# verses

text:
When the forty days and forty nights were over, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] on them.


text:
Then the Lord told me, “Get up and go down quickly from here, because the people you brought out from Egypt are ·ruining [corrupting] themselves. They have quickly turned away from ·what [the way] I commanded and have made an idol for themselves [a golden calf; ].”


text:
Get away so that I may destroy them and ·make the whole world forget who they are [blot off their name from under heaven]. Then I will make another nation from you that will be bigger and stronger than they are.”


text:
So I turned and came down the mountain that was burning with fire, and the two stone tablets with the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] were in my hands.


text:
When I looked, I saw you had sinned against the Lord your God and had made an idol in the shape of a calf. You had quickly turned away from ·what [the way] the Lord had ·told [commanded] you to do.


text:
So I took the two stone tablets and threw them down, breaking them into pieces ·right in front of you [before your eyes; ].


text:
Then I ·again [as before/formerly] bowed facedown on the ground before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water. You had sinned by doing what the Lord said was evil, and you made him angry.


text:
I was afraid of the Lord’s anger and rage, because he was angry enough with you to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me ·again [at that time].


text:
I took that sinful calf idol you had made and burned it in the fire. I crushed it into a powder like dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain [].


text:
Then the Lord sent you away from Kadesh Barnea and said, “Go up and ·take [possess] the land I have given you.” But you ·rejected [rebelled against] the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or ·obey him [listen to his voice; ].


text:
The Lord had said he would destroy you, so I threw myself down in front of him for those forty days and forty nights.


text:
I prayed to the Lord and said, “Lord God, do not destroy your people, your ·own people [inheritance], whom you ·freed [ransomed; redeemed] and brought out of Egypt by your great power and ·strength [strong hand].


text:
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t look at how ·stubborn [hard] these people are, and don’t look at their sin and evil.


text:
Otherwise, ·Egypt [the land from which you brought us] will say, ‘It was because the Lord was not able to take his people into the land he promised them, and it was because he hated them that he took them into the ·desert [wilderness] to kill them.’


text:
But they are your people, Lord, your ·own people [inheritance], whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and ·strength [outstretched arm].”


text:
New Stone Tablets At that time the Lord said to me, “·Cut [Carve; Chisel] two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden Ark [].


text:
I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put the new tablets in the Ark [].”


text:
So I made the Ark out of acacia wood, and I ·cut [carved; chiseled] out two stone tablets like the first ones. Then I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.


text:
The Lord wrote the same things on these tablets he had written before—the Ten ·Commandments [Words; ; ] that he had told you on the mountain from the fire, on the day ·you were gathered [of the assembly] there. And the Lord gave them to me.


text:
Then I turned and came down the mountain; I put the tablets in the Ark I had made, as the Lord had commanded, and they are still there.


text:
(The ·people [sons; children] of Israel went from ·the wells of the Jaakanites [or Beeroth-bene-jaakan] to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried []; his son Eleazar became priest in his place.


text:
From Moserah they went to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah [], a place with ·streams [wadis] of water.


text:
At that time the Lord ·chose [set apart] the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; ] with the Lord. They were to ·serve [minister to] the Lord and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today [].


text:
That is why the Levites did not ·receive any land of their own [have an allotment and inheritance along with their brothers]; instead, they ·received the Lord himself as their gift [inherited the Lord himself], as the Lord your God ·told [promised] them.)


text:
I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the Lord listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you.


text:
The Lord said to me, “Go and lead the people so that they will go in and ·take [possess] the land I promised their ·ancestors [fathers; ; ].”


text:
What the Lord Wants You to Do Now, Israel, ·this is what [what is it that…?] the Lord your God wants you to do: ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [walk on all his ways/paths]. Love him. Serve the Lord your God with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul],


text:
and obey the Lord’s commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I am giving you today for your own good.


text:
The Lord owns the ·world [earth] and everything in it—the heavens, even the ·highest heavens [heaven of heavens], are his.


text:
But the Lord ·cared for [stuck to] and loved your ·ancestors [fathers], and he chose you, their ·descendants [seed], over all the other nations, just as it is today.


text:
·Give yourselves completely to serving him [Circumcise the foreskin of your heart], and do not be stubborn any longer.


text:
The Lord your God is God of all gods and Lord of all lords. He is the great God, who is strong and ·wonderful [awesome]. He does not ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality], and he will not ·be talked into doing evil [take a bribe].


text:
He ·helps [grants justice to] orphans and widows, and he loves ·foreigners [resident aliens] and gives them food and clothes.


text:
You also must love ·foreigners [resident aliens], because you were ·foreigners [resident aliens] in Egypt.


text:
·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God and serve him. ·Be loyal [Cling] to him and ·make your promises in [swear by] his name.


text:
He is the one you should praise; he is your God, who has done great and ·wonderful [awesome] things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes.


text:
There were only seventy of your ·ancestors [fathers] when they went down to Egypt [; ], and now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky [; ].


text:
Great Things Israel Saw Love the Lord your God and always obey his orders, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], laws, and commands.


text:
·Remember [You know] today it was not your children who saw and ·felt [experienced; knew] the ·correction [discipline] of the Lord your God. They did not see his ·majesty [greatness], his ·power [strong hand], his ·strength [outstretched arm],


text:
They did not see what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, when he drowned them in the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [] as they were chasing you. The Lord ·ruined [destroyed] them forever.


text:
They did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the ground opened ·up [its mouth] and swallowed them, their ·families [houses], their tents, and everyone who stood ·with them in Israel [on their feet in all Israel; ].


text:
So ·obey [keep] all the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today so that you will be strong and can go in and ·take [possess] the land you are ·going to take as your own [crossing over to possess].


text:
Then you will live a long time in the land that the Lord ·promised [swore] to give to your ·ancestors [fathers] and their ·descendants [seed], a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ].


text:
The land you are going to take is not like Egypt, where you were. There you had to plant your seed and water it, like a vegetable garden, by using your feet.


text:
But the land that you will soon cross ·the Jordan River [there] to ·take [possess] is a land of hills and valleys, ·a land that drinks [watered by] rain from heaven.


