# verses

text:
But the <i>LORD</i> your God did not listen to Balaam. He changed the bad things into good things for you, because he loves you. 


text:
Do not hate anyone from Edom, because he has the same <i>ancestor</i> as you. Do not hate anyone from Egypt, because you once lived in his country as a stranger. 


text:
The third <i>generation</i> of their children can join with the people of the <i>LORD</i> when they come together. <n>Keep the <i>tents</i> prepared for God.</n> 


text:
Keep away from everything that God would not like. Do this even when you are fighting your enemies. 


text:
While a man is asleep, something may come out of his sex part. If that happens, he must go away beyond the <i>tents</i>. And he must stay there. 


text:
You must choose a special place beyond the <i>tents</i>. Leave the dirt that comes from inside your body in that place. 


text:
For the <i>LORD</i> your God moves among you in your <i>tents</i>. He keeps you safe and delivers up your enemies to you. So the place where you put your <i>tents</i> must be always ready for God. The <i>LORD</i> will not see anything that is not lovely among you. So he will not turn away from you, because of it. 


text:
A slave may come to you to be safe. If that happens, keep him with you. Do not give him back to his master. 


text:
He can live among you in any place that he likes. Let him choose his own town. Do not be cruel to him. 


text:
Some people will pay money to a man or a woman for sex. You must not bring this money into the house of the <i>LORD</i>. You must not use this money to buy a gift for the <i>LORD</i>. Even if you have promised a gift to the <i>LORD</i>, you cannot use this money. The <i>LORD</i> hates people who sell their bodies for sex. 


text:
You can lend money or food or anything else to another <i>Israelite</i>. But do not ask him to give you back more than you lent to him. 


text:
You can ask anyone from a foreign country to do that. But you must not do this to another <i>Israelite</i>. If you do not do that, the <i>LORD</i> your God will cause all your work to do well, in your country. 


text:
If you promise a gift to the <i>LORD</i> your God, be careful to bring the gift soon. If you do not bring it, that is a <i>sin</i>. And the <i>LORD</i> will certainly demand it. 


text:
Whatever you say, you must be careful to do. You chose to say the words to the <i>LORD</i> your God. That includes something that you have promised to give to the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
If you go into your <i>neighbour</i>’s field of fruit, you can eat his fruit. You can eat all the fruit that you want. But you must not put any into your basket. 


text:
If you go into your <i>neighbour</i>’s field of <i>corn</i>, you can pick the <i>corn</i> with your hands. But you must not cut his growing <i>corn</i> with a knife. 


text:
Perhaps a man will marry a woman and then discover something bad in her. He does not like her, so he writes a letter. This letter finishes the marriage. He gives it to his wife and he sends her out of his house. 


text:
Perhaps her second husband also discovers that he does not like her. So he also gives her a letter that finishes the marriage. He sends her away, or perhaps he dies. 


text:
But her first husband must not marry her again. That is because she has been the wife of another man. To marry her again would be a <i>sin</i>. The <i>LORD</i> hates to see a thing like this. You must not do wrong and bad things in the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God is giving to you. 


text:
When a man has just married, do not send him to fight in a war. Do not give him any special duties. He should stay at home for one year and make his new wife happy. 


text:
When you lend money to a man, do not take away his large stones. Do not even take the top one. This is because he needs these stones to make flour from his <i>corn</i>. This is his work. 


text:
Perhaps you will catch a man who is carrying away another <i>Israelite</i>. He uses him for a slave or even sells him. The man who does this must die. You must remove these wrong things from among you. 


text:
Perhaps you have the illness that is called <i>leprosy</i>. Be very careful! Do everything that the <i>priests</i> say to you. The <i>priests</i> are <i>Levites</i>. You must obey everything that I have <i>commanded</i> them. 


text:
Remember what the <i>LORD</i> your God did to Miriam during your journey. This was after you left Egypt. 


text:
Your <i>neighbour</i> may ask you to lend him something. And he offers you something that is his, as a <i>pledge</i>. Do not go into his house to get it. 


text:
You must give him his coat again before sunset. He can wear it and he can keep himself warm at night. He will ask God to do good things for you. And you will give pleasure to the <i>LORD</i> your God. It is right to do this. <n>A loan can be either money or things, that a man lends to his <i>neighbour</i>. <n>A <i>pledge</i> was a thing (perhaps his coat) that the <i>neighbour</i> offered to the man. This thing was like a promise that he would pay back the loan. 


text:
Always be kind to a poor servant who needs many things. Do this whether he is an <i>Israelite</i> or a foreign person in one of your towns. 


text:
You must pay him his money every day before sunset because he is poor. He needs to have the money. If you do not pay him, he may ask the <i>LORD</i> for help against you. You will have <i>sinned</i>. 


text:
You must not kill fathers for the <i>sins</i> that their children do. You must not kill children for the <i>sins</i> that their fathers do. Each person must die for his own <i>sins</i>. 


text:
Remember to be completely fair to the foreign person and those who are without fathers. Do not take the coat of any woman whose husband has died, as a <i>pledge</i>. 


text:
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the <i>LORD</i> your God made you free. That is why I tell you to do this. 


text:
When you bring in the food from your field, perhaps you will leave some of the <i>corn</i> in the field. Do not go back for it. Leave it there for the foreign person, the woman whose husband has died and for her children. If you do that, the <i>LORD</i> your God will cause all your work to be good. 


text:
When you knock down the <i>olives</i> from your trees, knock them down only once. Leave those that remain for foreign people, women whose husbands have died and their children. 


text:
When you pick your <i>grapes</i>, pick them only once. Leave those that remain for foreign people, women whose husbands have died and their children. 


text:
When two men cannot agree, they must both go to the <i>judges</i>. Then the <i>judges</i> will decide who is right and who is wrong. 


text:
The <i>judge</i> may need to <i>punish</i> the bad man. If he does need to <i>punish</i> him, the <i>judge</i> will cause him to lie down. Then someone will hit him several times. He will hit him many times if he has done a very bad thing. He will hit him only a few times if the thing was not too bad. 


text:
But he must not hit him more than 40 times. So then you will not all feel that another <i>Israelite</i> has become less important. 


text:
Perhaps two brothers are living together. One of the brothers may die and leave no son. If that happens, his wife must not marry outside the family. The second brother must take the wife and he must marry her. He is doing what is right for his dead brother. 


text:
The first son that is born to them will be called the same name as the dead brother. So everyone in <i>Israel</i> will remember that name. 


text:
But a man may not want to marry his dead brother’s wife. If he does not want to do it, she should go to the leaders at the gate of the town. She should say, “My dead husband’s brother refuses to do his duty for me. He does not want people to remember my dead husband. He does not want to give my husband’s name to our son.” 


text:
Then the leaders of the town must call the man to them and they must talk to him. Perhaps he will continue to say, “I do not want to marry her!” 


text:
If that happens, his brother’s wife must go to him, in front of the leaders. She must pull off one of his shoes and <i>spit</i> in his face. And she must say, “We do this to a man who will not help to keep the family name of his dead brother.” 


text:
Then everyone will call the family of the living brother, “the family of the man who lost his shoe”. 


text:
Perhaps two men are fighting each other. The wife of one of them comes to save him. She takes hold of the sex parts of his enemy. 


text:
Do not have in your bag two different things with which to measure weight, one heavy and one light. 


text:
You must have true and honest things with which to measure and to weigh. If you do that you will live for a long time in your country. It is the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God is giving to you. 


text:
They met you when you were tired and weak. They killed all the people who could not walk fast. They were not afraid of God. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> your God will give you rest from all your enemies in the country. This is the country that he is giving you. On that day you must kill all the <i>descendants</i> of Amalek. Then nobody will remember them. Do not forget to do this! 


text:
You are going into the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God is giving to you. Now when you have arrived, do this. 


text:
Take a basket. Put into it some of the first food that you have grown in your fields. This is the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God is giving to you. Then go to the special place that he will choose for himself. 


text:
Say to the man who is a <i>priest</i> at that time, “Today, I say to the <i>LORD</i> your God that I have come into the country. This is the country that the <i>LORD</i> promised to us. He made this promise to our <i>ancestors</i>.” 


text:
Then the <i>priest</i> will take the basket from you. He will put it down in front of the <i>altar</i> of the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
Then you must say, in front of the <i>LORD</i>, “My father was a man from Aramea who moved from place to place. He went to Egypt with a few people and lived there. But he became a great <i>nation</i> of many powerful people. 


text:
Then we prayed to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of our fathers. He heard our voices. He saw that we were sad. He saw that the people in Egypt were cruel to us. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> brought us out of Egypt by his strong hands and powerful arms. He made them afraid, because of the great and powerful things that he did. 


text:
and now, I bring the first food that has grown in my fields. You, <i>LORD</i>, have given it to me.” Then you must put the basket down in front of the <i>LORD</i> your God. You must thank him there. Tell him how great he is. 


text:
And so you and the <i>Levites</i> and the foreign people among you will be very happy. You will enjoy all the good things that the <i>LORD</i> has given to you and to your family. 


text:
Every third year you must give a 10th part of the food that grows in your fields. Give it to the <i>Levites</i>, the strangers, the women whose husbands have died and their children. Then they can eat all the food that they need, in every town. 


text:
Then you can say to the <i>LORD</i>, “None of the 10th part that is special, remains in my house. I have given it to the <i>Levites</i>, the strangers, the women whose husbands have died and their children. I have obeyed your rules. I have not refused to obey your words. I have not forgotten any of them. 


text:
I did not eat any of the 10th part of the food while I was sad and crying. I did not move any of it while I was not ready for God. I have not put any of it as a gift, in front of a dead person. I have obeyed the <i>LORD</i> my God. I have done everything that you <i>commanded</i> me. 


text:
Look down from your home, the special place where you live. Come near to your people, Israel’s people and give us your help. Do good things also to the country that you have given to us. It is a country full of good food and drink. You promised our <i>ancestors</i> that you would give it to us.” <n>Obey the <i>LORD</i>’s rules.</n> 


text:
Today, the <i>LORD</i> your God <i>commands</i> you to obey these <i>decrees</i> and rules. Be careful to obey them. Be happy to do this because you love the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
Today, you have said that the <i>LORD</i> is your God. You have said that you will give him pleasure. You have said that you will obey his rules. You will do everything that he <i>commands</i>. 


text:
Today the <i>LORD</i> has accepted you as his own people. He has chosen you and you are special to him. He promised that you would be special. And you must obey all his rules. 


text:
He says that he will make you greater and more famous than every other <i>nation</i> in the world. You will be a special <i>nation</i> that belongs to the <i>LORD</i> your God. He has promised you this.’ Moses said all those things. 


text:
Moses and the leaders of <i>Israel</i> said to the people, ‘Obey all these rules that I give to you today. 


text:
You will cross the River Jordan and go into the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God is giving to you. On that day, you must put some large stones on the ground and you must cover them with white paint. 


text:
Then write on them all the words of this <i>Law</i>. Do this when you have crossed over the river into the country. This is the country that the <i>LORD</i> your God has promised to you. He is the <i>LORD</i>, the God of your fathers. The country is full of good food and drink. 


text:
And when you have crossed the river, you must put these stones on <i>Mount</i> Ebal. Do as I <i>command</i> you today. Cover them with white paint. 


text:
You must build there an <i>altar</i> for the <i>LORD</i> your God. Do not use iron tools to cut the stones. 


text:
Build this table for the <i>LORD</i> your God with stones from the field. There you must give to him your <i>burnt-offerings</i> on that table. 


text:
You can also offer <i>friendship-offerings</i> there. Eat them and be happy in front of the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
And you must write all these rules on the stones that you have put there. You must write the rules very clearly.’ <n>Pronounce the bad things that will happen, from <i>Mount</i> Ebal.</n> 


text:
Then Moses and the <i>priests</i> (who are <i>Levites</i>) said to all the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘Be quiet, <i>Israelites</i>. Listen! The <i>LORD</i> your God has chosen you and made you his own people. 


text:
Obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. Do whatever he <i>commands</i> you. I am giving you his words today.’ 


text:
‘After you have crossed the Jordan, these <i>tribes</i> must stand on <i>Mount</i> Gerizim. They will promise good things to the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. 


text:
And these <i>tribes</i> must stand on <i>Mount</i> Ebal to pronounce bad things that will happen: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who makes any false god. The <i>LORD</i> hates such a thing, even if the man prays to it as a secret.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who does bad things to his parents.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who moves the stone at the edge of his <i>neighbour</i>’s land.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“A man may lead a person who cannot see, along a wrong path. This path does not go to the place that he wants. God will cause bad things for the cruel man who does this.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“A man may refuse to do right things for the stranger, the woman whose husband has died, or her children. God will cause bad things for this man.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who has sex with his father’s wife. It is very wrong for him to make his father’s bed dirty.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who has sex with any animal.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who has sex with his sister. She may be the daughter of his father or of his mother.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who has sex with his wife’s mother.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“Perhaps a man may kill his <i>neighbour</i>. He does this when no one is watching. God will cause bad things for this man.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“Perhaps a man may accept money to kill another person. This other person has done nothing wrong. God will cause bad things for the man who accepts the money.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
“God will cause bad things for the man who does not obey all God’s words and rules.” Then everyone must say, “Yes! I agree.” 


text:
Today, I am telling you this! You must obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. Be careful to obey all his rules. If you do that, he will make you very important. He will make you more important than any other <i>nation</i> of people in the world. 


text:
If you obey the <i>LORD</i> your God, all these good things will happen to you. And they will remain with you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give you many good things. He will be with you, both in the city and in the fields. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give you many children, many cows and many sheep. He will make much food grow in your fields. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give you many baskets of food from your fields. He will be with you as you make your bread. He will make you happy in your work. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give you good things when you come into your homes. And he will give you good things when you leave them. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will beat your enemies when they attack you. They will come along one path to attack you, but they will run away in all directions. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make all your work do well. He will fill your buildings with food. The <i>LORD</i> your God will give you many good things in the country that he is giving to you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make you his special people for all times, as he has promised. But you must obey his rules and give him pleasure. 


text:
So everyone in the world will see that the <i>LORD</i> has called you by his own name. And they will be afraid of you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give you many children, many animals and much good food. He will do this in the country that he promised to your <i>ancestors</i>. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will send a lot of rain on your country, at the right season. He stores the rain in the clouds. And, at the right season, he will cause it to fall on your land. So then all the food that you plant in your fields will grow well. You will lend to the people in many countries. But you will not need anyone to lend to you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make you the leader among the people in many countries. You must not do as they do. Be careful! Always obey the rules of the <i>LORD</i> your God which I give to you today. If you do that, you will always be leaders of the people in other countries. And you will never be their slaves. 


text:
Do not refuse any of the rules that I give you today. Do not do wrong things. It is wrong to want other gods. You must not have other gods or pray to them. <n>Bad things for those who do not obey</n> 


text:
But if you do not obey the <i>LORD</i> your God, all these bad things will happen to you. Be careful! Obey all his rules and <i>decrees</i> that I give to you today. If you do not obey, this is what will happen to you: 


text:
Bad things will happen to the food that is growing in your fields. Even the bread that you make will not be good. 


text:
Bad things will happen to your children, the food that grows in your fields, your young cows and your sheep. 


text:
Bad things will happen to you when you come into your homes. And bad things will happen to you when you leave them. 


text:
If you do not obey the words of the <i>LORD</i>, he will cause bad things, troubles and difficulties for you. These will destroy you because you have done something very wrong. You have completely refused to remember the <i>LORD</i> and you have forgotten him. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will cause you to have cruel illness. You will be very hot and have a lot of pain. He will send great heat and no rain. He will send bad things upon the food that is growing in your fields. These will destroy the food. So at last, you will die. 


text:
There will be no rain on your country. There will only be dry sand that is flying about in the air. It will come down from the sky until it has destroyed you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will let your enemies beat you. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in many directions. You will become like a very bad sign to all the people in every country. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will cause you to have hot, painful places on your bodies as he did to the people in Egypt. He will cause you to have many illnesses on your skin. You cannot become well from these illnesses. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make you so that you cannot see. He will destroy your minds and he will make you confused. 


text:
You will fall as you walk at midday. You will be like someone who cannot see. You will not do well in anything. Every day, people will rob you and be cruel to you. No one will save you. 


text:
A woman may promise to marry you. But another man will take her and have sex with her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a garden, but you will never eat the fruit from it. 


text:
Someone will kill your cow in front of you, but you will not eat any of the meat. Someone will take away your <i>donkey</i> and will not send it back. Your enemies will take your sheep and no one will save them. 


text:
The people from another country will take your children for slaves. You will look for them every day, but you cannot bring them back to you. 


text:
Strangers will eat the food from your fields. People will be cruel to you all the days of your life. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will cause you to have painful hot places on your knees and on your legs. No one will be able to make them well again. They will soon cover the whole of your body. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will send you and your king away to a foreign country. Neither you nor your <i>ancestors</i> ever lived there. There you will pray to gods made from stone and wood. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will send you away to many countries. You will be like a very bad sign to all the people there. And they will not be sorry about your troubles and difficulties. 


text:
You will plant many seeds in your fields, but you will not bring in much food. Hungry insects will eat it. 


text:
You will plant gardens for <i>grapes</i> and be careful of them. But you will not drink the <i>wine</i> or bring in the <i>grapes</i>. Animals that are like small snakes will eat them. 


text:
<i>Olive</i> trees will grow everywhere in your country, but you will have no oil from them. The fruit will drop off the trees. 


text:
You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them. Enemies will take them away from you and keep them. 


text:
Foreign people who live in your country will become stronger and stronger. But you will become weaker and weaker. 


text:
They will lend money to you, but you will not lend money to them. And, in the end, they will rule over you. 


text:
All these bad things will happen to you. They will be like an enemy that runs after you and catches you. They will destroy you because you did not obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. You did not obey the rules and <i>decrees</i> that he gave to you. 


text:
The bad things that happen to you will be a sign to you and your children for always. They will show that God is very angry with you. 


text:
So now you must work for the enemies that the <i>LORD</i> will send against you. You will do this while you are without enough food and water, poor and without clothes. He will put cruel masters over you until he has destroyed you. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will bring against you people from a country that is far away. They will drop down on you like a large bird and you will not understand their language. 


text:
They will have cruel faces. They will neither do good things for your old people, nor be kind to your children. 


text:
They will eat your young animals and the food from your fields, until they have destroyed you. They will not leave any food, <i>wine</i> or oil for you. They will take all your young cows and your sheep until nothing remains. 


text:
They will attack all the cities in your country. You will build high walls to keep yourselves safe. But they will fall. 


text:
When your enemies attack your cities, you will have no food. You will become very, very hungry. Then you will eat the children that the <i>LORD</i> your God has given to you. 


text:
Even the best and kindest man among you will do this. He will be so hungry that he will not be sorry for any of his family. He will not even be sorry for his own brother. He will not be sorry for his wife that he loves. And he will not be sorry for his children. 


text:
He will not give to one of them any of the meat that he is eating. This meat is the body of his child. He will not give any to his brother, or to his wife, or to his children that remain alive. He will have nothing to eat except his children, because your enemies will take away your food. 


text:
She will become so hungry that she will eat her new baby. She will even eat the thing that came out of her body after the baby. She will do this as a secret thing. She will not give any of these things to her husband or to her other children. These things will happen to you when your enemies attack your cities. 


text:
Be careful! Obey all these rules that I have written in this <i>scroll</i>. Always remember with love, the great and powerful name of the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
If you do not, the <i>LORD</i> will cause you and your <i>descendants</i> to have very bad illnesses. He will make bad and cruel things happen to you. These things will stay with you always. 


text:
He will cause you to have all the illnesses that made you afraid in Egypt. These illnesses will remain with you. You will not become well again. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will also cause you to have many illnesses and bad troubles that you do not understand. They are not written in this <i>scroll</i> of the <i>Law</i> but they will destroy you. 


text:
You were once as many as the stars in the sky. But you will become only a few people because you did not obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
Once, the <i>LORD</i> was happy to give you good things and many children. But then he will be happy to destroy you. He will remove you from the country that will soon become your country. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> will send you away into many other countries. He will send you from one end of the world to the other. There you will pray to other gods. You will pray to gods made from wood and gods made from stone. Neither you nor your fathers have prayed to these gods before. 


text:
You will not be happy there. You will not find any place to rest. The <i>LORD</i> will cause you to have a troubled mind and nothing to hope for. You will be very sad. 


text:
Every morning you will say, “I want it to be evening very soon!” And every evening you will say, “I want it to be morning very soon!” You will be so afraid of everything that you see. 


text:
I told you that you would never return to Egypt. But the <i>LORD</i> will send you back to Egypt in ships. In Egypt, you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies, as slaves. But no one will buy you.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> told Moses to make this promise to the <i>Israelites</i> in the country called Moab. He must join it with the promise that the <i>LORD</i> made to them at <i>Mount</i> Horeb. 


text:
Moses caused all the people to come together. Then he said to them: <n>‘You have seen what the <i>LORD</i> did to the king of Egypt, to his officers and to his country. 


text:
But until now the <i>LORD</i> has not let you understand. Your eyes do not really see and your ears do not really hear. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, “I led you through this <i>desert</i> for 40 years. Your clothes and shoes are still fresh and good. 


text:
You did not eat bread or drink any alcohol. I am the <i>LORD</i> your God. I wanted you to know that I am your God.” 


text:
When we arrived here, Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, fought against us. But we beat them. 


text:
We marched into their country and we gave it to the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben and Gad. We also gave some of it to part of the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. 


text:
Be careful to obey the words of this promise. If you do that, everything will be good for you. Everything that you do will be good. 


text:
You are all standing today in front of the <i>LORD</i> your God. Your leaders, your important men, your officers and your older men are all here. 


text:
Your children, your wives and the foreign people are all here. The foreign people live with you. They cut wood and carry water for you. 


text:
You are standing here to agree to a promise with the <i>LORD</i> your God. The <i>LORD</i> is making this promise to you today. He is making it special by using serious and powerful words. 


text:
He tells you again today that you are his own people. He has promised to be your God. He made the same promise to your <i>ancestors</i>, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 


text:
You are standing here with us today, in front of the <i>LORD</i> our God. But I make the promise also to those people who are not here today. 


text:
You know how we lived in Egypt. You remember how we travelled through other countries on the way here. 


text:
You saw their gods, which the <i>LORD</i> hates. They made them from wood, stone, <i>silver</i> and gold. 


text:
Be very careful that no one forgets the <i>LORD</i> our God. Do not let any man, woman or family or <i>tribe</i> pray to the false gods of these countries. This would become like a <i>root</i> of poison among you. 


text:
Everyone who hears these serious words must obey them. He must not say to himself, “I will be safe, whatever happens. I will do whatever I want!” If you say that, very bad things will destroy you and your fields. This will happen to both good and bad people. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will never <i>forgive</i> such a person. He will be angry and as powerful as a burning fire. The <i>LORD</i> will send on him all the bad things that I have written in this <i>scroll</i>. The <i>LORD</i> will destroy him completely. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make him a very bad sign to all the <i>Israelites</i>. This <i>scroll</i> of the <i>Law</i> tells about many troubles and bad things. The <i>LORD</i> will cause these things to happen to that man. 


text:
In future days, your children and your grandchildren will see your troubles. Foreign people also will see your many illnesses and troubles. And they will know that the <i>LORD</i> has done this. 


text:
The whole country will become a <i>desert</i> of salt and bad dirt. No one will plant seed, because nothing will grow there. Your country will be the same as the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. The <i>LORD</i> destroyed these cities when he was very, very angry. 


text:
All the people in the country will ask, “Why has the <i>LORD</i> destroyed this country? Why is he so very angry?” 


text:
And the answer will be: “Because these people stopped obeying their promise to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their fathers. He made a promise to them when he brought them out of Egypt. 


text:
They went away and prayed to other gods. They obeyed these strange gods that he had not given to them. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> was angry with the people in this country. The <i>scroll</i> of the <i>Law</i> tells about many troubles and bad things. The <i>LORD</i> caused these things to happen to his people and to their country. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> was so angry that he removed them from their country. He would not let them remain there. He made them to go into a foreign country and they are there today.” 


text:
Some secret things belong only to the <i>LORD</i> our God. He does not tell us about those things. But he has told us about many other things. These things belong to us and to our children for all time, so that we will obey all his rules.’ 


text:
‘I have told you to choose between good things and bad things. When they happen to you, you will remember my words. When God has caused you to go out of your country, you will remember my words. When you have to live among people in other countries, you will remember my words. 


text:
Then you and your children will come back to the <i>LORD</i>. You will love and obey him completely, in your work and in your thoughts. You must obey all his <i>commands</i> that I am giving to you today. 


text:
If you do that, the <i>LORD</i> your God will cause good things to happen to you again. He will be sorry for you. He will bring you back from the countries where he sent you away. 


text:
Perhaps he may have sent you to countries that are very far away. Even from there, he will cause you to come together and he will bring you back. 


text:
He will bring you to your fathers’ country and it will be yours. He will do greater things for you than he did for your fathers. He will make you more in number than your fathers. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> your God will make you and your children like different people. Then you will love him completely and you will live. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> your God will make all these bad things happen to your enemies. They hate you and do cruel things to you. 


text:
You will obey the <i>LORD</i> again and you will obey all his rules. These are the rules that I give to you today. 


text:
If you do that, the <i>LORD</i> your God will cause all your work to do very well. He will give you many children, many animals and enough food in your fields for everyone. The <i>LORD</i> will make good things happen to you. You will give him much pleasure, in the same way as your fathers gave him pleasure. 


text:
This will happen if you obey all the rules and <i>decrees</i> of the <i>LORD</i> your God. I have written them in this <i>scroll</i>. You must obey the <i>LORD</i> your God completely, in your work and in your thoughts. <n>God offers life or death.</n> 


text:
It is not in God’s home. So you do not have to ask, “Who will go up to God’s home and bring it down to us? Then we can understand his words and obey them.” 


text:
Nor is it across the sea. So you do not have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to fetch it? Then we can understand his words and obey them.” 


text:
Look! I offer you today, life and good things, or death and very bad things. You must choose which you will have. 


text:
I say this because I am <i>commanding</i> you today to love the <i>LORD</i> your God. Live in a way that will give him pleasure. If you obey all his rules, you will live. And you will have many children. Then the <i>LORD</i> your God will make good things happen to you, in your country. This is the country that you are going into. 


text:
But you may think about other things and refuse to listen. If you do that, people will lead you to other gods. You will obey them and pray to them. 


text:
If you do that, God will certainly destroy you. I am saying that to you today. You will not live for many years in your country that is across the River Jordan. 


text:
Today, I want the sky and the earth to hear my words. I am shouting them aloud. For I have offered you, life or death, good things or bad things. Choose life! If you do that, you and your children will live. 


text:
Then you will love the <i>LORD</i> your God. You will listen to his voice and you will stay very near to him. You will do this because the <i>LORD</i> is the most important person in your life. He will let you live for many years. You will live in the country that he promised to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ 


text:
‘I am now 120 years old and I cannot continue to lead you. The <i>LORD</i> has told me that I will not cross the River Jordan. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> your God himself will cross the river in front of you. He will kill the people in these countries in front of you and you will march into their countries. Joshua also will cross the river before you, as the <i>LORD</i> has said. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will do to these people what he did to Sihon and to Og. They were kings of the <i>Amorites</i>, but the <i>LORD</i> killed them. And he destroyed their country. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will deliver them to you. Then you must do to them everything that I have told you. 


text:
Be strong and be brave! Do not be afraid of them, because the <i>LORD</i> your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forget you.’ 


text:
Then Moses fetched Joshua. He spoke to him in front of all the people and he said, ‘You must go with these people into their country. So be strong and be brave. The <i>LORD</i> promised their <i>ancestors</i> that he would give the country to them. You must give to each <i>tribe</i> its own part of the country. It will belong to them always. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> himself goes in front of you and he will be with you. He will never leave you nor forget you. Do not be afraid that you will fail.’ <n>The leaders of <i>Israel</i> must read the rules to the people.</n> 


text:
So Moses wrote these rules in a <i>scroll</i>. He gave it to the leaders of <i>Israel</i> and to the <i>priests</i>, the sons of Levi. The <i>Levites</i> carried the <i>Ark</i> of the <i>LORD</i>’s promise. 


text:
Then Moses said to them, ‘You must read this <i>scroll</i> to all <i>Israel</i>’s people. Read it every 7 years at the party of <i>tents</i>, in the year when you forget about your debts. 


text:
Everybody will come together to stand in front of the <i>LORD</i> your God. He will choose the place for them. 


text:
Bring all the men, women and children together. And remember also to bring the foreign people who live in your towns. Then they can listen. They can learn to obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. Then they will be careful to obey all these rules. 


text:
Their children do not know these rules, so they must hear them. If you do that, they will learn to obey the <i>LORD</i> your God. They must do this for as long as they live in your country, across the Jordan.’ <n>God tells Moses what will happen to the <i>Israelites</i>.</n> 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> said to Moses, ‘You will soon die. Fetch Joshua and bring him to the <i>tent</i> where I meet with you. I will give my authority to him there.’ So Moses and Joshua went to the <i>tent</i> where God met with them. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> came down in a large cloud. The cloud stopped at the door of the <i>tent</i> where God met with them. 


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> said to Moses, ‘You will soon die. After you die, the people will soon stop obeying me. They will pray to the foreign gods of the country to which they are going. They will forget me. They will not keep the promise that we made together. 


text:
On that day, I will become angry with them. I will go away from them. I will not stay with them, but I will destroy them. Many troubles and difficulties will happen to them. Then they will say, “These troubles and difficulties have happened to us because our God is not with us.” 


text:
And I will certainly refuse to help them on that day. This is because they have done a very bad thing. They have obeyed other gods and prayed to them. 


text:
Now write this song and teach the <i>Israelites</i> to sing it. So they will remember how often they did bad things against me. 


text:
I will take them into this country, which is full of good food and drink. I promised their <i>ancestors</i> that I would do this. There they will have all the food that they want. They will have good health and live a comfortable life. But then they will forget me and <i>worship</i> other gods. They will refuse to obey me. They will not keep the promise that we made together. 


text:
Many troubles and difficulties will happen to them. Then this song will cause them to remember. They will remember the bad things that they have done. Their children will not forget it. Even now, I know what they are thinking. I know it, even before I take them into their country. This is the country that I promised to them, with serious words.’ 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> said to Joshua, the son of Nun, ‘Be strong and be brave! You will lead the <i>Israelites</i> into the country that I have promised to them. And I myself will stay with you. I will not leave you.’ 


text:
Then he said to the <i>Levites</i>, who carried the <i>Ark</i> of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>covenant</i>: 


text:
‘Take this <i>scroll</i> of the <i>Law</i>. Put it next to the <i>Ark</i> of the <i>LORD</i> your God’s promise. There it will remain, so that you will remember. You will remember the bad things that you have done. 


text:
I know that you like bad things very much. You do not want to obey God’s rules. You enjoy doing wrong things. You have been like this, against the <i>LORD</i>, during my life. You will do even worse things after I die! 


text:
Bring to me all the leaders of your <i>tribes</i> and all your officers. I want to speak to them. And I want the sky and the earth to hear my words. I am shouting them aloud. 


text:
I know that you will become completely bad after my death. You will refuse the good <i>commands</i> that I have given to you. In future days, you will have great troubles. This is because you will do bad things against the <i>LORD</i>. You will make him angry because of the bad things that you have made with your hands.’ 


text:
Then Moses spoke the words of this song, from the beginning to the end. And all Israel’s people listened to him. 


text:
When I teach people, it will be like the rain when it falls. <n>My words will do good things to them, like water does to the fields. <n>They will be like rain on young plants and on new grass. 


text:
I will pronounce the name of the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Oh, tell everyone how great and important our God is! 


text:
He is The Rock that is strong. It does not move away. <n>His work is completely good. All the things that he does are fair. <n>He is a God who keeps his promises. He never does anything that is wrong. <n>He does what is fair and good. 


text:
But you have done wrong things. You cannot continue to be his people. <n>You are neither fair nor good. You enjoy doing bad things. 


text:
This is not the right way to live. The <i>LORD</i> has been very good to you. Do not do these things that make him angry and sad. <n>You are fools and not people who understand. <n>He is your Father and he made you. He himself made you from his own plan. 


text:
Remember the days that are past. <n>Think of all the people who have died. Ask your father and he will tell you. <n>Ask the old men. They will explain what happened. 


text:
The powerful God, who is very important, gave their own place to the people in each country. He decided where the edges of each country should be. And when he was doing that, he was thinking about the number of the <i>descendants</i> of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
But the <i>LORD</i>’s people are his own people. <n>He chose the <i>descendants</i> of Jacob to be his special people. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> found them in an empty <i>desert</i> where the wind was blowing. <n>He was careful about them and he loved them. <n>He did not let anyone hurt them, because they were so valuable to him. 


text:
He was like a large bird. A bird teaches its young birds to fly. <n>The large bird flies below them and catches them. <n>It carries them on its back. They do not fall. <n>The <i>LORD</i> also was very careful about the <i>Israelites</i> and they were safe. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> made them ride over the high places in the country. <n>He fed them with fruit that grows in the fields. He gave to them <i>honey</i> out of the rock. <n>He gave to them oil from a place that was full of stones. 


text:
Their cows and their sheep gave plenty of milk. <n>The people ate the best meat that they found in Bashan. <n>They ate the very best bread and they drank fresh <i>wine</i>. 


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> became lazy. They refused to obey. <n>They were full of food. But they did not want to obey the God who made them. <n>They refused to obey God, their Rock. <n>But he is the God who saved them. 


text:
They made the <i>LORD</i> angry with their foreign gods. <n>They made their own gods, which he hated. 


text:
They obeyed very bad gods and prayed to them. <n>These are not God. These are new gods, which they had not known. <n>Even your father was not afraid of them. 


text:
You refused to obey God, your Rock and your Father. <n>You forgot the God who caused you to be born. 


text:
When the <i>LORD</i> saw this, he was angry. <n>He looked away from his sons and daughters and he said, 


text:
“I will not continue to be with them. Then I will see what happens to them in the end. <n>They are children who do not obey me. They refuse to give me pleasure. 


text:
They made me angry with their false gods. These gods have no value. <n>So I will make them angry because of those who are not a <i>nation</i>. <n>I will make them angry, by a <i>nation</i> that does not understand. 


text:
My <i>anger</i> will be so great that it will seem like a hot fire. <n>You will meet with it everywhere that you go. You will meet with it in everything that you do. <n>Even on the day when you die, you will meet with it. <n>Even the great things that I have made will know the heat of my <i>anger</i>. 


text:
They will become very thin because they have no food. They will have many cruel illnesses. <n>Wild animals will attack them. Snakes will bite them and they will die. 


text:
War will cause people to die in the streets. War will kill their children. <n>Even in their homes, they will be afraid. <n>Young men and young women will die. Babies and old men will also die. 


text:
But that would give their enemies pleasure. They would not understand. <n>They would say, ‘We have destroyed these people! The <i>LORD</i> has not done it!’ ” 


text:
If they were <i>wise</i>, they would understand. <n>They would know what will happen to them in the end. 


text:
One man runs after 1000 men! <n>Two men make 10 000 men run away! <n>This could only happen if God, their strong Rock, had made them slaves. <n>This could only happen if the <i>LORD</i> refused to help them. 


text:
Our enemies are bad and cruel, like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. <n>They are like <i>grapes</i> full of poison. They are angry all the time. 


text:
I have authority over them. And I will make bad things happen to them because of what they have done. I will <i>punish</i> them. <n>The time will come when they will fall in front of their enemies. <n>It will soon be the day for their trouble. My plans will happen quickly. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will <i>judge</i> his people. He will be very kind to his servants. <n>He will save them when he sees them, weak and without help. 


text:
You fed them with the best part of your gifts of food. You gave them good <i>wine</i> to drink. Let them help you now! Let them save you from your troubles! 


text:
Remember this: I, and I alone, am God. Other gods are false. <n>I kill and I give life. I have hurt you, but I can make you well again. <n>Nobody can stop what I am doing. 


text:
I am the God who lives for all time. <n>I raise my hand to <i>heaven</i>, which is my home. And I promise 


text:
to make my big knife sharp. I will use it to <i>punish</i> my enemies. <n>I will <i>judge</i> them. And I will make bad things happen to them again. <n>I will do this to everybody who hates me. 


text:
Their blood will drop from my <i>arrows</i>. My big knife will kill everyone who is against me. <n>This will be the blood of the dead people and of the slaves and of the enemy’s leaders.” 


text:
All you people in every country, be happy with God’s people! <n>He will <i>punish</i> those who kill his servants. He will <i>punish</i> all his enemies. <n>But he will pay the price himself for all the bad things that his people have done.’ 


text:
Moses came with Joshua, the son of Nun, and he spoke all the words of this song. And all the <i>Israelites</i> listened to them. 


text:
he said to all the people, ‘Remember every word that I have said to you today. You must repeat them to your children. Tell them that they must obey all the words of this <i>Law</i>. 


text:
These words are not silly words. They are the most important things in your life. If you obey them, you will live for many years in the country across the Jordan. It will be your own country.’ <n>Moses will die on <i>Mount</i> Nebo.</n> 


text:
‘Go to the Abarim mountains in the country called Moab and climb <i>Mount</i> Nebo. It is across from the city of Jericho. Look down at the country called Canaan. I am giving this country to <i>Israel</i>’s people. It will be their country. 


text:
You will die on that mountain and join your <i>ancestors</i>. You will die like Aaron your brother. He died on <i>Mount</i> Hor and joined his <i>ancestors</i>. 


text:
This is because both of you failed to obey me in front of the <i>Israelites</i>. This happened at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the <i>desert</i> of Zin. You did not make my special word important among the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
So you will only see the country from far away. You cannot go into the country that I am giving to the <i>Israelites</i>.’ 


text:
Before his death, Moses, the man who knew God so well, spoke these good words to all the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
And he said: <n>‘The <i>LORD</i> came from <i>Mount</i> Sinai. He shone like the sun over Edom. <n>He shone on his people from <i>Mount</i> Paran. <n>Thousands (1000s) of <i>angels</i> came with him, from the south, from the mountains. <n>In his right hand, there was a burning <i>Law</i> for them. 


text:
<i>LORD</i>, you love your people. You are careful about all those <i>holy</i> people who belong to you. <n>We pray to you. We <i>worship</i> you and we obey your words. 


text:
We obey your rules, which Moses gave to us. <n>They are the special gift that you gave to all the <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. 


text:
And Moses said about the <i>tribe</i> of Judah: <n>‘<i>LORD</i>, listen to Judah when they ask for help. Bring them back to their own people. <n>They fight for themselves. <n><i>LORD</i>, help them against their enemies.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Levi he said: <n>‘Your <i>Urim and Thummim</i> belong to your true servants, the <i>Levites</i>. <n>You checked them at Massah and you argued with them at the waters of Meribah. 


text:
Levi loved and obeyed you more than his parents, more than his brothers or his children. <n>He studied your words and your promise was very special to him. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> teach your rules to <i>Israel</i>’s people and your <i>decrees</i> to the sons of Jacob. <n>They offer powder that has a sweet smell to you, on your <i>altar</i>. And they put <i>burnt-offerings</i> on your <i>altar</i>. 


text:
<i>LORD</i>, make good things happen to them in everything that they do. <n>Make all their work give you pleasure. <n>Destroy all their enemies completely.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin he said: <n>‘The <i>LORD</i> loves this <i>tribe</i>. They will rest and be safe, near to him. <n>The <i>LORD</i> keeps them safe every day. He lives among them.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Joseph he said: <n>‘<i>LORD</i>, send good things to their country. <n>Send rain from the sky above, <n>and water from under the earth. 


text:
Send them good gifts from the mountains and the hills that are so old. <n>Make the hills full of good fruit. 


text:
Fill their country with everything that is good. <n>Make them very happy with the love of the <i>LORD</i>, <n>the God who lived in the burning bush. <n>Send all these good things to the <i>tribe</i> of Joseph, <n>the man who was special among his brothers. 


text:
Joseph is as strong as a <i>bull</i>. He has <i>horns</i> like a wild <i>bull</i>. <n>All the strong men from Ephraim and Manasseh are his <i>horns</i>! <n>With them, he attacks the people of other countries. <n>He pushes them to the edges of the world.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Zebulun he said: <n>‘Be happy, Zebulun, as you go out of your home. <n>Be happy, Issachar, in your home. 


text:
They ask foreign people to come to their mountain. <n>Then these people will offer the right gifts there. <n>They eat good things from the sea. They find special things in the sand.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Gad he said: <n>‘Happy is the man who makes Gad’s land wider! <n>Gad lives there like a <i>lion</i>. He fights anyone who comes into his country. 


text:
He took the best part of the country for himself. <n>Moses gave to Gad’s <i>tribe</i> the part that belongs to a leader. <n>When Israel’s people came together, the <i>tribe</i> of Gad did good things. <n>They did what the <i>LORD</i> wanted. They <i>judged</i> in <i>Israel</i> in the way that he <i>commanded</i>.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Dan he said: <n>‘The <i>tribe</i> of Dan are like young <i>lions</i>. They jump out from Bashan and surprise their enemies.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Naphtali he said: <n>‘The <i>LORD</i> has been very kind to the <i>tribe</i> of Naphtali. <n>They are full of the good things that the <i>LORD</i> has given to them. <n>They will have all the land, as far as to the south of Lake Galilee.’ 


text:
About the <i>tribe</i> of Asher he said: <n>‘The <i>LORD</i> has given more good things to the <i>tribe</i> of Asher than to all the <i>tribes</i>. <n>Their brothers will say that they are very important. <n>They will be rich enough to bathe their feet in oil. 


text:
<i>Israelites</i>, there is no god like your God. <n>He rides across the sky to help you. <n>He travels to you on the clouds, with great authority. 


text:
He is the God who has always been alive. He is the safe place where you can hide. <n>And his strong arms are always under you, to hold you. <n>He will send away your enemies in front of you. <n>He says to you, “Destroy them!” 


text:
So <i>Israel</i>’s people will live alone safely. Their fountain of water is safe in a country that has <i>corn</i> and fresh <i>wine</i>. There, <i>dew</i> drops from the sky. 


text:
<i>Israelites</i>, how happy you are! There is no other <i>nation</i> like you. <n>The <i>LORD</i> himself has saved you from Egypt and from all your enemies. <n>He is like a strong wall in front of you. He is like a big, sharp knife against your enemies. <n>He helps you. <n>Your enemies will be very afraid of you. And you will destroy the special places where they pray to their gods.’ 


text:
Then Moses climbed <i>Mount</i> Nebo. He went from the valley of Moab to the top of <i>Mount</i> Pisgah, across from the River Jordan. There, the <i>LORD</i> showed him the whole country, from Gilead to Dan. 


text:
He saw all the places that would belong to Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah. He saw all the land, as far as the Mediterranean Sea. 


text:
He saw the south part of Judah. He saw the valley from Zoar to Jericho. Jericho is the city of tall trees. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> said to Moses, ‘This is the country that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I told them that I would give it to their <i>descendants</i>. I have let you see it. But you will not cross over into it.’ 


text:
And Moses, the servant of the <i>LORD</i>, died there in Moab. This happened as the <i>LORD</i> had said. 


