbefore theLorduntil evening,and inquired of Him: “Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites? ”

And theLordanswered: “Fight against them.”

24 On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites.

25 That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional 18,000 Israelites on the field; all were armed men.

26 The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before theLord.They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to theLord.

27 Then the Israelites inquired of theLord. In those days, the ark of the covenantof God was there,

28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron,was serving before it. The Israelites asked: “Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop? ”

TheLordanswered: “Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.”

29 So Israel set up an ambusharound Gibeah.

30 On the third day the Israelites fought against the Benjaminites and took their battle positions against Gibeah as before.

31 Then the Benjaminites came out against the people and were drawn away from the city.They began to attack the people as before, killing about 30 men of Israel on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the open country.

32 The Benjaminites said, “We are defeating them as before.”

But the Israelites said, “Let’s flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

33 So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west ofGeba.

34 Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.

35 TheLorddefeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed men.

36 Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated.

The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

37 The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

38 The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

39 the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about 30 men of Israel, they said, “They’re defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle.”

40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.

41 Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.

42 They retreated before the men of Israel toward the wilderness,but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the citiesslaughtered those between them.

43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and easily overtook them near Gibeah toward the east.

44 There were 18,000 men who died from Benjamin; all were warriors.

45 Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon,and Israel killed 5,000 men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck 2,000 more dead.

46 All the Benjaminites who died that day were 25,000 armed men; all were warriors.

47 But 600 men escaped into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and stayed there four months.

48 The men of Israel turned back against the other Benjaminites and killed them with their swords — the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned down all the cities that remained.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JDG/20-c87c28d9c9a696461b5ba6ccc4ce7d68.mp3?version_id=72—