text:
It is a land the Lord your God ·cares for [looks after]. His eyes are on it continually, and he watches it from the beginning of the year to the end.


text:
If you carefully ·obey [listen to] the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul],


text:
then he will send rain on your land at the right time, in the ·fall [early rain] and ·spring [late rain], and you will be able to gather your grain, new wine, and oil.


text:
Be careful, or you will be ·fooled [tricked; deceived; seduced] and will turn away to serve and worship other gods.


text:
If you do, the Lord will become angry with you and will ·shut [close up] the heavens so it will not rain []. Then the land will not ·grow [produce] crops, and you will soon ·die [perish] in the good land the Lord is giving you.


text:
·Remember my words with your whole being [Put these words of mine on your hearts/minds and on your soul]. ·Write them down and tie [Bind] them to your hands as a sign; tie them ·on your foreheads [between your eyes] ·to remind you [as an emblem/headband/frontlet; ].


text:
Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.


text:
so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the Lord promised your ·ancestors [fathers], as long as the ·skies [heavens] are above the earth.


text:
If you are careful to obey every command I am ·giving you to follow [commanding you to do], and love the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [walk on all his ways/paths], and ·are loyal [cling] to him,


text:
then the Lord will ·force [dispossess] all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will ·take [possess] the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you.


text:
Everywhere ·you step [the heel of your foot treads] will be yours. Your land will go from the ·desert [wilderness] to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea.


text:
No one will be able to ·stop [stand against] you. The Lord your God will ·do what he promised and will make the people afraid everywhere you go [put the dread and fear of you on all the land on which you tread as he promised].


text:
You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am ·giving [commanding] you today.


text:
But you will be cursed if you ·disobey [do not listen to] the commands of the Lord your God. So do not ·disobey the commands [turn aside from the way] I am ·giving [commanding] you today, and do not ·worship [go after] other gods you do not know.


text:
When the Lord your God brings you into the land you will ·take as your own [possess], you are to announce the blessings from Mount Gerizim and the curses from Mount Ebal [27–28; ].


text:
(·These mountains are [Are they not…?] ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River, to the west, toward the sunset. They are near the great trees of Moreh [] in the land of the Canaanites who live in the ·Jordan Valley [Arabah] opposite Gilgal.)


text:
You will soon cross the Jordan River to enter and ·take [possess] the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you ·take it over [possess it] and live there,


text:
be careful to obey all the commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] I am giving you today.


text:
The Place for Worship These are the ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and laws you must carefully obey in the land the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], is giving you to possess. Obey them as long as you live in the land.


text:
When you ·inherit [possess] the lands of these nations, you must completely destroy all the places where they serve their gods, on high mountains and hills and under every green tree.


text:
Tear down their altars, smash their holy stone pillars, and burn their ·Asherah idols [Asherim; ; ] in the fire. Cut down their idols and destroy their names from those places.


text:
but look for the place the Lord your God will choose—·a place among your tribes where he is to be worshiped [as his dwelling where he will place his name]. Go there,


text:
and bring to that place your burnt offerings [] and sacrifices; bring ·a tenth of what you gain [your tithes] and your special gifts; bring what you have ·promised [vowed] and the special gifts you want to give the Lord, and bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks.


text:
There you and your families will eat in the presence of the Lord, and you will enjoy all ·the good things for which you have worked [your undertakings; all that is sent out from your hand], because the Lord your God has blessed you.


text:
Do not ·worship [act] the way we have been ·doing [acting] today, each person doing what ·he thinks is right [is right/virtuous in his own eyes].


text:
You have not yet come to a resting place, to the ·land [inheritance] the Lord your God will give you as your own.


text:
But soon you will cross the Jordan River to live in the land the Lord your God is ·giving you as your own [causing you to inherit], where he will give you rest from all your enemies and you will live in safety [; David would achieve rest from enemies; Solomon would build the temple in an era of peace].


text:
Then the Lord your God will choose a place where he ·is to be worshiped [will cause his name to dwell; Zion, where the Temple would be built]. To that place you must bring everything I ·tell [command] you: your burnt offerings [] and sacrifices, your ·offerings of a tenth of what you gain [tithes], your special gifts, and all your best things you ·promised [vowed] to the Lord.


text:
There rejoice before the Lord your God. Everyone should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites ·from your towns [in your gates] who have no ·land [allotment] of their own.


text:
Offer them only in the place the Lord will choose [Zion; ]. He will choose a place in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I am commanding you.


text:
But you may ·kill [slaughter] your animals in any of your ·towns [gates] and eat ·as much of the meat as you want [as much of the meat as your soul desires; or when your soul desires], as if it were a deer or a gazelle; this is the blessing the Lord your God is giving you. Anyone, clean or unclean [in a ritual sense], may eat this meat,


text:
Do not eat in your own ·towns [gates] what belongs to the Lord: ·one-tenth [a tithe] of your grain, new wine, or oil; the first animals born to your herds or flocks; whatever you have ·promised to give [vowed]; the special gifts you want to give to the Lord, or any other gifts.


text:
Eat these things when you are together with the Lord your God, in the place the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. Everyone must do this: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your ·towns [gates]. Rejoice in the Lord your God’s presence about ·the things you have worked for [your undertakings; all that is sent out from your hand].


text:
Be careful not to ·forget [abandon; forsake] the Levites as long ·as you live [all your days] in the land.


text:
When the Lord your God enlarges your ·country [borders] as he has promised, and ·you want [your soul desires] some meat so you say, “I want some meat,” you may eat ·as much meat as you want [what your soul desires; or when your soul desires].


text:
If the Lord your God chooses a place where he ·is to be worshiped [puts his name] that is too far away from you, you may ·kill [slaughter] animals from your herds and flocks, which the Lord has given to you. I have commanded that you may do this. You may eat ·as much of them as you want [as much as your soul desires; or when your soul desires] in your own ·towns [gates],


text:
as you would eat gazelle or deer meat. Both clean and unclean people [in a ritual sense] may eat this meat,


text:
but be sure you don’t eat the blood, because the life is in the blood [; ; , ]. Don’t eat the life with the meat.