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> buried him in a valley in Moab. This is near the town called Beth-Peor. But even today, no one knows the place where God buried him. 


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> wept for Moses for 30 days, in the valley of Moab. They wept until the time for them to weep and be sad was finished. 


text:
Then God filled Joshua, the son of Nun, with his own <i>wise Spirit</i>. Moses had already given his place as leader, to Joshua. So the <i>Israelites</i> listened to Joshua and they obeyed the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
There has never been another <i>prophet</i> in <i>Israel</i> like Moses. The <i>LORD</i> spoke to him, face to face. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> sent him to do strange and powerful things with great authority. He did these things in Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his officers and to his whole country. 


text:
No other man has shown such powerful authority or done such great things. And Moses did these things in front of all the <i>Israelites</i>.


text:
Moses, the man who had <i>served</i> the <i>Lord</i>, had died. Then the <i>Lord</i> spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, who had helped Moses. 


text:
‘Moses, my servant, is dead. Now you and all these people must get ready to cross the river Jordan. You, the people of Israel, will go into the land that I am going to give you’, he said. 


text:
‘I have given you every part of the ground that you walk upon. I promised Moses that I would do this. 


text:
You will have all the land from the <i>desert</i> in the south to the mountains of Lebanon in the north. It will be from the river Euphrates to the Great Sea on the west. You will have all the land of the Hittite people. 


text:
No one can stop you from taking this land as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will always be with you. I will never leave you alone.


text:
Be strong and do not be afraid. You will lead these people to take the land. That is the land that I promised to give to their fathers. 


text:
Be strong and do not be afraid. Be careful to do all the things that Moses told you. Remember to do everything that he told you. Then everything will go well with you. You will win, everywhere you go. 


text:
You must keep on speaking about the words of God’s <i>law</i>. Think about what it says, all the time. Then you will be careful to obey it. Then you will help yourselves to do well, and to win. 


text:
Remember that I have told you to do this. So be strong and do not be afraid. Do not be weak but be brave. I, the <i>Lord</i> your God, will be with you, everywhere that you go.’ <n>Joshua speaks to the <i>Israelites</i></n>


text:
‘Go through all the places where the people live’, he said. ‘Tell them to get food ready for a journey. In 3 days or less, you will cross the river Jordan to begin to take the land for yourselves. This is the land that the <i>Lord</i>, your God, is giving to you’, Joshua said.


text:
Moses had given land east of the Jordan to the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. Then Joshua spoke to these <i>tribes</i>. 


text:
‘Remember what Moses told you’, he said. ‘The <i>Lord</i> your God is giving you a rest. He has given you this land.’ 


text:
Your wives, children and animals can stay in this land that Moses gave you, east of the Jordan. But your fighting men must cross the river, with their arms. They must go in front of their brother <i>Israelites</i>. You must help them 


text:
until the <i>Lord</i> gives them rest as he has given you. When all the other <i>tribes</i> are safe in the land, you may return to the land east of the Jordan. Moses gave this to you.’


text:
‘We will do whatever you tell us. And we will go everywhere that you send us’, they answered Joshua. 


text:
‘As we always obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. The <i>Lord</i> your God was with Moses. We only ask that the <i>Lord</i> will be with you too. 


text:
Someone might not agree with your word. He might not obey it. We will make sure that he dies. But be very strong and be brave. Do not be afraid.’ <n>‘Rest’ was something very special to the people of Israel. It meant that they had a rich land. No one was hungry there. It meant that there was no fighting. Everyone was happy. It did not mean that they did not have to do any work. 


text:
Then Joshua sent out two men from Shittim. He sent them in secret to see what the land was like. ‘Go’, he said, ‘Look at all the country, and look well at the city of Jericho’. When they came to the city, they went into the house of Rahab. They stayed there. She was a woman who had men to stay with her.


text:
People spoke to the king of Jericho, ‘Look! Some of the people of Israel have come here tonight to see what our land is like’, they said. 


text:
So the king of Jericho sent a message to Rahab. ‘Bring out the men who are staying in your house. They have come to see what all our land is like!’ he said.


text:
But the woman had hidden the two men. ‘Yes, some men did come to me. I did not know where they had come from’, she said. 


text:
‘When it was getting near the time to close the gate of the city, they left. I do not know where they went. If you go after them quickly, you may catch them.’ 


text:
(But she had taken them up to the roof. She had hidden them under some plants that she was drying there.) 


text:
So the king’s men went out to try to find the two <i>Israelites</i>. They went towards the place where people could cross the river Jordan. As soon as they had gone out, people shut the gate.


text:
‘I know that the <i>Lord</i> God has given this land to you’, she said to them. ‘I know that we are all very frightened of you. Everyone living in this part of the world is very afraid. 


text:
We heard how you came out of Egypt. And the <i>Lord</i> dried up the Red Sea for you. And we heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites. They lived east of the Jordan, and you destroyed them completely. 


text:
When we heard all this, we felt very weak. We were very frightened. This is because the <i>Lord</i>, your God, is God. He rules the heaven (the place where God lives) above and the earth beneath. 


text:
Now, please make me a promise. I have been kind to you. So, say that you will be kind to my family. As you believe in God, make your promise true. Give me something to show that you will keep your promise. 


text:
Show me that you will save the lives of my family. Save my mother, father, brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them. Please do not let anyone kill us.’


text:
‘We will give you your life if you save ours. Do not tell the king about us. When the <i>Lord</i> gives us this land we will keep our promise. We will be kind to you’, the men said to her.


text:
So Rahab put a <i>rope</i> out of the window. (The house that she lived in was part of the city wall.) The men climbed down the <i>rope</i>. 


text:
‘Go to the hills’, she told them. ‘The men who are looking for you will not find you there. Hide there for 3 days until they return here. Then you can go back to your people.’


text:
‘This is what you must do. Tie this red <i>rope</i> in the window that we came through. Do this when we come to take your city. Get your father, mother, brothers and sisters and all your family into your house. 


text:
If anyone goes out into the street, he may die. That will be his own bad mistake. And you will know that we kept our promise. But if anyone in the house with you dies, then we should be <i>punished</i>. 


text:
It would be different if you told anyone about this. Then we would not have to keep the promise that we have given you.’ 


text:
Rahab agreed with the men, and sent them away. When they had gone, she tied the red <i>rope</i> in her window.


text:
The two <i>Israelites</i> went into the hills and hid there. The king’s men looked everywhere for them for 3 days. They did not find them, so they returned to Jericho. 


text:
Then the two men came down from the hills and crossed the river Jordan. They went to Joshua. They told him everything that had happened. 


text:
‘We are sure that the <i>Lord</i> has given us the whole country. All the people there are very frightened of us’, they said.


text:
Early in the morning, Joshua and all the <i>Israelites</i> left the city of Shittim. They put their <i>tents</i> by the river Jordan. They waited to cross the river. 


text:
‘You will see the <i>priests</i> carrying the <i>ark</i> of God’s promise’, they said to the people. ‘Then you must carry your <i>tents</i> and follow them. 


text:
They will show you the way to go because you have never been here before. But stay about 1000 metres behind the <i>ark</i>. Do not go near it.


text:
Joshua told the people to make themselves <i>holy</i> and ready for the <i>Lord</i>. ‘Tomorrow the <i>Lord</i> will do great things that will surprise you completely’, he said.


text:
‘Take up the <i>ark</i>, and go in front of the people’, Joshua said to the <i>priests</i>. So, they picked it up, and went on in front of the people.


text:
And the <i>Lord</i> spoke to Joshua. ‘Today I will begin to make you look important in front of all the people of Israel’, he said. ‘I was with Moses. And they will know that I am with you too. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> that are carrying the <i>ark</i> will reach the edge of the river Jordan. Tell them, “Go and stand in the river” ’.


text:
Joshua said to the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the <i>Lord</i> your God. 


text:
Your God is alive. He is going to show you that he is with you. He will show you how powerful he is. He will certainly push the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites from this land. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> are carrying the <i>ark</i> of promise of the <i>Lord</i> of all the earth. As soon as their feet go into the water of the river, the <i>Lord</i> will stop its water from coming towards them. Instead, the water will rise up like a wall.’


text:
There was a lot of water coming down the river at that time of the year. But as soon as the <i>priests</i> carrying the <i>ark</i> went into the river, 


text:
the water stopped coming. It stopped a long way up the river, at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water going down to the Salt Sea stopped completely. So, the people crossed the river near Jericho. 


text:
While the people walked across on dry ground, the <i>priests</i> carrying the <i>ark</i> stood still in the middle of the Jordan. They stood there until all the people had crossed. <n>The people of the <i>tribe</i> of Israel are called <i>Israelites</i>. The people of the <i>tribe</i> of Canaan are called Canaanites. It is the same with the names of the people of other <i>tribes</i>, as in verse 9. 


text:
‘Tell them to take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan. Take them from where the <i>priests</i> are standing. Carry the stones over with you. Put them down where you stay tonight.’


text:
He said to them, ‘Go in front of the <i>ark</i> of the <i>Lord</i> into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you must pick up a stone and put it on his shoulder. There will be one stone for each of the <i>tribes</i> of Israel. 


text:
This will be like a special mark for you. In years to come, your children will ask you, “What do these stones mean?” 


text:
Then you will tell them that the waters of the river Jordan stopped moving. That was while the <i>ark</i> of God’s promise went across the river. These stones will help the people of Israel to remember this for ever.’


text:
So the 12 men obeyed Joshua. They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan as the <i>Lord</i> had told Joshua. There was one stone for each <i>tribe</i> of Israel. They carried the stones to the place where the people had put their <i>tents</i>. And they put the stones down. 


text:
Joshua also put 12 stones from the Jordan in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the <i>priests</i> with the <i>ark</i> had stood. (The stones were still there when people wrote this.) 


text:
The <i>priests</i> stood in the middle of the Jordan. Then people did everything as the <i>Lord</i> had told Joshua. The <i>Lord</i> had spoken to Joshua as he had spoken to Moses. <n>The people crossed the river quickly. 


text:
As soon as everybody was on the other side, the <i>priests</i> took the <i>ark</i> to the other side, too. The people saw them. 


text:
The <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh led the people, ready to fight, as Moses had told them. 


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i> did that day. It made all the people think that Joshua was a great man. They gave him <i>honour</i> all his life, as they had <i>honoured</i> Moses.


text:
And the <i>priests</i> came up out of the river. They were carrying the <i>ark</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. As soon as their feet touched the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan began to return. There was much water and it moved fast.


text:
The people went from the Jordan and put their <i>tents</i> at Gilgal on the 10th day of the first month. Gilgal was a city on the east side of Jericho. 


text:
He said to the people of Israel, ‘Your children will ask, in later years, “What do these stones mean?” 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> your God made the river dry up as he made the Red Sea dry up. He dried the Sea. Then the people could cross it when they left Egypt. 


text:
He did this so that all the peoples of the world would see how powerful he was. He did it so that you would always <i>fear</i> the <i>Lord</i>, your God.’


text:
All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan, and all the Canaanite kings heard how the <i>Lord</i> had dried up the Jordan. And how the <i>Lord</i> had kept it dry until all the <i>Israelites</i> had crossed to the other side. Then the kings became very afraid, and felt too weak to fight with the <i>Israelites</i>.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> spoke to Joshua at that time. ‘Make knives of stone and <i>circumcise</i> the men’, he said. 


text:
All the men who came out of Egypt had died. So Joshua did this. All the men old enough to fight had died in the <i>desert</i> on the way to Canaan. 


text:
All the people who came out of Egypt had been <i>circumcised</i>. But all the people born in the <i>desert</i> coming from Egypt had not been <i>circumcised</i>. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> had walked about in the <i>desert</i> for 40 years. But all the men who were old enough to fight when they left Egypt had died. This happened because they had not obeyed the <i>Lord</i>. The <i>Lord</i> had made a promise. He had promised to give them the land. But he said that they would certainly not see it. The land would feed their sheep and give other good food, too. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Joshua, ‘You are no longer slaves to the people of Egypt. Today I have saved you from being ashamed of this.’ <n>So, the place was called Gilgal and it still has that name. (Gilgal means ‘taken away’.)


text:
The <i>Israelite</i> people kept the ‘feast of Passover’ on the evening of the 14th month. They did this while they were at Gilgal, near the city of Jericho. 


text:
The ‘<i>manna</i>’ stopped falling at the same time, so they did not have it any more. After that time they only ate food that was grown in Canaan.


text:
While Joshua was near Jericho, a man appeared, standing in front of him. The man had a sword (a sharp metal stick to fight with) in his hand. Joshua went up to him, ‘Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy?’ he asked.


text:
‘I am neither’, he answered. ‘I am here as the captain of the <i>Lord</i>’s army.’ <n>Joshua fell on the ground to <i>worship</i> and said, ‘I am your servant. <i>Lord</i>, what can I do for you?’


text:
The captain of the <i>Lord</i>’s army said, ‘Take your shoes off. You are standing on <i>holy</i> ground.’ And Joshua did take off his shoes. <n>The <i>Lord</i> God told Abraham that he and his sons were to <i>circumcise</i> all male children. They had to do this when the children were 8 days old. This showed that God had made a promise to them. He would make them his special people. He would do this if they obeyed him (Genesis 17:9-16). <n>The ‘feast of Passover’ was an important <i>holy</i> day. The <i>Israelites</i> ate a special meal. It helped them to remember how God had saved them. They had been slaves in Egypt. They remembered, too, how the <i>Lord</i> had dried up the Red Sea. Then they could walk out of Egypt. <n>‘Manna’ was food that God sent to the <i>Israelites</i> from the sky. It fed them all the time that they were walking through the <i>desert</i> (Exodus 16:4). 


text:
The people of Jericho kept their gates shut. They watched to see that the <i>Israelites</i> did not get in. No one could go in or out of the city. 


text:
‘I am going to give you Jericho’, the <i>Lord</i> said to Joshua. ‘I will give you its king and all its brave soldiers. 


text:
Seven (7) <i>priests</i> will walk in front of the <i>ark</i>. They will carry <i>trumpets</i> as they walk. On the 7th day, you and your soldiers must march round the city 7 times. At the same time the <i>priests</i> will blow their <i>trumpets</i>. 


text:
Then they will make one long loud noise. As soon as you hear this, all the men must give a loud shout. The city walls will fall down. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.’ 


text:
Joshua called the <i>priests</i>. ‘Take the <i>ark</i> of God’s promise, and make 7 other <i>priests</i> walk in front of it, carrying <i>trumpets</i>’, he said to them. 


text:
He told the people to start marching round the city, with a group of fighting men going in front of the <i>ark</i>.


text:
Joshua finished speaking to the people. Then the 7 <i>priests</i> carrying the 7 <i>trumpets</i> went blowing their <i>trumpets</i>. And the <i>priests</i> carrying the <i>ark</i> followed them. 


text:
Some strong fighting men went in front of the <i>priests</i> with the <i>trumpets</i>, and another group of soldiers followed the <i>ark</i>. The <i>trumpets</i> were blowing all this time. 


text:
But Joshua had said to the people, ‘Do not shout or make a noise. Do not say a word until I tell you to shout. I will tell you to shout one day, then shout!’ 


text:
Joshua made them carry the <i>ark</i> round the city once. Then they returned to their <i>tents</i>, and slept there that night.


text:
Joshua got up early the next morning, and the <i>priests</i> took up the <i>ark</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
The 7 <i>priests</i> carrying the <i>trumpets</i> marched in front of the <i>ark</i>, blowing the <i>trumpets</i>. The groups of soldiers went in front of the <i>priests</i> blowing the <i>trumpets</i>, and behind the <i>ark</i>. The <i>priests</i> blew the <i>trumpets</i> all the time. 


text:
This is how they marched round the city on the second day. They did this once and returned to their <i>tents</i>. They did this for 6 days.


text:
The 7th time, the <i>priests</i> made a long, loud noise on the <i>trumpets</i>. Joshua told the people, ‘Shout! Because the <i>Lord</i> has given you the city. 


text:
The city and all that is in it belongs to the <i>Lord</i>. All the people must die. Only Rahab and the people with her in her house will live. This is because she hid our two men. 


text:
Keep away from the things that belong to God. If you take any of them, you will die. You would make trouble for the people of Israel, and could cause the <i>Lord</i> to destroy them, too. 


text:
All the things made of <i>silver</i>, gold and iron and mixed metals are <i>holy</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. They must be stored with his valuable things.’


text:
When the <i>trumpets</i> made their loud sound, all the people gave a great shout. When they did this, the walls fell down. Every man went up into the city. And they took the city. 


text:
They gave the city to the <i>Lord</i>. So they destroyed every living thing in it. They killed men and women, young and old people, cows, sheep and other animals.


text:
Joshua spoke to the two men that Rahab had hidden. ‘Go into her house. Bring her out with all who are with her’, he said. ‘This is what you promised to her.’ 


text:
So the young men who had been to look at the city went and brought out Rahab and her whole family. They brought out her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They gave them a place outside the <i>Israelite tents</i>.


text:
Then they burned the whole city and everything in it. They put the gold, <i>silver</i>, iron and metal things into the <i>Lord</i>’s store of valuable things. 


text:
But Joshua saved Rahab and her family and all who belonged to her. Joshua had sent to find out about the city. And Rahab had hidden those men. She still lives among the <i>Israelites</i>.


text:
At that time, Joshua made this serious promise. ‘The <i>Lord</i> will <i>punish</i> the man who builds this city again’, he said. ‘When he starts to build, his oldest son will die. His youngest son will die when he puts up its gates.’


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> was with Joshua, and people all over the land heard all about him. <n>Rahab was a woman who let men pay her to have sex with her. But God saved her. She had believed that he could keep her safe (Hebrews 11:31). Someone wrote this story while she was alive. 


text:
The people of Israel did not do as God had told them through Joshua. Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zimri, son of Zerah of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah, did not obey God. He took some of the things that belonged to God. So God was very angry with the people of Israel.


text:
Now Joshua had sent men from Jericho to Ai. This is a city near to Beth Aven, and east of Bethel. He said to them, ‘Go up and look at the land near there, in secret.’ So, the men went to see what they could find out.


text:
The men came and spoke to Joshua. ‘There are not many men there. Do not make all the people tired. 2000 or 3000 men should be enough to take the city.’ 


text:
And the men of Ai killed about 36 of the <i>Israelites</i>. They ran after the <i>Israelites</i> from the gate of the city to the place where they cut stone for building. They killed them as they ran over the hill. When the people of Israel heard this, they were very frightened. They felt very weak.


text:
Joshua tore his clothes to show that he was very sad. He fell with his face to the ground in front of the <i>ark</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. He stayed there until it began to get dark. The people’s leaders did the same, and put dirt on their heads. 


text:
‘<i>Lord</i>, ruler of all, why did you ever bring this group of people over the Jordan?’ said Joshua. ‘Did you want the Amorites to destroy us? We might have been happy if we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan! 


text:
The Canaanites and other <i>tribes</i> who live here will hear about this. They will come round us and kill us all. No one will give <i>honour</i> to your name.’ 


text:
Israel has <i>sinned</i>. They have not kept their promise. They did not do what I told them. I said that they must destroy everything that was not gold or <i>silver</i> or metal. They have taken some of these things. They took them. Then they said that they had not taken anything. They have hidden them with their own things. 


text:
That is why the <i>Israelites</i> cannot stand against their enemies. They run away from their enemies now. The <i>Israelites</i> have <i>sinned</i> and their enemies can destroy them. You must destroy everything that I told you to destroy. If you do not, then I will not be with you any more.’


text:
‘Get up. Tell the people to make themselves <i>clean</i>. Get ready for tomorrow when you will meet with me. I, the <i>Lord</i> God of Israel say this, “Israel, you have kept some of the things that I told you to destroy. You will not win the fight against your enemies until you have destroyed these things!” 


text:
So tell them that in the morning they will come before me, one <i>tribe</i> at a time. I will choose one <i>tribe</i> to come in front. The groups of that <i>tribe</i> will come before me, one by one. The group that I will choose will come before me, family by family. I will choose a family. Then the men of that family will come before me, one by one. 


text:
I will choose the man who has taken the things. Then you will burn him with the things that he has taken. You are to burn him and all that he has and all his family. He has caused great trouble to Israel. He made them ashamed, because he did not obey me.’


text:
Early the next morning, Joshua made the <i>tribes</i> come in front of him, <i>tribe</i> by <i>tribe</i>. The <i>Lord</i> chose the <i>tribe</i> of Judah. 


text:
Groups of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah came in front of him, and the <i>Lord</i> chose the group of Zerah. Families of the Zerahites came in front of him, and the <i>Lord</i> chose the family of Zimri. 


text:
Joshua made each man of the family of Zimri come in front of him, and the <i>Lord</i> chose Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zimri, son of Zerah, of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah.


text:
Then Joshua spoke to Achan. ‘My son’, he said, ‘give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. Tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.’ 


text:
Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have <i>sinned</i> against the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. This is what I have done. 


text:
I found a beautiful coat from Babylon and about two kilos of <i>silver</i> and a gold bar that weighed half a kilo. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are in the ground under my <i>tent</i>, with the <i>silver</i> under the other things.’ 


text:
So Joshua sent people with a message. They ran to the <i>tent</i>. They found the things that Achan had hidden. The <i>silver</i> was under them. 


text:
They took the things from the <i>tent</i> and brought them to Joshua and the other <i>Israelites</i>. They put them all before the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
Then Joshua and all the people took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the coat, the gold and the <i>silver</i> to the valley of Achor (‘Achor’ means trouble). With him, they took his sons, daughters, cows, sheep and other animals and all that he had. 


text:
Joshua said, ‘Why did you cause us so much trouble? The <i>Lord</i> will give you trouble today!’ Then all Israel threw big stones at him until he died. They killed his family and his animals with him. They also burnt his family and all that he had. 


text:
They put many big stones over him, that are still there. That is why the place is still called ‘Trouble Valley’. Then the <i>Lord</i> was not angry any more.


text:
Then the <i>Lord</i> spoke again. ‘Do not be afraid. Do not think that you are weak’, he said to Joshua. ‘Take the whole army with you and go to attack Ai. I will give the king and all his people and the city and its land to you. 


text:
You must destroy the city and its king as you did Jericho and its king. But this time you may take their good things and all their animals for yourselves. Hide some of your men behind the city.’ 


text:
So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose 30 000 of the best fighting men and sent them out by night. 


text:
‘Listen with great care’, he said. ‘You are to go and hide behind the city. Stay near to it. Be sure to stay awake! 


text:
I will march towards the city with all the other soldiers. The men will come out of the city to fight us, as they did before. Then we will run away. 


text:
They will run after us, until we have gone from the city. They will say, “They are running away from us, as they did before”. So, when we run from them, 


text:
you must get out from your hiding place. You will take the city. The <i>Lord</i> your God will give it to you. 


text:
When you have taken the city, start to burn it. Do what the <i>Lord</i> has told you. See that you obey my words.’


text:
Then Joshua sent the men off. They went to wait and hide to the west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua stayed with the people that night.


text:
Early the next morning, Joshua took all the men together to march towards Ai. He and the leaders of Israel went in front. 


text:
The whole army marched up to the city and stopped in front of it. They put their <i>tents</i> north of Ai. They left a valley between them and the city. 


text:
All the soldiers took their places, ready to fight. Some were north of the city, by their <i>tents</i>. And other soldiers were hiding to the west of the city. That night Joshua went into the valley.


text:
When the king of Ai saw Joshua’s men, the king and his men hurried out of the city. It was early in the morning. They wanted to meet Israel at the same place as before. And they wanted to fight Israel there. But the king of Ai did not know that there were <i>Israelite</i> soldiers hidden behind the city. 


text:
The king told all the men of Ai to run after them. So they ran after Israel and away from their city. 


text:
Not one man remained in Ai or Bethel. They all ran after the <i>Israelite</i> soldiers. <n>In verse 3, Joshua told 30 000 men to hide behind Ai. But in verse 12, Joshua hid 5000 men. It is not clear why these numbers are different. Perhaps Joshua used two different groups of soldiers. 


text:
Then the <i>Lord</i> spoke to Joshua. The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Hold out the throwing stick (a long sharp stick called a ‘javelin’) that is in your hand. Point it towards Ai. I will give the city to you.’ So Joshua held out his throwing stick towards Ai. 


text:
As soon as he did this, the men hiding behind the city came out at once. They quickly ran into the city. They took it and immediately made it burn. 


text:
The men of Ai looked back and saw smoke rise over the city. But they could not run away. The <i>Israelites</i> who had been running away had turned to fight them. 


text:
Joshua and his army had seen that they had taken the city. The men that he had hidden had taken it. Joshua’s army saw the smoke from the burning city. So they turned round and began to fight the men of Ai. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> in the city then came down to join the fight. The men of Israel were all round the men of Ai. They killed all the men of Ai. Nobody could run away. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> killed all the men in the <i>desert</i> and fields where they had run from the fight. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 


text:
Joshua had kept pointing his throwing stick at Ai until his army had killed every person who lived there. 


text:
But the <i>Israelites</i> took the good things and the animals for themselves, as the <i>Lord</i> had told Joshua. 


text:
He hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left his body there until evening. At sunset, Joshua told them to cut the body down and throw it in front of the city gate. They covered it with many stones. These stones are still there today. <n>Joshua reads the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>law</i> to the people</n>


text:
Then Joshua built an <i>altar</i> on Mount Ebal, to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel (‘Mount’ is another name for mountain). 


text:
He made it as Moses had told the <i>Israelites</i>. Moses, the <i>Lord</i>’s servant, had written this in a book. This book, the <i>Law</i> of Moses, told him how it should be made. ‘The <i>altar</i> must be made of stones that had not been cut with iron tools.’ They burnt animals on it to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i>. And they burnt other animals, as ‘fellowship offerings’ to the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> watched Joshua as he made a copy of the <i>Law</i> of Moses on the stones. This was the <i>Law</i> that Moses had written. 


text:
All the <i>Israelites</i> stood on the two sides of the <i>ark</i>, with their faces towards the <i>priests</i> who carried it. The leaders, officers, and <i>judges</i> were there, and the foreign people were with them, too. Half the people stood with their backs to <i>Mount</i> Gerizim. The other half stood with their backs to <i>Mount</i> Ebal. This is how the <i>Lord</i>’s servant, Moses had told them to stand (Deuteronomy 11:29). ‘Stand like this when I am asking the <i>Lord</i> to give you his <i>blessing</i>’, he had said. 


text:
Then Joshua read the whole <i>Law</i> aloud to them. He read the <i>blessings</i> and the <i>curses</i>, as they are written in the book of the <i>Law</i>. Moses had told him how to <i>bless</i> the people of Israel. 


text:
Joshua read every word to the people of Israel. Moses had told him what to read. Joshua read it to the whole people, including the women, children and the foreign people who lived with them. <n>When the people wanted to thank the <i>Lord</i> for something special, they made ‘fellowship offerings’. They gave an animal that people could burn. And they ate a meal together (Leviticus chapter 3 and 7:11-17). <n>The <i>Lord</i> had <i>punished</i> the people of Israel because they did not obey him at Ai. They were very careful to do just what God had told them after that. They were very happy when the <i>Lord</i> helped them to win the fight. When Joshua read the <i>Law</i> to them, they listened with great care. 


text:
When all the kings who lived west of the Jordan heard about these things, they joined together. They were the kings in the hills to the west, and all the places near the Great Sea, as far as Lebanon. (They were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.) 


text:
So they had a clever idea. Some of their men put old bags of food and broken and mended skins of wine (a drink) on their donkeys (animals like small horses for carrying things). 


text:
They had old mended shoes on their feet, and they wore old clothes. The bread that they took for food was dry. It was going bad. 


text:
Then they went to Joshua in the <i>camp</i> at Gilgal. They spoke to him and to the men of Israel. ‘We have come from a land a long way away’, they said. ‘Please let us make a promise not to fight each other.’


text:
But the men of Israel answered the Hivites, ‘Perhaps you live close to us. How then can we make a promise not to destroy you?’


text:
‘We want to <i>serve</i> you’, they said to Joshua. <n>‘Who are you? Where do you come from?’ Joshua asked.


text:
They answered, ‘Your servants have come from a country a very long way away. We heard about your great God. We have heard all about the things that he did in Egypt. 


text:
And we heard what he did to the two kings of the Amorites. Those kings ruled cities east of the Jordan. They were Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan. They ruled in Ashtaroth. 


text:
Our leaders and the people of our land told us to come to see you. Our leaders said, “Take food and wine (a drink) for your journey. Go to meet them, and speak to them. Say to them, ‘We want to <i>serve</i> you, will you promise not to destroy us?’ ” 


text:
This bread of ours was warm when we put it in our bags. That was on the day that we left home to come to you. But see how bad and dry it has become. 


text:
And these skins of wine (a drink) were new, but see how old and mended they are. And our clothes are now old, and our shoes are very thin and mended. They have become old as we made our long journey.’


text:
The men of Israel looked at the food and other things, but they did not ask the <i>Lord</i> for help. 


text:
Then Joshua agreed that they would not kill the people of Gibeon. The leaders of Israel also said that they would keep Joshua’s promise.


text:
So Joshua and the <i>Israelites</i> made a promise to the Gibeonites. Three days later, the <i>Israelites</i> learnt that the Gibeonites lived near to them. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> left their <i>camp</i> to go to the cities of Gibeon. Three days later, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> did not attack them, because of the promise that their leaders had made. They had said to the <i>Lord</i> God of Israel that they would not kill the Gibeonites. <n>All the people of Israel were angry with their leaders. 


text:
The leaders said to them, ‘We have promised the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel, and now we cannot hurt them. 


text:
But this is what we will do. We will let them live, so that God will not <i>punish</i> us for breaking our promise. 


text:
Let them live, but make them cut wood and carry water for us’, they said. This is how the leaders kept their promise to the Gibeonites.


text:
Joshua told the Gibeonites to come to him. ‘Why did you tell me those lies? You said that you lived a long way from us. But you really live near to us’, he said. 


text:
‘Now you will be <i>punished</i>. You will always be our servants. You will cut wood and carry water for the people of our God.’


text:
They answered Joshua, ‘The <i>Lord</i> your God had told Moses to give you the whole land. We had heard that clearly. He told you that you must kill all the people who lived there in front of you. So, we were afraid that you would kill us. That is why we did as we did. 


text:
So Joshua did not let the <i>Israelites</i> kill the Gibeonites, and the <i>Israelites</i> let them live. 


text:
They made the Gibeonites cut wood and fetch water for them. And they would do this for the <i>altar</i> of the <i>Lord</i>, at the place that the <i>Lord</i> would tell them. They are still doing this.


text:
The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard what Joshua had done to Ai and to Jericho and to their kings. He heard that Joshua had destroyed them. He also heard that Israel had promised not to kill the people of Gibeon. They lived near to Joshua<b>.</b> 


text:
The king and his people were very afraid, because Gibeon was an important city. It was like a king’s city and bigger than Ai. All its men fought well. 


text:
So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, asked some other kings to come with him to attack Gibeon. They were Hoham, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmuth, Japhia, king of Lachish and Debir, king of Eglon. 


text:
Adoni-Zedek said to them, ‘Gibeon has promised not to fight Joshua and the <i>Israelites</i>. Please help me to attack Gibeon.’


text:
Then the 5 kings of the Amorites joined together. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. They took their soldiers near to Gibeon, and attacked it.


text:
Then the Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua in the <i>camp</i> at Gilgal. ‘Do not leave us alone. Come quickly and save us. All the Amorite kings from the hills have joined to attack us. We need your help’, they said.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them. I will see that you win the fight. I will not let one of them stand against you.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> made the enemies confused when they saw Israel. Israel won a great fight at Gibeon. Israel ran after their enemies on the road to Beth Horon. Israel went on killing them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> sent stones of hard water on them from the sky as they ran from Beth Horon to Azekah. The <i>Lord</i> killed more men with these stones than the <i>Israelites</i> killed in the fight.


text:
Joshua stood in front of Israel and spoke to the <i>Lord</i> on that day. It was the day that he gave them power over the Amorites. Joshua spoke to the <i>Lord</i> and said, ‘Sun stand still over Gibeon. Moon stand over the valley of Aijalon.’


text:
So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until Israel had <i>punished</i> its enemies. People wrote about this in the book of Jashar. <n>The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not go down for about a whole day. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has never listened to a man like this before or since that day. The <i>Lord</i> must have been fighting for Israel!


text:
Then Joshua and all Israel went back to the <i>camp</i> at Gilgal. <n>The <i>Israelites</i> kill the 5 Amorite kings</n>


text:
He said to his men, ‘Cover the front of the hole with big stones. And put some men there to keep them safe. 


text:
But do not stop. Go on running after your enemies. Attack them from behind, and do not let them reach their cities. Remember that the <i>Lord</i>, your God has promised to give you power over them.’


text:
So Joshua and the <i>Israelites</i> destroyed all of them. Nearly every one died. But the few who were alive reached their strong cities. 


text:
The whole army returned to Joshua in the <i>camp</i> at Makkedah. All the people in the land were too afraid to say anything bad about the <i>Israelites</i>.


text:
So they brought out the kings. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 


text:
They brought the kings to Joshua, and he told the men of Israel to come to him. ‘Put your feet on the necks of the kings’, he said to the officers who had come with him. They did as he told them.


text:
Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Be very strong and brave. This is what the <i>Lord</i> will do to all the enemies that you are going to fight.’ 


text:
Then he hit and killed the kings. The <i>Israelites</i> hung the dead kings on 5 trees until the evening.


text:
At sunset, Joshua told his men to take the kings down from the trees. ‘Throw them into the hole in the hill where they were hiding’, he said. They put big stones over the front of the hole, and they are still there.


text:
That day Joshua attacked Makkedah and took it, with its king. He destroyed everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. He did to the king of Makkedah what he had done to the king of Jericho. <n>Joshua attacks cities in the south</n>


text:
The <i>Lord</i> gave them power over that city and its king. Joshua destroyed the city and everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. They did to the king as they had done to the king of Jericho.


text:
After this, Joshua and all the <i>Israelites</i> went on from Libnah to Lachish. They attacked it from all sides. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> gave them power over Lachish. And Joshua took the city on the 2nd day. They left no one alive, as they had done at Libnah. They killed everyone in the city. 


text:
King Horam of Gezer came to help Lachish. But Joshua fought and destroyed him and his army. He killed them all.


text:
and took it. They killed the king and all the people there, and the people in the towns near to it. Joshua destroyed the whole city, as he had done to Eglon. He did not leave anyone alive.


text:
He attacked it and took it with all the towns near to it. They killed everyone there. Joshua did to Debir and its king what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.


text:
So Joshua took the whole land. He took the hill country, the hills of the east and the west and the dry country in the south. He took them with their kings. He killed all the people who lived there. He did not leave anyone alive. The <i>Lord</i> God of Israel had told him to do this. 


text:
Joshua had fought from Kadesh Barnea in the south to Gaza near the sea. This included all of Goshen as far as Gibeon in the north. 


text:
Joshua won this long list of fights with all these kings and their cities. He won them because the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 


text:
Jabin, king of Hazor, heard what had happened. So, he sent messengers (people with a message) to Jobab, king of Madon, and to the kings of Shimron and of Acshaph. 


text:
And he sent to the kings of the mountains in the north, in the Arabah, south of Kinnereth. And he sent messengers to the little hills in the west, and Naphoth Dor on the west. 


text:
Messengers went to the Canaanites in the east and in the west. They went to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hills. And he sent them to the Hivites who lived by Hermon near Mizpah. 


text:
All these kings came with their soldiers and many horses and <i>chariots</i>. It was a great big army. The soldiers were as many as there are bits of sand by the sea. 


text:
The kings all joined together and made a <i>camp</i> by the Waters of Merom. They wanted to fight against Israel.


text:
‘Do not be afraid of them’, the <i>Lord</i> said to Joshua. ‘I will give you all of them. You will kill them all by this time tomorrow. You must cut the backs of the horses’ legs, and burn the <i>chariots</i>.’


text:
and the <i>Lord</i> helped the <i>Israelites</i> to win the fight. Israel ran after them as far as Sidon, Misrephoth Maim and the valley of Mizpah. They went east until they had killed all their enemies. 


text:
Joshua did to them as the <i>Lord</i> had said. He cut the backs of the legs of the horses and burnt their <i>chariots</i>.


text:
Then Joshua went back and took Hazor. He killed its king. (Hazor had been most important <i>kingdom</i> over all the <i>kingdoms</i> who were against Israel.) 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> killed everyone who lived there. They killed everything in the city that was alive. They burned the city and destroyed it.


text:
Joshua took all these cities and killed all their kings. He destroyed them all, as God’s servant Moses had told him to do. 


text:
But Israel did not burn all the cities built on small hills, except Hazor. Joshua did burn this one. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> took all the animals and good things from the cities, but killed all the people. They did not let one of them live, but destroyed them all. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> told Moses what to do. Then Moses told Joshua what the <i>Lord</i> had said. Joshua did what Moses told him to do. Joshua did not forget anything. He did everything that the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses.


text:
So Joshua took all these places. He took the hills, the dry country in the south, all of Goshen and the little hills in the west. He took the Arabah and the mountains and hills of Israel. 


text:
These were from <i>Mount</i> Halak near Seir to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon, below <i>Mount</i> Hermon. He took all their kings and killed them all. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> had made all the peoples want to fight Israel. This was so that the <i>Lord</i> could destroy them all. He did not let them live. This was what the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses. 


text:
Joshua went at that time to fight the Anakites from the hills. They came from Hebron, Debir and Anab and all the hills of Judah and Israel. Joshua destroyed them all, and all their towns. 


text:
So Joshua took the whole country, as the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses. The <i>Lord</i> gave the country to Israel to live in. Joshua gave each <i>tribe</i> its own part. <n>Then the people did not have to fight any more.


text:
Israel killed these kings. They destroyed them and took their land. It was east of the Jordan, from the Arnon valley to <i>Mount</i> Hermon. All of it was on the east side of the Arabah.


text:
Sihon, king of the Amorites, was king of Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer by the middle of the Arnon valley to the Jabbok River. This is near the land of the Ammonites. It included half of Gilead. 


text:
Sihon ruled the east of the Arabah from the sea of Kinnereth to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). And he ruled as far as Beth Jeshimoth and to where <i>Mount</i> Pisgah begins.


text:
And he ruled <i>Mount</i> Hermon, Salecah and all of Bashan as far as Geshur and Maacah. He ruled the half of Gilead to the edge of Sihon’s <i>kingdom</i> of Heshbon.


text:
Moses, the servant of the <i>Lord</i>, and the <i>Israelites</i> won the fight with these kings. He gave their land to the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh to live in.


text:
Joshua and the <i>Israelites</i> killed these kings on the west side of the Jordan. They ruled from Baal Gad in the Lebanon valley to <i>Mount</i> Halak, which is near Seir. (Joshua gave each <i>tribe</i> a special part of the land.) 


text:
This was in the hills and in the little hills in the west. And they ruled the Arabah, the sides of the mountains, and the <i>desert</i> and the Negev. They ruled all the land that had belonged to the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 


text:
Joshua was very old and had lived for many years. The <i>Lord</i> said to him, ‘You are old. There is still a lot of land that you have not taken. This is the land left for you to take. 


text:
and of the Avvim on the south. (The land from the Shihor river east of Egypt to the edge of Ekron’s land on the north was part of Canaan. The Philistines lived in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.) 


text:
You must take all the land of the Canaanites and Mearah, (which belonged to the people of Sidon). This is the land as far as Aphek, by the edge of the land of the Amorites. 


text:
You have to take the land of the Gebalites and all of Lebanon to the east. That is from Baal Gad below <i>Mount</i> Hermon to Lebo Hamath.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Joshua, ‘I, myself will push out the people of Sidon in front of the <i>Israelites</i>. They will leave the mountains of Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim. You must give this land to Israel, as I have told you. 


text:
Each of the 9 <i>tribes</i>, and the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh is to have its own part.’ <n>How Joshua gave each <i>tribe</i> its own land</n>


text:
Moses had already given land to the Reubenites, Gadites and the other half of Manasseh. It was east of the Jordan, as Moses, the servant of God, had said.


text:
It was from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. It included all the flat land of Medeba to Dibon. 


text:
And it included all the towns of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. It went to the edge of the land of the Amorites<b>.</b> 


text:
It included the land of Gilead, and of the people of Geshur and Maacah. And it included all of <i>Mount</i> Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah. 


text:
(That was the <i>kingdom</i> of Og in Bashan.) Og had ruled Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was one of the last of the Rephaim (a group of very large people called giants). Moses had won a fight with them and had taken their land. 


text:
But the <i>Israelites</i> did not send away the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they still live there among the <i>Israelites</i>.


text:
Moses had given no land to the <i>tribe</i> of Levi. This was because God had made them a promise. He had said that the other <i>tribes</i> must give them the burnt <i>offerings</i> made to the <i>Lord</i> God of Israel. This was the part for the <i>Levites</i>.


text:
He gave them the land from Aroer by the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. 