text:
If you don’t eat it, things will go well for you and your children, because you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].


text:
Take your holy ·things [gifts; donations] and ·the things you have promised to give [your vows that you have lifted up], and go to the place the Lord will choose.


text:
Present your burnt offerings [] on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices should be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat.


text:
Be careful to ·obey [listen to] all the rules I am ·giving [commanding] you so that things will always go well for you and your children, and you will be doing what the Lord your God says is good and ·right [virtuous in his eyes].


text:
You will enter the land and ·take it away from [dispossess] the nations that the Lord your God will ·destroy [cut them off] ahead of you. When you ·force them out [dispossess] and live in their land,


text:
they will be destroyed for you, but be careful not to be ·trapped [snared] by asking about their gods. Don’t say, “How do these nations ·worship [serve]? I will do the same.”


text:
Don’t ·worship [act toward] the Lord your God that way, because the Lord hates the ·evil [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] ways they ·worship [act toward] their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!


text:
Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it.


text:
False Prophets Prophets or ·those who tell the future with dreams [dreamers of dreams] might come to you and ·say they will show [give] you a sign or a ·miracle [wonder].


text:
The sign or ·miracle [wonder] might even happen, and then they might say, “Let’s serve other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let’s ·worship [go after] them.”


text:
But you must not listen to those prophets or dreamers. The Lord your God is testing you, to ·find out [know] if you love him with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul].


text:
Serve only the Lord your God. ·Respect [Fear] him, keep his commands, and ·obey him [listen to his voice]. Serve him and ·be loyal [cling] to him.


text:
The prophets or dreamers must be killed, because they said you should turn against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and ·saved [ransomed; redeemed] you from the ·land where you were slaves [house of bondage]. They tried to turn you from ·doing what [the way] the Lord your God commanded you to ·do [go]. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you.


text:
Someone might try to ·lead you to serve other gods [secretly entice you]—it might be your brother, your son or daughter, the wife you ·love [embrace], or a ·close [intimate] friend. The person might say, “Let’s go and worship other gods.” (These are gods that neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] have known,


text:
gods of the people who live around you, either nearby or far away, from one end of the ·land [or earth] to the other.)


text:
Do not ·give in to [agree with; consent to] such people. Do not listen or ·feel sorry for [let your eyes look compassionately on] them, and do not ·let them go free [pity them] or ·protect [shield] them.


text:
You must ·put them to death [kill them]. ·You must be the first one to start [Your own hand will be the first on them] to kill them, and then ·everyone else must join in [the hand of all the people].


text:
You must ·throw stones at them until they die [stone them to death], because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ·where you were slaves [the house of bondage].


text:
Then everyone in Israel will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.


text:
Cities to Destroy The Lord your God is giving you cities in which to live, and you might hear something about one of them. Someone might say


text:
that ·evil people [worthless people; scoundrels] have moved in among you. And they might lead the people of that city away from God, saying, “Let’s go and ·worship [serve] other gods.” (These are gods you have not known.)


text:
Then you must ask about it, ·looking into [investigating] the matter and checking carefully whether it is true. If it is proved that a ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] thing has happened among you,


text:
you must ·kill [strike] with a sword everyone who lives in that city. ·Destroy the city completely and kill everyone in it [Devote that city to the Lord; ; ], as well as the animals, with a sword.


text:
Gather up ·everything those people owned [all its plunder], and put it in the middle of the city square. Then completely burn the city and ·everything they owned [all its plunder] as a burnt offering [] to the Lord your God. That city should never be rebuilt; let it be ·ruined [a ruin heap] forever.


text:
Don’t ·keep for yourselves [grasp in your hand] any of the ·things found in that city [devoted things; ; ], so the Lord will not be angry anymore. He will give you ·mercy and feel sorry for you, and he […mercy/compassion, and his mercy/compassion] will make your nation grow larger, as he ·promised [swore] to your ·ancestors [fathers].


text:
You will have ·obeyed [listened to the voice of] the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am ·giving [commanding] to you today, and you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].


text:
God’s Special People You are the ·children [sons] of the Lord your God. When someone dies, do not ·cut [lacerate; gash] yourselves or ·shave your heads [set baldness between your eyes; to show sadness; mourning customs of the pagan Canaanites].


text:
You are holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth ·to be his very own [as his special treasure; ].


text:
but you may not eat camels, rabbits, or rock badgers. These animals chew the cud, but they do not have split hoofs, so they are unclean [in a ritual sense] for you.


text:
Pigs are also unclean for you; they have split hoofs, but they do not chew the cud. Do not eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.


text:
There are many things that live in the water. You may eat anything that has fins and scales [considered a normal aquatic creature],


text:
but do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean [in a ritual sense] for you.


text:
storks, any kind of heron, the hoopoes, or bats [the exact identification of many of these birds is disputed, but they all eat prey or dead matter and/or live in desolate places].


text:
Do not eat anything you find that is already dead. You may give it to a ·foreigner living in your town [resident alien living within your gates], and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Do not cook a baby goat in its mother’s milk [probably a pagan ritual; ].


text:
Giving a Tithe Be sure to ·save [set aside/apart] ·one-tenth [a tithe] of all ·your crops [the produce/yield of your seed of the field] each year.


text:
Eat it in the presence of the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to ·be worshiped [cause his name to dwell; Zion; ]. Eat the ·tenth [tithe] of your grain, new wine, and oil, and eat the animals born first to your herds and flocks. Do this so that you will learn to ·respect [fear] the Lord your God ·always [every day].


text:
But if the place the Lord will choose to ·be worshiped [set his name there] is too far away and he has blessed you so much you cannot carry a ·tenth [tithe],


text:
exchange your ·one-tenth [tithe] for silver. Then ·take [grasp in your hand] the silver with you to the place the Lord your God shall choose.


text:
·Use [Spend; Give] the silver to buy anything you wish—cattle, sheep, wine, ·beer [strong drink; an alcoholic beverage made from grain], or anything you wish. Then you and your ·family [house] will eat and celebrate there before the Lord your God.


text:
Do not ·forget [abandon; forsake] the Levites in your ·town [gates], because they have no land of their own among you.


text:
At the end of every third year, everyone should bring ·one-tenth [a tithe] of that year’s crop and store it in your ·towns [gates].


text:
This is for the Levites so they may eat and be full. (They have no ·land of their own [allotment or inheritance] among you.) It is also for ·strangers [foreigners; resident aliens], orphans, and widows who live in your ·towns [gates] so that all of them may eat and be full. Then the Lord your God will bless you and all the work ·you do [of your hands that you do].


text:
The Special Seventh Year At the end of every seven years, you must ·tell those who owe you anything that they do not have to pay you back [grant remission of debts; ].


text:
This is ·how you must do it [the manner of remission]: Everyone who has ·loaned money [a claim] must ·cancel [remit] the loan and not make a neighbor or ·relative [or countryman; brother] pay it back. This is the Lord’s time for ·canceling what people owe [remitting debts].


text:
You may make a foreigner pay what is owed to you, but you must ·not collect [remit] what ·another Israelite [a relative; or a countryman; a brother] owes you.


text:
But there should be no ·poor [needy] people among you, because the Lord your God will richly bless you in the land he is giving you as your ·own [possession].


text:
He will bless you if you obey the Lord your God completely, but you must be careful to obey all the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today.


text:
The Lord your God will bless you as he promised, and you will lend to other nations, but you will not need to borrow from them. You will rule over many nations, but none will rule over you.


text:
If there are ·poor [needy] among ·you [your relatives; or your countrymen; your brothers], in one of the ·towns [gates] of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be ·selfish [hard-hearted] or ·greedy [tight-fisted] toward them [; , ].


text:
Beware of ·evil [useless] thoughts. Don’t think, “The seventh year is near, the year ·to cancel what people owe [of remission].” ·You might be mean to [Your eye might be evil toward] ·the needy [your needy relative/or countryman/brother] and not give them anything. Then they will ·complain [call out] to the Lord about you, and he will find you guilty of sin.


text:
Give freely to the poor person, and do not ·wish that you didn’t have to give [begrudge him this matter]. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you ·touch [undertake; send from your hand].


text:
There will always be poor people in the land, so I command you to ·give freely [open your hand] to your ·neighbors [or relatives; or countrymen; brothers] and to the poor and needy in your land.


text:
Letting Slaves Go Free If one of your own ·people [relatives; brothers] ·sells himself [or is sold] to you as a slave, whether it is a Hebrew man or woman, that person will serve you for six years [; ]. But in the seventh year you must let the slave go free.


text:
·Give them [Provide/Outfit them with] some of your flock, your grain, and your wine, giving to them as the Lord has ·given to [blessed] you.


text:
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God ·saved [ransomed; redeemed] you. That is why I am commanding this to you today.


text:
But if your slave says to you, “I don’t want to leave you,” because he loves you and your ·family [house] and has a good life with you,


text:
stick an awl [a pointed tool for making holes] through his ·ear [earlobe] into the door; he will be your slave for life. Also do this to a female slave.


text:
Do not think of it as a hard thing when you let your slaves go free. After all, they served you six years and did twice the work of a hired person. The Lord your God will bless you in everything you do [; ].


text:
Rules About Firstborn Animals Save all the first male animals born to your herds and flocks [, ; ; ]. They are ·for [consecrated to] the Lord your God. Do not work the first calf born to your oxen, and do not cut off the wool from the first lamb born to your sheep.


text:
Each year you and your ·family [house] are to eat these animals in the presence of the Lord your God, in the place he will choose to be worshiped [Zion; ].


text:
If an animal is crippled or blind or has ·something else wrong [some blemish/defect], do not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.


text:
But you may eat that animal in your own ·town [gate]. Both clean and unclean people [in a ritual sense] may eat it, as they would eat a gazelle or a deer.


text:
The Passover Celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God during the month of Abib [March-April], because it was during Abib that he brought you out of Egypt at night [; ].


text:
As the sacrifice for the Passover to the Lord your God, offer an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose to ·be worshiped [cause his name to dwell there; Zion; ].


text:
Do not eat it with bread made with ·yeast [leaven]. But for seven days eat bread made without ·yeast [leaven], the bread of ·suffering [affliction], because you left Egypt in a hurry. So all your life you will remember the time you left Egypt.


text:
There must be no ·yeast [leaven] anywhere in your land for seven days. Offer the sacrifice on the evening of the first day, and eat all the meat before morning; do not leave it overnight.


text:
but offer it in the place he will choose to ·be worshiped [cause his name to dwell there; ]. Offer it in the evening as the sun goes down, which is when you left Egypt.


text:
·Roast the meat [Cook it] and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. The next morning go back to your tents.


text:
Eat bread made without ·yeast [leaven] for six days. On the seventh day have a ·special meeting [festive assembly] for the Lord your God, and do not work that day.


text:
The Feast of Weeks Count seven weeks from the time you ·begin to harvest [put the sickle to] the grain,


text:
and then celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Weeks for the Lord your God [; ; ; ]. Bring an offering as a special gift to him, giving to him just as he has blessed you.


text:
Rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose to ·be worshiped [cause his name to dwell there; ]. Everybody should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your ·town [gates], the ·strangers [resident aliens], orphans, and widows living among you.


text:
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and carefully obey all these ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements].


text:
The Feast of Shelters Celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles] for seven days, after you have gathered your harvest from the threshing floor and winepress [; ; ].


text:
Everybody should rejoice at your ·Feast [Festival]: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites, ·strangers [resident aliens], orphans, and widows who live in your ·towns [gates].


text:
Celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] to the Lord your God for seven days at the place he will choose [; ], because the Lord your God will bless all your ·harvest [yield; produce] and all the work ·you do [of your hands], and you will be completely happy.