text:
And he gave them all of the flat land past Medeba in Heshbon. It included Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 


text:
Moses gave Beth Peor, and the sides of <i>Mount</i> Pisgah and Beth Jeshimoth town to the <i>tribe</i> of Reuben. 


text:
And he gave them all the towns on the flat land. He gave them all the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Sihon had ruled from Hebron. But Moses had won the fight with him, and the Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. These kings had lived in that place, and ruled with Sihon. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> had killed Balaam, son of Beor, when they had killed soldiers in the fight. He had wanted to help Balak to fight against Israel (Numbers 22). 


text:
The end of the land of the Reubenites was by the river Jordan. Moses gave these towns and their villages to the <i>tribe</i> of Reuben to live in, family by family.


text:
Moses gave Gad the towns in the valley: Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon. He gave them the rest of the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon. (This was on the east of the Jordan, to the end of the sea of Kinnereth.) 


text:
This is the land that Moses gave to half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. That is, half the families of the sons of Manasseh, family by family.


text:
He gave them the land from Mahanaim, the land of Bashan, all the land ruled by Og, king of Bashan. It included all the 60 towns of Jair in Bashan. 


text:
And it included half of Gilead, Ashtaroth and Edrei. (These were the cities that belonged to Og in Bashan.) This was for half the sons of Makir, son of Manasseh, family by family.


text:
Moses gave land to these <i>tribes</i> while he was in the flat land of Moab, east of Jericho. He was across the Jordan then. 


text:
Moses gave no land to the <i>tribe</i> of Levi. The <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel, was their part. This is what he had promised to do for them.


text:
Eleazar the <i>priest</i>, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the families of Israel chose different parts of the land for each <i>tribe</i>. This is how they did it. 


text:
The leaders used <i>lots</i> to decide which parts of the land God had chosen for each of the 9 and a half <i>tribes</i> left. This is what the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses to do. 


text:
Moses had already given the two and a half <i>tribes</i> land east of the river Jordan. But he had not given any land to the <i>Levites</i>. 


text:
(The <i>tribe</i> of Joseph was now two <i>tribes</i>, Manasseh and Ephraim.) The leaders gave the <i>Levites</i> towns to live in, with enough land near them to feed their animals. 


text:
The leaders of the <i>Israelites</i> gave a part of the land to each <i>tribe</i>, as the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses. <n>Joshua gives Hebron to Caleb</n>


text:
Some of the men of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh, spoke to Joshua. He said, ‘You know what God said to Moses the man of God, about you and me, at Kadesh Barnea. 


text:
I was 40 years old when he sent me from there to explore the land. And I brought him a report that was true, and I was sure that we could take the land. 


text:
The other men who went with us made the people afraid (Numbers 13:26-33). But I did only what the <i>Lord</i> wanted us to do. 


text:
So Moses made me a promise on that day. Moses said, “The land that your feet have walked on will always belong to you and to your children. This is because you have done everything as the <i>Lord</i> told you” ’ (Deuteronomy 1:34-36).


text:
Caleb said to Joshua, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has kept me alive for the 45 years since Moses said this. Israel was walking about the <i>desert</i> for all this time. Now I am 85 years old. 


text:
I am still as strong as I was on the day that Moses sent me out. I can fight as well now as I could then. 


text:
Now then, give to me this hill country that the <i>Lord</i> promised to me. You heard that the Anakites were there then. And you heard that their cities were large and strong. But the <i>Lord</i> will help me to push them out. The <i>Lord</i> said that he would.’


text:
Then Joshua asked the <i>Lord</i> to <i>bless</i> Caleb, son of Jephunneh. And he gave Hebron to him as his part of the land. 


text:
So Hebron has belonged to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite since that day. He had done everything as the <i>Lord</i> had told him to do. So Joshua gave him the land. 


text:
(Hebron had been called ‘Kiriath Arba’ after Arba, the most important man among the Anakites.) <n>The fighting in the land ended after this.


text:
Joshua gave the land from the edge of Edom to the <i>Desert</i> of Zin to the families of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah, family by family. The <i>desert</i> was at the south of the land.


text:
across the south side of the Scorpion valley, to Zin. He also gave them land south of Kadesh Barnea, as far as Hebron. The edge of their land continued past Addar, round to Karka 


text:
The Salt Sea was the edge of Judah to the east as far as the mouth of the river Jordan. <n>The north edge of Judah was from the mouth of the Jordan 


text:
to Beth Hoglah. Then it went north of Beth Arabah to the stone of Bohan. (Bohan was the son of Reuben.) 


text:
The edge of Judah’s land went from the valley of Achor to Debir. Then it went north to Gilgal. Gilgal is opposite the path of Adummim on the south side of the valley. The edge of Judah then reached to the water <i>springs</i> of En Shemesh to En Rogel. 


text:
From there it went through the valley of Hinnom to the south side of a hill by the Jebusite city of Jerusalem. The edge of Judah continued to the top of the hill on the west side of the Hinnom valley. This was at the north end of the valley of Rephaim. 


text:
From there it went to the <i>springs</i> of Nephtoah and on to the cities near <i>Mount</i> Ephron. It went towards Baalah (or Kiriath Jearim). 


text:
From there it went round Baalah towards the hills of Edom. It went north of <i>Mount</i> Jearim (or Kesalon) down to Beth Shemesh, and on past Timnah. 


text:
The edge of Judah went out to the hills north of Ekron, then towards Shikkeron. It went past <i>Mount</i> Baalah to Jabneel. The land of Judah ended at the sea<b>.</b> 


text:
The sea was the west edge of Judah’s land. <n>The families of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah lived inside this land. <n>Achan and his family had died in the valley of Achor. They had taken things from Jericho. But the <i>Lord</i> had said that they must destroy those things (Joshua 7:24). So, the valley was called ‘Trouble Valley’. <n>Caleb takes the cities of Hebron and Debir (Judges 1:11-15)</n>


text:
The <i>Lord</i> had told Joshua to give Caleb, son of Jephunneh, part of Judah’s land. (He belonged to the <i>tribe</i> of Judah.) Joshua gave him Hebron, the city of Arba. Arba was the father of Anak. 


text:
Othniel was the son of Caleb’s brother, Kenaz. He took Kiriath Sepher, so Caleb gave him his daughter to marry.


text:
Acsah spoke to Othniel one day. She wanted him to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey (an animal like a small horse). ‘What can I do for you?’ Caleb asked her.


text:
‘Be very kind to me’, she said. ‘You have given me land in the dry country in the south, so please will you give me some <i>springs</i> of water, too?’ So Caleb gave her the higher and lower <i>springs</i>.


text:
Also he gave them Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah, (or Gederothaim). There were 14 towns and villages.


text:
Also he gave them Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah. There were 16 towns and their villages.


text:
And he gave them Ashdod and Gaza with their houses and villages. They had the land as far as the valley of Egypt, and to the Great Sea.


text:
Judah could not push the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. So, Jebusites still live there with the people of Judah.


text:
Joshua gave some land east of Jericho to the <i>tribes</i> of Joseph. Their land started at the Jordan and went through the <i>desert</i> into the hills of Bethel. 


text:
Their land continued to the west, to the land of the Japhletites by lower Beth Horon. It ended near the sea, by Gezer.


text:
Joshua gave this land to Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph. It was for them and their families.


text:
Joshua gave this land to the families of Ephraim: <n>The edge of their land was from Ataroth Addar in the east to Beth Horon. 


text:
Then it continued to the west. Michmethath was north of their land. East of Michmethath, the edge of their land went past Taanath Shiloh on the east to Janoah. 


text:
From Tappuah, the edge of their land continued to the west to the little river Kanah. From there, it continued to the sea. Joshua gave all this land to the families of the <i>tribe</i> of Ephraim. 


text:
But the <i>tribe</i> of Ephraim did not push out the Canaanite people who lived in Gezer. Canaanite people still live there, but they have to work as slaves to the Ephraimites.


text:
Joshua gave part of the land west of the river Jordan to some families of the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. Manasseh was Joseph’s oldest son. Manasseh’s oldest son was Makir, father of Gilead. He had fought very bravely, so Joshua gave him Gilead and Bashan, east of the Jordan. 


text:
He gave land west of the Jordan to all the other families of Manasseh. These were: Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. They were all sons of Manasseh, and heads of their families. 


text:
Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, had no sons. He had only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 


text:
They went to see Eleazar, the <i>priest</i> and Joshua, son of Nun and the leaders. They said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> told Moses to give us part of the land. We must have land like the sons of other families.’ So, Eleazar and Joshua gave them land, like the other families. 


text:
That is why they gave Manasseh 10 parts of the land as well as Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan. 


text:
They gave some daughters of Manasseh land as well as his sons. They gave the land of Gilead to the rest of the families of Manasseh.


text:
The edge of the land of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath east of Shechem. It went south to include En Tappuah. 


text:
The edge of Manasseh’s land went down to the little river of Kanah. The cities south of the river that belonged to Ephraim were in Manasseh’s land. The edge of Manasseh’s land was along the north side of the river to the sea. 


text:
Ephraim was south of the river, and Manasseh to the north. The sea was to the west of them both. Asher was north and west of them, and Issachar to the north and east. 


text:
Beth Shan and Ibleam and the towns near them that belonged to Manasseh were in the lands of Issachar and Asher. Dor (by the sea), Endor, Taanach, Megiddo and the towns near them also belonged to Manasseh. 


text:
But the people of Manasseh could not push out the people who lived in those cities. So the Canaanite people went on living there. 


text:
Some of them continued to live there, even when the people of Israel became strong. But the <i>Israelites</i> made the Canaanites work for them. <n>Joseph’s sons ask for more land</n>


text:
Joseph’s sons asked Joshua, ‘Why have you given us only one part of the land to live in? The <i>Lord</i> has been good to us, and there are very many of us.’


text:
Joshua said to them, ‘If there are so many of you, and the hills of Ephraim are too small for you, take more land. Cut down trees in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.’


text:
They replied, ‘The hills are not big enough for us. But the Canaanites in Beth Shan and its towns and in the valley of Jezreel have iron <i>chariots</i>.’


text:
Joshua said to the <i>tribes</i> of Ephraim and Manasseh, ‘There certainly are a lot of you. And you are very strong. I will give you more than one part. 


text:
You will have the hills. They are full of trees, but you will cut them down. You will take the land from one end to the other. I know that the Canaanites are a strong people. They have iron <i>chariots</i>, but you will push the Canaanites out.’


text:
All the people of Israel met together at Shiloh. There they put up the <i>tent</i> where they met with God. They now ruled all the land. 


text:
Joshua asked them, ‘The <i>Lord</i>, the God of your fathers, has given you the land. How long will you wait before you take it?’ 


text:
Choose 3 men from each <i>tribe</i>. I will send them to look at all the land, and to see what it is like. They must say what they find in each part. Then they must come back to me. 


text:
You must make it into 7 parts. Judah is to stay in its land to the south, and Joseph’s people are to remain in their land in the north. 


text:
You must write down what each of the 7 parts look like. Then I will ask God to help me to choose which part I will give to each <i>tribe</i>. I will use <i>lots</i> to decide. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> will not have any of the 7 parts of the land. This is because their part is to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i> God. And Gad, Reuben and half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh already have land on the east side of the river Jordan. Moses, the servant of the <i>Lord</i>, gave it to them.’


text:
The chosen men started to go to describe the land. ‘Go and look at the land. Write down what you find’, Joshua told them. ‘Then come back to me in Shiloh. I will use the <i>lots</i> in front of the <i>Lord</i> here.’ 


text:
So the men left and went all through the land. They wrote about each town in a book. They wrote about each of the 7 parts of the land. Then they went back to Joshua in the <i>tents</i> at Shiloh. 


text:
At Shiloh, Joshua stood in front of the <i>Lord</i>. He used the <i>lots</i> to decide which part of the land each <i>tribe</i> should have. <n>Benjamin’s part of the land</n>


text:
The <i>lot</i> showed that the first part of the land was for Benjamin, family by family. It was between the land that Joshua gave to the <i>tribes</i> of Judah and Joseph.


text:
The north side of their land began at the river Jordan, and went up the hills to the north of Jericho. From there it went west into the hills, to the <i>desert</i> of Beth Aven. 


text:
The edge of their land went on to the south of Luz (that is Bethel) to Ataroth Addar. That is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.


text:
From this hill, the edge of their land went south along the west side to Kiriath Baal (that is Kiriath Jearim). This town belonged to the people of Judah. This was the west edge of Benjamin’s land.


text:
Then it went to the foot of the hill across the Valley of Ben Hinnom. This was north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom valley south of the Jebusite city to En Rogel. 


text:
Then it went north to En Shemesh. It went on to Geliloth, opposite the valley of Adummim. Then it went to the stone of Bohan, son of Reuben. 


text:
Then it went north of Ben Hoglah to the north end of the Salt Sea. This was at the south end of the river Jordan. This was the south edge of Benjamin’s land.


text:
The Jordan was the west edge of their land. <n>These are the edges of the land that Joshua gave to the families of the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin.


text:
These are the cities that Joshua gave to the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin: <n>Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 


text:
Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath. These were 14 towns and their villages. <n>Joshua gave these cities to the families of Benjamin’s <i>tribe</i>, to live in.


text:
The second <i>lot</i> showed that the next part of the land was for the <i>tribe</i> of Simeon. Joshua gave their families some of the land that he had given to Judah. 


text:
This included all the villages near them as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev). <n>This is the land that Joshua gave to the families of the <i>tribe</i> of Simeon. 


text:
He took Simeon’s land from Judah’s land. Judah did not need all the land that Joshua had given to them. So the <i>tribe</i> of Simeon lived inside the land that Joshua had given to Judah. <n>Joshua gives land to Zebulun</n>


text:
The <i>lot</i> showed that the next part of the land was for Zebulun. The edge of it went as far as Sarid. 


text:
From Sarid, the edge of their land went east to the land of Kisloth Tabor. Then it went to Daberath and up to Japhia. 


text:
Twelve (12) towns and their villages were in this part of the land. They were Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem.


text:
Joshua gave these towns and their villages to families of the <i>tribe</i> of Zebulun. <n>Joshua gives land to Issachar</n>


text:
The edge of their land touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh and ended at the river Jordan. Joshua gave them 16 towns and their villages.


text:
Joshua gave these towns and their villages to the families of the <i>tribe</i> of Issachar. <n>Joshua gives land to Asher</n>


text:
Then it went east towards Beth Dagon, to touch Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah El. Then the edge of their land went north to Beth Emek and Neiel. It passed the left side of Cabul. 


text:
Then the edge went back towards Ramah to the strong city of Tyre. Then it turned to Hosah and ended at the sea near Aczib, 


text:
These towns and villages Joshua gave to the families of Asher’s <i>tribe</i>. <n>Joshua gives land to Naphtali</n>


text:
The edge of their land went from Heleph and the big tree in Zaanannim past Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum. It ended at the river Jordan. 


text:
Another edge went west through Aznoth Tabor to Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on its south side, Asher on its west and the Jordan on its east side. 


text:
Joshua gave these towns and villages to the families of Naphtali. <n>Joshua gives land to the <i>tribe</i> of Dan</n>


text:
(But the people of Dan could not take their land, so they went to attack Leshem. They took it and killed its people and lived there themselves. They called the city Dan, after their father.)


text:
Joshua gave these towns and their villages to the families of Dan’s <i>tribe</i>. <n>The <i>Israelites</i> give land to Joshua</n>


text:
When Joshua had given all the <i>tribes</i> their land, the <i>Israelites</i> gave Joshua son of Nun his own land. 


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i> had told them to do. He asked for the town Timnah Serah in the hills of Ephraim. And they gave it to him. He built up the town and went to live there.


text:
This is the list of all the lands that they gave to each <i>tribe</i>. The <i>lots</i> showed Eleazar the <i>priest</i>, Joshua son of Nun and the leaders which land was for each <i>tribe</i>. They did this by the <i>tent</i> of meeting, in front of the <i>Lord</i>. So they finished giving each <i>tribe</i> a part of the land.


text:
Anyone can be safe in these cities if he has killed someone. But he will only be safe if he had not meant to kill that person. The person who killed a man or woman can run to that city. The person will be safe. They will not let the brother of the dead person kill him there (Numbers 35:6-34). <n>The <i>law</i> of Moses said that any man who killed a person must die. The brother or cousin of the dead person had to kill him (Leviticus 24:17-18). 


text:
The man who killed someone must go to the city. When he arrives, he must stand in the gate of the city. There he must tell the leaders what he has done. Then they must let him go in. And they must give him a place to live and stay there. 


text:
The brother of the dead person may follow the man who killed his brother or sister. The leaders must not let the brother hurt that man. This is because he did not mean to kill the dead man. He did not want to hurt him. 


text:
The man who killed must stay in that city. He may have told them what is true. The <i>judges</i> there will decide. Then he must wait until the High <i>Priest</i> of that time dies. After that, he is free to return to the town that he came from.’


text:
So they chose these towns: Kedesh in Galilee, in the hills of Naphtali, Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hills of Judah.


text:
They chose other cities east of the river Jordan and to the east of the flat land near Jericho: Bezer in the flat <i>desert</i> land of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the <i>tribe</i> of Gad, Golan in Bashan in the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh.


text:
Any <i>Israelite</i> or foreign person living in Israel could run to these cities. They may have killed someone, but had not meant to kill them. They could run to these cities. Then the brother of the dead person could not kill them. The <i>judges</i> had to decide whether they had meant to kill or not. Nobody could kill them before this.


text:
The fathers of the <i>Levite</i> families came to speak to Joshua. They came with the leaders of all the other <i>tribes</i>. 


text:
They met at Shiloh in Canaan. ‘The <i>Lord</i> told Moses that you must give us towns to live in’, they said. ‘And we must have land to feed our animals.’ 


text:
So the <i>Israelites</i> did as the <i>Lord</i> had told them. They gave them towns with land from the land that belonged to their <i>tribes</i>.


text:
They gave towns first to the Kohathite family. They gave them 13 towns from the <i>tribes</i> of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. They gave these to <i>Levites</i> from the family of Aaron, the <i>priest</i>. 


text:
They gave to the other Kohathites, towns from the <i>tribes</i> of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.


text:
Then they gave 13 towns to the family of Gershon. The <i>tribes</i> of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half of Manasseh in Bashan gave them these towns.


text:
They gave 12 towns to the families of Merari. The <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun gave them these.


text:
So the people of Israel gave these towns and the land and fields near to them to the families of Levi’s <i>tribe</i>. They did as the <i>Lord</i> had told Moses.


text:
They gave them Kiriath Arba (or Hebron), with land near to it, in the hills of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 


text:
Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh with their land and fields. These two <i>tribes</i> gave them 9 towns. 


text:
The half <i>tribe</i> of west Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon with their fields. They gave them two towns.


text:
They gave the <i>Levites</i> of Gershon’s family the towns of Golan in Bashan, a safe city, and Be Eshtarah, two cities with their fields. The half <i>tribe</i> of east Manasseh gave them these. 


text:
The <i>tribe</i> of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee, a safe city, Hammoth Dor and Kartan with their fields. They gave them these 3 cities.


text:
The other <i>Levites</i> that did not have any towns were the Merarite family. The <i>tribe</i> of Zebulun gave to them the towns of Jokneam, Kartah, 


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> gave all the land to the people of Israel. He had promised it to their fathers. They took it and lived there. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> gave them rest, as he had promised. None of the people round Israel attacked them. Not one of their enemies could win a fight with them. The <i>Lord</i> helped them to win all their fights. 


text:
Then Joshua called together the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. 


text:
Joshua said, ‘You have done all that Moses, the servant of the <i>Lord</i>, told you to do’ (Numbers 32:20-22). He said, ‘And you have obeyed me. You have done everything that I told you to do. 


text:
You have helped your brothers, for a long time. You have stayed even to this day. And you have done the work that the <i>Lord</i> gave you to do. 


text:
Now your brothers have finished fighting for their land, as the <i>Lord</i> promised them. So you can go to your homes on the other side of the river Jordan. Moses, the <i>Lord</i>’s servant gave them to you. 


text:
But you must be very careful to keep the rules and the <i>law</i> that he gave you. This <i>law</i> says that you must love the <i>Lord</i> your God. And you must keep the rules that he gave to you. You must do everything that he tells you. And you must believe him. You must <i>serve</i> him with everything that you have.’


text:
Joshua then <i>blessed</i> them and sent them away to their homes. Moses had given land in Bashan to half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. 


text:
(But Joshua had given land on the west side of the Jordan to the other half of the <i>tribe</i>, with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he <i>blessed</i> them. 


text:
‘Go back to your homes with the good things that you took from your enemies’, he said. ‘Take many animals, gold and other metals and rich clothes. You and your brothers must each have a part of these things.’


text:
So the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh left their brothers there in Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead, their own land. Moses had given them this land, as the <i>Lord</i> had told him.


text:
The two and a half <i>tribes</i> came to Geliloth, near the Jordan, in Canaan. They built a big <i>altar</i> there, by the river Jordan. 


text:
When the other <i>Israelites</i> heard that they had built an <i>altar</i> at the edge of Canaan, at Geliloth, they were angry. It was on the side of the Jordan that the <i>Israelites</i> had. 


text:
So the <i>Israelites</i> sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar the <i>priest</i>, to the land of Gilead. He went to see Reuben, Gad and the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. 


text:
They sent 10 of the leaders with him. They chose one man from each of the <i>tribes</i> of Israel. Each man was the leader of his own family group.


text:
They said, ‘You have not obeyed the <i>Lord</i> God of Israel. All the people of Israel are saying this. Why have you built an <i>altar</i>? The <i>Lord</i> said that you must not do this (Deuteronomy 13:13-14). You are turning away from him. 


text:
The <i>sin</i> at Peor was bad (Numbers 23:27-29). We still feel bad about it and God made us all sick to <i>punish</i> us. 


text:
Now you seem to be doing another thing that is wrong.’ <n>The leaders said, ‘You might do something that is wrong today. The <i>Lord</i> will be angry with all the people of Israel tomorrow. 


text:
If your land here is not <i>clean</i>, come back to the <i>Lord</i>’s land. And we will give you some of it. The <i>Lord</i>’s <i>tent</i> is there. Do not turn against the <i>Lord</i> or against us. Do not build an <i>altar</i> for yourselves that is not for the <i>Lord</i> our God. 


text:
When Achan, son of Zerah, took things that belonged to God, he became angry with all the people of Israel. Achan was not the only one that died’ (Joshua 7:1).


text:
They said, ‘God, the <i>Lord</i>, is the great one. God the <i>Lord</i>! He knows! So let all Israel know! <i>Punish</i> us today if we have done anything against the <i>Lord</i>. We have not done anything that he told us not to do. 


text:
We did not build our own <i>altar</i> to burn animals or food, or to give gifts to God. If we did anything wrong, may the <i>Lord punish</i> us himself.’


text:
They also said, ‘No! We had a very different idea. We were afraid that in later times, your children might speak to ours. They might say, “You have nothing to do with the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> put the Jordan between us and your <i>tribes</i>, Reuben and Gad. You do not belong to the <i>Lord</i>!” So your children might stop our children from <i>worshipping</i> the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
That is why we said, “Let us build an <i>altar</i>”. It will not be an altar where we burn food. And it will not be an altar where we give things to God. 


text:
But it will help us and you, and our children and your children, to remember to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> at his <i>tent</i>. We will burn animals and seeds and give him gifts there. Then, in later years, your children will not tell our children that they do not belong to the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
We said, “If they say this to us, we will answer them. We will say ‘Look at this <i>altar</i>. It is a copy of the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>altar</i>. It is not for burning food or giving gifts to the <i>Lord</i>. Our fathers built it so that we should remember that we are all part of Israel’ ”.


text:
We never wanted to turn away from the <i>Lord</i>. We wanted to do the things that please him. We would never burn anything at an <i>altar</i> that was not the <i>altar</i> of the <i>Lord</i> our God. His <i>altar</i> stands in front of his <i>tent</i>.’


text:
Phinehas the <i>priest</i> and the leaders (the men from each <i>tribe</i> of Israel) heard this. They were pleased with what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had told them. 


text:
They said to them, ‘You have not done anything that would not please the <i>Lord</i>. So today we know that the <i>Lord</i> is with us. Now he will not be angry with us.’


text:
Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the <i>priest</i> and the leaders went back to Canaan. They told the <i>Israelites</i> what had happened when they had met the men of Reuben and Gad. 


text:
They were happy to hear about it, and gave thanks to God. They did not talk about fighting them any more. They would not destroy the land where the two and a half <i>tribes</i> lived.


text:
Reuben and Gad gave the <i>altar</i> a name. They called it ‘Remember, all of us, that the <i>Lord</i> is God’.


text:
After many years had passed, Joshua was very old. The <i>Lord</i> had given the people of Israel a time with no fighting. Their enemies who lived near them all did not attack them any more. 


text:
Joshua called all the people to him with their leaders, <i>judges</i> and officers. He said to them, ‘I am old, many years old. 


text:
You, yourselves, have seen what the <i>Lord</i> has done to these peoples, to help you. It was the <i>Lord</i> who fought them for you. 


text:
Remember how I have given each of your <i>tribes</i> a special part of the land. Some other people still live there. I fought for this land and took it from the peoples near you. The land is between the river Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> himself will push the people out of the land. He will push them out in front of you, and you will live in their land. He promised that he would do this.


text:
Be very strong. Do everything that Moses told you to do in his Book of the <i>Law</i>. Obey his rules. Do not turn away from them even a little bit. 


text:
Do not become friends of the peoples who are near you. Do not call out to their gods. Do not use their names to show that you mean what you say. You must not <i>serve</i> them or <i>worship</i> them. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has pushed out big and strong peoples in front of you. No one has been strong enough to stand against you. 


text:
One of you has sent away 1000 men. This is because the <i>Lord</i> your God fought for you, as he promised. 


text:
Joshua said to all the people, ‘But you may turn away to join with other peoples, those that are left among you. Perhaps you will marry some of them, or mix with them. 


text:
Then you may be sure that the <i>Lord</i> your God will no more push them out in front of you. Instead, they will catch you and hurt you. They will be like hard sticks on your backs and sharp stones in your eyes. Then you will lose this good land that the <i>Lord</i> your God has given to you.


text:
Now I am going to die, as all men do. The <i>Lord</i> has kept every one of the promises that he gave to you. You know that deep in yourselves. He has not failed to keep one of them. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has kept every good promise. And he will also keep the promise to trouble you and to destroy you. He will send you away from this good land that he has given you. 


text:
He will do this if you do not keep the rules that he gave you. If you do not obey him, he will be very angry with you. If you go to <i>serve</i> other gods and <i>worship</i> them, you will soon die out from this good land.


text:
Joshua called all the <i>tribes</i> together at Shechem. He made all the men with authority to stand in front of God. They were the leaders, officers and <i>judges</i>.


text:
Joshua spoke to the people. He said, ‘This is what the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel says, “A long time ago, your fathers lived across the river Euphrates, and <i>worshipped</i> other gods. Your fathers included Terah and his sons, Abraham and Nahor. 


text:
But I took Abraham from that land and brought him all through Canaan. I gave him many sons and daughters. I gave him Isaac, 


text:
and I gave to Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir (Edom) to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.


text:
I sent Moses and Aaron to the <i>Israelites</i> in Egypt and did many things to the people of Egypt to make them let you go. 


text:
When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you reached the Red Sea. The Egyptians went after them with men on horses and in <i>chariots</i> as far as the Sea. 


text:
But your fathers cried to the <i>Lord</i> for help. He made it dark between them and the Egyptians, and made the river water cover your enemies. You saw what I did to the Egyptians with your own eyes. Then you lived in the <i>desert</i> for a long time.


text:
I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the river Jordan. They fought you, but I helped you to win the fight. I destroyed them in front of you, and you took their land. 


text:
Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, got ready to fight you. When he did this, he asked Balaam, son of Beor, to ask me to hurt you. 


text:
But I would not listen to Balaam. So Balaam <i>blessed</i> you and went on <i>blessing</i> you. And I saved you from the king of Moab.


text:
Then you went across the Jordan and came to Jericho. You fought with the people of Jericho and with the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites. I helped you to win all those fights. 


text:
I made them very afraid of you so they ran away from you. And so did the two kings of the Amorites. You did not do this on your own. 


text:
So I gave you a land that you had not worked for. I gave you houses that you did not build. You live in the houses. You eat fruit from plants and trees that you did not plant.” ’


text:
Joshua said, ‘Now you must give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>, and <i>serve</i> him. You must always do only what he says. Throw away the gods that your fathers <i>worshipped</i> across the Euphrates and in Egypt. <i>Worship</i> the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
But if you do not want to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>, you may choose other gods. You may <i>serve</i> the gods that your fathers <i>served</i> across the river. Or <i>serve</i> the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. But I and my family, we will <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>.’


text:
We and our fathers were slaves in Egypt. But the <i>Lord</i> our God brought us out from there. We saw the great things that he did there. He kept us safe all the time on our journey. He saved us from other peoples. 


text:
He went in front of us. He pushed out the Amorites and the other people who lived in the land. So we, too, will <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>, because he is our God.’


text:
Joshua answered them, ‘But you cannot <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>. He is a <i>holy</i> God. He will not forget if you turn away from him. He will not <i>forgive</i> your <i>sins</i>. 


text:
If you leave him and <i>serve</i> other gods, he will turn round and <i>punish</i> you. He will destroy you, after he has been good to you.’


text:
Joshua said, ‘You yourselves have chosen to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i>. See that you keep your promise.’ <n>They replied, ‘Yes, we will watch ourselves with great care.’


text:
‘Now then’, Joshua said, ‘throw away the false gods, the gods of other peoples, that you still keep. And give yourselves completely to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel.’


text:
Joshua and the people made these important promises on that day. There at Shechem, he made a list of their rules and <i>laws</i>. 


text:
And Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the <i>Law</i> of God. Then he took a big stone and stood it there under the oak tree (a big strong tree) that was by the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>holy</i> place.


text:
‘See this stone!’ he said to all the people. ‘It will help you to remember the promise that you have made. It will make you feel bad if you do not obey your God.’ <n>Joshua dies</n>


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> buried him in his own land, at Timnah Serah in the hills of Ephraim, north of <i>Mount</i> Gaash.


text:
The people of Israel <i>served</i> the <i>Lord</i> while Joshua was alive. Other leaders had seen all that the <i>Lord</i> had done for Israel. The people of Israel continued to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i> as long as these leaders were alive.


text:
The people of Israel had brought the body of Joseph up from Egypt (Genesis 50:22-26). They buried it at Shechem. This was the land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Jacob paid them 100 pieces of <i>silver</i>. The land belonged to Joseph’s children.


text:
Eleazar, son of Aaron, died and people buried him at Gibeah. This was the town in the hills of Ephraim that belonged to his son Phinehas


text:
After Joshua had died, the <i>Israelites</i> asked God for a new leader. They were fighting the <i>Canaanites</i>. They wanted to know who should fight the enemy. 


text:
The men of Judah asked their cousins, the men of Simeon, to help them. They agreed to go together. They would fight for lands for the <i>tribes</i> of Judah and of Simeon. 


text:
Adoni-Bezek said, ‘God <i>punished</i> me because I did this to 70 other kings’. The <i>Israelites</i> took him back to Jerusalem. Adoni-Bezek died there. 


text:
They attacked the people of Hebron, that used to be called Kiriath Arba, and beat Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.


text:
Caleb asked his big family to attack Kiriath Sepher. He promised to give his daughter to the one who took the city. His daughter was called Achsah. 


text:
Othniel, the son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, beat Kiriath Sepher. So Caleb gave Achsah to him as a wife. 


text:
Othniel told Achsah to ask her father for a field. She got off her <i>donkey</i>. Caleb saw her, and asked what she wanted.


text:
She replied, ‘Father, please give me water for the land that you gave me’. So Caleb gave her more land. This contained two pools of water.


text:
The Kenites were the brothers of Moses' wife. They left Jericho to live with the men of Judah in the <i>desert</i> called Negev, near Arad. 


text:
Then the men of Judah went with the people of Simeon to attack Zephath. They destroyed the city. They called it Hormah (this means destroyed).


text:
The men of Judah also won Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron in the fight. They won the cities and all their land. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> helped the men of Judah. They won all the hill country. They could not take the flat country. The people there had iron <i>chariots</i> to help them. 


text:
The people of Benjamin could not send away the Jebusites. The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem had been called Jebus.) The Jebusites and Benjamites now live there together. <n>God chose Moses to lead the people of <i>Israel</i> out of Egypt, and into a land that he would give them. But Moses died before they arrived, because God would not let him go in (Deuteronomy 34:5). Caleb and Joshua were the two men who had told the truth about the land that God had given to the <i>Israelites</i>. They said that it was a good country. And they said that God could help them to get into it. They were the only two men of their age who were still alive. They left Egypt when they were old enough to fight. The grown men who had left Egypt died in the <i>desert</i> because they did not believe God (Genesis 13:5-14:24). 


text:
God helped the people of Joseph (<i>tribes</i> of Ephraim and Manasseh) to attack Bethel. (Bethel was called Luz at first.) 


text:
They found a man who was leaving the city. They told him that he would be safe. But they said, ‘You must tell us how to get into the city’. 


text:
Then the man went to the land of the Hittites. He built a city there, and called it Luz. It is still there. 


text:
But the men of Mannaseh could not send away the peoples of 5 cities. These were Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam and Megiddo. The <i>Canaanites</i> who lived there fought bravely. They wanted to continue to live there. 


text:
When <i>Israel</i> became strong, they made the <i>Canaanites</i> their servants. They never sent all the people out of the land. 


text:
The people of Ephraim did not send the <i>Canaanites</i> out of Gezer. These <i>Canaanites</i> continued to live between the people of Ephraim. 


text:
Nor did Zebulun send the <i>Canaanites</i> from Kitron or Nahalol. But they did make them become their servants.


text:
The people of Naphthali did not send away the <i>Canaanites</i> who lived in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. They too lived with the <i>Canaanites</i> in the land. The <i>Canaanites</i> of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became their servants. 


text:
The Amorites did not let the people of Dan take the cities and valleys for themselves. The people of Dan stayed in the hill country.


text:
The Amorites also owned Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim. But when the people of Joseph became strong, they made the Amorites their servants. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> God sent an <i>angel</i> from Gilgal to Bokim. The <i>angel</i> said, ‘I have brought you from Egypt. You are in the land that I promised to give you. I said that I would always do what I promised in my <i>Covenant</i>.


text:
You must not have a <i>covenant</i> with the <i>Canaanites</i>. You must destroy the places where the <i>Canaanites serve</i> these false gods. You have not done as I told you. But you have done what I told you not to do! 


text:
This is what I will do. I will not send the <i>Canaanites</i> out of the land. They will be your enemies. Their false gods will pull you away from me. They will cause you much pain’.


text:
They called the place Bokim (people who cry). They offered gifts there to the <i>Lord</i>. <n>This book tells us how the people of <i>Israel</i> failed. God told them to kill all the <i>Canaanites</i> and to send them out of the land. They did not do any of these things. The first part of this book tells us how God helped the <i>Israelites</i> when Joshua was alive. But after Joshua died, they forgot to keep their promises. They had failed because they did not ask God for his help. They did not want to obey God. God was angry with <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
Joshua sent the people to go to their land. Each <i>tribe</i> went to take the part of the land chosen for them. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> obeyed the <i>Lord</i> God for a time. Joshua and the old men had seen how the <i>Lord</i> had done great things for <i>Israel</i>. Whilst some of them were alive, the people obeyed the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
They buried him in the land that was his family's land, at Timnath Heres. This is in the hills near Mount Gaash. It is in Ephraim's part of the land.


text:
When all the older men had died, younger men became leaders. They forgot the <i>Lord</i> and all that he had done for <i>Israel</i>. They did not obey him. 


text:
Then <i>Israel</i> did many bad things. They <i>served</i> the Baals, (gods of some <i>Canaanites</i>). 


text:
They did not obey the <i>Lord</i> God of their fathers. Yet, he had brought them out of Egypt. They obeyed the many false gods of the people who lived near them. They made the <i>Lord</i> angry, 


text:
because they <i>served</i> the Baals and Ashtoreths (false male and female gods) and did not obey the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
So God <i>punished Israel</i>. He sent enemies to take their animals and food. He let their enemies make the <i>Israelites</i> their servants. 


text:
<i>Israel</i> went to fight their enemies. But God helped the enemies to win. He had said that he would do this. <i>Israel</i> was very, very sad.


text:
Then God made some of the people <i>judges</i>. These <i>judges</i> helped to save <i>Israel</i> from their enemies. 


text:
But the people would not listen to the <i>judges</i>. They went on following other gods. They were not like their fathers. They soon forgot the <i>Lord</i>. They would not obey him. 


text:
When the <i>Lord</i> gave them a <i>judge</i>, the <i>Lord</i> helped the <i>judge</i> to save them from their enemies. They obeyed the <i>Lord</i> while the <i>judge</i> was alive. The <i>Lord</i> listened to their cries when other people made their lives difficult.


text:
But when the <i>judge</i> died, the people stopped <i>serving</i> the <i>Lord</i>. They became worse than their fathers. They <i>served</i> many false gods. They refused to stop doing all these bad things.


text:
Because of this, the <i>Lord</i> God became very angry with <i>Israel</i>. He said to them, ‘You have not done what your fathers promised. You have not listened to me. Because of this, I will not help you. 


text:
Some of the <i>Canaanites</i> lived in the land. God did not send them all away. Also, he did not give their lands to <i>Israel</i> soon after Joshua had died.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> let some <i>tribes</i> stay in the land. These <i>tribes</i> were enemies of <i>Israel</i>. They would <i>test</i> the <i>Israelites</i> who had not fought before. 


text:
He did this to teach the <i>Israelites</i> how to fight their enemies, because they had not fought many <i>battles</i>. 


text:
These <i>tribes</i> were the Philistines, who had 5 kings, the <i>Canaanites</i> and the Sidonians (who lived in Sidon). There were also Hivites (who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath). 


text:
They were to <i>test</i> the <i>Israelites</i>. God wanted to see if the <i>Israelites</i> would obey his rules. Earlier, he had told Moses to write down these rules for the people of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> lived among other peoples in the land. The <i>Canaanites</i>, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites all lived in the land of Canaan. 


text:
Some <i>Israelites</i> let their sons marry women from these <i>tribes</i>. Some of their own daughters married men of these peoples. Then they <i>served</i> their false gods.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> forgot the <i>Lord</i> and did many bad things. They <i>served</i> the <i>Baals</i> and <i>Asherahs</i>. 


text:
God was very angry with them. He let King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim fight against them. This king won the fight and the <i>Israelites</i> became his servants for 8 years. 


text:
When they cried to the <i>Lord</i> for help, he sent them a leader. This was Othniel, son of Kenaz. He came to save them. Kenaz was Caleb's younger brother. 


text:
God's <i>Holy Spirit</i> took hold of Othniel. Then he became the <i>judge</i>. He led <i>Israel</i> when they fought other <i>tribes</i>. God helped him to win the fight with Cushan-Rishathaim, King of Aram. 


text:
Once again the <i>Israelites</i> did many bad things against the <i>Lord</i>. Because of this, God made Eglon strong. He was the King of Moab. He came and fought with <i>Israel</i> and he won the fight. 


text:
Again the <i>Israelites</i> cried to the <i>Lord</i>, and he sent a man called Ehud to save them. Ehud’s stronger hand was his left hand. He was a son of Gera, of the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. He took taxes from <i>Israel</i> to Eglon, King of Moab.


text:
He hid a knife that was sharp on both sides, under his clothes. It was about as long as his arm. He carried the knife against the top of his right leg. 


text:
At Gilgal, Ehud turned back to see the king. He said, ‘I have a secret message for you, O King!’ The king sent away all his servants. 


text:
Then Ehud went near to the king, who was sitting in his big room. There was nobody with him. Ehud said, ‘I have a message from God for you’. The king started to get up. 


text:
Then Ehud took the knife in his left hand and pushed it into the king's stomach. The whole knife went in. 


text:
The king's fat covered the handle. The point came out behind the king. Ehud did not pull out the knife, and the fat covered it. 


text:
They waited for a long time. But the king did not open the doors. So they opened them with a key. They saw that their king was dead on the floor. 


text:
While they were waiting, Ehud went past the stones that people <i>worshipped</i>, and ran to Seirah. 


text:
When he arrived, he made a loud noise with a <i>trumpet</i>. He led the <i>Israelites</i> down from the hills of Ephraim. 


text:
He told them to follow him. He said that the <i>Lord</i> God would save them from the people of Moab. <i>Israel</i> followed him to the river Jordan. They stopped anyone from crossing the river. 


text:
After this, Shamgar, son of Anath, ruled <i>Israel</i>. He killed 600 Philistines with an ox-goad (sharp piece of wood, used to move animals). He too saved <i>Israel</i>. <n>Many <i>tribes</i> lived in the land of Canaan before God gave it to <i>Israel</i>. The <i>tribes</i> often had the same name as the place where they lived. The Sidonians lived in Sidon. The Jebusites lived in Jebus (Jerusalem). Other <i>tribes</i> came from outside Canaan. The Hittites came from the land that we call Syria. The Philistines were sailors. They came in boats from a land in the west. They lived near the sea and had 5 cities. The Moabites and Ammonites were cousins of the <i>Israelites</i> (see Genesis 19:36-38). They lived east of the Dead Sea. The Ammonites lived north and east of the Moabites. The Midianites lived south of Edom, which was south of Canaan. The Amalekites lived south of Judah. All these <i>tribes served</i> the false gods of Canaan. 


text:
So God <i>punished</i> them. King Jabin, a <i>Canaanite</i> from Hazor, made them his servants. The captain of his army was called Sisera. He lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 


text:
He had 900 <i>chariots</i> of iron. He made the lives of the <i>Israelites</i> very painful for 20 years. They cried to the <i>Lord</i> for help.


text:
She sat under a <i>palm</i> tree between Ramah and Bethel. This was in the hill country of Ephraim. Here she <i>judged</i> the people. When the <i>Israelites</i> argued with each other, they came to her. Deborah decided who was right. 


text:
Deborah told Barak, son of Abinoam to come to her. He came from Kedesh in Naphtali. She gave him a message from the <i>Lord</i> God. The <i>Lord</i> told Barak, ‘Go to Mount Tabor. Take with you 10 000 men of the <i>tribes</i> of Naphtali and Benjamin. 


text:
I will make Sisera (captain of Jabin's army) go to the Kishon river. He will bring the army and their <i>chariots</i> with him. You will beat them all’. 


text:
Barak said to Deborah, ‘I will go if you will come with me. I will not go unless you come with me’. 


text:
Deborah said, ‘Yes, I will go with you. But God will give power to kill Sisera to a woman. This is because you have been slow to obey him. You will not look very big’. So Deborah went with Barak to Kadesh. 


text:
Barak told the men from Zebulun and Naphtali to come to him. He led 10 000 men. And Deborah went with him.


text:
Heber, the Kenite, did not live with the other Kenites. They were cousins of Moses' family. Heber lived in a <i>tent</i> by a big tree in Zaanannim in Kedesh.


text:
Sisera and all his soldiers were at Harosheth Haggoyim. They went with 900 iron <i>chariots</i> to the Kishon river. 


text:
Then Deborah told Barak, ‘Go! This day God has given you power over Sisera. God has gone before you!’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with his soldiers. 


text:
When they came near to Sisera, the <i>Lord</i> fought for <i>Israel</i>. <i>Israel</i> beat Sisera and all his army. Sisera left his <i>chariot</i> and ran away. All his soldiers ran away. 


text:
Barak and his men ran after Sisera, his soldiers and his <i>chariots</i>. They followed them to Harosheth Haggoyim. They killed all Sisera's soldiers. They did not leave one. <n>Hazor was in the north of Canaan. Jabin was an important king. The <i>tribes</i> of Zebulun and Naphthali and Issachar had their land there. Hazor was a big city. Joshua had burnt it. But the <i>Canaanites</i> had built it again. Mount Tabor was where the lands of Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar joined each other. <n>The Kishon valley was wet in winter and spring. The soft ground held the iron <i>chariots</i>. The <i>Israelite</i> soldiers could not fight iron <i>chariots</i>. But the <i>Lord</i> God stopped the <i>chariots</i>. Even Sisera had to get out and run. <n>‘Kadesh’ was a common name. It means ‘safe place’. 


text:
Sisera ran to Jael's <i>tent</i>. She was the wife of Heber, the Kenite. King Jabin and Heber's family were friends. 


text:
Jael came out. She asked Sisera to come into the <i>tent</i>. She said, ‘Do not be afraid’. So he went in, and she covered him up. 


text:
But Jael took a sharp stick and a hammer. She hit the stick right through Sisera’s head while he was asleep. It went into the ground and he died. 


text:
Barak came running after Sisera. Jael went out to meet him. She said, ‘Come and I will show you the man you are looking for’. He went with her and there was Sisera - dead. The stick was through his head. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> became stronger and stronger. Then they ruled Jabin’s people. <n>We do not know if Jael was a bad woman, who killed a visitor to her <i>tent</i>. Perhaps Sisera was a bad man who should not have gone into a woman's <i>tent</i>. But we do know that God was helping the <i>Israelites</i> to kill their enemies. Deborah called Jael ‘<i>blessed</i>’ because God had used her to kill his people’s enemy. 


text:
“When the leaders of <i>Israel</i> rule. When the people are happy to obey. Tell them that God is good.


text:
Hear this, you kings! Listen you rulers! I will sing to the <i>Lord</i>. I will sing. I will sing a song to the <i>Lord</i> God of <i>Israel</i>.


text:
<i>Lord</i>, you went out from Seir, you marched from the land of Edom. Then the earth shook. You sent rain from the sky. The clouds rained water. 


text:
The roads were empty in the days of Shamgar, son of Anath. There was no one on them in the days of Jael. People walked on secret paths. 


text:
Nobody lived in the little towns. No one lived there until I came. I, Deborah, became a mother to <i>Israel</i>.


text:
When they chose new gods, there was fighting near the city. No one in <i>Israel</i> was ready to fight, not one of the 40 000 in <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
I will make strong the leaders of <i>Israel</i>. With the people of <i>Israel</i> who want to fight. Tell all of them that God is good.


text:
Listen, you rich people as you ride on white horses. Listen while you sit on your animals. And listen you that walk along the road. 


text:
Hear the singing voices, where you stop for water. They speak about all the <i>Lord</i> has done. They tell of the good things that his soldiers did. Then the people of the <i>Lord</i> went down to the city gates. 


text:
Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up and sing. Get up Barak! Lock up your enemies, son of Abinoam.


text:
The men who remained went back to their leaders. The people of the <i>Lord</i> came to me with their <i>lords</i>. 


text:
Some came from Ephraim, where Amalek lived. Benjamin followed you. Makir (Manasseh) came too. The leaders of Zebulun came. 


text:
The leaders of Issachar were with Deborah. Yes, Issachar joined Barak. They ran after him into the valley. Many in Reuben were afraid and did nothing. 


text:
Gilead stayed in his land. Dan stayed by the sea. Asher remained near the sea. They hid near its edge. 


text:
Kings came and fought. The kings of Canaan fought. They fought at Tannach near the water at Megiddo. But they took no gold or rich gifts. 


text:
The very old river Kishon carried away Sisera's soldiers. River Kishon, be strong and do not stop fighting. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s <i>angel</i> said, ‘Punish Meroz. <i>Punish</i> its people, because they did not come to fight for the <i>Lord</i>. They did not help the <i>Lord</i> fight his strong enemy’.


text:
Jael is <i>blessed</i>. The wife of Heber the Kenite will be the happiest woman who lives in a <i>tent</i>. 


text:
Her hand found the pointed stick. Her right hand took the hammer. She hit Sisera, she hit his head. Her stick went through his head. 


text:
Sisera's mother looked out of the window. She cried out as she looked. ‘His <i>chariot</i> is so slow to come. There is no noise’. 


text:
‘They are finding riches to bring home and women to please the men. They are finding rich clothes for Sisera. They will find clothes of many colours and win all these riches for him’. 


text:
May all your enemies die like Sisera, O <i>Lord</i>! But may those who love you be like the sun, which shines in the day”. <n>There was no more fighting for 40 years.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> did things which made the <i>Lord</i> angry again. So he sent the Midianites to fight them. The Midianites won the fight. They ruled <i>Israel</i> for 7 years. 


text:
They were very cruel to the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> made holes in the hills to hide themselves. 


text:
They planted seeds to grow food. But then the Midianites and Amalekites and the other <i>tribes</i> came and put their <i>tents</i> there. 


text:
They took all their food, and animals too. They left nothing for <i>Israel</i>. They took sheep, cows and animals to carry heavy things. 


text:
Many enemies came with all their animals. They came like a cloud of insects. They were too many to count. They took everything from the land. 


text:
The <i>prophet</i> said, ‘This is what the <i>Lord</i> says. “I brought you out of the land of Egypt. 


text:
I saved you from being slaves to the Egyptians. I also saved you from all your enemies here. I sent them away and gave you their land. 


text:
I said to you, ‘I am the <i>Lord</i> your God. You must not <i>worship</i> the gods of the Amorites who live in your land’. But you have not listened to me” ’.


text:
Joash, the Abiezrite, had a farm in Ophrah. The <i>angel</i> from the <i>Lord</i> came and sat there, under a tree. Gideon was taking the seeds out of their hard skins. He was the son of Joash and was hiding from the Midianites. 


text:
The <i>angel</i> of the <i>Lord</i> said to Gideon, ‘The <i>Lord</i> is with you, powerful soldier’. 


text:
Gideon replied, ‘But sir, if the <i>Lord</i> is with us why has all this happened? The <i>Lord</i> helped our fathers to win fights with their enemies. They told us how he brought them out of Egypt. But now he has left us alone. He has let Midianites make us their slaves’. 


text:
The <i>angel</i> of the <i>Lord</i> turned and said to Gideon, ‘Go with the power you have. Save <i>Israel</i> from Midian. I am sending you’.


text:
‘But sir’, Gideon asked, ‘How can I save <i>Israel</i>? My family is the smallest in the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. And I am the smallest in my family’.


text:
Please stay here and I will bring you an <i>offering</i>’. The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘I will wait for you’.


text:
Gideon cooked a young goat and made many flat cakes of bread. He used an ephah (34-45 pounds weight) of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the soup in a pot. He gave them to the <i>angel</i> under the tree.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s <i>angel</i> said, ‘Put the meat and the bread on this rock. Pour the soup over them’. And Gideon did so. 


text:
The <i>angel</i> touched the meat and bread with the end of his stick. Fire came from the rock and burnt up the bread and meat. Then Gideon could not see the <i>angel</i>. 


text:
Gideon knew then that he had been an <i>angel</i> from the <i>Lord</i>. He cried out, ‘Great <i>Lord</i>, I have seen your <i>angel</i>, face to face’.


text:
So Gideon built an <i>altar</i> there. He called it ‘The <i>Lord</i> is <i>Peace</i>’. The <i>altar</i> is still there, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.


text:
That same night, the <i>Lord</i> spoke again to Gideon. He said, ‘Take your father's second <i>bull</i>, the one which is 7 years old. Break into pieces your father's <i>altar</i> to Baal. Cut into pieces the tree where people give gifts to Asherah. 


text:
Build a proper <i>altar</i> to the <i>Lord</i> your God in their place. There, on top of the hill, use the broken wood to <i>offer</i> the second <i>bull</i> to me. <i>Offer</i> it to me by burning it with fire’.


text:
So Gideon took 10 of his servants, and did as the <i>Lord</i> had said. He was afraid of the men of his family, and of the men of the town. So he worked at night, not in the day.


text:
The next day, the men of the town saw that Baal's <i>altar</i> and Asherah’s tree were broken. They saw the new <i>altar</i>. They saw that someone had burned the second <i>bull</i> on it.


text:
The men of the town told Joash to bring Gideon out to them. They said that Gideon must die because he had destroyed Baal's <i>altar</i>. He had destroyed the place where they offered gifts to Asherah.


text:
Joash replied to the angry men. He said, ‘Are you trying to save Baal? You do not need to save him. If you fight for him, you will die today. If Baal really is a god, he can fight for himself. He will <i>punish</i> anyone who breaks down his <i>altar</i>’. 


text:
Then they called Gideon ‘Jerub-Baal’ (Baal must fight for himself). This was because Gideon had broken down Baal's <i>altar</i>.


text:
The Midianites, Amalekites and other <i>tribes</i> who lived east of Jordan joined together. They crossed the river Jordan and put their <i>tents</i> in the Valley of Jezreel. 


text:
The Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> took hold of Gideon. He blew a <i>trumpet</i>. He called the men of his city to follow him. 


text:
He sent men to the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh to tell them to fight. He told Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to fight too. They all met together.


text:
Look, I will put the hair of a sheep out on a dry, stone floor. Please make it wet by the morning, but let the ground stay dry. Then I will know that you will use me’. 


text:
Then Gideon said to God. ‘Please do not be angry. Let me ask one more thing. This time could you please make the ground wet, but keep the hair dry’. 


text:
That night the <i>Lord</i> did so. The ground was wet, but the sheep's hair stayed dry. <n>Gideon was afraid and hid from the Midianites. But God's <i>angel</i> called him a ‘strong soldier’. The <i>angel</i> said that the <i>Lord</i> God was with Gideon. This made Gideon strong. The <i>Lord</i> helped Gideon to believe him. <n>Gideon thought that he would die because he had seen God. The <i>angel</i> told Gideon that he must not be afraid. He accepted the gift that Gideon gave him. Gideon would not die. Then he told Gideon what he had to do. And Gideon did it, at night. <n>The men of Ophrah were angry. They wanted to kill Gideon. But Joash, Gideon's father, saved Gideon from them. He had let people <i>worship</i> false gods on his farm. He said that true gods would <i>punish</i> Gideon themselves. Baal could not kill Gideon. Gideon had done as God had told him. So God could use him again. His <i>Holy Spirit</i> made Gideon call many <i>Israelites</i> to fight against their enemies. <n>God was not angry because Gideon was afraid. Twice he did things to show Gideon that he was with him. God chose Gideon to be the leader. He really wanted Gideon to believe this. <n>Gideon was afraid, but God gave power to Gideon to fight, and to win. Gideon knew that by himself, he was weak. But God made him strong. 


text:
Gideon and his men were in <i>tents</i> near Harod, where water came up out of the ground. It was early in the morning. The Midianite army was in <i>tents</i>, north of the <i>Israelite</i> army. They were in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> told Gideon, ‘You have too many men. I do not want <i>Israel</i> to say that they won the fight. They must not think that they are strong. I cannot use all your army. 


text:
Tell the men that they may go back if they are afraid. They may leave Mount Gilead’. So 22 000 men left. But 10 000 remained.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them to the water to drink. I will choose them for you. If I say that one should go with you, then take him. If I say that one should not go with you, then do not take him’. 


text:
So Gideon took the men to the water. The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Put the men who stand and drink from their hands here. And put the men who go on their knees to drink there’. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Gideon, ‘I will use the 300 men to save you. I will use them to give you power over the Midianites. Let all the other men return to their <i>tents</i>’. 


text:
Gideon took the food and <i>trumpets</i> from these men. Then he sent them to their <i>tents</i>. He gave the <i>trumpets</i> and food to the 300 men. <n>The <i>tents</i> of Midian were in the valley below Gideon. 


text:
That night the <i>Lord</i> said to Gideon, ‘Get up. Go down to the <i>tents</i> of the Midianites. I am going to give them to you. You will win the fight. 


text:
Perhaps you are afraid to fight. Then go down to their camp (tents). Take Purah your servant with you. 


text:
Listen to what the Midianites are saying. You will hear something to make you strong to fight’. So Gideon and Purah went near to the edge of the camp. 


text:
The valley was full of Midianites and the other <i>tribes</i>. There were too many men to count. They had as many <i>camels</i> as there are bits of sand by the sea.


text:
When Gideon arrived, he heard a man tell his friend about a dream. The man said, ‘I saw a loaf of bread rolling into the Midianite army. It hit a <i>tent</i> hard. The <i>tent</i> fell down’.


text:
The friend replied, ‘This must be the work of Gideon, the son of Joash. The <i>Lord</i> has given him power to rule us. He will make us all his slaves’.


text:
When Gideon heard this, he thanked God. He returned to the <i>Israelite tents</i>. He shouted, ‘Get up! The <i>Lord</i> will fight Midian for us’. 


text:
He put the 300 men into 3 groups. He gave each man a <i>trumpet</i> and an empty pot. Into the pot, each man put a burning branch.


text:
‘Watch me’, he said. ‘Follow me. When we get near to their <i>tents</i>, do as I do. You will be all round their <i>tents</i>. 


text:
I and my men will blow our <i>trumpets</i>. Then you must blow yours. Shout, “For the <i>Lord</i> and for Gideon” ’.


text:
They reached the Midianite <i>tents</i> in the middle of the night. A new group of Midianite soldiers had just started to watch for the <i>Israelites</i>. Gideon's men blew their <i>trumpets</i> and broke their pots. 


text:
All three groups of <i>Israelites</i> blew their <i>trumpets</i> and broke their pots. They took their burning branches and their <i>trumpets</i>. Then they shouted, ‘Fight for the <i>Lord</i> and for Gideon’. Each man stood still. They were all round the camp. 


text:
When Gideon’s men blew the 300 <i>trumpets</i>, it confused the Midianites. The <i>Lord</i> made them turn and fight each other. Their army ran to Beth Shittar. This was towards Zererah. They ran as far as Abel Meholah, near Tabbath. 


text:
Gideon called <i>Israelite</i> men from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh to run after the Midianites. 


text:
He sent men into the hills of Ephraim. He told them not to let the Midianites cross the River Jordan. He said, ‘Hold it as far as Beth Barah’. So all the men of Ephraim kept their enemies away from the waters of the River Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 


text:
They caught 2 of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb. They killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. (A winepress is a very big basket to make wine from <i>grapes</i>.) They ran after the Midianites and took the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon. Gideon was by the river Jordan. <n>God chose only 300 <i>Israelites</i> to fight. He wanted them to see that he was strong. He would win the fight for them. Gideon may have been afraid, but he did as the <i>Lord</i> told him. He used a clever idea to surprise the Midianite army. Gideon used the gifts that God had given him. And he did as God told him. Then God could fight for Gideon and for <i>Israel</i>. People must do as he tells them. Then God will fight for them. 


text:
The Ephraimites asked Gideon, ‘Why did you not ask us to come with you to fight Midian?’ They thought that he did not want their help. They were very angry with Gideon. 


text:
God had given them Oreb and Zeeb. Ephraim's part was much bigger than Gideon's. When Gideon said this, the Ephraimites stopped being angry.


text:
He asked the men of Succoth for bread to feed his soldiers. He said that they were tired. But they wanted to catch Zebah and Zalmunna. These were the two Kings of Midian. 


text:
The leaders of Succoth said, ‘You have not yet caught Zebah and Zalmunna. We will not give you bread’. 


text:
Gideon replied, ‘I will return when I have taken Zebah and Zalmunna. Then I will <i>punish</i> you with sharp branches. They will tear your skin’.


text:
Gideon went on to Peniel. He asked their people for bread. But they gave the same answer as the men of Succoth. 


text:
Gideon said to the men of Peniel, ‘When I have won the fight with my enemies, I will return. Then I will destroy your strongest building’.


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna had 15 000 men with them in Karkor. They were the only men left of their great army from the east. 120 000 of their soldiers had died. 


text:
Gideon followed a quiet, country path to Karkor. He went east of Nobah and Jogbehah. He made a surprise attack on the army there. 


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna ran away. Gideon ran after the two kings and caught them. The whole Midianite army ran away.


text:
Gideon showed Zebah and Zalmunna to the men of Succoth. He said, ‘You refused to give us bread because we had not already caught Zebah and Zalmunna’. 


text:
He took the leaders of Succoth and beat them with sharp branches. He taught them to do as he told them. 


text:
Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna what kind of men they had killed at Tabor. The kings answered, ‘Men like you, men who stood like kings’. 


text:
Gideon replied, ‘These were my brothers. They were my mother's sons. As sure as the <i>Lord</i> lives, if you had let my brothers live, then I would have let you live’. 


text:
He turned to his oldest son, Jether. ‘Kill them’, he said. But Jether stood still. He was afraid because he was only a boy. 


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, ‘Kill us yourself. You are strong’. So Gideon went to them and killed them. He took the valuable <i>ornaments</i> from their <i>camels</i>’ necks.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> asked Gideon to be their king. They said, ‘Rule over us, you and your sons. You have saved us from the rule of Midian’. 


text:
But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you. Nor will my son rule over you. The <i>Lord</i> will rule over you’. 


text:
He said, ‘I will ask for one thing. Will each of you give me one ear-ring from the riches you have taken? (The Ishmaelites wore gold ear-rings.) 


text:
They answered, ‘We are happy to give them to you’. So they put a coat on the ground. Every man threw a ring on to it. 


text:
The weight of all the rings was 1700 shekels (about 40 pounds or 19 kilos in weight). They also had many other valuable things. They had <i>ornaments</i> and rich clothes from the Kings of Midian. And they took the rich <i>ornaments</i> from the necks of the <i>camels</i>. 


text:
Gideon made the gold into a beautiful <i>ephod</i>. He put this in Ophrah, his own town. All the <i>Israelites</i> came and <i>worshipped</i> the <i>ephod</i>. They made it into a false god. It pulled Gideon and his family away from the true God.


text:
Midian could not fight <i>Israel</i> again. While Gideon was alive, <i>Israel</i> kept Midian down. The land had <i>peace</i> for 40 years. 


text:
Gideon, son of Joash, lived for a long time. Then he died and they put his body into the ground with that of his father, Joash. This was in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.


text:
As soon as Gideon had died, the <i>Israelites</i> started to <i>worship</i> the Baals again, They made Baal-Berith their god. 


text:
They forgot the <i>Lord</i> their God. They did not remember that he had saved them from their enemies. These enemies had been all round them. 


text:
Nor were <i>Israel</i> kind to the family of Gideon. They did not remember all the good things that he had done for them. <n>Gideon told the <i>Israelites</i> that he did not want to rule over them. He said that the <i>Lord</i> was their King. But he did live like a king. He had many wives. He was rich. The <i>ephod</i> he made became a false god. This pulled the <i>Israelites</i> away from the true God. It pulled his own family away from God. We are not sure how people used an <i>ephod</i>. We know that the <i>High priest</i> wore one. He may have used it when he tried to find out what God wanted. <i>Israel</i> had no <i>High priest</i> in the days of the <i>judges</i>. The people of <i>Israel</i> forgot that they must <i>worship</i> only the true God. They must obey his rules. They must not <i>worship</i> other gods. When they did this, God always <i>punished</i> them. 


text:
He told them to ask the men of Shechem who they wanted as a ruler. He asked if they wanted Gideon's 70 sons or just one man to rule them. He said, ‘Remember that I belong to your family’.


text:
Abimelech's brothers told all this to the men of Shechem. They decided that they wanted Abimelech as their ruler. They said, ‘He is our brother’. 


text:
They gave him 70 shekels (about 1.75 pounds or 0.8 kilos in weight) of <i>silver</i> from the house of Baal-Berith. Abimelech used this money to pay bad men. Then they became his soldiers.


text:
He went to his father's house in Ophrah. There he killed Gideon’s 70 sons on one rock. They were his brothers. But Jotham, the youngest son hid himself. He did not die.


text:
The men of Shechem and Beth Millo met together. They met at the tree by the tall rock in Shechem. There they made Abimelech king.


text:
When he heard this, Jotham climbed up Mount Gerizim. He shouted to the men of Shechem, ‘Listen to me, so that God may listen to you. 


text:
One day, the trees decided to make a king for themselves. They said to the <i>olive</i> tree, “Be our king”. 


text:
But the <i>olive</i> tree answered, “My oil pleases men and the gods. I will not stop making oil to be your king”. 


text:
But the <i>vine</i> answered, “<i>Wine</i> from my fruit makes men and gods happy. I will not stop making fruit to rule over you”. 


text:
The <i>thorn bush</i> said to the trees, “If you really want me to be your king, come and hide under my branches. If not, fire will come from the <i>thorn bush</i> and burn up all the big <i>cedar</i> trees!”


text:
But Gideon fought for you. He did not think about his own life. He saved you from being slaves to the Midianites. 


text:
Today you threw out my father's family. You have killed his 70 sons. You have made Abimelech king because he is your brother. He is the son of my father's slave-girl. 


text:
If you have been good to Gideon, I hope that Abimelech will make you happy! I hope that you will make him happy, too! 


text:
If you have not, I hope that Abimelech will destroy you. And I hope that you men of Shechem and Beth Millo will burn Abimelech!’


text:
Jotham ran away to Beer because he was frightened of his brother, Abimelech. <n>All the trees in Jotham's story, except the <i>thorn bush</i>, were valuable. People kept them to enjoy their oil, <i>wine</i> and fruit. The <i>thorn bush</i> lay on the ground. It gave no shade. It was only good to burn. It is very clear that Jotham believed that Abimelech was worth nothing. Later, God <i>punished</i> Abimelech, as Jotham hoped. 


text:
God was <i>punishing</i> Abimelech for killing Gideon’s 70 sons. God was <i>punishing</i> Abimelech and the people of Shechem for their murder.


text:
The people of Shechem did not obey Abimelech. They put men on the top of the hills near Shechem. They took money and valuable things from everyone who went past. Abimelech heard about this.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed went to live in Shechem with his brothers. The people of Shechem began to want Gaal as their leader. 


text:
They picked the fruit of the <i>vine</i> and made <i>wine</i>. Then they had a party. This was in the house (<i>temple</i>) where they <i>worshipped</i> their god. As they ate and drank, they said bad things about Abimelech. They wanted Gaal to give Abimelech a lot of trouble. 


text:
Gaal, son of Ebed, said, ‘We should not let Abimelech lead us. He is Gideon's son and Zebul is his officer. We should let men of Hamor (Shechem's father) lead us. 


text:
If I led this people I would not let Abimelech be king. I would say to him, “Call out your whole army!” ’


text:
Zebul sent men to Abimelech by hidden paths. They told him, ‘Gaal and his brothers are making the men of Shechem want to fight us. They are causing trouble. 


text:
Gaal was standing outside the city gates. Abimelech and his men came out from where they were hiding. 


text:
Gaal saw them. He said to Zebul, ‘Look, there are men coming from the tops of the mountains’. Zebul replied, ‘You are wrong. You are looking at shadows’. 


text:
Gaal said again, ‘Look, there are two groups of people. Some are coming from the centre of the land. Other men are coming from the <i>prophet</i>’s tree’. 


text:
Then Zebul spoke to Gaal, ‘Where are your big words now? You said that Abimelech should not rule us. These are the men that you said were no use. Now go out and fight them!’


text:
He took his men and put them into three groups. When the people came out of the city, he attacked them. 


text:
Abimelech and his soldiers ran to stand at the city gate. The other two groups ran and killed the people in the fields.


text:
Abimelech fought hard all day. He won the fight and killed the people. Then he destroyed the city. He put salt all over it.


text:
The people in the strong building of Shechem heard the news. The strong place was in the house (<i>temple</i>) of El-Berith. 


text:
He took his men up to Mount Zalmon. He cut branches off a tree with an axe. He put the branches on his shoulders. He shouted to his men, ‘Be quick! Do as you have seen me do!’ 


text:
So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They put the branches round the strong building. Then they put fire to them. There were about 1000 men and women of Shechem in the building. They all died.


text:
All the people of the city hid in a strong building. The building was inside the city. They locked the door. They went on to the roof. 


text:
Abimelech said to his army servant, ‘Be quick. Kill me. I do not want people to say that a woman killed me!’ So his servant killed him with a sharp knife. 


text:
This was how God <i>punished</i> Abimelech for murdering his 70 brothers. He had made his father's name look bad. 


text:
God was also <i>punishing</i> the people of Shechem for all the bad things that they had done. Jotham, son of Gideon had said that these things should happen. <n>Abimelech was not a good man. God did not choose him to be a <i>judge</i> of <i>Israel</i>. But sometimes God uses bad men to do his work. Shechem was a <i>Canaanite</i> city. God had told <i>Israel</i> to kill all the Canaanites. Abimelech killed all the people in Shechem. He even killed his own family. This was because they did not obey him. He put salt on the city to show that he had completely destroyed it. They could not have put enough salt on the land to stop plants from growing. 


text:
After the time of Abimelech, another man came to save <i>Israel</i>. He was Tola, son of Puah, son of Dodo of the <i>tribe</i> of Issachar. He lived in Shamir, in the hills of Ephraim.


text:
He had 30 sons, who rode on 30 <i>donkeys</i>. The sons ruled 30 towns in Gilead. These towns are still called Havvoth Jair (Jair's villages). 


text:
Again the <i>Israelites</i> did many bad things. The <i>Lord</i> saw this. <i>Israel served</i> the false gods Baal and Ashtoreth. And they <i>served</i> the gods of Aram, Sidon and Moab. They also <i>served</i> the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They did not <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i> any more.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> let the Philistines and the Ammonites attack the people of <i>Israel</i>. He let them win the fight. They destroyed the <i>Israelite</i> armies in that year. The people of <i>Israel served</i> their enemies for 18 years. The enemies ruled the land on the east side of the river Jordan in Gilead. This was the land of the Amorites. 


text:
The Ammonites also crossed the river Jordan. They fought against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim. <i>Israel</i> was in bad trouble. 


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> called out to the <i>Lord</i>. They said, ‘We have left you and have <i>served</i> other gods. This was wrong’.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> replied, ‘I have saved you many times when you called to me for help. I saved you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites and the Philistines. 


text:
I saved you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites (Midianites). They ruled you. You called to me for help and I saved you. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> said to the <i>Lord</i>, ‘We have done very bad things. Do as you will with us, but please save us now’. 


text:
Then they destroyed all the foreign gods of wood and stone. They began to <i>serve</i> the <i>Lord</i> again. The <i>Lord</i> saw how sorry they were. He did not want them to be hurt any more.


text:
The Ammonite army came to Gilead. They were there in their <i>tents</i>. The <i>Israelite</i> men came to Mizpah and put their <i>tents</i> there. 


text:
The leaders of the people of Gilead made a promise. They said, ‘The man who will lead the fight against the Ammonites will become our ruler. He will be the leader of all those living in Gilead’. <n>The earlier fights of the people of <i>Israel</i> were in the north of the land. Now enemies were attacking the <i>Israelites</i> in the south. 


text:
Jephthah of Gilead was a brave soldier. His father was Gilead, but his mother was not Gilead's wife. 


text:
The sons of Gilead's wife became men and sent Jephthah away. They said, ‘You will not get any of Gilead's things, because you are the son of another woman’. 


text:
So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He went to live in the land of Tob. Other men joined him there. They were a small group of fighting men. Jephthah was their leader.


text:
Jephthah answered, ‘You made me leave my father's house. You did not like me. Why do you come to me now that you are in trouble?’


text:
The men of Gilead replied, ‘But we are asking you to come back to us. Please fight the Ammonites with us. Then we will make you leader over all who live in Gilead’.


text:
Jephthah said, ‘What if you take me back to fight for you, against the Ammonites. The <i>Lord</i> may help me to win the fight. Then will you really make me your leader?’


text:
So Jephthah went back with them to Gilead. The people made him their ruler and leader. He repeated all that he had said, at Mizpah, in front of the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
Jephthah sent men to the Ammonite king. He asked, ‘Why have you come to fight our people? What have we done to hurt you?’


text:
The King of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's people, ‘<i>Israel</i> came up out of Egypt. They took all my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok. They took all the land up to the Jordan. Now give it back to us, without fighting’.


text:
They said, ‘This is what Jephthah says, “<i>Israel</i> did not take the land of Moab, or the land of the Ammonites. 


text:
When <i>Israel</i> came up out of Egypt, they went through the <i>desert</i> to the Red Sea and to Kadesh. They went through land where no people live. 


text:
Then <i>Israel</i> sent men to the King of Edom. They asked him to let <i>Israel</i> go through his <i>kingdom</i>. But the King of Edom would not listen. <i>Israel</i> also sent men to the King of Moab, and he refused. So <i>Israel</i> stayed at Kadesh.


text:
Next <i>Israel</i> went round the <i>kingdoms</i> of Edom and Moab. They walked to the east of Moab through <i>desert</i> lands (where no people live). They put their <i>tents</i> on the other side of the Arnon. This was outside the land of Moab.


text:
Sihon, King of the Amorites, ruled in Heshbon. <i>Israel</i> sent men to him. They said, ‘Let us go through your country to our own place’. 


text:
But Sihon was afraid. He sent men to get his army. They met together at Jahaz. Then he fought with <i>Israel</i>.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>Israel</i> helped the <i>Israelites</i> to win the fight. <i>Israel</i> beat Sihon and his men. 


text:
They won all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country. This land was between the Arnon and the Jabbok, and to the Jordan from the <i>desert</i>.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>Israel</i> has made the Amorites run away from the people of <i>Israel</i>. He did not give the land to you. 


text:
You should take what your god, Chemosh gives to you. We will keep what the <i>Lord</i>, our God, has given to us. 


text:
You are not better than Balak son of Zippor, King of Moab. He has never argued or fought with <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
<i>Israel</i> has ruled Heshbon and Aroer and the villages round them for 300 years. <i>Israel</i> has lived in all the towns along the Arnon too. You did not take them back in all that time. 


text:
I have not done anything wrong to you. You will be doing a wrong thing if you fight me. Let the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>judge</i>, decide whether the <i>Israelites</i> or the Ammonites are doing what is right” ’.


text:
Then the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> took hold of Jephthah. He crossed the lands of Gilead and of Manasseh. He went through Mizpah in Gilead, and moved towards the Ammonites. 


text:
Jephthah made a promise to the <i>Lord</i>. He said, ‘If you let us win the <i>battle</i> with the Ammonites, I will give you a gift. 


text:
Whatever comes first out through the door of my house when I return, I will kill and give to you. I will burn it as an <i>offering</i> to you, after we have won the fight’.


text:
Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites. The <i>Lord</i> gave him the power to win the <i>battle</i>. 


text:
He destroyed 20 towns from Aroer to Minnith, as far as Abel Karamim. This is how <i>Israel</i> came to rule Ammon.


text:
Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. His only daughter came out to meet him, dancing to music. He had no other son or daughter. 


text:
He cried out when he saw her, and tore his clothes. He said, ‘My daughter, you have made me very very sad. I have made a promise to the <i>Lord</i> and I must keep it’.


text:
‘Father’, she said, ‘You have made your promise to the <i>Lord</i>. You must do to me what you have promised. The <i>Lord</i> has given you the power to <i>punish</i> your enemies, the Ammonites. 


text:
But give me this one thing. Give me two months to walk in the hills and to cry with my friends. I am sad that I will never marry’.


text:
‘You may go’, he said. And he let her go away for two months. She and the girls went to the hills. They cried because she would never marry. 


text:
She returned after two months, and Jephthah kept his promise. The girl had never had sex with a man. This is why 


text:
the young women of <i>Israel</i> go out for 4 days every year. They are remembering the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite. <n>This story shows that we must be very careful when we make promises. God would not have wanted Jephthah to kill his daughter. It was good that Jephthah kept his promise to the <i>Lord</i>. But it would have been better if he had asked God what he wanted. God won Jephthah’s <i>battles</i>. Jephthah did not understand that God gave <i>Israel</i> his rules because he loved them. When they did not obey his rules, God sent enemies to <i>punish</i> them, Then <i>Israel</i> showed that they were sorry for the wrong things that they had done. They stopped giving gifts to other gods. Then God showed them his love and saved them. They won the <i>battle</i> against their enemies with his help. God did not need an <i>offering</i> from Jephthah to make him do this. 


text:
The men of Ephraim joined together. They crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, ‘Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without us? You should have asked us to go with you. We are going to burn down your house’.


text:
Jephthah answered, ‘When my people and I were fighting against the Ammonites, I asked for your help. But you did not come to save us. 


text:
When I saw this, I crossed over to fight the Ammonites without you. I was afraid that I would die. But the <i>Lord</i> helped me to win. Why have you now come to fight me?’


text:
Jephthah asked the men of Gilead to come to him. They fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites won the fight. They were angry because the men of Ephraim had said, ‘You are bad men. We sent you away from Ephraim and Manasseh’. 


text:
The Gileadites <i>guarded</i> the places where the men of Ephraim would cross the river Jordan. They asked a man who returned from the fight, ‘Are you an Ephraimite, (man of Ephraim)?’ 


text:
If he replied, ‘No’, they said, ‘Then, say “Shibboleth” ’. He might say, “Sibboleth”, because Ephraimites could not say, “Shibboleth”. Then they would kill him, by the river. 42 000 Ephraimites were killed at that time.


text:
He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He let his daughters marry men of other big families. He brought 30 young women from other families to be wives for his sons. He led <i>Israel</i> for 7 years.


text:
Then Abdon, son of Hillel, died. They buried him at Pirathon in Ephraim. This is the hill country of the Amalekites. <n>We do not know where all the towns were. But we know that this chapter is about the <i>Israelites</i> who lived east of the Jordan. Ephraim was a strong <i>tribe</i>. They lived west of the Jordan. We do not know why they wanted to fight with Gilead. They should have been happy that Gilead had fought the Ammonites and won. 


text:
Again the <i>Israelites</i> did many wrong things. The <i>Lord</i> was angry. So he let the Philistines fight them, and win. The Philistines ruled <i>Israel</i> for 40 years.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> sent an <i>angel</i> to her. He said, ‘You have no children. You thought that you could not have children. But you will have a son. 


text:
You must not cut the boy's hair. He is to be a <i>Nazirite</i>. He will belong to God from the time that he is born. He will begin to save <i>Israel</i> from the Philistines’.


text:
The woman went and told her husband. She said, ‘A man of God came to me. He looked like someone sent by God. He was very powerful. I did not ask where he came from. He did not tell me his name. 


text:
He said to me, “You will give birth to a son. You must not drink any <i>wine</i> or strong drink. You must not eat any food that is not clean. The boy is to be a <i>Nazirite</i> from the day he is born until he dies!” ’


text:
Manoah asked the <i>Lord</i> God, ‘Please, <i>Lord</i> send your <i>angel</i> again. Let him tell us how to teach the boy that is to be born’.


text:
God heard Manoah. The <i>angel</i> came again to the woman. She was working in the field. Her husband was not with her. 


text:
Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, ‘Are you the person who talked to my wife?’ ‘I am’, he said.


text:
She must not eat anything from the <i>vine</i>. She must not drink <i>wine</i> or other strong drink. She must obey all the rules that I have taught her’.


text:
Manoah said to him, ‘Please stay here. We would like to make a meal for you. We will kill and cook a young goat’.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s <i>angel</i> replied, ‘I will not eat any of your food, even if you keep me here. If you make a gift, give it to the <i>Lord</i>’. (Manoah did not know that he was an <i>angel</i> from God.)


text:
Then Manoah asked the <i>angel</i>, ‘What is your name? I want to thank you for being so kind. I will do this when your word comes true’.


text:
Then Manoah took a young goat and some <i>grain</i>. He burnt them on a rock as a gift to the <i>Lord</i> God. The <i>Lord</i> surprised them. 


text:
As the fire burnt up, the <i>angel</i> rose up over the light of the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell to the ground. 


text:
They did not see the <i>angel</i> again. Then Manoah understood that it was the <i>angel</i> of the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
But his wife answered, ‘The <i>Lord</i> accepted our gift of meat and bread. He would not have shown us these things if he had wanted to kill us. He would not have said anything’.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s <i>Holy Spirit</i> began to work in him. Samson lived in Mahaneh Dan. This is between Zorah and Eshtaol. <n>People often thought that <i>angels</i> were men. Sometimes people thought that they were gods. But God sends them to do his work and to carry his messages. <n>Nazirites were men who had made a promise to God. They could not drink <i>wine</i> or cut their hair. Nor must they touch dead bodies. Samson's parents promised that he would be a <i>Nazirite</i>. <n>The <i>Holy Spirit</i> is God. We cannot see him. Before the <i>Lord</i> Jesus Christ was born. He gave some men special power. This might be power to fight very well. This might give a person special power to understand. Or it might give them something to tell God's people. <n>After Jesus Christ came to earth, the Holy Spirit came to live in every Christian. The Holy Spirit lives in everyone who <i>trusts</i> and obeys Jesus, the Son of God. 


text:
When he got home, he spoke to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. Please get her for me as my wife’.


text:
His parents replied, ‘Why go to the Philistines for a wife? There are many nice girls in our own family and in <i>Israel</i>. Why go to the Philistines for a wife? They do not obey the <i>Lord</i>’. <n>But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me. She is the right girl for me’. 


text:
His parents did not know that this was what the <i>Lord</i> wanted. God wanted a reason to attack the Philistines. They were ruling <i>Israel</i> at that time. 


text:
Samson went down to Timnah, with his mother and father. Near the fields of Timnah, an angry young <i>lion</i> ran towards them. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s Spirit gave Samson great power. He tore the <i>lion</i> into pieces with his hands. The <i>lion</i> seemed as weak as a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 


text:
Later, Samson returned to marry the girl. He turned off the path to look at the <i>lion</i>'s body. There was a big group of <i>bees</i> and some <i>honey</i> inside it. 


text:
He took the <i>honey</i> out with his hands and ate it as he walked. When he returned to his parents he gave some to them. They ate the <i>honey</i>. But he did not tell them where it came from.


text:
Samson's father went to see the young woman. Samson prepared a party meal there. All the men did this when they married. 


text:
Samson said to them, ‘Let me ask you a difficult question. Give me an answer in the 7 days of my party. Then I will give you 30 valuable coats and 30 sets of clothes. 


text:
If you cannot tell me the answer, you will give me 30 good coats and 30 sets of clothes’. The young men said, ‘Let us hear your question. Do tell us’.


text:
Samson replied, ‘Out of the <i>eater</i>, something to eat. Out of the strong, something sweet’. They could not find the answer in 3 days.


text:
On the fourth day they spoke to Samson's wife. ‘Get your husband to tell you the answer for us. If you do not, we will burn you and all in your father's house. You will die. Did you want to take our money when you asked us to your marriage?’


text:
Then Samson's wife started to cry. She threw herself at Samson. She shouted, ‘You <i>hate</i> me. You do not really love me. You have asked my people a difficult question. But you have not told me the answer’. <n>‘I have not told even my father or mother’, he replied. ‘So why should I tell you?’


text:
His wife cried all the 7 days of the party. So Samson told her the answer on the seventh day. She had made him very tired. Then she told her people the answer to his question.


text:
Then the people of the town went to Samson. It was before sunset of the seventh day. They said, ‘What is sweeter than <i>honey</i>? What is stronger that a <i>lion</i>?’ <n>Samson said, ‘You would not have found the answer on your own. You made my wife ask me’.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>'s Spirit took hold of Samson. It sent him to Ashkelon. The Spirit gave him great power. He killed 30 Philistines there, and took all their things. He gave their clothes to the men who had answered his question. He was so angry that he seemed to burn inside. He returned to his father's house. 


text:
And his wife’s father gave her to the friend who had stood by him at his marriage. <n>People often asked questions with a hidden answer at a marriage. It was a party game. But, at Samson's marriage, the cost was very big. A good set of clothes cost a lot of money. Perhaps Samson was trying to show that he was clever. The writer of this story had another idea. He believed that God was using Samson. God wanted to help the <i>Israelites</i> to push the Philistines out of their land. He was making the Philistines hate Samson. God's Spirit gave Samson the power to kill many Philistines. 


text:
Later, Samson went to visit his wife. The <i>grain</i> was ready to eat. No one had brought it in from the fields. Samson took a young goat with him. He said, ‘I am going into my wife's room’. But the girl's father stopped him.


text:
He said, ‘I was so sure that you hated her. I have given her to your friend. Her young sister is more beautiful. Take her instead’.


text:
Samson said, ‘This time you have given me a powerful reason to hurt the Philistines. I will <i>punish</i> them for their bad work’. 