text:
All your men must ·come [appear] before the Lord three times a year to the place he will choose [; ]. They must come at these times: the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread [another name for Passover], the ·Feast [Festival] of Weeks, and the ·Feast [Festival] of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles]. No man should come before the Lord ·without a gift [empty-handed].


text:
Judges for the People Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every ·town [gate] the Lord your God is giving you; they must judge the people fairly.


text:
Do not ·judge unfairly [distort justice] or ·take sides [show partiality/favoritism]. Do not ·let people pay you to make wrong decisions [take bribes], because ·that kind of payment [bribes] makes wise people seem blind, and it ·changes the words of good people [undermines the cause of the innocent; ; ; ; , ; ; ].


text:
Do [pursue] what is ·right [righteous] so that you will live and ·always have [possess] the land the Lord your God is giving you.


text:
God Hates Idols Do not set up a wooden ·Asherah idol [Asherah; ; ] next to the altar you build for the Lord your God,


text:
If an ox or sheep has ·something wrong with it [a blemish/defect, anything wrong with it; ], do not offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. He would ·hate [detest] that.


text:
A man or woman in one of the ·towns [gates] the Lord gave you might be found doing something evil in the ·sight [eyes] of the Lord your God and ·breaking [transgressing] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty].


text:
That person may have served other gods and bowed down to them or to the sun or moon or ·stars of the sky [any of the host of heaven], which I have commanded should not be done [].


text:
If someone has told you about it, you must look into the matter carefully. If it is true that such a ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] thing has happened in Israel,


text:
take the man or woman who has done the evil thing to the city gates and ·throw stones at [stone] that person until he dies.


text:
There must be two or three witnesses that it is true before the person is put to death; if there is only one witness, the person should not be put to death [].


text:
The hands of the witnesses must be the first to ·throw stones at [stone] the person, and then everyone else will follow. You must get rid of the evil among you.


text:
Courts of Law Some cases that come before you, ·such as murder [between one kind of bloodshed and another; intentional or unintentional], ·quarreling [between one kind of right and another], or ·attack [between one kind of assault and another; ], may be too difficult to judge. Take these cases to the place the Lord your God will choose [].


text:
Go to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who is ·on duty at that time [in office in those days]. ·Ask them about the case [Make inquiry], and they will decide.


text:
You must follow the decision they give you at the place the Lord your God will choose. Be careful to do everything they ·tell [teach] you.


text:
Follow the ·teachings [laws; instructions] they give you, and do whatever they decide, ·exactly as they tell you [you must not turn aside from the thing they tell you to the right or to the left].


text:
The person who ·does not show respect for [presumes not to listen to] the judge or priest who is there serving the Lord your God must be put to death. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] that evil from Israel.


text:
Then everyone will hear about this and will be afraid, and they will not ·show disrespect [be presumptuous] anymore.


text:
Choosing a King When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, taking it as your ·own [possession] and living in it, you will say, “·Let’s appoint [I will set] a king over ·us [me] like the nations all around us [, ].”


text:
Be sure to ·appoint [set] over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be one of your own ·people [relatives; brothers]. Do not ·appoint [set] as your king a foreigner who is not a ·fellow Israelite [relative; brother].


text:
The king must not ·have too many [multiply] horses for himself [], and he must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because the Lord has told you, “Don’t return that way again.”


text:
The king must not ·have many [multiply for himself] wives, or his heart will ·be led away [turn aside] from God []. He must not have too much silver and gold.


text:
When he ·becomes king [sits on the throne of his kingdom], he should write a copy of ·the teachings [these laws/instructions] on a scroll for himself, a copy taken from the priests and Levites.


text:
He should keep it with him all the time and read from it every day of his life. Then he will learn to ·respect [fear] the Lord his God, and he will obey all ·the teachings [these laws/instructions] and ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].


text:
He should not ·think he is better than his fellow Israelites [exalt his heart above his relatives/brothers], and he must not ·stop obeying [turn aside from] the law ·in any way [to the right or the left] so that he and his ·descendants [sons] may rule the kingdom for a long time [].


text:
Shares for Priests and Levites The priests are from the tribe of Levi, and that tribe will not ·receive a share of the land [have an allotment or inheritance] with the Israelites. They will eat the offerings made to the Lord by fire, which is their ·share [inheritance].


text:
They will not inherit any of the land like their brothers [; ; ; ], but they will inherit the Lord himself [; ; ], as he has promised them.


text:
When you offer a bull or sheep as a sacrifice, you must share with the priests, giving them the shoulder, the ·cheeks [jowls], and the ·inner organs [stomach].


text:
Give them the first of your grain, new wine, and oil, as well as the first wool you cut from your sheep.


text:
The Lord your God has chosen the priests and their ·descendants [sons] out of all your tribes to stand and serve ·the [in the name of the] Lord ·always [all their days; ].


text:
If a Levite moves from one of your ·towns [gates] anywhere in Israel where he ·lives [resides; sojourns] and comes to the place the Lord will choose [], because ·he wants [his soul desires] to serve the Lord there,


text:
he may serve ·the [the name of the] Lord his God. He will be like his ·fellow [brother] Levites who ·serve [stand] there before the Lord.


text:
They all will have an equal share of the food. That is separate from what he has received from the sale of family possessions.


text:
Do Not Follow Other Nations When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, don’t learn to do the ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] things the other nations do.


text:
Don’t let anyone among you offer a son or daughter as a sacrifice in the fire []. Don’t let anyone use ·magic [divination; ; ] or witchcraft, or ·try to explain the meaning of signs [augury or sorcery].


text:
Don’t let anyone ·try to control others with magic [cast spells], and don’t let them ·be mediums [consult/inquire of ghosts or spirits] or try to ·talk with the spirits of [consult] dead people [].


text:
The Lord ·hates [detests] anyone who does these things. Because the other nations do these things, the Lord your God will ·force [dispossess] them out of the land ahead of you.


text:
The Lord’s Special Prophet The nations you will ·force out [dispossess] listen to people who use ·magic [divination] and witchcraft, but the Lord your God will not let you do those things.


text:
The Lord your God will ·give [raise up for] you a prophet like me, who is one of your own ·people [relatives; brothers; ultimately Jesus]. Listen to him [; ].


text:
This is what you asked the Lord your God to do when you were ·gathered [assembled] at ·Mount Sinai [Horeb; ]. You said, “Don’t make ·us [me] listen to the voice of the Lord ·our [my] God again, and don’t make ·us [me] look at this ·terrible [great] fire anymore, or ·we [I] will die [].”


text:
So I will ·give [raise up for] them a prophet like you, who is one of their own ·people [relatives; brothers]. I will ·tell him what to say [put my words in his mouth], and he will tell them everything I command.


text:
This prophet will speak for me; anyone who does not listen when he speaks in my name will ·answer [be accountable] to me.


text:
But if a prophet ·says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me [speaks presumptuously in my name a word I did not command him to speak], or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed [].”


text:
You might be ·thinking [saying in your heart/mind], “How can we know if a message is not from the Lord?”


text:
If what a prophet says in the name of the Lord does not happen, it is not the Lord’s message. That prophet was speaking ·his own ideas [presumptuously]. Don’t be afraid of him.


text:
Cities of Safety When the Lord your God gives you land that belongs to the other nations, nations that he will ·destroy [cut off], you will ·force them out [dispossess them] and live in their cities and houses.


text:
Then ·choose [set apart; separate] three cities in the middle of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [possession].


text:
·Build roads to these cities [or Work out the distances], and divide the land the Lord is giving you into three parts so that someone who kills another person may run to ·these cities [there].


text:
This is the rule for someone who kills another person and runs to one of these cities in order to save his life [; ; ]. But the person must have killed a neighbor ·without meaning to [accidentally; unintentionally], not out of hatred.


text:
For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood and swings an ax to cut down a tree. If the ax head ·flies [slips] off the handle, ·hitting and killing [finds] the neighbor, the one who killed him may run to one of these cities to save his life.


text:
Otherwise, the ·dead person’s relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer [near-kinsman; avenger of blood] might be angry and chase him. If the city is far away, the relative might ·catch [pursue and overtake] and kill the person, even though he should not be killed because there was no intent to kill his neighbor.


text:
Carefully obey all these laws I’m ·giving [commanding] you today. Love the Lord your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the Lord your God will enlarge your ·land [boundaries] as he ·promised [swore to] your ·ancestors [fathers], giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, ·choose three more cities of safety [add three more cities to these three]


text:
so that innocent ·people will not be killed [blood will not be shed] in your land, the land that the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [inheritance]. ·By doing this you will not be guilty of allowing the death of innocent people […bringing bloodguilt on you].


text:
But if a person hates his neighbor and, after ·hiding and waiting [lying in wait], ·attacks [rises up] and ·kills [strikes] him and then runs to one of these cities for safety,


text:
the elders of his own city should send for the murderer. They should bring the person back from the city of safety and hand him over to the ·relative who has the duty of punishing the murderer [near-kinsman; avenger of blood].


text:
·Show no mercy [Do not let your eyes show compassion on him]. You must ·remove [banish; purge] from Israel the ·guilt of murdering [blood of] innocent people so that things will go well for you.


text:
Do not move the ·stone that marks the border [boundary marker] of your neighbor’s land, which people long ago set in place [; ; ; ]. It marks what you inherit in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [possession].


text:
Rules About Witnesses One witness is not enough to accuse a person of a crime or sin. A case must be proved by two or three witnesses [; ].


text:
the two people who are arguing must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and judges who are ·on duty [in office in those days].


text:
The judges must check the matter carefully. The witness who is a liar, lying about a ·fellow Israelite [relative; brother],


text:
must be punished. He must be punished in the same way the ·other person [relative; brother] would have been punished. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you.


text:
The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid, and no one among you will ever do such an evil thing again.


text:
·Show no mercy [Do not let your eyes show compassion on him]. A life must be paid for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot [; ].


text:
Laws for War When you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an army that is bigger than yours, don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.


text:
He will say, “Listen, Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Don’t lose ·your courage [heart] or be afraid. Don’t panic or be ·frightened [in dread],


text:
because the Lord your God goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies and to ·save you [give you the victory].”


text:
The ·officers [or scribes] should say to the army, “·Has anyone [Who has] built a new house but not ·given it to God [dedicated it]? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would ·get to give his house to God [dedicate it].


text:
·Has anyone [Who has] planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would enjoy his vineyard.


text:
·Is any man [Who is] engaged to a woman and not yet married to her? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would marry her.”


text:
Then the ·officers [or scribes] should also say, “Is anyone here afraid? Has anyone lost ·his courage [heart]? He may go home so that he will not ·cause others to lose their courage, too [melt the hearts of his relatives/brothers like his heart].”


text:
When the ·officers [scribes] finish speaking to the army, they should appoint commanders to lead it.


text:
If they accept your offer and open their gates to you, all the people of that city will ·become your slaves and work for you [serve you in forced labor].


text:
But if they do not make peace with you and fight you in battle, you should ·surround [besiege] that city.


text:
The Lord your God will give it ·to you [into your hands]. Then ·kill [strike] all the men with your swords,


text:
and you may take ·everything else [all the plunder] in the city for yourselves. Take the women, children, and animals, and you may use ·these things [the plunder] the Lord your God gives you from your enemies.


text:
But ·leave nothing alive [do not let anything that breathes live] in the cities of the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.


text:
·Completely destroy [Devote to the Lord; ] these people: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded.


text:
Otherwise, they will teach you what they do for their gods, and if you do these ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] things, you will sin against the Lord your God.


text:
If you ·surround [besiege] and attack a city for ·a long time [many days], trying to capture it, do not destroy its trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit from the trees, but do not cut them down. ·These trees are not the enemy, so don’t make war against them [Are these trees of the field human that you should go against them in siege?].


text:
But you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build devices to attack the city walls, until the city is captured.


text:
A Person Found Murdered Suppose ·someone is found murdered [a corpse], lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [possession], and no one knows who ·killed [struck] the person.