text:
So he went out and caught 300 <i>foxes</i>. He tied the <i>foxes</i> in pairs by their tails. He tied a dry branch to each pair of tails. 


text:
He lit the branches. He made the <i>foxes</i> run through the fields of the Philistines. The <i>grain</i> was standing there. Some was ready to take away. He burnt all the <i>grain</i>, the <i>vines</i> and the <i>olive</i> trees.


text:
The Philistines asked, ‘Who did this?’ People told them that it was Samson, who had married the Timnite's daughter. They said, ‘He did it because he gave Samson’s wife to his friend’. <n>So the Philistines went and burned the man and his daughter to death. 


text:
Samson said to them, ‘Because you have done this, I will <i>punish</i> you. I will not stop until your <i>punishment</i> is finished’. 


text:
He fought them with great power. He killed many Philistines. Then he went to live in a hole in the rock of Etam.


text:
The men of Judah asked, ‘Why have you come to fight us?’ ‘We have come to take Samson away’, they replied. ‘We want him because he has hurt us’.


text:
3000 men of Judah went to the place where Samson was. They said, ‘You must know that the Philistines are our rulers. You are causing us trouble’. <n>He answered, ‘I only did to them as they did to me’.


text:
They said to him, ‘We have come to tie you up. We must give you to the Philistines’. <n>Samson said, ‘Promise that you will not kill me’.


text:
‘We agree’, they said, ‘We will only tie you up and give you to them. We will not kill you’. So they tied him up with two new <i>ropes</i> and led him away.


text:
When they came near to Lehi, all the Philistines shouted. They came towards Samson. Then the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> gave great power to him. The <i>ropes</i> on his arms seemed as weak as grass. The material tied round his hands fell off. 


text:
Then Samson said, ‘I have made <i>donkeys</i> of them with a <i>donkey</i>'s bone. With a bone I have killed 1000 men’.


text:
After this he threw away the bone. The place was called ‘Ramath Lehi’ (the hill of a <i>donkey</i>'s face bone).


text:
Samson was very <i>thirsty</i>. He cried out to the <i>Lord</i>, ‘You have helped me to win a big fight. Do I have to die of <i>thirst</i>? Your enemies would come and take me’.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> made a hole in the ground near Lehi. Water came out of it. Samson drank from it and he became strong again. The name of this water was En Hakkore (water of the one who shouted); it is still in Lehi.


text:
The people of Gaza heard that Samson was there. The men waited for him all night at the gate of the city. They said, ‘We will stay here. We will kill him at dawn’.


text:
But Samson only stayed with the woman until the middle of the night. Then he got up. He took the doors from the gate of the city. He tore them from the walls, with the wood at their edges. He carried them to the top of the hill towards Hebron.


text:
The rulers of the Philistines went to her. They said, ‘See if you can discover what makes Samson so strong. See if you can find a way to get power over him. We want to tie him up and to make him do what we want. We will each give you 1100 shekels of <i>silver</i> (about 28 pounds or 13 kilos)’.


text:
Delilah said to Samson, ‘Tell me the secret. What makes you so strong? How can you be tied up and kept quiet?’


text:
Samson replied, ‘You must tie me with 7 new leather <i>ropes</i>. They must not be dried. I will become weak, like other men’.


text:
The rulers of the Philistines gave Delilah the 7 new leather <i>ropes</i>. She tied Samson with them. 


text:
She hid Philistine men in the room. Then she shouted, ‘Samson the Philistines are here’. But he broke the 7 <i>ropes</i> as easy as fire breaks a thin line. So they did not discover why he was so strong.


text:
Delilah said to Samson, ‘You have made me look like a fool. Your words were not true. Come on, tell me how someone can really tie you’.


text:
He said, ‘If someone ties me with new <i>ropes</i> that have never been used, I will become weak. I will be as other men’.


text:
So Delilah took new <i>ropes</i> and tied him with them. Men were hiding in the room. Then she shouted, ‘Samson the Philistines are here’. But he broke the <i>ropes</i> as if they had been very thin.


text:
Delilah then said to Samson, ‘Your words were not true. You have made me look silly. Tell me how someone can really tie you’. He replied, ‘If you work the 7 tails of my hair into the cloth you are making I will become weak. You must tie it well and I will be like other men’. Delilah did this while he was asleep. She took the 7 tails of his hair and tied them in with the cloth she was making. 


text:
She fixed them with a piece of wood. Again she shouted to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here’. He woke up. She had fixed the cloth to a heavy table. Samson tore the cloth and the piece of wood away from it.


text:
Delilah said to him, ‘You cannot really love me, when you will not tell me your secret. This is the third time that you have made me look like a fool. You have not told me why you are so strong’. 


text:
So Samson told her everything. ‘I have never cut my hair’, he said. ‘When I was born, God chose me to be a <i>Nazirite</i>. If someone cuts my hair off, I will not be strong any more. I will be as weak as any other man’.


text:
Delilah saw that he had told her everything. So she sent a message to the rulers of the Philistines. ‘Come back once more. Samson has told me everything’. The rulers of the Philistines came back. They brought <i>silver</i> with them. 


text:
Delilah made Samson sleep with his head on her knees. She asked a man to cut off the 7 tails of his hair. This was to make him weak. He was not strong any more.


text:
Then she shouted, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ He woke up. He thought that he could become free. But he did not know that God's power had left him.


text:
The Philistines took Samson. They pulled out his eyes. They tied him with metal <i>ropes</i>. They made him work in prison. He had to make <i>grain</i> into flour. 


text:
The rulers of the Philistines met together to <i>worship</i> their god, Dagon. They said, ‘Our God has put Samson, our enemy, into our power’.


text:
When the people saw Samson, they <i>praised</i> their god. They said, ‘Our god has given our enemy to us. This enemy destroyed our land. He killed many of us’.


text:
The people were all very happy. They shouted, ‘Bring out Samson. He can dance for us’. So they brought Samson out of the prison. He had to do as they asked. <n>They took Samson among the <i>pillars</i> of the <i>temple</i>.


text:
A servant held Samson's hand. Samson said, ‘Put me against the <i>pillars</i> which hold up the roof. I want to put my weight on them’. 


text:
The <i>temple</i> was full of men and women. All the leaders of the Philistines were there. About 3000 people were on the roof watching Samson dance. 


text:
Then Samson prayed to the <i>Lord</i>. ‘Remember me, God, powerful <i>Lord</i> and ruler. Please make me strong again, for one more time. I want to <i>punish</i> the Philistines for pulling out my eyes’. 


text:
Then Samson put his hands on the two <i>pillars</i> in the centre of the building. He got ready to push. He pushed one with his right hand, the other with his left hand. 


text:
Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines’. Then he pushed with the power of his whole body. The building fell down on all the rulers and people in it. So, Samson killed more people when he died than while he lived.


text:
Then his brothers and his father's whole family came to get him. They took him back and buried him with his father Manoah's body. This was in the ground between Eshtael and Zorah. Samson had ruled <i>Israel</i> for 20 years. <n>It was women's work to make <i>grain</i> into flour. The Philistines were making the <i>blind</i> Samson look weak and silly. <n>God made Samson very very strong. He used Samson to kill some of <i>Israel</i>'s enemies. But Samson was a man who was weak with women. He did not always obey God's rules. But God used even his weakness to make the Philistines fight. In the end, Samson's love of a bad woman caused his death. But God used this to kill many more Philistines. 


text:
He told his mother that he had taken 1100 shekels of <i>silver</i> (about 28 pounds or 13 kilos) from her. She had asked the gods to <i>punish</i> the person who had done this. His mother then asked the <i>Lord</i> to make her son happy.


text:
Micah returned the 1100 shekels of <i>silver</i> to his mother. She said, ‘You must make this <i>silver</i> into an <i>image</i> and an <i>idol</i>. I am giving it back to you’.


text:
Micah's mother took 200 shekels of the <i>silver</i>. She gave them to a man who made things with <i>silver</i>. He made an <i>image</i> and an <i>idol</i>. They were in Micah's house.


text:
Now Micah had a special place to <i>worship</i> his gods. He made an <i>ephod</i> and more <i>idols</i> for it. He chose one of his sons to be a <i>priest</i>. 


text:
He left that town. He was looking for another place to stay. As he travelled, he came to Micah's house in the hills of Ephraim.


text:
Micah asked him, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘I am a <i>Levite</i> from Bethlehem in Judah’, he said. ‘And I am looking for a place to stay’.


text:
Micah said, ‘Live with me and be my father and my <i>priest</i>. I will give you 10 shekels (110 grams or 4 ounces) of <i>silver</i> a year. And I will give you your food and clothes’. 


text:
Micah made the young man a <i>priest</i> at his place of <i>worship</i>. The young man became his <i>priest</i> and lived in his house. 


text:
Then Micah said, ‘Now I know that the <i>Lord</i> will be good to me, because I have made this <i>Levite</i> my <i>priest</i>’.


text:
In those days <i>Israel</i> had no king. The <i>tribe</i> of Dan (the Danites) were looking for a place to live. They wanted their own land to live in. They had not taken the land that Joshua promised to their <i>tribe</i> (Joshua 19:40-48). 


text:
The Danites sent 5 soldiers from Zorah to Eshtaol to explore the land. These men came from all the families of Dan. They told them, ‘Go and explore the land’. <n>The men went into the hill country of Ephraim. They came to Micah's house and stayed there for a night. 


text:
As they came near to Micah's house, they recognised the voice of the young <i>Levite</i>. They went in and asked him, ‘Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?’


text:
So the 5 men left and went to Laish. They saw that it was a safe, quiet place. The people of Laish thought that they would never have to fight. The people of Sidon (the Sidonians) thought the same. Their land was good, so they were rich. They lived a long way from the Sidonians. They had no other friends.


text:
They answered, ‘Let us go and attack them. The land is very good. You must do something. Do not be afraid to go there. We can win it. 


text:
The people there think that they are safe. You will find a large land. It has everything. God has given it to you’.


text:
On their way they put up their <i>tents</i> near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place to the west of Kiriath Jearim is still called Mahaneh Dan. (Dan's camp.) 


text:
The 5 men who had explored the land said to their brothers, ‘Do you know that one of these houses has an <i>ephod</i>, an <i>image</i> and an <i>idol</i>? Now you know what to do’. 


text:
The 5 men who had explored the land went in. They took all the <i>silver idols</i> and other things. The <i>priest</i> and the Danite soldiers stood outside the gate.


text:
So the 5 men went into Micah's house and took his <i>ephod</i> and <i>idols</i> and other gods. Then the <i>priest</i> (the <i>Levite</i>) asked them, ‘What are you doing?’


text:
They answered him, ‘Be quiet! Do not say a word. Come with us, and be our father and our <i>priest</i>. It will be better for you to <i>serve</i> a whole <i>tribe</i> of <i>Israel</i>. It will be better than now, when you are <i>serving</i> only one man's family’. 


text:
Then the <i>priest</i> was happy. He took the <i>ephod</i>, the other gods and <i>idols</i>, and went with the Danites. 


text:
The people put their little children and animals in front of them. They took all their own things. Then they left.


text:
The men who lived near Micah came together. They ran after the Danites and met them as they travelled. 


text:
They shouted after the Danites. The Danites turned and spoke to Micah, ‘What is the matter? Why are you coming to fight with us?’


text:
Micah replied, ‘You have taken the gods that I made. You have taken my <i>priest</i>. I have nothing left. How can you ask me what is wrong?’


text:
The Danites answered, ‘Do not argue with us. Some of us are very quick to get angry. We might attack you and your family and kill you all’. 


text:
They took what Micah had made. They took his <i>priest</i>. Then they went on to Laish. They attacked the people there and destroyed their city by fire. The people of Laish had thought that they were safe. 


text:
No one came to save them. They lived a long way from Sidon. They had no other friends. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. <n>The Danites built the city again and lived there. 


text:
They called it Dan, after their father Dan. He had been one of <i>Israel</i>'s (Jacob's) 12 sons. The city had been called Laish.


text:
The Danites put the <i>idols</i> there. Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, became their <i>priest</i>. He and his sons <i>served</i> there as <i>priests</i> for Dan. They <i>served</i> until other people started to rule the land of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
They continued to use the <i>idols</i> which Micah had made at the time when the House of God was in Shiloh. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Dan started to <i>serve</i> false gods. They left the God of <i>Israel</i>. It tells us that there was no king in <i>Israel</i> at that time. But every man did what he thought to be right. People had forgotten God's rules. Perhaps the Danites lived too far from Shiloh to learn about God. The gods that Micah had made could not stop the Danites from taking them away. The <i>Levite</i> went with them. No one remembered God's rules. 


text:
There was no king in <i>Israel</i> in those days. A <i>Levite</i> lived in the hills of Ephraim. He took a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to live with him. 


text:
But she left him and she returned to her father's house in Bethlehem. She stayed there for 4 months. 


text:
Then her husband went to visit her. He asked her to return to him. He took his servant and two <i>donkeys</i> with him. She took him into her father's house. Her father was happy to see him. 


text:
The girl's father asked him to stay there. So he stayed for 3 days. He ate and drank there and slept there also.


text:
On the fourth day they got up early and were ready to leave. The girl's father said, ‘Have something to eat, and then you may go’. 


text:
So the two men sat down. They ate and drank together. Then the girl's father asked him to stay that night. He wanted him to enjoy himself. 


text:
On the morning of the fifth day the girl's father said, ‘Have something to eat and drink. Wait until this afternoon and you can go’. So the two of them ate together.


text:
The man and woman were ready to go, with the servant. Then her father said, ‘It is nearly evening. Sleep here tonight. The day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. You can leave early tomorrow and go home’. 


text:
But the man did not want to stay for another night. So he left with his two <i>donkeys</i> and his woman. They went towards Jebus (Jerusalem).


text:
When they came near to Jebus, the day was nearly over. The servant said, ‘Let us stay in this city of the Jebusites. Let us stop here for the night’.


text:
His master replied, ‘No, we will not go into a foreign city. These people are not <i>Israelites</i>. We will go on to Gibeah’. 


text:
He said, ‘Let us try to reach Gibeah or Ramah. Then we can stay in one of those cities for the night’. 


text:
They stayed there for the night. They sat in the centre of the city. But no one took them in for the night.


text:
That evening, an old man from the hill country of Ephraim (but who was living in Gibeah) returned from his work. 


text:
The <i>Levite</i> answered, ‘We are going from Bethlehem in Judah to the far hills of Ephraim. I live there. I have been to Bethlehem and now I am going to the house of the <i>Lord</i>. No one has taken me into his house. 


text:
We have food and material for our animal's beds. We have bread and <i>wine</i> for ourselves. We (this woman, my servant and I) do not need anything’.


text:
The old man said, ‘Please come into my house. I can give you whatever you need. But do not stay in the open city’. 


text:
So he took him into his house, and fed the <i>donkeys</i>. When they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.


text:
They were enjoying themselves. Then some bad men came from the city and stood all round the house. They hit the door hard and shouted to the old man. They said, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him’.


text:
The old man went outside to them. He said, ‘Friends, do not be so very, very bad. This man is in my house. You would be doing a very bad thing.


text:
Here is my daughter, who has never had sex with a man, and this man’s woman. I will bring them to you and you can use them as you want. But do not do such a bad thing to this man’.


text:
But the men would not listen to him. So the traveller took his woman, and sent her out to them. They made her have sex with them and hurt her all night long. At dawn, they let her go. 


text:
She went back to the house where the man was staying. She fell at the door. She lay there until it was light.


text:
Her master got up and opened the door in the morning. He was ready to continue his journey. He saw the woman lying there. Her hands were reaching towards the door.


text:
He said to her, ‘Get up. Let us go!’ But she did not answer. Then he put her on his <i>donkey</i> and started off for home.


text:
When he reached home, he cut the woman's body into 12 parts. He sent these to all the <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
Everyone who saw it said, ‘Nothing as bad as this has ever happened before. Never since the <i>Israelites</i> came out of Egypt. Think about it. Think with care. Tell us what we must do!’


text:
Then all the <i>Israelites</i> from the north to the south of <i>Israel</i> came together. They met at Mizpah, to find out what God wanted. 


text:
The leaders of all the <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i> stood with the people of God. There were 400 000 men ready to fight. 


text:
(The Benjamites had heard that the <i>Israelites</i> had gone to Mizpah.) Then the <i>Israelites</i> said, ‘Tell us how this bad thing happened’.


text:
So the <i>Levite</i>, the husband of the dead woman, spoke to them. He said, ‘My woman and I came to Gibeah of Benjamin, to stay the night. 


text:
The men of Gibeah came and stood round the house. They wanted to kill me. They made my woman have sex with them, and she died. 


text:
I took her body and cut it into pieces. I sent one piece to each part of <i>Israel</i>. I did this because of the bad thing that they had done. 


text:
All the people of <i>Israel</i> stood together. They said, ‘None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 


text:
We will take 10 men of each 100 from each of the <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i>. We will take 100 from each 1000, and 1000 from each 10 000. They will get everything that the army needs. Then, when the army reaches Gibeah, they will <i>punish</i> the men there. The men of Gibeah have done a great wrong. This is the right thing to do to them’. 


text:
The <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i> sent men to all the places in Benjamin. They said, ‘This murder was done by some of your <i>tribe</i>. 


text:
Send out to us the bad men of Gibeah. Then we can kill them. This will make our people clean from the wrong that the men of Gibeah have done’. <n>But the Benjamites would not listen to the other <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
Among all these soldiers were 700 men who used their left hands. They could use a leather <i>rope</i> to throw a stone. They could use it to hit a chosen place. They hit it every time.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> went to Bethel. They asked God which <i>tribe</i> should lead the soldiers against Benjamin. The <i>Lord</i> replied, ‘Judah must go first’. <n>Bethel was then the place where <i>Israel</i> met with God. The ephod was a beautiful bag that the most important <i>priest</i> wore. It held things to help him decide what God wanted. When he did this, it was sometimes called ‘throwing the lot’. 


text:
They went and cried to the <i>Lord</i> until the evening. They asked him, ‘Must we go out again to fight the Benjamites, our brothers?’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘Go and fight them’.


text:
Then all the <i>Israelites</i> went up to Bethel. They sat there, crying to the <i>Lord</i>. They ate no food that day. They offered gifts to the <i>Lord</i>, <i>peace offerings</i> and burnt <i>offerings</i>.


text:
They wanted to ask the <i>Lord</i> what to do. (The <i>Ark</i> of the <i>Covenant</i> was there then. Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron was the <i>priest</i> who <i>served</i> there.) 


text:
They asked, ‘Should we go up again to fight Benjamin, our brother, or not?’ The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Go, for tomorrow you will win the fight’.


text:
The Benjamites came out of Gibeah to meet them. But the <i>Israelites</i> led them away from the city. The Benjamites began to kill the <i>Israelites</i> again. They killed about 30 men in the fields and on the roads. These were the roads to Bethel and to Gibeah.


text:
The Benjamites were saying, ‘We are winning the fight again’. But the <i>Israelites</i> were saying, ‘We will run away so that the Benjamites will follow us away from the city’.


text:
The men of <i>Israel</i> all moved to Baal Tamar. Men hid to the west of Gibeah and attacked Benjamin. 


text:
Then 10 000 of <i>Israel</i>'s best soldiers attacked the front of Gibeah. The fighting was very strong. Benjamin did not know that the end of the fight was so near. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> helped <i>Israel</i> to win the fight with Benjamin. That day <i>Israel</i> killed 25 000 Benjamite fighting men. 


text:
Then Benjamin saw that <i>Israel</i> had won. <n>Now the men of <i>Israel</i> had run away from Benjamin. They were waiting for their men to take Gibeah. 


text:
The men who were hiding ran into Gibeah and went through the whole city. They killed all the people. 


text:
Then the other <i>Israelites</i> would turn back to the city. <n>The Benjamites had begun to kill the <i>Israelites</i>, about 30 (thirty) of them. They said, ‘We are winning, as we did in the first fight’. 


text:
The men of <i>Israel</i> turned towards them. Then the men of Benjamin were very afraid. They knew that they would soon die. 


text:
So they ran towards the <i>desert</i>. But they could not get away from the fighting. The men of <i>Israel</i> came from their town and killed them. 


text:
Other men ran through the <i>desert</i> to the rock of Rimmon. The <i>Israelites</i> killed 5000 men along the roads. They continued to run after the Benjamites as far as Gidom. And they killed 2000 more.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> went back to Benjamin. They killed the people and animals in all the towns. They burnt all the towns that they could find. <n>The men of Gibeah had done the worst thing that any <i>Israelite</i> could remember. <i>Israel</i> had to <i>punish</i> them, or the <i>Lord</i> God would <i>punish</i> all <i>Israel</i>. The Benjamites would not let <i>Israel</i> kill their brothers in Gibeah. So <i>Israel punished</i> all the Benjamites. Only 600 Benjamite men did not die. <n>This must have happened soon after Joshua died. We know that Phinehas was <i>priest</i> when Joshua was alive. And in the early days of the <i>judges</i>, all the <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i> met together. They did this to fight their enemies. Later, all the <i>tribes</i> did not fight together. The <i>Ark</i> of the <i>Covenant</i> was at Bethel at that time. (This was the box in which they kept God's rules. The rules were on two big stones.) 


text:
The men of <i>Israel</i> made a promise to the <i>Lord</i> at Mizpah. They agreed that they would not give their daughters to a Benjamite to marry.


text:
The people went to Bethel. They sat there until evening, weeping. They cried to the <i>Lord</i> God, and called out to him. 


text:
Early next day, the people built an <i>altar</i>. They offered gifts to the <i>Lord</i> there. They burnt some of the gifts, as God had told them.


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> asked, ‘Which people from the <i>tribes</i> did not join us at Mizpah?’ For they had decided that everyone should meet there. They would kill anyone who did not meet them.


text:
Now the <i>Israelites</i> were very sad. They said, ‘<i>Israel</i> has lost one of its <i>tribes</i>. The Benjamites were our brothers. 


text:
How can we get wives for those who are left? We have promised the <i>Lord</i> that we would not let them marry our daughters’. 


text:
Then they asked, ‘Which <i>Israelites</i> did not come with us to Mizpah?’ They found that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come with them. 


text:
So the <i>Israelite</i> army sent 12 000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They told them to kill everyone there, including the women and children. 


text:
They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead. These girls had not had sex with anyone. The <i>Israelites</i> took them to their camp at Shiloh in Canaan.


text:
Then all the <i>Israelites</i> sent a message of <i>peace</i> to the Benjamites. They were still at the rock of Rimmon. 


text:
So the Benjamites returned at that time. The <i>Israelites</i> gave them the women of Jabesh Gilead who had not been killed. But there were not enough women for all the Benjamites.


text:
The people were very sad for Benjamin. This was because the <i>Lord</i> had taken one of the <i>tribes</i> of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
The <i>elders</i> of <i>Israel</i> asked, ‘How can we get wives for all the other men of Benjamin? All their women are dead. 


text:
The men of Benjamin that are alive must have children. If they do not, their <i>tribe</i> will die out. 


text:
We cannot give them our daughters as wives. We promised that we would not do this. We said, “God will <i>punish</i> anyone who gives a girl as wife to a Benjamite. 


text:
But there will soon be a big party at Shiloh. They <i>worship</i> God there every year in this way. The party is north of Bethel and south of Lebonah. And it is also east of the road from Bethel to Shechem” ’.


text:
and watch. They said, ‘When the girls of Shiloh come out to dance, run out and catch one each. Take them to the land of Benjamin. 


text:
When their fathers or brothers get angry, they will come to us. Then we will say, “Please help the Benjamites. We did not get wives for them in the war. You will not be <i>punished</i>, because you did not give your daughters to them” ’.


text:
So that is what the Benjamites did. Each man caught a girl as she was dancing. Then he carried her off to be his wife. Then they went back to their own land and built their towns again. Then they lived there.


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> left that place. They went home to their <i>tribes</i> and families in their own lands.


text:
In those days, <i>Israel</i> had no king. Everyone did what he thought was right. <n>The books of Samuel continue the story of <i>Israel</i>. Samuel was their last <i>judge</i>. God used Samuel to make Saul, and then David, kings of <i>Israel</i>.


text:
There was a time when <i>judges</i> ruled Israel. There was not enough food for the people to eat. A man, called Elimelech, lived in Bethlehem in Judah. Elimelech had a wife and two sons. Elimelech’s wife was called Naomi and his sons were called Mahlon and Kilion. They were <i>Ephrathites</i>. Because there was not enough food, Elimelech and his family left Bethlehem. They went to live in Moab. <n>The country called Moab was a good place for a farm. <i>Wheat</i> grew well in one part of Moab. Grass grew well in another part of the country. So farm animals had good health. 


text:
Naomi’s sons married women from Moab. Mahlon married a woman called Ruth. And Kilion married a woman called Orpah. 


text:
Both Mahlon and Kilion died after they had all lived in Moab for about ten years. Naomi was completely alone, without her husband or her sons. <n>When the women were alone, they could not work on their land any longer. They needed help from the men in their <i>families</i>. 


text:
Naomi received news from Judah that God had helped his people. There was now enough food in Judah again. Naomi decided to return to Judah. 


text:
She and her sons’ wives left their home in Moab. They began to travel together along the road towards Judah.


text:
On the way to Judah, Naomi spoke to Ruth and Orpah. She said, ‘Return to your mothers’ homes and stay there. Your husbands are dead now. But you were kind to them when they were alive. And you have been kind to me. I pray that God will be as kind to you. I also pray that God will give each of you another husband and a new home.’ 


text:
But Naomi said, ‘Return to your own country, my daughters. You should not want to come with me. I will not have other sons. You cannot marry them. 


text:
Return to your own country, my daughters. I am too old to have another husband. Think about this. I might even marry another husband tonight. Then I might give birth to sons. Those sons would grow up and they would become men. Then you could marry them. 


text:
But I am sure that you do not want to wait for so many years, my daughters. This is painful for you. It is more painful for me. God has caused bad things to happen to me.’


text:
Ruth and Orpah wept again. Orpah kissed Naomi and she said goodbye. But Ruth would not leave Naomi. She held on to Naomi.


text:
Naomi said to Ruth, ‘Orpah has returned to her family. She has returned to the gods of Moab. Go with her.’


text:
Ruth said to Naomi, ‘Do not say that I must leave you. I want to go with you. I want to live with you. You belong to Israel’s people. I will belong to them also. Your God will be my God. 


text:
I want to die in the place where you die. I want someone to bury me there. Even when I die, I want to be with you. I must not leave you before I die. If I do, God should be very angry with me.’ 


text:
Naomi understood that Ruth would not return to her own country. Then Naomi stopped saying that Ruth should leave her.


text:
Naomi and Ruth travelled together to Bethlehem. The people in Bethlehem were very surprised when they saw them. The women from the town said, ‘Is this really Naomi?’


text:
I left here with my husband and my two sons. God has brought me back here without them. You should not call me Naomi. God has caused trouble to happen to me.’ <n>The name Naomi means happy. The name Mara means sad. 


text:
So Naomi returned from Moab with Ruth. Ruth was from Moab, and she was the wife of Naomi’s son Mahlon. Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem when the people were cutting down <i>barley</i> in the fields. <n>People plant <i>barley</i> for food. The plants make many seeds. People cook the seeds and they eat them. 


text:
Ruth, the woman from Moab, said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the fields. I will walk behind anyone who lets me. Then I will pick up the <i>barley</i> that he lets fall.’ Naomi said, ‘Go my daughter.’ 


text:
So she went to the fields. And she began to pick up the <i>barley</i> that the men let fall. It happened that she worked in one of Boaz’s fields. Boaz was from Elimelech’s <i>family</i>. <n>When the workers cut the <i>barley</i> in the fields, they did not cut to the edge of the field. Also they must leave <i>barley</i> that dropped on the ground. They left <i>barley</i> in the fields. Poor people and people from other countries could pick up this <i>barley</i>. God’s <i>Law</i> said that the workers must do these things. We can read about this in Leviticus 23:22 and in Deuteronomy 24:19-22. 


text:
Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and he spoke to the workers. ‘I ask God to be with you’, he said. ‘We pray that God will do good things for you’, they said.


text:
She asked, “Please let me walk behind the workers. Then I can pick up the <i>barley</i> that they let fall.” She has worked in the field from morning until now. She only had a short rest in the hut.’


text:
Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Young woman, listen to me. Do not go and pick up <i>barley</i> in another field. Do not go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. 


text:
Watch where the men work. And walk behind the girls. I have said that the workers should not touch you. The workers have filled the jars with water. When you need water, go to those jars. And drink from the jars.’


text:
Ruth went down on her knees in front of Boaz. She said, ‘Why did you choose to be kind to me? I am a foreign woman.’


text:
Boaz said, ‘People have told me all about you. When your husband died, you did many things for Naomi. You left your father and your mother and your country. You came to live with people who were strangers to you. 


text:
You have done many good things. I pray that God will do good things for you. You have come to Israel to be safe. I pray that the God of Israel will give you many good things.’


text:
Ruth said, ‘Master, you have caused me to feel good by your kind words. I am not as important as one of your servant girls. But you have been kind to me. I hope that you will continue to be kind to me.’


text:
When it was time to eat, Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Come here. Take some bread and make it wet with the <i>wine vinegar</i>.’ <n>When she sat down with the workers, Boaz gave her some food. It was <i>barley</i> seeds that someone had cooked. She ate all that she wanted. And there was more than she could eat. 


text:
After this, she returned to work in the field. Boaz said to his workers, ‘If she picks up <i>barley</i> near you, do not hurt her. 


text:
It would be good to help her. You can let some <i>barley</i> drop for her to pick up. And do not be angry with her.’


text:
Ruth worked in the field until evening. Then she hit her <i>barley</i> with a stick until the seeds came out. She had about 22 <i>litres</i> of seeds. <n>This was a very large amount of seeds for one day’s work. 


text:
She carried the seeds to the town. Naomi saw how much Ruth had picked. Ruth also gave to Naomi the <i>barley</i> seeds that Ruth could not eat.


text:
Naomi asked her, ‘Where did you work today? I want God to do good things for the man who was kind to you.’ Then Ruth told Naomi about the man that she had worked with. ‘The man that I worked with today is called Boaz’, she said.


text:
‘I pray that God will do good things for him’, said Naomi to Ruth. ‘God has not stopped being kind to people who are alive. He is kind to those who are dead too. That man is in my husband’s <i>family</i>. He is one of our <i>kinsmen-redeemers</i>.’ <n>At that time, a <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> was a person in a <i>family</i>. If there were poor people in a <i>family</i>, the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> was good to them. If his brother died, he had to marry his brother’s wife. Someone in the <i>family</i> might have to sell themselves as a servant or as a slave. Then the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> would buy them back. A poor person in the <i>family</i> might have to sell their land. Then the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> would buy the land back. Then the <i>family</i> would not lose that land. <n>A person’s <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> was their nearest male in the <i>family</i>. We can read about <i>kinsmen-redeemers</i> in Leviticus 25:25-28, 47-49 and in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. 


text:
Then Ruth, the woman from Moab, said, ‘He even said to me, “Stay with my workers until they have finished the work.” ’


text:
Naomi said to Ruth, ‘It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with his girls. The workers in another field might hurt you.’


text:
One day, Naomi said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, I must find a home for you. There you will have everything that you need. 


text:
You have worked with Boaz’s servant girls. Boaz is in our <i>family</i>. Tonight he will <i>winnow barley</i> on the <i>threshing floor</i>.’ <n>Boaz has grown <i>barley</i> in his fields. He has brought all his <i>barley</i> from his fields to a special place called the <i>threshing floor</i>. The <i>barley</i> has two parts called the seed and the chaff. The chaff is the light part round the seed. The farmer will use the seed of the <i>barley</i> to make food. He must make the seed separate from the chaff. He throws the <i>barley</i> up, and the wind blows away the chaff. This is what the word ‘winnow’ means. Boaz will take all the good seed from the <i>barley</i>. And he will keep it safe in the buildings on his farm. 


text:
‘Wash yourself’, said Naomi. ‘Put oil that has a beautiful smell on yourself. Put on your best clothes. Then go down to the <i>threshing floor</i>. Do not let him know that you are there. Wait until he has finished his food and drink. 


text:
After that, he will lie down. Then you will see where he is lying. Go and lift the cloth from his feet. Lie down. Then he will say what you should do.’


text:
So she went down to the <i>threshing floor</i>. And she did everything that Naomi had asked her to do. <n>At that time, a woman could do this. Ruth was asking Boaz to marry her. Naomi wanted Boaz to marry Ruth. 


text:
Boaz was happy when he had finished his food and drink. He had put the <i>barley</i> seeds together in one place. Boaz lay down next to the seeds. Ruth was very quiet and she went to him. She lifted the cloth that covered his feet. Then she lay down. 


text:
In the middle of the night, something caused Boaz to feel afraid. He moved. Then he saw a woman who was lying at his feet.


text:
‘Who are you?’ he asked. ‘I am your servant Ruth’, she said. ‘Put the corner of the cloth that covers your feet over me. You are a <i>kinsman-redeemer</i>.’


text:
‘Young woman, I pray that God will do good things for you’, he replied. ‘You were kind to Naomi earlier. Now you have been more kind to me. You have seen young men who are rich. And you have seen young men who are poor. You have not tried to marry any of these. 


text:
And now, young woman, do not be afraid. All the people in this town know that you are a good woman. So I will do everything for you that you ask. 


text:
It is true that I am in your <i>family</i>. But there is another <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> who is nearer to you. 


text:
Stay here for the night. In the morning, if he wants to help you, let him do it. If he will not do it, I will do it. As God is alive, I will do it. Lie here until the morning.’


text:
So she lay at his feet until morning. But she got up before anyone could see her. Boaz said to her, ‘Nobody must know that a woman came to the <i>threshing floor</i>.’


text:
He also said, ‘Bring me your small coat that you are wearing.’ She brought the coat to him and Boaz poured <i>barley</i> on to it. Then he put the coat on her. After that, he returned to the town. <n>We think that Boaz put <i>barley</i> on to Ruth’s small coat. Then he tied the corners of the coat together and he put it on her head. Then she could carry it to her home. 


text:
When Ruth returned, Naomi asked, ‘Ruth, what happened in the night?’ Then Ruth told her everything that Boaz had done for her. 


text:
Then she said, ‘He also gave me all this <i>barley</i> and he said, “Do not return to Naomi with empty hands.” ’


text:
Naomi said, ‘Ruth, you must wait. Soon you will know what will happen. The man will be sure that he finishes everything today.’


text:
In the morning, Boaz went up to the gate of the town and he sat down. The <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> that Boaz knew came to the gate. Boaz said to him, ‘Come here, my friend, and sit down.’ So, the man went to Boaz and the man sat down. <n>The gate of the town was an important place in the town. People met here to buy and to sell things. They also met to agree things about the <i>law</i>. 


text:
Then he said to the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i>, ‘Naomi has returned from Moab. She wants to sell our brother Elimelech’s piece of land. 


text:
I thought that I should tell you about this. Now I ask you, in front of these important people, will you buy this land? If you want to buy it, then you should buy it. If you do not want to buy it, then you must tell me. Then I will know what you want to do. It is right for you to buy it. If you do not buy the land, then I can buy it.’ The <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> said, ‘I will buy it.’


text:
Then Boaz said, ‘On the day that you buy the land from Naomi and Ruth, you must marry Ruth. Then the name of Elimelech will stay with the land.’


text:
When Boaz said that, the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> replied. ‘I cannot buy the land’, he said. ‘My family might lose my own land when I die. You buy the land yourself. I cannot buy it.’ <n>The <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> might marry Ruth and have a son. If the <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> had no other sons, then Ruth’s son would receive all his land. His land would then be in Elimelech’s family. This would not be any different for Boaz. But Boaz wanted to be kind to Ruth and Naomi. 


text:
At this time, in Israel, when a man sold land he removed his shoe. Then he gave it to the man who had bought the land. So then, everyone could see that the first man had sold the land. They had agreed this in the <i>law</i>.


text:
Boaz said to all the important people, ‘You have all seen today that I have bought the land from Naomi. I have bought all the land of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. 


text:
I will also marry Ruth, from Moab, who was the wife of Mahlon. His name and his land will stay together. Now his name will remain in his <i>family</i>. And this town will not lose his name. Today you have seen all this happen.’


text:
Then the important men and all the other people at the gate said, ‘We have seen all that has happened. We want God to be good to the woman who is coming into your home. We pray that he will make her like Rachel and Leah. They made the <i>family</i> of Israel large. We pray that you will become an important man in Ephrathah. And we pray that you will become famous in Bethlehem.


text:
God gave children to Perez. Perez was the son of Tamar and Judah. We pray that God will give children to you by this young woman like that.’ <n>Rachel and Leah were the wives of Jacob. God had promised that Israel would be his people. He promised that the 12 sons of Rachel and Leah would begin large <i>families</i>. These <i>families</i> would be the 12 important <i>families</i> in Israel. <n>Perez was one of Boaz’s <i>ancestors</i>. His father, Judah, had been a <i>kinsman-redeemer</i> for Tamar. The <i>family</i> of Judah (and Perez) became important in Israel. The <i>family</i> of Boaz also became important. King David was in this <i>family</i>. <n>The <i>family</i> of David</n>


text:
The women said to Naomi, ‘Thank God! Today, he did not let you have no <i>kinsman-redeemer</i>. We pray that Ruth’s son will become famous everywhere in Israel! 


text:
He will cause you to feel young again. He will be good to you when you are old. Ruth loves you. And she is better for you than seven sons would be. And now she has had this boy.’


text:
Naomi took the child. She held him in her arms. She was good to him as she would be to her own son. 


text:
The women who lived there said, ‘Naomi has a son.’ They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.


text:
There was a man whose name was Elkanah. He lived in the town called Ramathaim-zophim (Ramah). This town was in the hills. It was in a place that God had given to Ephraim’s <i>tribe</i>. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Elihu. Elihu was the son of Tohu. Tohu was the son of Zuph. Zuph was in the <i>tribe</i> of Ephraim. 


text:
Elkanah had two wives. One wife was called Hannah and the other wife was called Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah did not have any children.


text:
Every year, Elkanah left Ramathaim and he went up to the town called Shiloh. He went there to <i>worship</i>. There he gave <i>sacrifices</i> to God, the most powerful <i>Lord</i>. Hophni and Phinehas were <i>priests</i> to the <i>Lord</i> at Shiloh. Eli was their father. 


text:
Elkanah gave his <i>sacrifices</i> to God. Then he gave a part of the meat to Peninnah and to her sons and daughters. 


text:
Elkanah loved Hannah. But she had no children because the <i>Lord</i> had not let her have children. So Elkanah always gave twice as much meat to Hannah.


text:
Peninnah was not kind to Hannah. She said things that would cause Hannah to feel sad. She did this because God had not given any children to Hannah. Then Hannah became sad. 


text:
This happened every year when they went to the <i>Lord</i>’s house in Shiloh. Peninnah would say bad things to Hannah to cause her to cry. Then Hannah would not eat anything. 


text:
Hannah’s husband, Elkanah said to her, ‘I do not know why you are crying. I do not know why you are not eating. You should not be sad. I am better than 10 sons.’ <n><i>Israelite</i> men had to go to a special place to give <i>sacrifices</i> to God three times every year (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 12:5-7). This place was in Shiloh at this time. The <i>Israelites</i> met God there. Shiloh was about 24 kilometres (15 miles) east of Ramah. <n>Hannah and Eli</n>


text:
One day they were at Shiloh. They had finished eating and drinking. Hannah stood up. Eli the <i>priest</i> was sitting by the door of the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>temple</i>. 


text:
And she said a promise to God. She prayed, ‘You are the most powerful <i>Lord</i>. See how sad I am. I am your servant. Remember me and do not forget me. Please give a son to me. If you do that, I will give him back to you for all of his life. Nobody will ever cut his hair.’ <n>‘Nobody will ever cut his hair.’ This is a mark of the <i>Nazirite</i> promise (Numbers 6:1-21). The person promised to give his life to God. 


text:
Hannah was praying inside herself. Her lips moved but Eli could not hear her voice. So he thought that she had drunk too much alcohol. 


text:
Hannah said to Eli, ‘No, sir, I have not drunk <i>wine</i> or strong drink. I have trouble deep inside myself. I told the <i>Lord</i> all about my problems. 


text:
Please do not think that I am a bad woman. I am praying here because I am sad. And I feel bad inside.’


text:
Eli answered Hannah and he said, ‘Go and let your mind rest. I ask the God of <i>Israel</i> to give to you the thing that you asked him for.’ 


text:
Hannah said, ‘I will try always to do the things that will cause you pleasure.’ Then Hannah went away and she ate something. Her face was not sad now.


text:
Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning. They <i>worshipped</i> the <i>Lord</i>. Then they went to their home at Ramah. Elkanah had sex with his wife Hannah. And God remembered what she had asked him for. 


text:
Hannah discovered that she would soon have a baby. She had a son and she called him Samuel. She said, ‘His name is Samuel because I asked the <i>Lord</i> for him.’ <n>The name Samuel means ‘God’s gift’. <n>Hannah gives Samuel to God</n>


text:
Every year Elkanah went to Shiloh to give <i>sacrifices</i>. And he did what he had promised to the <i>Lord</i>. His family went too. 


text:
But Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, ‘I will not go until the boy is older. When he can eat proper food, I will take him to the house of the <i>Lord</i> at Shiloh. I will give him to the <i>Lord</i> and he will live there for all his life.’ 


text:
Elkanah said to Hannah, ‘You must do what seems right to you. Stay here until the boy begins to eat proper food. The <i>Lord</i> will help you do this.’ So, Hannah stayed at her home with her son until he drank no more milk from her.


text:
When Samuel was eating proper food, Hannah took him to Shiloh. She took him to the <i>Lord</i>’s house there. She took a male cow that was three years old. She also took a big bag of flour and a leather bag full of <i>wine</i>. Samuel was still young. 


text:
Hannah spoke to Eli. ‘Please believe me sir. I am the woman that was standing here. You saw me here. I was praying to the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
I prayed for this boy and the <i>Lord</i> answered me. The <i>Lord</i> gave to me what I asked him for. 