text:
Your elders and judges should go to where the ·body [corpse] was found, and they should measure how far it is to the nearby cities.


text:
The elders of the city nearest the body must take a ·young cow [heifer] that has never worked or ·worn [pulled] a yoke,


text:
and they must lead her down to a ·valley [wadi] that has never been plowed or planted, with a ·stream [wadi] flowing through it. There they must break the ·young cow’s [heifer’s] neck.


text:
The priests, the sons of Levi, should come forward, because they have been chosen by the Lord your God to serve him and to give blessings in the Lord’s name. They are the ones who decide cases of ·quarreling [accusation] and attacks.


text:
Then all the elders of the city nearest the ·murdered person [corpse] should wash their hands over the ·young cow [heifer] whose neck was broken in the ·valley [wadi].


text:
They should declare: “·We did not kill this person [Our hands did not spill this blood], and ·we [our eyes] did not see it happen.


text:
Lord, ·remove this sin from [make atonement for] your people Israel, whom you have ·saved [redeemed; ransomed]. Don’t ·blame your people, the Israelites, for the murder of this innocent person [place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel].” And so the murder will be ·paid [atoned] for.


text:
Then you will have ·removed [banished; purged] from yourselves the guilt of ·murdering an innocent person [innocent blood], because you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].


text:
Captive Women as Wives When you go to war against your enemies, the Lord will ·help you defeat them [give them into your hands] so you will take them captive.


text:
If you see a beautiful woman among the captives and ·are attracted to [desire; fall in love with] her, you may take her as your wife.


text:
and change the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. After she has lived in your house and cried for her ·parents [father and her mother] for a month, you may marry her. You will be her husband, and she will be your wife.


text:
But if you are not pleased with her, you must let her go anywhere she wants. You must not sell her for money or make her a slave, because you have ·taken away her honor [humiliated; exploited her].


text:
The Oldest Son A man might have two wives, one he loves and one he ·doesn’t [hates; dislikes]. Both wives might have sons by him. If the ·older son [firstborn] belongs to the wife he ·does not love [hates; dislikes],


text:
when that man wills his property to his sons he must not give the son of the wife he loves what belongs to the ·older [firstborn] son, the son of the wife he ·does not love [hates; dislikes].


text:
He must agree to give the ·older son [firstborn] two shares of everything he owns, even though the ·older son [firstborn] is from the wife he does ·not love [hates; dislikes]. That son was the first ·to prove his father could have children [of his virility], so he has the rights that belong to the ·older son [firstborn].


text:
Sons Who Refuse to Obey If someone has a son who is stubborn, who ·turns [rebels] against his father and mother and doesn’t obey them or listen when they ·correct [discipline] him,


text:
They will say to the elders, “Our son is stubborn and ·turns [rebels] against us. He will not obey us. He ·eats too much [is a glutton], and he is ·always drunk [a drunk].”


text:
Then all the men in his town must ·throw stones at [stone] him until he dies. ·Get rid of [Banish; Purge] the evil among you, because then all the people of Israel will hear about this and be afraid.


text:
Other Laws If someone is guilty of a sin worthy of death, he must be put to death and his body ·displayed [hung] on a tree.


text:
But don’t leave his body hanging on the tree overnight; be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed by God [; ]. You must not ruin the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [inheritance].


text:
If you see your ·fellow Israelite’s [relative’s; brother’s] ox or sheep wandering away, don’t ignore it. Take it back to ·its owner [your relative/brother; ].


text:
If ·the owner [your relative/brother] does not live close to you, or if you do not know who the owner is, take the animal home with you. Keep it until ·the owner [your relative/brother] comes looking for it; then give it back.


text:
Do the same thing if you find a donkey or ·coat [cloak; garment] or anything someone lost. Don’t just ignore it.


text:
If you see your ·fellow Israelite’s [relative’s; brother’s] donkey or ox fallen on the road, don’t ignore it. Help the owner get it up.


text:
A woman must not wear men’s ·clothes [apparel; items], and a man must not wear women’s clothes. The Lord your God ·hates [detests] anyone who does that.


text:
If you find a bird’s nest by the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting on the young birds or eggs, do not take the mother bird with the young birds.


text:
You may take the young birds, but you must let the mother bird go free. Then things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.


text:
When you build a new house, build a ·low wall around the edge of [a fence/parapet on] the roof [the flat roofs of Israelite houses were used for living space] so you will not ·be guilty [have bloodguilt] if someone falls off the roof [to avoid negligent homicide].


text:
Don’t plant two different kinds of seeds in your vineyard. Otherwise, ·both crops will be ruined [the fullness will be forfeit, both the seed that has been sown as well as the produce of the vineyard; to avoid unnatural combinations, perhaps as a reminder that Israelites were to be separate from Gentiles, see also ].


text:
Tie several pieces of thread together; then put these tassels on the four corners of your coat [perhaps to weigh down the garment to avoid exposure].


text:
Marriage Laws If a man marries a girl and has sexual relations with her but then decides he ·does not like [hates] her,


text:
he might ·talk badly about her [charge her with wanton behavior] and give her a bad name. He might say, “I married this woman, but when I ·had sexual relations with [approached] her, I did not find that she was a virgin.”


text:
Then the girl’s ·parents [father and mother] must bring ·proof [evidence] that she was a virgin to the elders at the city gate.


text:
The girl’s father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, but now he ·does not want [hates] her.


text:
This man has ·told lies about my daughter [charged my daughter with wanton behavior]. He has said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin,’ but here is the ·proof [evidence] that my daughter was a virgin.” Then her parents are to show the sheet [blood-stained, showing she had been a virgin] to the elders of the city,


text:
They must make him pay about ·two and one-half pounds [one hundred shekels] of silver to the girl’s father, because the man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. The girl will continue to be the man’s wife, and he may not divorce her as long as he lives.


text:
But if ·the things the husband said about his wife are [this word/charge is] true, and there is no ·proof [evidence] that she was a virgin,


text:
the girl must be brought to the door of her father’s house. Then the men of the town must put her to death by ·throwing stones at [stoning] her. She has done a ·disgraceful [shameful] thing in Israel by ·having sexual relations before she was married [acting like a prostitute in the house of her father]. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you.