text:
Now I give this child back to the <i>Lord</i>. He will work for the <i>Lord</i> all of his life.’ And Samuel <i>worshipped</i> the <i>Lord</i> there.


text:
Hannah prayed and she said, <n>‘I am very happy when I think about the <i>Lord</i>. <n>The <i>Lord</i> has made me very strong. <n>I can say that I am stronger than my <i>enemies</i>. <n>I am happy because you, <i>Lord</i>, have saved me.


text:
Nobody else is <i>holy</i> like the <i>Lord</i>. <n>There is no other God except you. <n>You are the only powerful God.


text:
You people must not say that you are very great. <n>Stop saying that you are important. <n>The <i>Lord</i> is a God who knows everything. <n>And he knows whether people are doing good things or bad things.


text:
Now the people who had plenty of food have to work for it. <n>But the people who were hungry are not hungry any longer. <n>The woman who could not have any children now has 7 children. <n>But the woman who had many children has become weak.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> kills people. And he makes people alive. <n>He causes people to die. And he raises people up.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> makes some people poor and he makes other people rich. <n>He makes some people not important and he makes other people great.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> raises up the poor people from the ground. <n>He lifts up the people who need help. <n>He lets poor people be friends with king’s sons. <n>And he puts poor people in places of <i>honour</i>. <n>The deep places of the earth are the <i>Lord</i>’s. <n>He built the world on them.


text:
He saves the people who obey him. <n>But he keeps bad people quiet in dark places. <n>Men will not win wars only because they are strong.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will beat his enemies completely. <n>His voice against them is like the noise of a storm from the sky. <n>The <i>Lord</i> will be the <i>judge</i> of all the earth. <n>He will give power to his king. <n>He will <i>anoint</i> a king and he will make him strong.’


text:
Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But Samuel stayed in Shiloh. He lived with Eli the <i>priest</i> and he became God’s servant. <n>Eli’s bad sons</n>


text:
People brought <i>sacrifices</i> to Shiloh. And this is what these <i>priests</i> did. People boiled their meat in a pot. A <i>priest</i>’s servant went to the pot. 


text:
He pushed a fork into the pot. And the <i>priest</i> kept whatever came out on the fork. They did that to all the <i>Israelites</i> when they came to Shiloh. 


text:
Often, the servant of the <i>priest</i> came to the people before they had burned the fat meat from the <i>sacrifice</i>. The servant said, ‘Give to the <i>priest</i> some meat to bake. He will not accept meat that you have boiled. He will only accept meat that is fresh.’ 


text:
Sometimes, the person said, ‘You must burn the fat meat first. Then you can take what you want.’ The servant would reply, ‘No. Give the meat to me now. If you do not give it to me, I will take it from you.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> saw what the young men did. They thought that the people’s <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>Lord</i> were not important. The <i>Lord</i> saw that their <i>sin</i> was very bad. <n>Samuel at Shiloh</n>


text:
But Samuel was the <i>Lord</i>’s servant. He was a young boy. He wore an <i>ephod</i> (a <i>linen</i> coat). 


text:
Every year, Samuel’s mother made a little coat for him. She took it to him when she went to Shiloh. She and her husband went there every year to give their <i>sacrifice</i> to God. 


text:
Then Eli <i>blessed</i> Elkanah and his wife. He said, ‘Hannah prayed for a son and then she gave him back to the <i>Lord</i>. I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will give children to you and Hannah to take the place of Samuel.’ Then they returned to their own home. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> was good to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the house of the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
Eli was very old now. People told him about everything that his sons did in all Israel. Eli’s sons had sex with some women servants. Those women worked at the door of the <i>Lord</i>’s house. 


text:
Eli said to his sons, ‘I do not know why you do these <i>evil</i> things. People have told me what you do. 


text:
If you do something bad to another person, God can help you. But if you do something against the <i>Lord</i>, nobody can ask him to help you.’ Eli’s sons did not listen to him because the <i>Lord</i> had decided to kill them.


text:
The boy Samuel continued to grow bigger. And he continued to give pleasure to the <i>Lord</i> and to the people. <n>The <i>priests</i> wore special white <i>linen</i> clothes when they were in God’s house. An <i>ephod</i> was like a coat. <i>Linen</i> was a strong kind of cloth. <n>The <i>prophecy</i> against Eli’s family</n>


text:
A man of God came and he spoke to Eli. This is what he said: ‘The <i>Lord</i> says, “A long time ago your <i>ancestors</i> lived in Egypt. They were slaves to the king of Egypt. I showed myself to your <i>ancestor</i> Aaron. 


text:
I chose him and his family from all of the <i>tribes</i> in <i>Israel</i>. I chose them to be <i>priests</i>. They go up to my <i>altar</i> to burn <i>incense</i>. They can wear the special <i>ephod</i>. I also let them eat part of the <i>sacrifices</i> and <i>burnt offerings</i> that the <i>Israelites</i> give. 


text:
I said that my people must give these <i>sacrifices</i> and <i>offerings</i> to me in my house. You should not want them for yourself. Eli, you give more <i>honour</i> to your sons than you give to me. You eat all the best parts of the <i>offerings</i> that the <i>Israelites</i> give to me. So you and your sons have become fat.”


text:
Because of what you have done, the <i>Lord</i> God of <i>Israel</i> says this to you: “I promised your family and your <i>ancestors</i> that they would be my <i>priests</i> for all time.” But the <i>Lord</i> says, “That will not happen now. If people give <i>honour</i> to me, I will give <i>honour</i> to them. But some people may think that I am worth nothing. I will give no <i>honour</i> to those people. 


text:
It will be the time soon when you will die. Also, I will let men kill the young men in your family. Nobody in your family will ever become old.


text:
I will cause trouble for the <i>Lord</i>’s house. I will do good things for (on behalf of) the <i>Israelites</i>, but there will never be an old man in your family. 


text:
But I will not completely stop your family working for me at my <i>altar</i>. Some of them will continue to be my servants. But you will cry and you will be sad. All your family will die when they are young. 


text:
Hophni and Phinehas, your two sons, will die on the same day. That will show everyone that I have spoken only true words.


text:
I will choose a <i>priest</i>. And he will always do the things that give pleasure to me. He will do everything that I want him to do. I will cause his family to continue. They will always be the servants of the man that I <i>anoint</i>. 


text:
Everyone in your family who continues to live will bend his body down to this <i>priest</i>. They will have to ask him for food and money. ‘Please let me help the <i>priests</i> so that I can have a loaf of bread to eat’, they will say”.’ <n>Verse 27 ‘Man of God’ is another name for a <i>prophet</i>. A <i>prophet</i> hears God and he speaks on God’s behalf. We do not know the name of this <i>prophet</i> but he came with a very important message about future events. 


text:
The boy Samuel became the <i>Lord</i>’s servant. Eli the <i>priest</i> taught him. In those days, the <i>Lord</i> did not often speak to people. And he did not give many dreams to them.


text:
Eli now had bad eyes and he could not see well. One night, he was lying down to sleep in his usual place. 


text:
The <i>lamp</i> of God was still burning. Samuel was lying down to sleep in the house of the <i>Lord</i>. He was near the <i>covenant box</i>. 


text:
He ran to Eli and he said, ‘You said my name. Here I am.’ But Eli said, ‘I did not say your name. Lie down again.’ So Samuel lay down again. 


text:
Again the <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Samuel’. Samuel went to Eli and said, ‘You said my name. Here I am.’ Eli answered, ‘My son, I did not say your name. Lie down again.’


text:
Then the <i>Lord</i> said Samuel’s name for the third time. Samuel got up. He went to Eli and he said, ‘You said my name. Here I am.’ Then Eli knew that the <i>Lord</i> was saying the boy’s name. 


text:
So Eli said to Samuel, ‘Lie down again. If he says your name again, you must say, “Speak, <i>Lord</i>. I am your servant and I am listening”.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> came and he stood there. He said Samuel’s name as he had done before. He said, ‘Samuel, Samuel’. Samuel said, ‘I am your servant and I am listening.’


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i> said to Samuel: ‘I will do something among the <i>Israelite</i> people. It will make everyone that people tell about it afraid. 


text:
I will do everything to Eli and his family that I have said. I will start at the beginning and I will go on to the end. 


text:
I told Eli that I would <i>punish</i> his family for all time. Eli knew that his sons were doing very bad things. He knew that they would cause me to <i>punish</i> them. But he still let them do those things. 


text:
So I decided to show them that I was very angry. I said to Eli’s family, “I will never <i>forgive</i> you because you have done these things. Even if you give <i>sacrifices</i> and <i>offerings</i> they will never take away your <i>sins</i>”.’


text:
Samuel lay down until the morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the <i>Lord</i>. He was afraid to tell Eli about the <i>vision</i>. 


text:
Eli asked, ‘What did the <i>Lord</i> say to you? You must tell me. Do not keep it a secret. If you do keep it a secret, God will <i>punish</i> you. You must tell me everything that he said to you.’ 


text:
So Samuel told Eli everything. He did not hide any of it. Then Eli said, ‘He is the <i>Lord</i>. He will do what is right.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> was with Samuel while he grew up. The <i>Lord</i> made sure that all of Samuel’s messages from him became true. 


text:
All the <i>Israelites</i> knew that Samuel was a true <i>prophet</i> from the <i>Lord</i>. All the people from Dan (the north of the country) to Beersheba (the south) knew it. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> continued to appear at Shiloh. He showed himself to Samuel and he spoke to him there.


text:
When Samuel spoke, all the <i>Israelites</i> listened to him. <n>The <i>Israelites</i> went out to fight against the <i>Philistine</i> people. The <i>Israelite</i> army had their <i>tents</i> near the place called Ebenezer. The <i>Philistine</i> army was in the town called Aphek. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> went out to fight the <i>Israelites</i>. While they fought, the <i>Philistines</i> won the fight with the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> killed about 4000 <i>Israelites</i> in the fight. 


text:
The <i>Israelite</i> soldiers returned to their <i>tents</i>. The leaders of <i>Israel</i> said, ‘We do not know why the <i>Lord</i> let the <i>Philistines</i> win today. We will bring the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> here from Shiloh. We will take it with us into the fight. Then it will save us from our enemies.’ <n>The <i>Jews</i> had covered the <i>covenant box</i> with gold. Moses had put in it the stones with God’s rules written on them. It also contained other things. These things helped the people to remember how God had saved them out of Egypt. On each end of the top stood two <i>angels</i> (Exodus 25:17-21). 


text:
So the people sent men to Shiloh and they brought back the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. The great and powerful <i>Lord</i> God sits between the <i>angels</i> on the top of it. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with God’s <i>covenant box</i>. 


text:
The men brought the <i>covenant box</i> of the <i>Lord</i> into their army. The <i>Israelites</i> made a great happy noise that caused the ground to move. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> heard them when they were shouting. They asked each other, ‘Why is all this noise happening in the <i>Israelite</i> army?’ <n>Then the <i>Philistines</i> found out that the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> had come into the middle of the <i>Israelite</i> army. 


text:
They were afraid. They said, ‘A <i>god</i> has come into their army. We are in trouble. Nothing like this has happened before. 


text:
This will be very bad for us. Nobody can save us from these powerful <i>gods</i>. They caused great troubles to the people from Egypt and these gods killed them in the <i>desert</i>. 


text:
Be strong, <i>Philistines</i>. Be strong men. In past days, the <i>Israelites</i> were our servants. Now you must fight like men. If you do not, we will become their servants.’


text:
So the <i>Philistines</i> fought strongly and they won again. The <i>Israelites</i> ran towards their own <i>tents</i>. This was a big loss for them. The <i>Philistines</i> killed 30 000 <i>Israelite</i> soldiers. 


text:
And the <i>Philistines</i> took away God’s <i>covenant box</i>. Also, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two sons, died. <n>Eli dies</n>


text:
That day a man from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin ran from the fight to Shiloh. He had torn his clothes and he had put dirt on his head. <n>People put dirt on their heads to show how sad they were. 


text:
Eli was by the side of the road when the man arrived in Shiloh. Eli was sitting on his chair. He was waiting for news. He was not happy because they had taken God’s <i>covenant box</i> into the fight. The man from Benjamin came into the town. He told the people what had happened. All the people cried aloud.


text:
Eli heard the people crying. He asked, ‘What is all this noise about?’ The man quickly went to tell Eli. 


text:
The man from Benjamin said, ‘I have come from the fight. Today I ran from it to you.’ Eli asked, ‘What happened, my son?’


text:
The man who brought the news said, ‘The <i>Israelites</i> ran away from the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> killed many of the <i>Israelite</i> soldiers. Both your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. And the <i>Philistines</i> took God’s <i>covenant box</i>.’


text:
Eli was sitting next to the gate. When the man spoke about God’s <i>covenant box</i>, Eli fell off his chair. Eli broke his neck. And he died when he fell. This happened because he was old and heavy. He had been the leader of Israel’s people for 40 years. <n>The <i>glory</i> has left <i>Israel</i></n>


text:
Phinehas had a wife. She would soon have a baby. It was nearly time for the baby to be born. People told her that the <i>Philistines</i> had taken away God’s <i>covenant box</i>. They also told her that Phinehas and Eli were dead. When people told her this news, she started to give birth to her baby. But she had a very difficult time. 


text:
She was dying. Some women helped her to give birth. Just before she died, they said, ‘Do not be afraid. You have a son.’ But she did not answer them or listen to them.


text:
She called the boy Ichabod. She said, ‘The <i>glory</i> has left <i>Israel</i>.’ She said that because the <i>Philistines</i> had taken God’s <i>covenant box</i>. And she was sad because Eli and her husband were dead. 


text:
She said, ‘The <i>glory</i> has left <i>Israel</i> because the <i>Philistines</i> have taken God’s <i>covenant box</i>.’


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> took away God’s <i>covenant box</i>. And they took it from Ebenezer to the town called Ashdod. 


text:
They carried it into the <i>temple</i> of their <i>god</i>. The name of their <i>god</i> was Dagon. They put the box next to the <i>idol</i> of Dagon. 


text:
The next morning, the people in Ashdod got up early and they went to their <i>temple</i>. They saw that Dagon had fallen down in front of the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. Dagon’s face was touching the ground. So, they picked up Dagon and they put him back in his place. 


text:
They got up early the next morning and they went to the <i>temple</i> of Dagon. Again, they found that Dagon had fallen down in front of the <i>Lord</i>’s box. He lay with his face on the ground. His head and his hands had broken off. They were lying on the step of the <i>temple</i> door. Only the other part of his body was not broken. 


text:
Dagon’s <i>priests</i> and other people still go to the <i>temple</i> at Ashdod. But, since this happened, nobody puts a foot on the step of Dagon’s <i>temple</i>.


text:
The <i>Lord punished</i> the people in Ashdod and the people in the places near to it. They were very afraid. God caused <i>tumours</i> to grow on them. 


text:
The men in Ashdod saw what was happening. They said, ‘God’s <i>covenant box</i> must not stay here with us. The God of <i>Israel</i> is <i>punishing</i> us and our god Dagon.’ 


text:
So the <i>Philistine</i> kings met together. The people asked the kings, ‘What should we do with the <i>covenant box</i> of the God of <i>Israel</i>?’ <n>The kings answered, ‘Take it to Gath.’ So the men moved it to the <i>Philistine</i> town called Gath.


text:
After they had moved the <i>covenant box</i> to Gath, God <i>punished</i> the people in Gath. He made them all very afraid. He made old and young people ill. And he caused <i>tumours</i> to grow on them. 


text:
So the people sent God’s box to the <i>Philistine</i> town called Ekron. <n>When the <i>covenant box</i> of God came into Ekron the people in the town shouted. They said, ‘They have brought the God of <i>Israel</i>’s box to us. It will kill us. It will kill the people who live here.’ 


text:
So they asked the <i>Philistine</i> kings to meet together. The people from Ekron said to them, ‘Send away the <i>covenant box</i> of the God of <i>Israel</i>. Send it back to where it should be. If you do not do this, it will kill us. And it will kill all our people.’ All the people in the town were very afraid because God was <i>punishing</i> them. 


text:
Many people died and all the other people had <i>tumours</i>. So, the people in the town shouted out to <i>heaven</i>.


text:
Then they asked their <i>priests</i> and their men who did <i>magic</i> to come to them. The <i>Philistines</i> asked them, ‘What can we do with the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>? Tell us how to send it back to its home.’


text:
The <i>priests</i> answered, ‘Send it back to <i>Israel</i>. But you must not send it back without an <i>offering</i>. You must send an <i>offering</i> to God because he is angry with you. Then you will get well. You will find out why God <i>punished</i> you.’


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> asked, ‘What <i>offering</i> should we send to God?’ <n>The <i>priests</i> and the men who worked <i>magic</i> replied, ‘You should send 5 <i>tumours</i> and 5 <i>mice</i> of gold. You should make 5 of each because you have 5 rulers. Your rulers and your people have all been ill. 


text:
Make the <i>tumours</i> and <i>mice</i> out of gold. They must be like those that are destroying your country. And give <i>honour</i> to the God of <i>Israel</i>. Maybe then he will stop <i>punishing</i> you and your <i>gods</i> and your country. 


text:
Do not be like the people from Egypt and Pharaoh their king. They would not change their minds and obey God. So God <i>punished</i> them with great power until they let the <i>Jews</i> leave Egypt.


text:
You must make a new <i>cart</i>. Find two cows that have just given birth to little cows. You must use cows that nobody has ever tied to a <i>cart</i> before. Tie them to the <i>cart</i>. Then take their little cows away from them. 


text:
Put the <i>covenant box</i> of the <i>Lord</i> on the <i>cart</i>. Put the gold <i>tumours</i> and <i>mice</i> in a box. These are your <i>offerings</i> to their God because you made him angry. Put this box next to the <i>covenant box</i> on the <i>cart</i>. Then send the <i>cart</i> away. 


text:
But continue to watch it. God’s <i>covenant box</i> came from <i>Israel</i>. The <i>cart</i> may go to the town called Beth-shemesh in <i>Israel</i>. That would show that the <i>Lord</i> sent this great trouble to us. If the <i>cart</i> does not go there, the <i>Lord</i> has not <i>punished</i> us. We will know that our illness happened for another reason.’


text:
So the <i>Philistines</i> did this. They took two cows that had just had little cows. They tied them to a <i>cart</i>. They took away their little cows and they put the little cows in a building. 


text:
They put the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> on the <i>cart</i>. Then they put their box next to the <i>covenant box</i>. Their box contained the <i>mice</i> and the <i>tumours</i> of gold. 


text:
The cows went in a straight path towards Beth-shemesh. They kept on the road and they did not turn to the right or to the left. All the way, they made a lot of noise. The <i>Philistine</i> rulers followed them all the way to the edge of Beth-shemesh.


text:
The people from Beth-shemesh were in the valley. They were taking in their <i>wheat</i>. They looked and they saw the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. They were very happy. 


text:
The cows pulled the <i>cart</i> into a field. The field was Joshua’s. He lived in Beth-shemesh. The cows stopped next to a large rock. The <i>Levites</i> took the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> off the <i>cart</i>. They put it on the large rock. They also put the box, which contained the gold <i>tumours</i> and <i>mice</i>, on the rock. The people from Beth-shemesh cut up the wood from the <i>cart</i> and they made a fire with it. Then they killed the cows. They burnt them on the fire as an <i>offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. That day they <i>sacrificed</i> whole cows as <i>burnt offerings</i>. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> sent the gold <i>tumours</i> as a gift to the <i>Lord</i>. They sent one from each of their 5 towns. The names of these towns are Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> also sent 5 gold <i>mice</i>. They sent one from each of the 5 towns. Each town had walls round it. Each town included the country villages near to it. The large rock that the <i>Israelites</i> put the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> on is still there. It is in Joshua’s field in Beth-shemesh.


text:
But some of the men from Beth-shemesh looked inside the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. So God killed 70 of them. Among the 70 men were 50 leaders. The people were very sad because God had <i>punished</i> them so strongly. 


text:
The men at Beth-shemesh said, ‘When God is present, people cannot stand. The <i>Lord</i> is a <i>holy</i> God. We do not know what place we can send the box to.’


text:
So they sent people to Kiriath-jearim with a message. They said, ‘The <i>Philistines</i> have given the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> back to us. Come and take it from us. Take it to your town.’


text:
So men came from Kiriath-jearim to fetch the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. They took it to Abinadab’s house. His house was on a hill. Eleazar was his son. They <i>consecrated</i> Eleazar so that he could keep the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i> safe. <n>The <i>Lord</i> saves the <i>Israelites</i> from the <i>Philistines</i></n>


text:
The <i>covenant box</i> stayed at Kiriath-jearim for a long time. For 20 years the <i>Israelites</i> were sad. They wanted to give pleasure to the <i>Lord</i> again. 


text:
Then Samuel said to all the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘If you want to obey the <i>Lord</i>, you must do it with all your spirit. You must remove all your foreign <i>gods</i> and <i>idols</i> of <i>Ashtoreth</i>. You must give your lives completely to the <i>Lord</i>. You must <i>worship</i> only the <i>Lord</i>. If you do that, he will save you from the <i>Philistines</i>.’ 


text:
So the <i>Israelites</i> removed all their <i>idols</i> of the gods called Baal and Ashtoreth. They <i>worshipped</i> the <i>Lord</i> only.


text:
Then Samuel said, ‘Meet together at the town called Mizpah. I will pray to the <i>Lord</i> for you (on your behalf).’ 


text:
So they all met at Mizpah. They got water from the ground and they poured it out in front of the <i>Lord</i>. They did not eat that day. They prayed to the <i>Lord</i> and they said, ‘We have <i>sinned</i> against the <i>Lord</i>.’ Samuel ruled the <i>Israelites</i> at Mizpah.


text:
People told the <i>Philistines</i> that the <i>Israelites</i> were meeting at Mizpah. So the <i>Philistine</i> rulers went there to attack them. When people told the <i>Israelites</i> about this, they were afraid of the <i>Philistines</i>. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> said to Samuel, ‘Pray to the <i>Lord</i> our God and do not stop. Ask him to help us. Ask him to save us from the <i>Philistines</i>.’ 


text:
So Samuel gave a young sheep as a whole <i>burnt offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. He prayed to the <i>Lord</i>. Samuel asked him to help the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Lord</i> gave a good answer to him. 


text:
While Samuel was giving the <i>burnt offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>Philistines</i> moved nearer. They were ready to attack <i>Israel</i>. But the <i>Lord</i> caused a very loud noise in the sky against the <i>Philistines</i>. He confused and frightened them. They started to run away. 


text:
The <i>Israelite</i> men came out from Mizpah. They ran after the <i>Philistines</i> to a place below Beth-car. And they killed them along the way.


text:
After that, Samuel took a stone and he put it up between Mizpah and Shen. He called the stone Ebenezer. He said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has helped us all this way.’ 


text:
So the <i>Israelites</i> won the fight with the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> did not attack <i>Israel</i>’s land again. <n>The <i>Lord</i> was against the <i>Philistines</i> all the time that Samuel was alive. 


text:
Earlier, the <i>Philistines</i> had taken towns from the <i>Israelites</i>. But the <i>Israelites</i> won them back. These towns were from Ekron to Gath. Also the <i>Israelite</i> people and the <i>Amorite</i> people did not fight any longer.


text:
Every year, he went to the towns called Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. He was a <i>judge</i> of the people in those places. 


text:
But Samuel always returned to his home at Ramah. There also he was a <i>judge</i> of the <i>Israelites</i>. And he built an <i>altar</i> to the <i>Lord</i> at Ramah. <n>Ebenezer means ‘stone of help’ or ‘stone of him who helps’. Samuel put up this stone to give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
His first son was Joel and his second son was Abijah. They were rulers in the town called Beersheba. 


text:
But Samuel’s sons did not do good things as Samuel had done. They tried to get money in ways that were not right. They accepted money from bad people when nobody was looking. Then they would not <i>punish</i> them.


text:
They said to Samuel, ‘You are old. Your sons do not do good things as you have done. Give to us a king who will rule over us. The other <i>nations</i> have a king. We want one too.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Samuel, ‘Listen to everything that the people say to you. They have not refused to have you as their leader. Instead, they have refused to have me as their king. 


text:
Today they are doing what they have always done. I brought them out of the country called Egypt. But they left me and they <i>worshipped</i> other <i>gods</i>. Now they are doing the same to you. 


text:
Samuel spoke to the people who had asked him for a king. He told them everything that the <i>Lord</i> had said. 


text:
Samuel said, ‘The king will rule over you. And this is what he will do. He will take your sons to be his soldiers. They will drive his horses and <i>chariots</i>. And they will run in front of his <i>chariots</i>. 


text:
The king will make some of your sons leaders of 1000 soldiers each. Other sons will be leaders of groups of 50 soldiers. The king will cause some of your sons to plough his ground. Then they will have to bring to him the food that they have caused to grow. Other sons will have to make <i>weapons</i> for war and weapons for his <i>chariots</i>. 


text:
The king will take your daughters. They will make him oils that have good smells. They will also cook and bake his food. 


text:
The king will take your best fields. He will take the places where you find the best <i>grapes</i> and <i>olives</i>. He will give all these to his officers. 


text:
Then he will take a 10th part of all your seeds and <i>grapes</i>. He will give this to his officers and servants. 


text:
He will take your male and female servants. He will take your best young men and your <i>donkeys</i>. He will use them for his own work. 


text:
Then you will shout to the <i>Lord</i> about your king that you have chosen. But the <i>Lord</i> will not answer you then.’


text:
We want to be like all the other <i>nations</i> with a king to rule us. He will be our leader when we go to war. He will fight for us (on our behalf).’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘You must do what they want. You must give a king to them.’ <n>Then Samuel told <i>Israel</i>’s people, ‘Return to your own towns.’


text:
Kish was a strong, brave man from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. Kish was the son of Abiel. Abiel was the son of Zeror. Zeror was the son of Becorath. Becorath was the son of Aphiah. Aphiah came from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. 


text:
Kish had a son whose name was Saul. He was a very handsome young man. No other <i>Israelite</i> was more handsome than Saul. When Saul stood with other people, you could see his head and shoulders above everyone else’s head.


text:
Kish had some <i>donkeys</i>. But nobody could find them. Kish said to Saul, ‘Go and look for the <i>donkeys</i>. Take one of the servants with you when you go to find them.’ 


text:
So Saul and the servant went through the hills in Ephraim’s land. Then they went to Shalisha and the places near to it. But they did not find the <i>donkeys</i> there. Then they went to Shaalim’s place. The <i>donkeys</i> were not there. The people from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin lived all round them. So, Saul and the servant went through all their fields. But they did not find the <i>donkeys</i>.


text:
They reached the fields near Zuph. Saul said to his servant, ‘We must return to our home now. My father was afraid that he had lost the <i>donkeys</i>. But he will start to think that he has lost us. We must return now.’


text:
The servant replied, ‘There is a man of God in this town. Everything that he says becomes true. So people give <i>honour</i> to him. We should go there now. Perhaps he will tell us where to find the <i>donkeys</i>.’


text:
Saul said to his servant, ‘If we go to visit this man we must give a gift to him. But we do not have a gift. We do not even have any food. What can we give to him?’


text:
The servant answered, ‘I have a small piece of <i>silver</i>. I will give it to the man of God. Then he will tell us which way we should go.’ 


text:
(Sometimes a man from <i>Israel</i> wanted to ask God something. This is what he said to other people: ‘Come with me. We will go to the <i>seer</i>.’ We now call this man a <i>prophet</i>. But years ago, the <i>Israelites</i> called him a ‘<i>seer</i>’.) <n>A <i>seer</i> could see things that other people could not. God sometimes gave special dreams to a <i>seer</i> about things a long way away in time or in space. 


text:
Saul said to his servant, ‘That is good. We should visit this man of God.’ So, they went to the town where he was.


text:
They went up the hill to the town. Some young women came out of the town to get some water. Saul and his servant said, ‘Is the <i>seer</i> here?’


text:
They said, ‘Yes, he is here. He is in front of you. You must hurry. He came to the town today because the people have a <i>sacrifice</i>. They will <i>sacrifice</i> at the place for <i>worship</i>. 


text:
When you go into the town, you will find the <i>seer</i>. He is going to the place for <i>worship</i>. The people will not start to eat until he comes. The <i>seer</i> must first ask God to accept the <i>sacrifice</i>. Then the people with him will eat. You will find the <i>seer</i> if you go now.’ <n>Saul meets Samuel</n>


text:
Saul and his servant went up to the town. When they went into the town, Samuel came towards them. He was going to the place for <i>worship</i>. 


text:
‘Tomorrow I will send a man to you. He comes from the land of Benjamin. He will arrive at about this time of day. <i>Anoint</i> him as the leader over my people, <i>Israel</i>. He will save my people from the <i>Philistines</i>. I have seen the way that they have hurt my people. I heard the people when they shouted for help.’


text:
Samuel saw Saul. God said to Samuel, ‘Here is the man that I told you about. He will rule my people.’


text:
Samuel was near the gate of the town. Saul went to him and said, ‘Please tell me where the <i>seer</i>’s house is.’


text:
Samuel said, ‘I am the <i>seer</i>. You must go in front of me to the place for <i>worship</i>. I want both of you to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions. Then you can go to your home. 


text:
Do not think about the <i>donkeys</i> that you lost three days ago. Someone has found them. I will tell you what all <i>Israel</i>’s people want. They want you and all your father’s family.’


text:
Saul answered, ‘I belong to the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. It is the smallest <i>tribe</i> in the <i>nation</i> of <i>Israel</i>. And my family group is the least important group in the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. Why have you said all this to me?’


text:
Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into the place where he would make the <i>sacrifice</i>. He caused them to sit in the most important seats. Samuel had asked about 30 men to come to the meal. 


text:
Samuel spoke to the cook. He said, ‘Please bring me the piece of meat that I gave to you. I said that you must keep it separate.’


text:
So the cook took the leg of meat and he put it down in front of Saul. Samuel said to Saul, ‘I kept this piece of meat for you. Eat it because this is a special meal. When I first asked the other men, I kept this piece of meat for you.’ So, Saul ate with Samuel that day.


text:
They left the place for <i>worship</i> and they went into the town. Samuel took Saul on to the roof of his house. They talked together on the roof. 


text:
They got up at dawn the next day. Saul was on the roof of the house. Samuel shouted up to him. He said, ‘Get up and get ready to leave. I will send you on your journey.’ Saul got ready to leave. Saul and Samuel went out into the street. 


text:
They walked to the edge of the town. Samuel said, ‘Say to your servant that he must go on in front of us. But you must stay, because I have a message from God for you.’


text:
Then Samuel took a jar of oil and he poured the oil over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul. He said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has <i>anointed</i> you as the leader of his people. 


text:
After you leave me today, you will meet two men. They will be near the place where Abraham buried Rachel’s dead body. This is on the edge of Benjamin’s land at Zelzah. The men will say, “Someone has found the <i>donkeys</i> that you were looking for. Your father has stopped thinking about his <i>donkeys</i>. Now his mind is full of trouble. He continues to ask, ‘What can I do about my son?’ ”


text:
Then you will go on from there until you reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They are going to the town called Bethel to <i>worship</i> God. One man will carry three young goats. Another man will have three loaves of bread. The third man will have a leather bag full of <i>wine</i>. 


text:
Then you must go to the place for <i>worship</i> at the town called Gibeah. A group of <i>Philistine</i> soldiers is there. Near to the town you will meet some <i>prophets</i>. They will be coming down from the place for <i>worship</i>. They will be making music with their <i>harps</i>, <i>tambourines</i>, <i>flutes</i> and <i>lyres</i>. And they will be <i>prophesying</i>. 


text:
The Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> will give his power to you. And you will <i>prophesy</i> too. You will become a different person inside. 


text:
Go in front of me to the town called Gilgal. I will certainly come down to you there. And I will burn <i>sacrifices</i> and I will give <i>fellowship offerings</i> to God. You must wait for 7 days. Then I will come. And I will tell you what you should do.’


text:
Saul left Samuel and went on his journey. When Saul was leaving, God made him a new person inside. And everything happened in the way that Samuel had spoken about. 


text:
They arrived at Gibeah and a group of <i>prophets</i> met them. The Spirit of God came strongly on Saul. He <i>prophesied</i> with the <i>prophets</i>. 


text:
There were some people who had known Saul for a long time. They saw him when he was <i>prophesying</i>. They asked each other, ‘What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul really become a <i>prophet</i>?’


text:
A man who lived there asked, ‘Who is the leader of these <i>prophets</i>?’ So it became a <i>proverb</i>: ‘Has Saul really become a <i>prophet</i>?’ 


text:
Saul’s father’s brother asked Saul and his servant, ‘Where have you been?’ Saul said, ‘We were looking for the <i>donkeys</i>. We could not find them so we went to visit Samuel.’


text:
Saul said, ‘He told us that someone had found the <i>donkeys</i>.’ But Saul did not tell his father’s brother that Samuel had talked about the <i>kingdom</i>. <n>Saul becomes the first king of <i>Israel</i></n>


text:
Samuel sent a message to all <i>Israel</i>’s people. He said that they must meet with the <i>Lord</i> at Mizpah. 


text:
He said to them, ‘This is a message from the <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>Israel</i>. The <i>Lord</i> says, “I led you <i>Israelites</i> out from Egypt. I saved you from Egypt’s people. And I saved you from other peoples that made you their slaves.” 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> saved you from all your troubles and from people who hurt you. Now you have refused to obey the <i>Lord</i> your God. You said, “No. We want a king to rule us.” So, come and stand in front of God. Stand together in your <i>tribes</i> and as families.’


text:
Each family group from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin went to him. And God chose the family group of Matri. Then God chose Saul, son of Kish, from the family of Matri. They looked for Saul but nobody could find him. 


text:
So they asked the <i>Lord</i>, ‘Has Saul come here yet?’ And the <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Yes, but he is hiding among the luggage.’


text:
So they ran to Saul and they brought him out. When Saul stood with the people, you could see his head and shoulders above everyone else’s head. 


text:
Samuel said to all the people, ‘Here is the man that God has chosen. There is nobody like him among all the people.’ Then the people shouted, ‘We ask God that the king will live for a long time.’


text:
Samuel explained to the people all that a king should be. And he explained all that a king should do. He wrote everything in a <i>scroll</i>. He put the <i>scroll</i> in the <i>holy</i> place in front of the <i>Lord</i>. Then Samuel caused the people to go to their own homes. 


text:
Saul went to his home at Gibeah. A group of brave men went with him. They went with Saul because God caused them to want to do that. 


text:
There were some other men who caused trouble. They said, ‘We do not think that this man can save us.’ They did not <i>honour</i> Saul. And they did not bring him any gifts. But Saul did not say anything.


text:
Nahash was an <i>Ammonite</i>. He went with his army to beat the men in Jabesh. Jabesh was in the part of the country that was called Gilead. The soldiers were all round Jabesh. The people from Jabesh said, ‘Make a <i>covenant</i> with us and we will let you be our ruler.’ 


text:
Nahash said, ‘I will make a <i>covenant</i> with you. But I will pull out the right eye of every person in your town. Then <i>Israel</i>’s people will be ashamed.’ 


text:
The rulers of Jabesh said to him, ‘Wait for 7 days. We will send a message to all the people in <i>Israel</i>. We will ask them to help us. If nobody comes to save us, we will let you be our ruler.’


text:
The men took the message to the town called Gibeah. Saul lived in this town. When they told the news to the people, the people started to cry aloud. 


text:
Saul had been in his field. Now he was returning to his home with the cows. He heard the people crying. He asked, ‘What has happened? Why are the people crying?’ They told Saul what the men from Jabesh had said. 


text:
He killed two of his cows. He cut them into pieces. He gave the pieces to the men from Jabesh. He said that they must take the pieces to all the towns in <i>Israel</i>. The men said, ‘Everyone must join Saul and Samuel to fight the <i>Ammonites</i>. They will cut up your cows like this if you do not follow.’ The people were afraid of the <i>Lord</i>. So all the men came together as one group. 


text:
They met together with Saul at the town called Bezek. There were 300 000 men from <i>Israel</i>. And there were 30 000 men from <i>Judah</i>.


text:
Saul spoke to the men who had brought the news from Jabesh. He said to them, ‘Return to Jabesh and tell the people this message: “Our people will save you. They will do it tomorrow before midday.” ’ So, the men went and they gave the message to them. All the people in Jabesh were very happy. 


text:
The men from Jabesh went and they spoke to Nahash. They said, ‘Tomorrow we will come out to you. Then you can do anything that you want with us.’


text:
The next day Saul put his soldiers into three groups. At dawn, they attacked the <i>Ammonites</i>’ army. The <i>Israelite</i> soldiers killed the <i>Ammonites</i> and won the fight before midday. Some <i>Ammonite</i> soldiers ran away in different directions. Each man ran off by himself.


text:
<i>Israel</i>’s people said to Samuel, ‘Some men said, “We do not think that Saul should rule us.” Bring the men who said that to us. Then we will kill them.’


text:
Saul said, ‘No, you must not kill anyone today because the <i>Lord</i> saved <i>Israel</i>’s people today.’


text:
Samuel said to the people, ‘We will all go to the town called Gilgal. Then we will agree again that Saul is our king.’ 


text:
So everyone went to Gilgal. They went to the place for <i>worship</i>. They all agreed that Saul should be their king. They gave <i>fellowship offerings</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. Saul and all the <i>Israelites</i> had a very good party.


text:
Samuel said to all the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘I have done everything that you asked me to do. I have given a king to you to rule over you. 


text:
Now you have a king to be your leader. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the days when I was young until now. 


text:
Here I am. I have not done any wrong things. If I have, you must tell the <i>Lord</i> and his <i>anointed</i> king. I did not take anyone’s cow or <i>donkey</i>. I did not rob anyone. I saw the wrong things that people did. But I never let them give money to me to say that I did not see them. If I have done any of those things, I will make it right.’


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> answered, ‘You have not robbed any of us. You have not done bad things to any of us. You have not taken any money from anyone.’


text:
Samuel said to the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has heard what you have said today. The <i>Lord</i>’s <i>anointed</i> king has also heard that I have not taken anything from anybody.’ <n>They replied, ‘He has heard.’


text:
Then Samuel said to all the people, ‘The <i>Lord</i> chose Moses and Aaron. He brought all your <i>ancestors</i> out from the country called Egypt. 


text:
You must stand up now. Then I will show you what you are doing. I will tell you again about all the good things that God did. God did these things on behalf of you and your <i>ancestors</i>. 


text:
He sent <i>Israel</i>’s people to Egypt. Then they shouted to the <i>Lord</i> for help. So the <i>Lord</i> sent Moses and Aaron to them. They took your <i>ancestors</i> out of Egypt and they brought them to live here. 


text:
But your <i>ancestors</i> forgot the <i>Lord</i> their God. Sisera led an army from the town called Hazor. He fought against the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> and the king of Moab also fought against the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Lord</i> let these enemies win the fight. The <i>Israelites</i> became their slaves. 


text:
Then the <i>Israelites</i> asked the <i>Lord</i> to help them. They said, “We have <i>sinned</i>. We left the <i>Lord</i> and we <i>worshipped</i> the false gods, the <i>Baals</i> and the <i>Ashtoreths</i>. Save us from our enemies and we will <i>worship</i> you.” 


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> sent Jerubbaal (Gideon), Bedan (Barak), Jephthah and Samuel to you. The <i>Lord</i> saved you from all your enemies. Then you lived safely.


text:
But then you saw that Nahash, the king of the <i>Ammonites</i>, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “No. We want a king to rule us.” But the <i>Lord</i> your God was your king. 


text:
Now here is the king that you chose. He is the man that you asked for. The <i>Lord</i> has made him your king. 


text:
You should give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. You must do the things that give pleasure to him. You must obey the <i>Lord</i>. You must not do anything against his rules. You and the king who rules you must obey the <i>Lord</i> your God. 


text:
You might not obey the <i>Lord</i>. You might do things against his rules. If you do, he will fight against you. He will do to you what he did to the <i>Israelites</i> in past times.’


text:
The <i>wheat</i> is now ready to bring in. I will pray. The <i>Lord</i> will send storms and rain. Then you will know that you did an <i>evil</i> thing against the <i>Lord</i>. You asked for a king.


text:
Samuel prayed to the <i>Lord</i>. That day the <i>Lord</i> sent storms and rain. All the people were afraid of the <i>Lord</i> and of Samuel. 


text:
All the people said to Samuel, ‘We are your servants. Pray to the <i>Lord</i> your God on our behalf. Do not let us die. We have <i>sinned</i> many times in past days. Now we have <i>sinned</i> again. We asked for a king.’


text:
Samuel said, ‘Do not be afraid. It is true that you have <i>sinned</i>. But do not turn away from the <i>Lord</i>. Obey the <i>Lord</i> with all of your mind and body. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> does not change his mind. He decided to make you his own people. He will not leave you. 


text:
As for me, I will not stop praying on your behalf. I will <i>sin</i> against the <i>Lord</i> if I stop. I will teach you the good and the right things to do. 


text:
You must give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. You must do everything that he asks. Remember the great things that he did on your behalf. 


text:
It was now one year since Saul became king. Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He was the king of Israel for 42 years. And when he had ruled over Israel for two more years, he chose 3000 men from Israel. Then 2000 men stayed with him at Michmash. This place was in the mountains of Bethel. But 1000 men stayed with his son Jonathan. They stayed in the town called Gibeah. Gibeah was in the land of Benjamin’s tribe. Saul sent all the other men to their tents.


text:
Some of the <i>Philistine</i> army were staying at Geba. Jonathan attacked them there. People told the other <i>Philistines</i> about it. Saul said, ‘Someone must tell all the <i>Israelites</i> about this.’ So Saul sent men out to every place in Israel. They had to make noise with <i>trumpets</i>. Then the <i>Israelites</i> would know that they must come to the fight. 


text:
They told all the people in <i>Israel</i> the news. They told them that Saul had attacked the <i>Philistines</i>. They told them that the <i>Philistines</i> were now even stronger enemies to the <i>Israelites</i>. So the people came to Saul at Gilgal. <n>Saul gives the <i>burnt offering</i> to God</n>


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> came together to fight the <i>Israelites</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> had 30 000 <i>chariots</i>. And there were 6000 men who rode on horses. And they had many thousands of soldiers. There were so many soldiers that nobody could count them. The <i>Philistines</i> were staying at the town called Michmash which was east of Beth-aven. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> saw the <i>Philistine</i> army. The <i>Israelites</i> knew that they were in a difficult place. Some of them went and hid in the bushes. They also hid among the rocks, in holes in the ground and in wells. 


text:
Some of the <i>Israelites</i> even crossed to the other side of the river Jordan. They went into the land of Gad and Gilead. <n>Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the people with him were so afraid that their bodies <i>shook</i>. 


text:
Samuel had told Saul that he must wait for him. Saul waited for 7 days as Samuel had said. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. The men with Saul began to leave him. 


text:
So Saul said, ‘Bring the <i>burnt offering</i> and the <i>fellowship offerings</i> to me.’ Saul offered the burnt <i>sacrifice</i> to God. 


text:
Samuel asked, ‘What have you done?’ <n>Saul replied, ‘The soldiers were leaving me. You said that you would be here at a certain time. But you did not arrive at that time. The <i>Philistines</i> were meeting together at Michmash. 


text:
I thought that they would come. I thought that they would attack me at Gilgal. But I had not asked God to help me. So I thought that I ought to offer the <i>burnt offering</i>.’


text:
Samuel said, ‘You have been a fool. You have not obeyed the word of the <i>Lord</i> your God. You should have obeyed the <i>Lord</i>. Then the <i>Lord</i> would have let you and your family rule over the <i>Israelites</i> for all time. 


text:
But that will not happen now because you did not obey the <i>Lord</i>. Instead, the <i>Lord</i> will find the kind of man that he wants. The <i>Lord</i> will make this man the ruler of his people, the <i>Israelites</i>.’


text:
Samuel left Gilgal. He went to the town called Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were with him. There were about 600 men.


text:
Saul, his son Jonathan and the men who were with them were in the town called Geba. Geba is in the land of Benjamin. The <i>Philistines</i>’ army was at Michmash. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> sent out three groups of men to attack Saul’s men. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual. 


text:
The second group went towards the town called Beth-horon. The third group went to another place. There they could see across the Valley of Zeboim towards the <i>desert</i>.


text:
There were no <i>blacksmiths</i> in the country (<i>Israel</i>). The <i>Philistines</i> had said, ‘If the <i>Israelites</i> have <i>blacksmiths</i> they will learn to make <i>swords</i> and <i>spears</i>.’ 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> used ploughs, <i>hoes</i>, axes and <i>sickles</i> on their farm land. These tools were not sharp when people had used them a lot. So they had to take them to the <i>Philistines</i>’ <i>blacksmiths</i> who made them sharp again. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> had to pay 8 <i>grams</i> of <i>silver</i> for the <i>Philistines</i> to make each plough or <i>hoe</i> sharp again. They paid 4 <i>grams</i> of <i>silver</i> for each axe, <i>sickle</i> or <i>ox</i>-goad. <n>An ox-goad is a stick with a point. They used it to cause their cows to walk faster. 


text:
When the fight started, only Saul and Jonathan each had a <i>sword</i> and <i>spear</i>. The other soldiers did not have any <i>swords</i> or <i>spears</i>. <n>Swords and spears are long sharp metal things. Soldiers used them to fight and to kill people. Hoes and sickles are sharp metal things. People use them to plant or to bring in food plants. <n>Jonathan attacks the <i>Philistines</i></n>


text:
A young man carried Jonathan’s <i>armour</i>. Jonathan was Saul’s son. One day, Jonathan said to the young man, ‘We will go across to the <i>Philistine</i> army on the other side.’ But Jonathan did not tell his father. 


text:
Ahijah was with Saul. He wore an <i>ephod</i>. Ahijah was the son of Ahitub. Ahitub was Ichabod’s brother. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli. Eli was the <i>priest</i> of the <i>Lord</i> in Shiloh. Nobody knew that Jonathan had left.


text:
Jonathan had to go along a narrow valley. It was in the mountains at Michmash. There was a high wall of rock on both sides of the road. The name of the wall on one side was ‘Bozez’. The name of the other wall was ‘Seneh’. 


text:
One rock wall was on the north side of the road, near Michmash. The other was on the south side, near Geba.


text:
Jonathan spoke to the young man who carried his <i>armour</i>. ‘Now we will go to the place where those <i>Philistines</i> are. Nobody has <i>circumcised</i> them. Perhaps the <i>Lord</i> will help us. The <i>Lord</i> can help us to win the fight. He can do that whether there are many of us or only a few of us.’


text:
They may ask us to wait for them because they will come across to us. If they say that, we will stay here. 


text:
But they may ask us to go to them. That will mean that God will help us to win the fight. So we will go to them.’


text:
Jonathan and his young man stood where the <i>Philistines</i> could see them. The <i>Philistines</i> said, ‘Look at the Hebrews (<i>Israelites</i>). They are coming out of the holes where they were hiding.’ 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> shouted to Jonathan and his young man, ‘Come up here to us. We want to teach you something.’ <n>Jonathan said, ‘Follow me. The <i>Lord</i> will help <i>Israel</i> to win the fight.’


text:
Jonathan climbed up the rock wall. He was using his hands and his feet to climb up. His young man climbed up behind him. Jonathan attacked and killed some <i>Philistines</i>. The young man followed behind Jonathan and killed more <i>Philistines</i>. 


text:
Jonathan and his young man killed about 20 men in that small space. This was the first time that they attacked the enemy.


text:
All the <i>Philistine</i> soldiers became afraid and confused. This happened to the soldiers in Michmash and to those round the town. And it happened to those other soldiers who had gone out to attack. The ground <i>shook</i>. God had made them all very afraid.


text:
Saul was at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Some of Saul’s soldiers were watching the <i>Philistines</i>. They saw that the <i>Philistines</i> were running away in different directions. 


text:
Saul said to his army, ‘Count our soldiers. Find out who is not here.’ They counted the soldiers. Jonathan and the young man who carried his <i>armour</i> were not there.


text:
Saul said to Ahijah the <i>priest</i>, ‘Bring God’s <i>covenant box</i> here.’ At that time, it was with the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
Saul was talking to the <i>priest</i>. At the same time, the <i>Philistine</i> army made more noise and they were very confused. Saul said to the <i>priest</i>, ‘Take your hand away.’


text:
Then Saul and all his men went to fight the <i>Philistines</i>. They found that the <i>Philistines</i> were completely confused. They were so confused that they were fighting each other. 


text:
Before this time, some of the <i>Israelites</i> had joined with the <i>Philistines</i>. Those <i>Israelites</i> had stayed with the <i>Philistines</i>. Now they went back to the <i>Israelites</i>’ army with Saul and Jonathan. 


text:
Many <i>Israelites</i> had hidden in the mountains in the land of Ephraim. Now somebody told them that the <i>Philistine</i> soldiers were running away. So these <i>Israelites</i> joined the fight and they ran after the <i>Philistines</i>. 


text:
They fought all the way to Beth-aven and beyond it. That day the <i>Lord</i> saved <i>Israel</i>’s people. <n>Jonathan eats <i>honey</i></n>


text:
But the men among <i>Israel</i>’s people were not happy that day. Saul had told them all that they must promise something to him. He had said, ‘Nobody should to eat any food before this evening. You must not eat any food before I have won the fight with my enemies. If anyone eats, I will <i>punish</i> him.’ So none of Saul’s army ate any food. 


text:
The men saw all the <i>honey</i> in the forest. But none of them ate the <i>honey</i> because they were afraid of their promise to Saul. 


text:
But Jonathan had not heard what his father had said. He put the end of his stick into the <i>honey</i>. He ate the <i>honey</i>. Then he felt better. 


text:
One of the soldiers told Jonathan, ‘Your father said a promise to all the soldiers. He will <i>punish</i> any man who eats anything today. That is why all the men are weak.’


text:
Jonathan said, ‘My father has made trouble for the people. I feel so much better because I ate some of the <i>honey</i>. 


text:
The men took food from their enemies today. It would have been much better if they had eaten some of it. If they had done that, they would have killed many more <i>Philistines</i>.’


text:
That day, the <i>Israelites</i> won the fight with the <i>Philistines</i>. They fought them all the way from Michmash to Aijalon. After this, the <i>Israelites</i> were very weak. 


text:
They took sheep, cows and young cows from the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> were so hungry that they killed the animals on the ground. Then they ate the animals with the blood still in them. 


text:
Someone said to Saul, ‘Look at the people. They are <i>sinning</i> against the <i>Lord</i>. They are eating the meat with blood still in it.’ Saul said, ‘You have <i>sinned</i>. Bring a large stone here.’ 


text:
Then Saul said, ‘Go to the people. Tell them that each man must bring his cow or his sheep here. They must kill and eat the animals here. Do not <i>sin</i> against the <i>Lord</i>. Do not eat meat with the blood still in it.’ So, every man took his animal and he killed it there. 


text:
Then Saul built an <i>altar</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. It was the first <i>altar</i> that Saul had built to the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
Saul said, ‘We will go and we will attack the <i>Philistines</i> tonight until dawn. We will take everything that they have. And we will kill all of them.’ <n>The men answered, ‘You decide what seems the best thing to do. Then do that.’ <n>But the <i>priest</i> said, ‘We should ask God first.’


text:
Saul asked God, ‘Should I attack the <i>Philistines</i>? Will you help Israel to win the fight?’ But God did not answer Saul that day.


text:
So Saul said to all the leaders of the people, ‘Come here. We must find out who has <i>sinned</i> today. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> lives and he has saved <i>Israel</i>. And even if my son Jonathan has <i>sinned</i>, he must die.’ But nobody among the people spoke.


text:
Saul said to all the <i>Israelites</i>, ‘You stand on this side. My son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side.’ <n>The people answered, ‘You decide what seems the best thing to do. Then do that.’


text:
Then Saul prayed to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>Israel</i>. He said, ‘Give the right answer to me.’ God chose Jonathan and Saul. He did not choose the people. 


text:
Saul said to Jonathan, ‘Tell me what you have done.’ <n>Jonathan told him, ‘I only ate a little <i>honey</i> from the end of my stick. Must I die now?’


text:
But the people said to Saul, ‘Jonathan won a great fight for (on behalf of) <i>Israel</i>. He will not have to die. We promise by the living God that he will not lose even one hair on his head. God helped Jonathan today in this fight.’ So, the people saved Jonathan and he did not have to die.


text:
Then Saul stopped fighting the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> returned to their own country. <n>Saul fights <i>Israel</i>’s enemies</n>


text:
When Saul became king of <i>Israel</i>, he fought against all <i>Israel</i>’s enemies all round them. He fought people from the countries called Moab, Ammon and Edom. He fought the kings from the country called Zobah. He also fought the <i>Philistines</i>. Anywhere that Saul went, he won his fights against <i>Israel</i>’s enemies. 


text:
He fought the <i>Amalekites</i> bravely and he won. Saul saved the <i>Israelites</i> from all the people who had robbed them.


text:
Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malchishua. Merab was Saul’s older daughter. Michal was his younger daughter. 


text:
The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam. She was the daughter of Ahimaaz. Abner was the leader of Saul’s army. Abner was the son of Ner. Ner was a brother of Saul’s father. 


text:
Saul fought strongly against the <i>Philistines</i> during all of his life. If Saul found a strong man or a brave man, he caused the man to join his army.


text:
Samuel said to Saul, ‘The <i>Lord</i> sent me to <i>anoint</i> you as king over his people, the <i>Israelites</i>. So now listen to this message from the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
This is what God, the most powerful <i>Lord</i>, says. “<i>Israel</i>’s people came out of the country called Egypt and they went to the country called Canaan. But the <i>Amalekites</i> did not want to let them go into Canaan. So I will <i>punish</i> the <i>Amalekites</i>. 


text:
Go and attack the <i>Amalekites</i>. Completely destroy everything that they have. Do not save anything. Kill the men and women, children and babies. Kill their cows and sheep. Kill their <i>camels</i> and <i>donkeys</i>”.’


text:
So Saul <i>called</i> his army together. They met at Telaim and he counted his men. There were 200 000 soldiers and 10 000 men from the <i>tribe</i> of <i>Judah</i>. 


text:
Saul and his army went to a town in the country of Amalek. They waited in a valley to catch their enemy. 


text:
Saul said to the people from the <i>Kenite tribe</i>, ‘Go away. Leave the <i>Amalekites</i>. I will kill the <i>Amalekites</i>. But I do not want to kill you. You were kind to the <i>Israelites</i> when they came out from the country called Egypt.’ So the <i>Kenites</i> left the <i>Amalekites</i>.


text:
Then Saul attacked the <i>Amalekites</i>. He fought them all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he beat them. 


text:
Saul brought back their king, Agag, alive. Saul’s soldiers killed all the people with their <i>swords</i>. 


text:
But Saul and the people let Agag live. They did not kill the best old and young sheep or the fat cows. They let all the good animals live. They did not want to kill all the animals. But they killed all the animals that were weak or worth nothing.


text:
‘I am sorry that I made Saul king. He has stopped doing the things that cause me pleasure. He has not obeyed my words.’ Samuel was very sad. He prayed aloud to the <i>Lord</i> all that night.


text:
Samuel got up early the next morning. He went to meet Saul. Someone told Samuel, ‘Saul went to the town called Carmel. He put up a tall stone to give <i>honour</i> to himself. Then he went to the town called Gilgal.’


text:
Samuel went to find Saul. Saul said to Samuel, ‘I ask the <i>Lord</i> to be good to you. I have obeyed the <i>Lord</i>’s words.’


text:
Saul answered, ‘The people took them from the <i>Amalekites</i>. They saved the best sheep and cows. They will <i>sacrifice</i> them to the <i>Lord</i> your God. We killed all the other animals.’


text:
Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop talking. I will tell you what the <i>Lord</i> said to me last night.’ <n>Saul said, ‘Tell me.’


text:
Samuel said, ‘In past days you thought that you were not an important person. Now you are the leader of all of the <i>Israelite tribes</i>. God <i>anointed</i> you as king of <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> gave to you special work to do. He said to you, “Go and kill all the <i>Amalekites</i>. They are <i>evil</i> people. Fight against them until they are all dead.” 


text:
Why did you not obey the <i>Lord</i>? Why did you keep the best things? Why did you do what God did not want?’


text:
Saul said, ‘I did obey the <i>Lord</i>. I did what the <i>Lord</i> said. I did what he asked me to do. I killed all the <i>Amalekites</i>. I brought back Agag their king. 


text:
But the people did not kill the best sheep and cows. They brought them to <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>Lord</i> your God at Gilgal.’


text:
But Samuel replied, <n>‘Is the <i>Lord</i> most happy when people give <i>offerings</i> and <i>sacrifices</i> to him? Or is he most happy when people obey him? <n>The <i>Lord</i> is most happy when people obey him. That is better than when they <i>sacrifice</i> the best sheep to him.


text:
You <i>sin</i> if you refuse to obey the <i>Lord</i>. This <i>sin</i> is as bad as to do <i>evil magic</i>. <n>You think that you know better than God. That is a <i>sin</i> which is like the <i>worship</i> of <i>idols</i>. <n>You refused to obey what the <i>Lord</i> said. Now the <i>Lord</i> has refused you as king.’


text:
Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have <i>sinned</i>. I did not obey the <i>Lord</i> or your words. I was afraid of the people. I did what they wanted. 


text:
Now I am asking you to <i>forgive</i> my <i>sin</i>. Return with me so that I can <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i>.’


text:
But Samuel said to Saul, ‘I will not return with you. You refused to do what the <i>Lord</i> said. Now the <i>Lord</i> refuses you as king of <i>Israel</i>.’


text:
Samuel said to him, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has torn the <i>kingdom</i> of <i>Israel</i> from you today. He has given it to someone near to you who is better than you. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> is the <i>glory</i> of <i>Israel</i>. He does not say things that are not true. He does not change his mind. He is not like a man who decides to change.’


text:
Saul replied, ‘I have <i>sinned</i>. But please give <i>honour</i> to me in front of the leaders and people in <i>Israel</i>. Return with me so that I can <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i> your God.’ 


text:
Then Samuel said, ‘Bring Agag, king of the <i>Amalekites</i>, to me.’ <n>Agag came to Samuel. Agag was happy because he thought, ‘I am sure that now I will not feel the strong pain of death.’


text:
But Samuel said, ‘You have killed many people. Now some mothers do not have any children that are still alive. Now your mother will have no children.’ And Samuel cut Agag into pieces in front of the <i>Lord</i> at Gilgal.


text:
Until Samuel died, he never saw Saul again. But Samuel was very sad about Saul. And the <i>Lord</i> was very sorry that he had made Saul king of <i>Israel</i>.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> said to Samuel, ‘You should not continue to be sad about Saul. I do not still want him to be the king of <i>Israel</i>. Fill your <i>horn</i> with oil and go. I am sending you to a man whose name is Jesse. He lives in the town called Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’


text:
But Samuel said, ‘If I go, people will tell Saul about it. Then he will kill me.’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> said, ‘Take a young cow with you. Tell the people that you have come to give a <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. 


text:
Say to Jesse, “Come to the <i>sacrifice</i>.” I will show you what to do. I will show you the person that you must <i>anoint</i>.’


text:
Samuel obeyed the <i>Lord</i>. He arrived at Bethlehem. The leaders of that town went to meet Samuel. The leaders <i>shook</i> because they were afraid of Samuel. They asked him, ‘Have you come as a friend and not to bring trouble?’


text:
Samuel replied, ‘Yes. I have come to offer a <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. Make yourselves <i>clean</i>. Then come to the <i>sacrifice</i> with me.’ Samuel made Jesse and his sons <i>clean</i>. Then Samuel asked them to come to the <i>sacrifice</i>.


text:
When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab. Samuel thought, ‘I am sure that the <i>Lord</i> has chosen this man.’


text:
But the <i>Lord</i> said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at how handsome or how tall Eliab is. I have not chosen him. The <i>Lord</i> does not look at people in the way that other people do. People look at the face and body of a person. But the <i>Lord</i> looks inside them.’


text:
Then Jesse <i>called</i> his son Abinadab. Jesse caused him to walk past Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has not chosen this man.’ 


text:
Jesse caused his son Shammah to walk past Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has not chosen this man.’ 


text:
Jesse caused 7 of his sons to walk past Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has not chosen any of these men.’ 


text:
Samuel asked Jesse, ‘Do you have any more sons?’ <n>Jesse answered, ‘I have one more son. He is the youngest. He is <i>caring</i> for the sheep.’ <n>Samuel said, ‘Ask him to come here. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.’


text:
So Jesse asked them to fetch him and Jesse took him to Samuel. This young man was handsome and strong and he had beautiful eyes. <n>The <i>Lord</i> said to Samuel, ‘I have chosen this man. Go and <i>anoint</i> him.’


text:
The name of the young man was David. Samuel took the <i>horn</i> that was full of oil. He poured the oil over David to <i>anoint</i> him. Samuel did this in front of David’s brothers. After that, the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> came on David in a powerful way. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.


text:
But the Spirit of the <i>Lord</i> had left Saul. The <i>Lord</i> sent an <i>evil</i> spirit to Saul. It made him afraid and it caused him to have troubles. 


text:
If you will let us, we will go. We will look for a man who can make music on a <i>harp</i>. When the <i>evil</i> spirit comes from God, this man can make music. Then you will feel better.’


text:
So Saul said to his servants, ‘Find someone who can make good music with a <i>harp</i>. Bring him to me.’


text:
One of the servants said, ‘Jesse lives in Bethlehem. He has a son who makes good music. This son is a strong, brave soldier. He thinks carefully before he speaks. He is handsome. The <i>Lord</i> is with him.’


text:
So Saul sent men to Jesse with a message. He said, ‘Ask your son David to come to me. That is the son who is with the sheep.’ 


text:
So Jesse took some loaves of bread, a leather bag that was full of <i>wine</i>, and a young goat. He put them on the back of a <i>donkey</i>. He sent them to Saul with his son David.


text:
David came to Saul. He became Saul’s servant. Saul loved David. David became one of the men who carried Saul’s <i>armour</i>. 


text:
Saul sent a message to Jesse. He said, ‘David gives very much pleasure to me. Let him stay to become my servant.’


text:
So, when the <i>evil</i> spirit came from God to Saul, David made music on his <i>harp</i>. Then the <i>evil</i> spirit would leave Saul. And Saul would feel better. And he would be well again.


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> army came together ready for a fight. They met at Socoh in the land of <i>Judah</i>. They stayed at Ephes-dammim between the towns called Socoh and Azekah. 


text:
Saul and the <i>Israelites</i> came near together in the Valley of Elah. They put their <i>tents</i> there and they got ready to fight the <i>Philistines</i>. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> were on one side of the hill. The <i>Israelites</i> were on the other side of the hill. The valley was between them.


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> had a soldier who had won more fights than anyone else. He came from the town called Gath. His name was Goliath. He was about 3 metres (more than 9 feet) tall. 


text:
He wore a <i>bronze helmet</i> on his head. His <i>armour</i> included a coat of the same metal. It weighed about 57 kilos (about 125 pounds). 


text:
He had pieces of metal round the front of each leg. He had a <i>bronze javelin</i> that hung on his back. 


text:
The handle of his <i>spear</i> was very thick. He had an iron point on his <i>spear</i>. It weighed about 7 kilos (about 15 pounds). A man carried Goliath’s <i>shield</i> and this man walked in front of him.


text:
Goliath stood and he shouted to the <i>Israelite</i> soldiers. He said, ‘I do not know why you have got ready for a fight. I am a <i>Philistine</i>. You are Saul’s servants. You must choose one of your soldiers. Send him down to fight me. 


text:
If he can kill me, the <i>Philistines</i> will become your slaves. I will fight this man. If I kill him, the <i>Israelites</i> will become our slaves.’ 


text:
Then Goliath said again, ‘I am not afraid to stand against the army of <i>Israel</i>. Send one of your men and we will fight together.’ 


text:
David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was from the family of Ephratah. He came from the town called Bethlehem which was in the land of <i>Judah</i>. Jesse had 8 sons. When Saul was king, Jesse was an old man. 


text:
Jesse’s three oldest sons had gone to the war with Saul. Eliab was Jesse’s oldest son. Abinadab was Jesse’s second son. Shammah was Jesse’s third son. 


text:
Sometimes David was with Saul. But sometimes he had to return to Bethlehem. He returned to <i>care</i> for his father’s sheep.


text:
One day, Jesse said to his son David, ‘Here are 10 kilos (22 pounds) of <i>wheat</i> that I have cooked, and 10 loaves of bread. Take these quickly to your brothers in the army. 


text:
Take these 10 cheeses to the officer who is the leader of their group. Find out whether your brothers are well. Bring me back news about them. 


text:
Your brothers are with Saul and the <i>Israelite</i> army. They are in the Valley of Elah. They are fighting against the <i>Philistines</i>.’


text:
So David got up early the next morning. He left the sheep with another <i>shepherd</i>. He took the food. He did what Jesse had asked him to do. David reached the <i>Israelite tents</i>. The army was just going out to the place from which to fight. They shouted while they went. They were shouting because they wanted to fight. 


text:
The <i>Israelite</i> army and the <i>Philistine</i> army stood in their places ready for the fight. They stood and looked towards each other across the valley. 


text:
David left all his things with the officer who kept the army’s food. David ran to the <i>Israelite</i> army. He went to see his brothers. 


text:
While David was talking to his brothers, Goliath, the great <i>Philistine</i> soldier, came towards them. Goliath shouted things against the <i>Israelites</i> as usual. David heard what he said. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> said, ‘Look at this man. He shouts bad things at us all the time. King Saul will give a lot of money to the man who kills Goliath. The king will also let this man marry his daughter. The family of that man’s father will not have to pay <i>taxes</i> to the king of <i>Israel</i>.’


text:
David said to the men who were standing near him, ‘If a man kills Goliath, <i>Israel</i> will not be ashamed any longer. What gift will he get? Goliath is only a <i>Philistine</i>. Nobody has <i>circumcised</i> him. He does not give <i>honour</i> to our God. He should not say these things against the army of the living God.’


text:
The men told David what they had said. They said, ‘This will be done to pay the man who kills Goliath.’


text:
Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David speaking with the men. Eliab was angry with David and Eliab asked him, ‘Why have you come here? You have a few sheep in the <i>desert</i>. Who is <i>caring</i> for them? You think that you are great. I know that. But you are <i>evil</i>. I think that you only came here to watch the fight.’


text:
Some of the men had heard what David said. They went and they told Saul. Saul asked David to come to see him.


text:
David said to Saul, ‘I am your servant. Do not think that Goliath will bring trouble to Israel. I will go and I will fight him.’


text:
Saul replied, ‘You cannot go and fight Goliath. You are only a young man. Goliath has been a strong soldier all of his life.’


text:
But David said, ‘I have <i>cared</i> for my father’s sheep. Sometimes a <i>lion</i> or a <i>bear</i> came and took a young sheep. 


text:
I ran after the <i>lion</i> or the <i>bear</i> and I attacked it. I saved the young sheep from its mouth. When the <i>lion</i> or the <i>bear</i> started to attack me, I held its hair. Then I hit it and I killed it. 


text:
I, your servant, have killed <i>lions</i> and <i>bears</i>. And I will do the same to this <i>Philistine</i> that nobody has <i>circumcised</i>. He has said bad things about the army of the living God. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has saved me from <i>lions</i> and <i>bears</i>. He will save me from this <i>Philistine</i>.’ <n>Saul said to David, ‘Go. And I ask the <i>Lord</i> that he will be with you.’ 


text:
Saul put his own clothes on David. He put his <i>bronze helmet</i> on David’s head. Then he dressed David with his <i>armour</i>. 


text:
David put on the <i>sword</i> and the <i>armour</i>. He tried to walk but he had not worn <i>armour</i> before. <n>David said to Saul, ‘I cannot wear all this <i>armour</i>. I have never used it.’ So David took it all off.


text:
David picked up his <i>shepherd</i>’s stick. He went to the stream. He took 5 round stones from the stream and he put them in his bag. He had his <i>sling</i> in his hand. Then he went to meet the <i>Philistine</i>.


text:
Goliath walked towards David. A man walked in front of Goliath and the man was carrying Goliath’s <i>shield</i>. Goliath looked at David. 


text:
He said to David, ‘I do not know why you have come with a stick. Perhaps you think that I am a dog.’ Then he asked his <i>gods</i> to cause bad things to happen to David. 


text:
David said, ‘You have come to fight me with a <i>sword</i>, a <i>spear</i> and a <i>javelin</i>. But I come to fight you in the name of the <i>Lord</i> who is most powerful. You have said bad things about the God of <i>Israel</i>’s army. 


text:
Today the <i>Lord</i> will make me powerful against you. I will hit you and I will cut off your head. Today I will feed the birds and the wild animals with the dead bodies of the <i>Philistine</i> army. Then all the people in the whole world will know that there is a God in <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> does not need <i>swords</i> and <i>spears</i> to save his people. Everyone here will soon know that the <i>Lord</i> will win the fight. He will make us powerful against you.’


text:
David took a stone from his bag. He put the stone into the <i>sling</i> and he threw it. The stone hit Goliath on his face above his eyes. It went into his head. Goliath fell with his face on the ground.


text:
So David used a <i>sling</i> and a stone to win the fight with the <i>Philistines</i>. David did not have a <i>sword</i> but he killed Goliath. 


text:
David ran and stood next to him. He took Goliath’s <i>sword</i> out of its bag. Then he killed Goliath and he cut off his head with the <i>sword</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> saw that their best fighter was dead. So they ran away. 


text:
The men from <i>Israel</i> and <i>Judah</i> shouted. They ran after the <i>Philistines</i> all the way to the gate of the town called Gath. And they ran after them to the gates of the town called Ekron. They killed the <i>Philistines</i>. They left their dead bodies on the road to Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> returned when they had finished running after the <i>Philistines</i>. Then the <i>Israelites</i> went and they robbed the <i>Philistines</i>’ <i>tents</i>. 


text:
David took Goliath’s head into Jerusalem. But he put Goliath’s <i>armour</i> into his own <i>tent</i>.


text:
Saul had watched David when he went out to fight Goliath. Abner was the most important officer in Saul’s army. Saul said to Abner, ‘Abner, whose son is that young man?’ <n>Abner replied, ‘My great king, I do not know.’


text:
David returned after he had killed Goliath. Abner brought David to Saul. David was still holding Goliath’s head.


text:
Saul asked him, ‘Young man, who is your father?’ <n>David answered, ‘I am the son of your servant Jesse who comes from Bethlehem.’


text:
David finished talking with Saul. Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, became a very good friend of David. Jonathan loved David as much as Jonathan loved himself. 


text:
Jonathan was wearing a coat. He took the coat off and he gave it to David. He also gave his <i>armour</i> to David. And he gave his <i>sword</i>, his bow and his belt to him. 


text:
David did whatever Saul asked him to do. And he always did it well. So Saul made David an important officer in his army. That gave pleasure to all of Saul’s officers and people.


text:
After David had killed Goliath, he and the soldiers returned to their homes. Women came out from all the towns in <i>Israel</i> to meet King Saul. The women sang happy songs and they danced. They made music with <i>tambourines</i> and <i>lyres</i> too. 


text:
They sang this while they danced: <n>‘Saul has killed thousands of his enemies. <n>And David has killed tens of thousands of his enemies.’


text:
Saul did not like this song. He became very angry. He thought, ‘The women say that David has killed tens of thousands of men. But they say that I have only killed thousands of men. Perhaps they will want David as their king.’ 


text:
The next day an <i>evil</i> spirit from the <i>Lord</i> started to use Saul. He was <i>prophesying</i> in his house. And David was making music on his <i>harp</i> as he usually did. But Saul had a <i>spear</i> in his hand. 


text:
Saul threw the <i>spear</i>. He tried to hit David and to fix him to the wall. But twice he did not hit David.


text:
So Saul sent David away from him. He made David the leader of 1000 soldiers. David was their leader in their fights. 


text:
All the people in Israel and Judah loved David because he was a good leader. <n>David marries Saul’s daughter</n>


text:
Saul said to David, ‘Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will let you marry her. But you must be a brave soldier and you must fight for the <i>Lord</i>.’ Saul thought to himself, ‘I will not have to kill David. The <i>Philistines</i> will do that.’


text:
But David said to Saul, ‘I, my family and my father’s <i>tribe</i> are not very important in <i>Israel</i>. I cannot marry the king’s daughter.’ 


text:
When it was the time for Merab to marry David, Saul gave her to Adriel from Meholah, instead, as his wife.


text:
He thought, ‘I will let David marry her. She will cause danger for him. I will cause him to fight the <i>Philistines</i>. Then the <i>Philistines</i> will win the fight and they will kill him.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Now you can try to win my other daughter as a wife.’


text:
Saul asked his servants to talk to David in a secret place. He asked them to say, ‘You have given pleasure to the king. His servants like you. You should now marry his daughter.’


text:
Saul’s servants said this to David. But David said, ‘It is a great <i>honour</i> to marry the king’s daughter. But I am poor. I am not an important person.’ <n>Men had to give money to the father of the woman they wanted to marry. And a king would want a lot of money for his daughter. David did not have enough money for that. 


text:
Saul said, ‘Tell David this. The king does not want him to pay money for his wife. He can pay for her with the <i>foreskins</i> of 100 dead <i>Philistines</i>. That will <i>punish</i> Saul’s enemies.’ Saul decided to cause David to do all this. He thought that the <i>Philistines</i> would kill David.


text:
Saul’s servants told David these things. It made David happy to think that he could marry the king’s daughter. They decided when they would marry each other. 


text:
Before this time, David and his men went and they killed 200 <i>Philistines</i>. He brought all their <i>foreskins</i> to Saul. Now David could marry the king’s daughter. So, Saul had to let him marry his daughter Michal.


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> army leaders continued to go and to fight the <i>Israelites</i>. Every time that they fought, David won more fights than any of Saul’s other officers. So David became famous.


text:
Saul spoke to his son Jonathan and to all his servants. ‘You must kill David’, he said. But Jonathan liked David very much. 


text:
So he told David, ‘My father Saul is trying to kill you. Be careful tomorrow morning. Hide in a secret place and stay there. 


text:
I will go out. And I will stand with my father in the field where you are hiding. I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you what I find out.’


text:
Jonathan spoke to his father Saul. Jonathan said good things about David. Jonathan said, ‘The king should not do anything that is wrong. He should not <i>punish</i> his servant David. David has not done anything that is wrong. And he has been a great help to you. 


text:
David was not afraid to die when he killed Goliath the <i>Philistine</i>. The <i>Lord</i> helped him to win an important fight on behalf of all <i>Israel</i>. You saw it and you were happy. I do not know why you want to <i>punish</i> him. He has not done anything that was wrong. You have no reason to kill him.’


text:
Saul listened to Jonathan. Then Saul said a promise in the <i>Lord</i>’s name. Saul said that he would not kill David. 


text:
So Jonathan <i>called</i> to David. He told David everything that they had said. Jonathan took David to Saul. So David remained with Saul as before.


text:
The war with the <i>Philistines</i> started again. David went out and he fought the <i>Philistines</i>. He beat them. He killed so many of them that the other soldiers ran away.


text:
But an <i>evil</i> spirit from the <i>Lord</i> came. It caused Saul to think bad thoughts and to do <i>evil</i> things. Saul was sitting in his house. He had a <i>spear</i> in his hand. David was playing his <i>harp</i>. 


text:
Saul tried to push his <i>spear</i> through David and into the wall behind him. David moved out of the way and Saul’s <i>spear</i> went into the wall. David ran away that night.


text:
Saul sent some of his servants to watch David’s house. Saul said that they must kill David in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him about Saul’s idea. She said, ‘You must go away tonight. If you do not go away, someone will kill you tomorrow.’ 


text:
Then Michal took an <i>idol</i> from their house and she put it in the bed. She put hair from a goat on the <i>idol</i>’s head. Then she covered it.


text:
Saul told the men that they must return to David. And Saul said, ‘Bring David to me on his bed so that I can kill him.’ 


text:
The men returned to David’s house. They found the <i>idol</i> on the bed and the goat’s hair was on its head.


text:
Saul said to Michal, ‘You should have told me what was true. You let my enemy go away. He has run away.’ Michal replied, ‘David asked me to help him. He said, “I will kill you if you do not help me.” ’


text:
David ran away and he was safe. He went to visit Samuel at Ramah. David told Samuel everything that Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and they stayed there.


text:
So Saul sent men to bring David to him. When the men arrived, they saw a group of <i>prophets</i>. Samuel was their leader. They were all <i>prophesying</i>. Then the Spirit of God came and he started to use Saul’s men. They started to <i>prophesy</i> too. 


text:
When people told Saul about this, he sent more men. But they <i>prophesied</i> too. So Saul sent a third group of men. These men also <i>prophesied</i>. 


text:
Then Saul himself went to Ramah. He went as far as the large well at Secu. He asked the people, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ The people replied, ‘They are at Naioth in Ramah.’


text:
Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came and he caused even Saul to <i>prophesy</i>. Saul continued to <i>prophesy</i> until he came to Naioth. 


text:
Then he took off his clothes and he <i>prophesied</i> in front of Samuel. He lay down and he wore no clothes all that day and all that night. So people still say, ‘Has Saul really become a <i>prophet</i>?’


text:
Then David ran away from Naioth at Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked him, ‘What bad things have I done? What have I done to hurt your father? Why is he trying to kill me?’


text:
Jonathan replied, ‘No. You will not die. My father tells me everything that he does, even the little things. So it is not true! He would not hide this from me.’


text:
But David answered, ‘Your father knows that you like me. He decided not to tell you. He knew that you would not be very happy. I promise that my words are true. I think that I will soon be dead.’


text:
David said to Jonathan, ‘Tomorrow we have a special meal because of the new moon. I ought to go and eat this meal with the king. Instead, I will go and hide in the fields. I will stay there until the third evening. 


text:
Your father might see that I am not at the meal. If he does, you say, “David asked me to let him go to his home in Bethlehem. His father and brothers offer a <i>sacrifice</i> at this time every year.” 


text:
Your father may say, “That is good.” If he says that, I am safe. And I will know that I am safe. But he may become very angry. If he does become angry, he has decided to hurt me. And you will know that he wants to do that. 


text:
Jonathan, please be a good friend and be kind to me, your servant. The <i>Lord</i> knows about the <i>covenant</i> that you made with me. If I have <i>sinned</i>, you can kill me yourself. Do not let your father kill me.’


text:
Jonathan said, ‘No, that will not happen. I will find out if my father wants to kill you. If he does, I will tell you.’


text:
Then Jonathan said to David, ‘I say this promise to you and to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>Israel</i>. Tomorrow or the next day I will find out how my father is feeling. If he is feeling friendly to you, I will send someone to tell you. 


text:
But my father may want to hurt you. I promise the <i>Lord</i> that I will let you know about it. Then I will send you away so that you can be safe. I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will be with you. I want him to be with you as he has been with my father. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will remove every one of your <i>enemies</i> from the earth. But please continue to be kind to all my family.’


text:
So Jonathan made a <i>covenant</i> with David’s family. He said, ‘I am asking the <i>Lord</i> to <i>punish</i> David’s <i>enemies</i> for what they have done.’ 


text:
Again, Jonathan asked David to say that he loved him. Jonathan loved David as much as Jonathan loved himself.


text:
Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Tomorrow we will have the special meal because of the new moon. Nobody will be sitting in your chair. People will see that you are not there. 


text:
Return to the place where you hid at the beginning of this trouble. Go there on the day after tomorrow. Wait by the rock called Ezel. 


text:
I will shoot three <i>arrows</i> by the side of it. I will say that I am shooting at a certain mark. 


text:
Then I will send a boy to find the <i>arrows</i>. If you are not in danger I will say to him, “The <i>arrows</i> are near to you. Bring them here.” That will mean that you are safe. You can come out from the place where you are hiding. 


text:
But I may say to the boy, “Look, the <i>arrows</i> are beyond you.” That will mean that you must go. The <i>Lord</i> has sent you away. 


text:
Always remember the <i>covenant</i> that we made. The <i>Lord</i> will make sure that we <i>keep this promise</i>.’


text:
So David hid in the field. Then it was time for the special meal because of the new moon. The king sat down to eat the meal. 


text:
He sat by the wall in his usual place. Jonathan sat with his face towards him. Abner sat next to Saul. David’s seat was empty. 


text:
Saul did not say anything about it that day. Saul thought, ‘Perhaps something has happened to David that has made him not <i>clean</i>. I am sure that he is not <i>clean</i>.’ 


text:
The next day was the second day of the month. David’s seat was still empty at the meal. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, ‘Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal? He did not come yesterday or today.’


text:
He said, “Let me go. My family is having a <i>sacrifice</i> in the town. My brother told me that I must be there. If you are my friend let me go to visit my brothers.” That is why David has not come to eat with the king.’


text:
Saul became very angry with Jonathan. Saul said, ‘You have done a very bad thing and you do not obey me. I know that you are David’s friend. You have made your mother ashamed. You should be ashamed yourself. 


text:
You will never be king while David is alive. You will never rule the people. Go and bring David to me now. He must die.’


text:
But Saul threw a <i>spear</i> at Jonathan and tried to kill him. So, Jonathan knew that his father had decided to kill David. 


text:
Jonathan was very angry. He got up from the table. He did not eat anything on that second day of the month. He was very sad because Saul had not given <i>honour</i> to David.


text:
He said to the boy, ‘Run. And find the <i>arrows</i> that I shoot.’ While the boy was running, Jonathan shot an <i>arrow</i> beyond him. 


text:
The boy reached the place where the <i>arrow</i> landed. Jonathan shouted to him, ‘The <i>arrow</i> is beyond you.’ 


text:
Then he shouted, ‘Hurry up. Go quickly. Do not stop.’ The boy picked up the <i>arrow</i> and he brought it back to Jonathan. 


text:
Then Jonathan gave his bow and <i>arrows</i> back to the boy and Jonathan said, ‘Go and take them back to town.’


text:
So the boy left. David came out from the south side of the rock. He went down on his knees in front of Jonathan. He put his face down on the ground three times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other and they cried together. But David cried more than Jonathan did.


text:
Jonathan said to David, ‘Go and God will keep you safe. We promised the <i>Lord</i> that we would always be friends. The <i>Lord</i> will make sure that my family and your family will always <i>keep this promise</i>.’ Then David left. And Jonathan returned to the town.


text:
David went and he visited Ahimelech the <i>priest</i>. He lived in the town called Nob. Ahimelech <i>shook</i> when he went to meet David. Ahimelech asked David, ‘Why are you alone? Why is nobody with you?’


text:
David answered, ‘The king has asked me to do something special. He said to me, “Do not say to anyone where I have sent you. Do not say what you have to do.” And I have sent my men to meet me at a certain place. 


text:
The <i>priest</i> answered David, ‘I do not have any bread that anyone can eat. I only have some special <i>holy</i> bread. You can have it only if your men have not had sex with women.’


text:
David replied, ‘We have not been near women since we started our journey. The young men always keep themselves <i>clean</i> when we have any kind of journey. So they will certainly be <i>clean</i> today.’ 


text:
So the <i>priest</i> gave the special <i>holy</i> bread to David because he did not have any other bread. Every day the <i>priest</i> went to the <i>holy</i> place where God appeared. The <i>priest</i> took away the old bread and he put hot, fresh bread in its place.


text:
One of Saul’s servants was there that day. He had to remain for a longer time than usual near the place where the <i>Lord</i> appeared. His name was Doeg. He came from the country called Edom. He was Saul’s most important <i>shepherd</i>.


text:
David asked Ahimelech, ‘Do you have a <i>sword</i> or a <i>spear</i> that I could have? The king’s business was so important that I left without a <i>sword</i> or anything to fight with.’


text:
Ahimelech answered, ‘The <i>sword</i> of Goliath the <i>Philistine</i> is here. You killed him in the valley of Elah. We covered the <i>sword</i> in a cloth and we put it behind the <i>ephod</i>. If you want it, you can take it. We do not have any other <i>sword</i> except that one.’ <n>David said, ‘Give it to me. There is no <i>sword</i> as good as that one.’ <n>David goes to the town called Gath</n>


text:
But the servants of King Achish said to him, ‘This man is David, the king of the <i>Israelites</i>. The people sing about him when they dance. They sing, “Saul has killed thousands of people, but David has killed tens of thousands of people”.’


text:
David became very serious. He thought about what the servants said. Then he became very afraid of Achish, king of Gath. 


text:
When David was near the king or his servants, David did strange things. He was like a man with a sick mind. He made marks on the doors of the gate. He did not keep water in his mouth but he let it go all down his beard.


text:
Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at that man. He is like a crazy man. Why did you bring him to me? 


text:
I have enough crazy men already. I do not need to see another one. And I do not want this man to come into my house.’


text:
David left Gath and he went to a big hole in the rock near Adullam. His brothers and his father’s family discovered where he had gone. So they all went to visit him. 


text:
Everybody who had troubles went to David. Everybody who had debts also went to him. And everyone who was not happy went to him. About 400 men went to David and he became their leader.


text:
David then went to the town called Mizpah. It was in the country called Moab. David said to the king of Moab, ‘Please let my father and my mother stay with you for a short time. I need to learn how God will help.’ 


text:
So David left his parents with the king of Moab. They stayed with the king all the time that David hid in the safe place.


text:
Gad the <i>prophet</i> said to David, ‘Do not stay in the safe place. Go to the land of <i>Judah</i>.’ So, David left the safe place and he went to the forest at Hereth. <n>Saul kills Ahimelech’s family at Nob</n>


text:
Then people told Saul that someone had found David and his men. Saul was on the hill near Gibeah. He was sitting under a large tree. He was holding a <i>spear</i>. All his officers stood round him. 


text:
Saul said to them, ‘Men from the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin, listen to me. And understand what I say. The son of Jesse will not give fields and <i>vineyards</i> to you. He will not make you officers of men in his army. 


text:
So I do not know why you have decided to go against me. Nobody tells me when my son says a special promise with the son of Jesse. Nobody thinks about what could happen to me. Nobody tells me that my son is now against me. He has agreed that one of my servants should kill me.’


text:
But Doeg, from the country called Edom, was standing with Saul’s officers. Doeg said, ‘I saw the son of Jesse. He came to the town called Nob and he visited Ahimelech. Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub. 


text:
Ahimelech asked the <i>Lord</i> what David should do. Then he gave some food and the <i>sword</i> of Goliath the <i>Philistine</i> to David.’


text:
Then King Saul asked them to bring to him the <i>priest</i> Ahimelech, son of Ahitub. And with him, they brought all his brothers and their families. They were <i>priests</i>. And they lived in the town called Nob. They all came to the king. 


text:
Saul said to him, ‘You and the son of Jesse seem to be trying to kill me! You gave bread and a <i>sword</i> to him. You prayed to God on his behalf. He does not obey me. Now he is even waiting to attack me.’


text:
Ahimelech answered, ‘David is the most <i>loyal</i> servant that you have. He is your daughter’s husband. He is the captain of the men who keep you safe. Everyone in your family gives <i>honour</i> to him.


text:
I have prayed to God on David’s behalf many times in past times. This was not the first time. King Saul, do not say that my family or I have done anything wrong. We do not know anything about what is happening.’


text:
Then the king said to the officers who were round him, ‘Go and kill the <i>priests</i> of the <i>Lord</i>. They are helping David. They knew that he was running away from me. But they did not tell me.’ <n>But the king’s officers refused to attack the <i>priests</i> of the <i>Lord</i>.


text:
So the king said to Doeg, ‘Go and kill the <i>priests</i>.’ So, Doeg from Edom went and he killed the <i>priests</i>. He killed 85 <i>priests</i> who wore the <i>linen ephod</i>. 


text:
He also killed all the people in the town called Nob, which was the town of the <i>priests</i>. He killed the men and women, children and babies. He also killed the cows, <i>donkeys</i> and sheep.


text:
But the king did not catch Abiathar. He was a son of Ahimelech (who was the son of Ahitub). Abiathar ran away and he met David. 


text:
David said to him, ‘When I went to the town called Nob, Doeg was there too. I knew that he would tell Saul about me. I have caused the death of everybody who lives in your father’s house. 


text:
Stay here with me. Do not be afraid. Saul wants to kill you and he wants to kill me too. You will be safe with me.’


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> were attacking the town called Keilah. And they were taking away the <i>grain</i> when the <i>Israelites</i> had just brought it in. Someone told David about this. 


text:
So David asked the <i>Lord</i>, ‘Should I go and attack these <i>Philistines</i>?’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> answered him, ‘Go and attack the <i>Philistines</i>. Save Keilah.’


text:
But David’s men said to him, ‘We are afraid here in <i>Judah</i>. We will be more afraid if we attack the <i>Philistine</i> army at Keilah.’


text:
So David asked the <i>Lord</i> again. The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘Go to Keilah. I will help you to win the fight with the <i>Philistines</i>.’ 


text:
So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought the <i>Philistines</i> and they killed many of them. Also, they took all their animals. So David saved the people who lived in Keilah. 


text:
(When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ran away, he came to David at Keilah. And he brought the <i>ephod</i> with him.) <n>Saul runs after David</n>


text:
Someone told Saul that David was now at Keilah. Saul said, ‘God has given David to me. David has gone into a town that has a strong gate. He cannot leave.’ 


text:
So Saul caused all his soldiers to join him. They prepared to go to Keilah and to attack David and his men.


text:
Somebody told David that Saul was preparing to attack him. David said to Abiathar, ‘Bring the <i>ephod</i> here.’ 


text:
David prayed, ‘<i>Lord</i>, you are the God of <i>Israel</i>. I am your servant. Somebody has told me that Saul is preparing to come to Keilah. He wants to destroy this town because I am here. 


text:
Will the people in Keilah give me to Saul? Will Saul really come here? <i>Lord</i>, God of <i>Israel</i>, I am your servant so please tell me.’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘Saul will come.’


text:
David asked the <i>Lord</i> again, ‘Will the people in Keilah give me and my men to Saul?’ <n>And the <i>Lord</i> said, ‘They will.’


text:
So David and his 600 men left Keilah. They had to move from one place to another all the time. People told Saul that David had left Keilah. So Saul did not go there.


text:
David stayed in the safe places in the <i>desert</i>. He also stayed in the hills in the <i>desert</i> places at Ziph. Saul looked for David every day. But God did not let Saul get David.


text:
David was at Horesh in the empty places near Ziph. And somebody told him that Saul was coming to kill him. 


text:
Jonathan, Saul’s son, went to visit David at Horesh. He told David that God would help him to be strong. 


text:
Jonathan said to David, ‘Do not be afraid. My father will not hurt you. My father knows that you will be the next king of <i>Israel</i>. I will be your most important officer.’ 


text:
Jonathan and David said a promise together with the <i>Lord</i>. Then Jonathan went to his home. David stayed at Horesh.


text:
Some people from Ziph went to visit Saul at Gibeah. They said to Saul, ‘David is hiding among us. He is on the hill at Hachilah. He is there in the safe place at Horesh. It is south of Jeshimon. 


text:
Saul replied, ‘I ask the <i>Lord</i> that he will be good to you. I ask him because you are helping me. 


text:
Return to your homes and make sure about David. Find out where he usually stays. Find the people who have seen him there. People have told me that David is very clever. 


text:
Find all the places where he hides. Then return. Tell me everything that you have discovered. Then I will come with you. I will find David if he is still near here. I will look all through the land of <i>Judah</i> for him.’


text:
So the people returned to Ziph before Saul. David and his men were in the <i>desert</i> of Maon. This was south of Jeshimon. 


text:
Saul and his men started to look for David. Somebody told David about this. He and his men stayed in the <i>desert</i> called Maon and they went to a big rock. Somebody told Saul about this. He and his men went to the <i>desert</i> called Maon to follow David.


text:
Saul and his men were going along one side of the mountain. David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. They were trying to hide from Saul. Saul and his army were getting nearer to David and his men. They were all round David and his men. They wanted to catch them. 


text:
But a man came and he gave this message to Saul, ‘Come quickly. The <i>Philistines</i> are attacking our land.’ 


text:
So Saul stopped running after David. Instead, Saul went to fight the <i>Philistines</i>. So people call that place ‘The rock where they got away safely’.


text:
When Saul had finished fighting the <i>Philistines</i>, he returned to his home. Someone told him that David was in the <i>desert</i> at Engedi. 


text:
So Saul chose 3000 of the best soldiers in <i>Israel</i>. They went to look for David and his men near Wild Goat Rocks.


text:
Saul came to the places where they kept the sheep, near to the road. There was a big hole in the hill near to this place. Saul went into it to use it as a toilet. David and his men were sitting at the back of this hole and they were hiding. 


text:
The men said to David, ‘This is the day that the <i>Lord</i> spoke about. The <i>Lord</i> said to you, “I will give your <i>enemy</i> to you. Then you can do to him what seems to you the right thing to do”.’ David walked up behind Saul. David was so quiet that Saul did not hear him. David cut off a small piece of cloth from Saul’s coat.


text:
David said to his men, ‘I am praying that the <i>Lord</i> will not let me do anything wrong to my master, Saul. The <i>Lord anointed</i> him as king. I must never do anything against Saul, because the <i>Lord</i> has <i>anointed</i> him as king.’ 


text:
David spoke like this so that his men would not attack Saul. David did not let them do it. Saul left the hole in the hill and he continued to go on his journey.


text:
Then David went out of the hole and he shouted to Saul, ‘My master and my king!’ Saul looked behind him. David went down on his knees. He bent down so that his face touched the ground. 


text:
Today the <i>Lord</i> made me able to hurt you in that place. Some of my men wanted me to kill you. But I let you go. I said, “I will not hurt my master because the <i>Lord</i> has <i>anointed</i> him as king.” 


text:
Look, my father. I have a small piece of your coat. I cut this off the corner of your coat but I did not kill you. Please know that I have not <i>sinned</i> against you. I will not hurt you. I have not done anything wrong to you. But you are running after me so that you can kill me. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will be the <i>judge</i>. He will know which one of us has done wrong things. And I ask that the <i>Lord</i> will <i>punish</i> you. I want him to <i>punish</i> you because you have done wrong things to me. But I will not do anything to hurt you. 


text:
You know that people often say, “<i>Evil</i> people do <i>evil</i> things.” But I will not touch you. 


text:
I do not know whom you have come to fight. I do not know whom you are running after. Perhaps you think that I am like a dead dog or a little insect! 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will be the <i>judge</i>. He will know which one of us has done the right things. The <i>Lord</i> will see what I did. I know that I have done only good things. And I pray that he will show that. And I pray that he will save me from you.’


text:
When David stopped speaking, Saul asked, ‘Is that really you, David my son?’ Then Saul started to cry aloud. 


text:
Saul said, ‘You are a better man than I am. You have been good to me. But I have done bad things to you. 


text:
You have told me all the good things that you did to me. The <i>Lord</i> made you able to hurt me, but you did not kill me. 


text:
If a person finds his <i>enemy</i>, he does not let him go away. He does not let him be safe. I ask that the <i>Lord</i> will give a lot of good gifts to you. I ask that because you were good to me today. 


text:
Now I know that you will be the king of <i>Israel</i>. You will rule all the people in <i>Israel</i>. 


text:
Please promise the <i>Lord</i> that you will not kill all my children and their families. Make sure that people do not forget my family’s name.’


text:
So David promised that to Saul. Saul went to his home. But David and his men returned to the safe place.


text:
Then Samuel died. All the <i>Israelites</i> met together and they were very sad. Then they buried Samuel in his family town, which was called Ramah. David went down to the <i>desert</i> of Paran. <n>Nabal says bad things about David</n> <n>


text:
A very rich man lived at Paran. His name was Nabal. He came from the family of Caleb. His wife’s name was Abigail. Nabal had some land near Carmel. He had 3000 sheep and 1000 goats. He was cutting the hair from his sheep at Carmel. Abigail was a beautiful and clever woman. But Nabal was a cruel man who did not give anything to anybody.


text:
So David sent 10 young men to the town called Carmel. He said that they must find Nabal. Then they must tell him that David said ‘hello’. 


text:
David asked the young men to say, ‘David hopes that you are well. He wants you to have no trouble. He wants your family to have no trouble. He wants everything that you have to be safe. 


text:
People told David that you were cutting the hair from your sheep. Your <i>shepherds</i> have been with us. We did not hurt them. We did not take anything from them when they were at Carmel. 


text:
Your servants will tell you that, if you ask them. We have come on the day when you have a special meal. So, please be kind to David’s young men. And please give whatever you can to the young men and to your son David.’


text:
Nabal answered David’s young men, ‘I do not know who David is. Nobody has told me about this son of Jesse. Many slaves run away from their masters these days. 


text:
I have bread and water. And I have killed some animals. But this is all for the men who are cutting the hair from my sheep. I will not give anything to men that I do not know.’


text:
David said to his men, ‘Put your <i>swords</i> into your belts.’ So, they put them in their belts. David put his <i>sword</i> into his belt too. About 400 men went with David. About 200 men stayed with their food and <i>weapons</i>.


text:
One of Nabal’s servants spoke to Abigail (Nabal’s wife). He said, ‘David sent some of his men from the <i>desert</i> to speak to our master. But our master was not very polite to them. 


text:
These men were very good to us. They did not hurt us. They did not take anything from us while we were out in the fields with them. 


text:
Please think about this. And decide what to do. Very great trouble will happen to our master and to all his family and servants. Our master is such a bad man that he will not listen to anyone.’


text:
Abigail quickly got some food. She got 200 loaves of bread, 2 animal skins of <i>wine</i>, 5 sheep that she had cooked. She also got 15 kilos (about 7 pounds) of <i>grain</i> that she had cooked. She also got 100 cakes of <i>grapes</i> that she had made into dry fruit and 200 cakes of <i>figs</i>. She put all this on some <i>donkeys</i>. 


text:
She said to her servants, ‘You go first and I will follow you.’ But she did not tell her husband Nabal.


text:
Abigail rode her <i>donkey</i> along the valley in the mountain. She saw David and his men while they were coming down the valley towards her. So she met them. 


text:
David had just said, ‘I do not know why I kept Nabal’s people and animals safe in the <i>desert</i>. We did not take anything from him. We were good to him, but he has not been good to us. 


text:
When Abigail saw David she quickly got off her <i>donkey</i>. She went on her knees in front of David and her face touched the ground. 


text:
She was near his feet. She said to David, ‘My master, be angry only with me. I am your servant. Please listen to what I say. 


text:
Please do not think about that bad man Nabal. His name means fool and he is a fool. I, your servant, did not see the young men that you sent. 


text:
Now the <i>Lord</i> has not let you <i>punish</i> your <i>enemies</i>. And he has not let you kill them. You have <i>enemies</i> and many people want to hurt you. But they will receive their <i>punishment</i> in the same way that Nabal will. I know that this will certainly happen. 


text:
I am your servant. I have done wrong things. Please <i>forgive</i> me. I know that the <i>Lord</i> will always choose someone from your family to be the king. The <i>Lord</i> will do that because you always fight on his behalf. And you do not do anything in your life that is wrong. 


text:
Someone may run after you and try to kill you. But the <i>Lord</i> your God will always save you. The <i>Lord</i> will throw your <i>enemies</i> away like someone throws away a stone. 


text:
One day the <i>Lord</i> will do all the good things that he has promised to you. He will make you the ruler of the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
When that happens, you will not feel sorry about anything. You have not killed good people. And you have not tried to <i>punish</i> people yourself. When the <i>Lord</i> has helped you to win all your fights, please remember me.’


text:
David said to Abigail, ‘I <i>praise</i> the <i>Lord</i> God of <i>Israel</i>. He sent you to meet me today. 


text:
I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will be good to you. I want him to be good to you because of what you did. You showed me the right thing to do. You have not let me <i>punish</i> or kill people today. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has not let me hurt you. You came quickly to meet me. If you had not come, I certainly would have killed all of Nabal’s men by the morning.’


text:
David accepted Abigail’s gift. He said to her, ‘Go to your home and do not be afraid. I have listened to what you have said. And I will do what you have asked for.’ <n>Nabal dies</n>


text:
Abigail returned to Nabal. He had prepared a big meal. It was so good that a king could eat it. He had drunk too much <i>wine</i>. He was very happy but his mind was confused. So Abigail did not tell him anything until the next morning. 


text:
The next morning Nabal was well again. So Abigail told him all that had she had done. Nabal’s heart failed and he became like a stone. 


text:
Somebody told David that Nabal had died. David said, ‘I <i>praise</i> the <i>Lord</i>. Nabal said wrong things about me but the <i>Lord</i> saved me. The <i>Lord</i> did not let me do the wrong thing. And now he has <i>punished</i> Nabal.’ <n>Then David sent a message to Abigail. He asked her to marry him. 


text:
David’s servants went to Carmel and they said to Abigail, ‘David has sent us to you. We must take you to David so that he can marry you.’


text:
Abigail went on her knees and her face touched the ground. She said, ‘I am his servant. I will wash the feet of David’s servants.’ 


text:
Abigail quickly got on to a <i>donkey</i> and she went with David’s men. She took 5 young girls with her. They were her servants. Abigail became David’s wife.


text:
Saul’s daughter Michal had been David’s wife. But Saul had given her to Palti as his wife. Palti was the son of Laish who came from the town called Gallim.


text:
Some men from Ziph went to visit Saul at Gibeah. They said, ‘David is hiding on the hill called Hachilah which is across the valley from Jeshimon.’


text:
So Saul went to the <i>desert</i> of Ziph to look for David. Saul chose 3000 <i>Israelite</i> men to go with him. 


text:
Saul and his men came to the hill called Hachilah They put their <i>tents</i> next to the road. This was the side away from Jeshimon. But David stayed in the <i>desert</i>. Then somebody told David that Saul had followed him there. 


text:
David went to the place where Saul was staying. Saul was asleep in the middle of the <i>tents</i>. The army was round him. Abner, who was the son of Ner, was the leader of Saul’s army. He was asleep too.


text:
David spoke to Ahimelech and Abishai. Ahimelech came from the <i>Hittite tribe</i>. Abishai was Joab’s brother and Zeruiah was their mother. David said, ‘Will one of you come down among Saul’s army with me?’ <n>Abishai said, ‘I will come with you.’


text:
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s <i>tents</i> that night. Saul was asleep in the middle of the army. He had put his <i>spear</i> into the ground near his head. Abner and the army were asleep round Saul. 


text:
Abishai said to David, ‘Tonight God has given your <i>enemy</i> to you. I will push the <i>spear</i> through Saul and into the ground under him. I will only have to do it once to kill him. I will not need to do it twice.’


text:
But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not kill Saul. The <i>Lord anointed</i> Saul as king. If anyone attacks Saul, that will be a <i>sin</i>. 


text:
I know that the <i>Lord</i> himself will kill Saul. Saul will die either when his time has come or in a fight. 


text:
The <i>Lord anointed</i> Saul. So I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will not let me hurt him. Take the <i>spear</i> and the pot of water that is near Saul’s head. Then we will leave.’


text:
So David took the <i>spear</i> and the pot of water that were near Saul’s head. Then they left. Nobody saw them. Nobody knew what had happened. Nobody woke up. The men continued to sleep because the <i>Lord</i> caused it to happen.


text:
David and Abishai went across the valley to the other side of the hill. David went to the top of the hill. He was a long way away from Saul’s soldiers. 


text:
David shouted to Saul’s army. He shouted to Abner, who was the son of Ner, ‘Abner, can you hear me?’ <n>Abner replied, ‘Who is shouting to the king? Who are you?’


text:
David replied to Abner, ‘Are you really a great man in <i>Israel</i>? You should have kept your master, the king, safe. Someone came among your <i>tents</i> to kill your master the king. 


text:
You have failed to keep him safe. I know that you and your men ought to die. The <i>Lord anointed</i> Saul as king. You have not kept him safe from his <i>enemy</i>. The king’s <i>spear</i> and water pot were near his head. Where are they now?’


text:
Saul recognised David’s voice. Saul said, ‘Is that you David, my son?’ <n>David answered, ‘Yes my master and my king. I am David.’ 


text:
David also said, ‘Why are you running after me, my master? What have I done? Have I done something that is wrong? 


text:
My master and my king, please listen to me. Has the <i>Lord</i> made you angry with me? If that is true, we can give an <i>offering</i> to him. And that will give pleasure to him. Or have men made you angry with me? If they have, I want the <i>Lord</i> to do bad things to them. They have caused me to leave the land that the <i>Lord</i> God gave to me. They want me to go and to <i>worship</i> other gods. 


text:
Do not let me die a long way away from the <i>Lord</i>’s <i>covenant box</i>. The king of <i>Israel</i> is looking for someone who is like a little insect! You are like someone who is looking for one small bird in the mountains!’


text:
Then Saul said, ‘I have <i>sinned</i>. Return, David, my son. You did not kill me today. I will never hurt you again. I have been like a fool. I have done something that was wrong.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> wants every person to do what is right and true. Then he gives gifts to them. The <i>Lord</i> gave you to me today. But I would not hurt the king that the <i>Lord anointed</i>. 


text:
I did not want to kill you today. I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will want to keep me alive. And so he will save me from all trouble.’


text:
Then Saul said to David, ‘I pray that the <i>Lord</i> will <i>bless</i> you, my son. You will do great things and you will do many good things.’ <n>So David continued to go on his journey and Saul returned to his home.


text:
Then David thought, ‘I am sure that Saul will kill me one day. But I have a good idea. I will go to the country of the <i>Philistines</i> and I will be safe from Saul. He will stop looking for me in <i>Israel</i>. Then I will be free from Saul.’


text:
So David and his 600 men left <i>Israel</i>. They went to Achish, who was the son of Maoch. Achish was the king of the town called Gath. 


text:
David, his men, and their families lived in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him. One wife was Ahinoam. She came from the town called Jezreel. His other wife was Abigail, whose husband Nabal was dead. She came from the town called Carmel. 


text:
Then David said to Achish, ‘Are you happy with me? If you are, I do not need to live in the king’s town with you. Please let me have a town somewhere else in this country where I can live.’


text:
That day, King Achish gave the town called Ziklag to David. Since then Ziklag has been part of the king of <i>Judah</i>’s land. 


text:
During that time David and his men attacked the <i>tribes</i> of the people called Geshurites, Girzites and <i>Amalekites</i>. These people had lived in that place for a very long time. Their land went down as far as the land near Shur and the country called Egypt. 


text:
When David attacked them, he killed all the men and women. But he took all their sheep, cows, <i>donkeys</i>, <i>camels</i> and their clothes. Then he returned to Achish.


text:
Achish asked David, ‘Which place did you go and attack today?’ Sometimes David would tell him that he had gone to the south part of <i>Judah</i>. Other times David told him that he went to the land of the <i>tribe</i> of Jerahmeel or the <i>Kenite tribe</i>. 


text:
David killed everyone in the places that he attacked. He never took anyone back to the town called Gath. So nobody could tell Achish what David had really done. 


text:
Achish believed what David had said. Achish thought, ‘The <i>Israelites</i> will <i>hate</i> David very much now. So David will have to be my servant for all time.’


text:
After that, the <i>Philistine</i> army met together to fight the <i>Israelites</i>. Achish said to David, ‘You must know that you and your men will join my army.’


text:
David said, ‘Yes, I am your servant. You will see what I can do.’ <n>Achish replied, ‘Good. Until you die, you will stay near to me to keep me safe.’ <n>Saul visits a woman who tried to speak with dead people</n>


text:
Samuel was dead by this time. All the <i>Israelites</i> had been very sad and they had cried. They buried Samuel in his own town, which was called Ramah. There had been people who tried to speak with dead people in <i>Israel</i>. But Saul had sent them away.


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> army came together and they put their <i>tents</i> near the town called Shunem. Saul took the <i>Israelite</i> army and they put their <i>tents</i> by the mountain of Gilboa. 


text:
Saul asked the <i>Lord</i> what he should do. But the <i>Lord</i> did not answer him in a dream, or by the <i>Urim</i> or by a <i>prophet</i>. 


text:
So Saul said to his servants, ‘Go. Find a woman who can talk with dead people. I will go to her. I will ask her what will happen.’ <n>His servants said, ‘There is a woman at the town called Endor who can do that.’


text:
Saul changed his clothes. So nobody recognised that he was the king. At night, Saul and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said, ‘Bring up a certain dead man. Talk to him on my behalf.’


text:
But the woman said, ‘You know what King Saul has done. He has removed all the people who try to talk to dead people from <i>Israel</i>. Are you trying to catch me so that you can kill me?’


text:
Then Saul said a serious promise to the woman. He said, ‘Nobody will <i>punish</i> you because you have done this. I promise the <i>Lord</i> that nobody will punish you.’ <n>God had said to Israel’s people that nobody should try to speak with dead people. And they must kill people who spoke with dead people. And they must kill those who asked spirits for help. (See Deuteronomy 18:10, 11; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27.) Saul had obeyed God when he was first a king. 


text:
The woman screamed when she saw Samuel. She said to Saul, ‘You did not say what was true. You are King Saul.’


text:
King Saul said to her, ‘Do not be afraid. Tell me what you can see.’ <n>She said, ‘I can see a <i>spirit</i> that is coming up from the ground.’


text:
Saul asked, ‘What kind of person?’ <n>She said, ‘An old man is coming up from the ground. He is wearing a special coat.’ <n>Saul knew that this was Samuel. Saul went on his knees and his face touched the ground.


text:
Samuel said, ‘Why have you caused me to come to you? Why have you brought me back?’ <n>Saul said, ‘I have a lot of trouble. The <i>Philistines</i> are fighting against me. God has left me. He will not answer me by the <i>prophets</i> or in dreams. So I have brought you here. Tell me what I should do.’


text:
Samuel said, ‘The <i>Lord</i> has left you and he has become your <i>enemy</i>. So I do not know why you brought me up. 


text:
I told you what the <i>Lord</i> would do. And he has done it. The <i>Lord</i> has taken the <i>kingdom</i> away from you. He has given it to David instead. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> has done this to you because you did not obey him. You did not show the <i>Amalekites</i> how God was very angry with them. 


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will let the <i>Philistines</i> win this fight. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The <i>Lord</i> will also let the <i>Philistines</i> beat the whole <i>Israelite</i> army.’


text:
Saul immediately fell on his face to the ground. He was afraid because of what Samuel had said. Saul was also very weak because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.


text:
Then the woman came to Saul. She saw that he was very afraid. She said, ‘I, your servant, have obeyed you. I did what you asked me to do. And I might have died because I did it. 


text:
Please listen to me now. I want to give you some food to eat. Then you will be stronger. And you will be able to travel.’


text:
Saul refused and he said, ‘I will not eat.’ <n>But the woman and Saul’s servants repeated that he must eat. So Saul did what they said. He got up from the ground and he sat down on a bed.


text:
The woman had a fat young cow. She went quickly and she killed it. Then she took some flour and she made some flat bread. 


text:
She gave the food to Saul and to his men and they ate it. They left her house while it was still night.


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> army met at the town called Aphek. The <i>Israelites</i> stayed by the water at Jezreel. 


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> kings marched out with their soldiers. The soldiers were in groups of 100 men and 1000 men. David and his men were with King Achish at the back of the army. 


text:
The <i>Philistine</i> leaders said, ‘Why are these <i>Jews</i> here?’ <n>Achish said, ‘This is David. He was King Saul’s servant. But he came to me more than a year ago. I have not found anything that was wrong with David since then.’


text:
But the <i>Philistine</i> leaders were angry with Achish. They said to him, ‘Send David back to the town that you gave to him. He cannot go into the fight with us. He might become our enemy and he might start to fight us. He might want to be a friend of his king again. And it would make Saul very happy if David started to kill us. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> danced and sang about David. They sang, <n>“Saul has killed thousands of his enemies. <n>And David has killed tens of thousands of his enemies”.’


text:
So Achish asked to meet David. He said, ‘I know that the <i>Lord</i> lives. And I know as certainly that you are my good friend. I would be happy to let you fight with me. Since the day that you came to me, I have never found anything wrong with you. But the other leaders do not want you to fight on my behalf. 


text:
David said, ‘What have I done that is wrong? Have you found anything wrong in me since I joined you? You are my master, the king. I want to go and to fight your enemies.’


text:
Achish said, ‘I know that you are as good as an <i>angel</i> from God. But the <i>Philistine</i> leaders said that you must not go to the fight with us. 


text:
You and your master’s servants must leave early tomorrow morning. You must get up early in the morning. Then, when it is light, you must go.’


text:
So David and his men got up early in the morning. They returned to Ziklag. And the <i>Philistine</i> army went to Jezreel.


text:
David and his men arrived at Ziklag three days after they left Achish. The <i>Amalekites</i> had attacked part of the south of <i>Judah</i>’s land. They had also attacked Ziklag. They had beaten the men there and they had burnt Ziklag. 


text:
They took women and everyone whether they were important or not important. They took them away but they did not kill anyone.


text:
David and his men arrived at Ziklag. They saw that the <i>Amalekites</i> had burnt the city. They had taken away their sons and their daughters. 


text:
David had two wives. One wife was Ahinoam from Jezreel. The other wife was Abigail. She had been the wife of Nabal from Carmel. The <i>Amalekites</i> had taken both of David’s wives. 


text:
David was very, very sad because his men wanted to throw stones at him. They wanted to kill him. His men were very angry because they had lost their sons and their daughters. But David believed that the <i>Lord</i> his God would help them. And so he became stronger. <n>In chapter 15, God had said to Saul that he must kill all the <i>Amalekites</i>. But Saul did not obey God. Now the <i>Amalekites</i> caused trouble for David. 


text:
Then David spoke to Abiathar the <i>priest</i>, who was the son of Ahimelech. David said, ‘Bring the <i>ephod</i> to me.’ So Abiathar brought the <i>ephod</i> to David. 


text:
David asked the <i>Lord</i>, ‘Should I go after the men who attacked our town? Will I catch them?’ <n>The <i>Lord</i> answered, ‘Run after them and you will certainly catch them. You will save your families from them.’ <n>


text:
So David and his 600 men went out. They arrived at the Besor valley. Some of the men were too tired to go on across the valley. So 200 men remained by the river. David and 400 men continued to run after the <i>Amalekites</i>.


text:
David’s men found a man from Egypt in a field. They took him to David. They gave to the man some water to drink and food to eat. 


text:
They gave to him some <i>figs</i> and some <i>grapes</i> that someone had made into dry fruit. He had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days. So, he felt stronger after he had eaten this food.


text:
David asked the man, ‘Who is your master? Where do you come from?’ <n>He answered, ‘I come from the country called Egypt. I am a slave of an <i>Amalekite</i> man. My master left me here three days ago because I was ill. 


text:
We attacked the south part of the land of the people called Cherethites. And we attacked the land of <i>Judah</i> and part of Caleb’s land. We burned Ziklag too.’


text:
David said, ‘Can you take me to where these men are now?’ <n>The man from Egypt answered, ‘I will do it if you say a promise to me. Do it while God watches us. Promise that you will not kill me. And promise that you will not send me back to my master.’


text:
So he took David to the <i>Amalekites</i>. The men were sitting all over the ground. They were eating and drinking. And they were having a party. They were happy because they had taken so many things from the <i>Philistines</i> and from the people in <i>Judah</i>. 


text:
That evening, David fought the <i>Amalekites</i>. The fight continued until the next evening. They killed all of the <i>Amalekites</i> except for 400 young men. Those 400 men rode away on their <i>camels</i>. 


text:
The people had lost nothing. David brought everyone back, the young people and the old people, the sons and the daughters. He also brought back the valuable things and everything that the <i>Amalekites</i> had taken. 


text:
David took all the sheep and cows and animals. His men caused all these animals to go on in front of them. They said, ‘These animals are for David.’


text:
David returned to the 200 men who had stayed by the Besor valley. These men had been too tired to go with David. David met the men at the river valley and he said ‘hello’ to them. 


text:
But some of the men with David were bad men. They wanted to cause trouble. They said, ‘These men did not come with us. We will not give to them any of the things that we have brought back. Each man can have only his wife and his children. Then he must go.’


text:
David replied, ‘No, my brothers. You cannot do that. The <i>Lord</i> has given all this to us. The <i>Lord</i> kept us safe. He helped us to win the fight. 


text:
Nobody will agree with what you say. Each person will receive an equal part. Some men stayed with the <i>tents</i>. Some men were in the fight. But each person will receive the same amount.’ 


text:
David made this rule into a <i>law</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> have obeyed this <i>law</i> ever since that day.


text:
David arrived at Ziklag with all the things that they had taken from the <i>Amalekites</i>. He sent some of the good things to his friends who were the leaders of <i>Judah</i>. David sent this message, ‘Here is a gift for you. We took these from the <i>Lord</i>’s enemies.’ <n>


text:
David sent some gifts to the leaders in all these places: <br/>· Bethel <br/>· Ramoth in south <i>Judah</i> <br/>· Jattir <br/>· Aroer <br/>· Siphmoth <br/>· Eshtemoa <br/>· Racal <br/>· the towns of the <i>tribe</i> of Jerahmeel <br/>· the towns of the <i>Kenites</i> <br/>· Hormah <br/>· Chorashan <br/>· Athach <br/>· Hebron. <n>David and his men had lived in many places. So, David sent some gifts to the people who lived in all those places.


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> fought against the <i>Israelites</i>. Many <i>Israelites</i> died on the mountain of Gilboa. The <i>Israelites</i> ran away and the <i>Philistines</i> killed many of them. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> ran after Saul and his sons. They killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> fought very strongly against Saul. Their men with bows shot their <i>arrows</i> at Saul and they nearly killed him. 


text:
Saul spoke to the officer who carried his <i>armour</i>. Saul said, ‘Kill me with your <i>sword</i>. I do not want those men that nobody has <i>circumcised</i> to make me ashamed. And I do not want them to kill me.’ The officer was afraid. He would not do it. So, Saul took his own <i>sword</i> and he fell on the sharp end. 


text:
The officer saw that Saul was dead. So, the officer fell on the sharp end of his <i>sword</i> and he died with Saul. 


text:
So Saul, three of his sons and the officer who carried his <i>armour</i> all died together that day.


text:
<i>Israelites</i> lived in the Jezreel valley and across the river Jordan. They saw that the <i>Israelite</i> army had run away. Then people told them that Saul and his sons were dead. So these <i>Israelites</i> left their towns and they ran away. Then the <i>Philistines</i> came and they lived there.


text:
The next day, the <i>Philistines</i> came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers. They found the dead bodies of Saul and his three sons on the mountain of Gilboa. 


text:
They cut off Saul’s head and they took off his <i>armour</i>. Then they sent men through all the country of the <i>Philistines</i> with the news. These men took the message into the <i>temples</i> of their <i>idols</i> and to the <i>Philistine</i> people. 


text:
They put Saul’s <i>armour</i> in the <i>temple</i> of the female god called <i>Ashtoreth</i>. Then they hung Saul’s dead body on the wall of Beth-shan.


text:
Some <i>Israelites</i> were in the town called Jabesh Gilead. People told them what the <i>Philistines</i> had done to Saul. 


text:
So the brave men from Jabesh Gilead marched all night until they arrived at Beth-shan. They took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons off the wall of the town. Then they brought the dead bodies to Jabesh Gilead and they burned them. 


text:
Then they took the bones and they buried them under a large tree at Jabesh Gilead. The men did not eat any food for 7 days after that.<b><br clear="all"> </b>


text:
David won the fight with the <i>Amalekites</i> and he returned to Ziklag. That was after Saul was dead. David stayed in Ziklag for two days. 


text:
The next day, a man came from Saul’s <i>camp</i> to see David. He had dirt on his head and he had torn his clothes. He fell on the ground when he came to David. That was because he wanted to <i>honour</i> him.


text:
‘Where have you come from?’ David asked him. <n>‘I have run from the <i>Israelite camp</i>’, he answered.


text:
‘Tell me what happened’, David said. <n>The man replied, ‘The men ran away and the enemy killed many of them. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.’


text:
Then David asked the young man who had said this, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’


text:
The young man said, ‘I was on the mountain called Gilboa. And I saw Saul. He was only standing up with the help of his <i>spear</i>. The enemy army with its horses and <i>chariots</i> were getting very near him. 


text:
He would die if he fell down. I knew that. So I stood over him and I killed him. And I took the <i>crown</i> from his head and the ring from his arm. And I have brought them here to you, my <i>lord</i>.’


text:
They cried and they wept until the evening. And they did not eat any food. They were very sad about Saul and Jonathan and the <i>LORD</i>’s people and the <i>Israelites</i>. They were sad because so many people had died in the fight.


text:
‘Where are you from?’ David asked the young man who had brought him the report. <n>‘I am the son of a foreign man, an <i>Amalekite</i>’, he answered.


text:
David said to him, ‘You should have been afraid to kill the man that the <i>LORD</i> had <i>anointed</i>!’


text:
Then David spoke to one of his own young men. ‘Go and <i>punish</i> him’, he said. So the man hit him and he died. 


text:
David had said to the <i>Amalekite</i>, ‘This is because you have done a wrong thing. Your blood must pay because you killed the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>anointed</i> king. You killed the man that the <i>LORD</i> had <i>anointed</i>. You said yourself that you had done it.’ <n>David’s sad song for the deaths of Saul and Jonathan</n>


text:
He said that the people in Judah should teach this war song to all Judah’s men. (It is written in the Book of Jashar.)


text:
‘They have killed the best men from Israel on the mountains. <n>They have caused great strong men to fall down.


text:
Do not tell the people in Gath about it. <n>Do not say anything in the streets of Ashkelon. <n>If you do, the daughters of the <i>Philistines</i> might be happy. <n>The daughters of men that their parents have not <i>circumcised</i> might feel happy.


text:
You mountains of Gilboa, I hope that no rain or <i>dew</i> will fall on you now. <n>I pray, “Do not let those mountains have any fields where <i>grain</i> for <i>offerings</i> to God can grow.” <n>That is because the strong man’s <i>shield</i> became <i>disgusting</i> on you. <n>And Saul was not alive to clean his <i>shield</i> with oil.


text:
Jonathan was not afraid of the blood of dead men or of the fat of strong men. <n>His bow did not turn away. <n>And Saul’s <i>sword</i> did not return before he had used it.


text:
We loved Saul and Jonathan when they were alive. <n>They were beautiful. <n>And they were together when they died. <n>They moved faster than large birds; <n>they were stronger than <i>lions</i>.


text:
You daughters of Israel, weep for Saul. <n>He gave you beautiful red clothes. <n>He hung pretty stones and gold rings over your clothes.


text:
The strong men have very sadly fallen in the fight! <n>Jonathan’s dead body is lying on your mountain.


text:
I am really very sorry that you are no longer here. I am very, very sad, Jonathan, my brother. <n>I loved you very much. <n>Your love was great, <n>better than the love of women.


text:
After some time, David asked the <i>LORD</i>, ‘Should I go up to any town in Judah?’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> said to him, ‘Go up.’ <n>David asked, ‘Where should I go?’ <n>‘To Hebron’, the <i>LORD</i> replied.


text:
So David went up there with his two wives. They were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s <i>widow</i> from Carmel. 


text:
David also brought with him the men who were with him. Each man took his family. They all stayed in Hebron and in its towns. 


text:
Then the men in the <i>tribe</i> called Judah came to Hebron. And they <i>anointed</i> David as king over Judah. People told David that the men from Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul’s dead body. <n>David says that the men from Jabesh Gilead are good men</n>


text:
So David sent men to them with a message. The message was, ‘You were kind to Saul your master; you buried his dead body. So I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will <i>bless</i> you. 


text:
I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will be kind to you. I pray that he will help you. I too will be kind to you because you have done that. 


text:
Now be strong and brave because Saul, your master, is dead. And the people of Judah have chosen me as king over them.’ <n>David and his men fight with Saul’s <i>descendants</i></n>


text:
He caused him to rule over Gilead, Asher and Jezreel. He also caused him to rule over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.


text:
Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. And he ruled Israel for two years. But Judah’s people let David rule over them. 


text:
Then Abner, son of Ner, left Mahanaim and he brought the servants of Saul’s son, Ishbosheth to Gibeon. 


text:
Joab, Zeruiah’s son, went with David’s men to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool while the other group sat on the other side.


text:
Then Abner spoke to Joab. ‘I think that some of the young men should stand up. And they should fight in front of us’, he said. <n>‘Yes, they can do that’, said Joab.


text:
So they stood up. They counted 12 men for Benjamin and Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, and 12 men for David. 


text:
Then each man took hold of his enemy’s head and pushed his sharp knife into his side. So they fell down together. So people called that place, which is in Gibeon, Helkath Hazzurim. <n>Helkath Hazzurim means ‘the field of sharp knives’. 


text:
They fought very strongly on that day. And David’s men won the fight with Abner’s men from Israel. <n>Abner kills Asahel</n>


text:
The three sons of Zeruiah were there. They were Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as the fastest wild animal. 


text:
Then Abner said to him, ‘Turn away to the right or to the left and follow a young man. If you do that, you can take his arms.’ But Asahel would not stop running after Abner.


text:
Abner spoke again. ‘Stop running after me. I do not want to knock you down to the ground and kill you. I would never be able to look at your brother Joab again!’


text:
But Asahel refused to stop following Abner. So Abner pushed the end of his <i>spear</i> into Asahel’s stomach and the <i>spear</i> came out of his back. He fell and he died there in that place. When each man came to that place, he stopped. <n>The end of the fight</n>


text:
But Joab and Abishai continued to run after Abner. They came to the hill of Ammah near Giah when it was almost the end of the day. That was near to the <i>desert</i> of Gibeon. 


text:
Then Benjamin’s men came to be with Abner and they all became one group. And they stood together at the top of a hill.


text:
Abner shouted to Joab, ‘We might continue to kill like this for all time! The end of this will only make us all very sad. Surely you should tell your men that they must stop killing their brothers now.’


text:
‘God lives!’ Joab replied. ‘If you had not spoken, our men would have stopped following yours in the morning.’