text:
If a man is found ·having sexual relations [lying] with another man’s wife, both the woman and the man who ·had sexual relations [lay] with her must die. ·Get rid of [Banish; Purge] this evil from Israel.


text:
If a man meets a virgin in a city and ·has sexual relations [lies] with her, but she is engaged to another man,


text:
you must take both of them to the city gate and ·put them to death by throwing stones at [stone] them. Kill the girl, because she was in a city and did not scream for help. And kill the man for having sexual relations with ·another man’s wife [the wife of his neighbor/friend]. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you.


text:
But if a man meets an engaged girl out in the ·country [field] and ·forces her to have sexual relations with him [seizes her and lies with her], only the man who ·had sexual relations [lay] with her must be put to death.


text:
Don’t do anything to the girl, because she has not done a sin worthy of death. This is like the person who ·attacks [rises up] and murders a neighbor;


text:
the man found the engaged girl in the ·country [field] and she ·screamed [yelled for help], but no one was there to ·save [rescue] her.


text:
If a man meets a virgin who is not engaged to be married and ·forces her to have sexual relations with him [grabs her and lies with her] and ·people find out about it [is discovered],


text:
the man who ·had sexual relations [lay] with her must pay the girl’s father about ·one and one-fourth pounds [fifty shekels] of silver. He must also marry the girl, because he has ·dishonored [humiliated; raped] her, and he may never divorce her for as long as he lives [].


text:
A man must not marry his father’s wife; he must not ·dishonor his father in this way [uncover his father’s skirt; ; ].


text:
The Lord’s People No man who has had ·part of his sex organ [his testicles crushed or his penis] cut off may come into the ·meeting to worship [assembly of] the Lord [].


text:
No one born ·to parents who were forbidden by law to marry [of a forbidden marriage] may come into the ·meeting to worship [assembly of] the Lord. The descendants for ten generations may not come in either.


text:
No Ammonite or Moabite may come into the ·meeting to worship [assembly of] the Lord, and none of their descendants for ten generations may come in.


text:
This is because the Ammonites and Moabites did not give you bread and water when you came out of Egypt. And they hired Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor in Northwest Mesopotamia, to put a curse on you [].


text:
But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam. He ·turned [transformed; overturned] the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.


text:
Don’t ·hate [detest] Edomites; they are your ·close relatives [brothers; descendants of Esau the brother of Jacob/Israel]. Don’t ·hate [detest] Egyptians, because you were ·foreigners [resident aliens] in their country [during the time of Joseph, God’s people survived a famine in Egypt; ].


text:
·The great-grandchildren of these two peoples [their children to the third generation] may come into the ·meeting to worship [assembly of] the Lord.


text:
Keeping the Camp Clean When you are camped ·in time of war [against your enemies], keep away from ·unclean things [foulness; a bad/evil thing; referring to ritual uncleanness].


text:
If a man becomes unclean during the night, he must go outside the camp and not come back [referring to an emission of semen; ].


text:
·Carry a tent peg with you [As part of your equipment have a tent peg/or trowel with you], and when you ·relieve yourself [squat; sit], dig a hole and cover up your ·dung [excrement].


text:
The Lord your God ·moves [walks] around through your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies for you, so the camp must be holy. He must not see anything ·unclean [indecent] among you so that he will not leave you.


text:
Let the slave live with you anywhere he likes, in any ·town [gate] he chooses. Do not ·mistreat [oppress; exploit] him.


text:
Do not bring ·a male or female prostitute’s pay [the pay of a prostitute or the price of a “dog”; “dog” is probably a reference to a male temple prostitute] to the ·Temple [house] of the Lord your God to pay what you have ·promised [vowed] to the Lord, because the Lord your God ·hates [detests] ·prostitution [both of them; male and female temple prostitution].


text:
If you loan your ·fellow Israelites [relatives; brothers] money or food or anything else, don’t make them pay back ·more than you loaned them [interest; ; ].


text:
You may charge foreigners, but not ·fellow Israelites [your relatives/brothers]. Then the Lord your God will bless ·everything you do [your undertakings; all that is sent out from your hand] in the land you are entering to ·take as your own [possess].


text:
If you make a ·promise [vow] to give ·something [a vow] to the Lord your God [; ], do not ·be slow [delay] to pay it, because the Lord your God ·demands [will surely seek] it from you. Do not be guilty of sin.


text:
You must do whatever ·you say you will do [comes out of your lips], because you ·chose to make [freely made with your own mouth] the ·promise [vow] to the Lord your God [].


text:
If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you wish, but do not put any grapes into your basket.


text:
If you go into your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick grain with your hands, but you must not cut down your neighbor’s grain with your sickle.


text:
A man might marry a woman but later decide she doesn’t ·please him [find favor in his eyes] because he has found something ·bad [indecent; objectionable] about her. He writes out divorce papers for her, ·gives them to her [places them in her hand], and sends her away from his house.


text:
but her second husband ·does not like her either [hates her]. So he writes out divorce papers for her, ·gives them to her [places them in her hand], and sends her away from his house. Or the second husband might die.


text:
In either case, her first husband who divorced her must not marry her again, because she has become ·unclean [in a ritual sense]. The Lord would ·hate [detest] this. Don’t bring this sin into the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [inheritance; ; ].


text:
A man who has just married must not be sent ·to war [with the army] or be given any other duty. He should be free to stay home for a year to make his new wife happy [].


text:
If someone owes you ·something [a pledge], do not take his two stones for grinding grain—not even the upper one—·in place of what he owes [as a pledge], ·because this is how the person makes a living [that would be taking a person’s life as a pledge].


text:
If someone ·kidnaps a fellow Israelite [is found stealing one of his brothers from among the sons/children of Israel], either to make him a slave or sell him, the ·kidnapper [robber] must be killed. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] the evil among you [].


text:
Be careful when someone has a ·skin disease [leprosy; the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; ]. Do exactly what the priests, the Levites, teach you, being careful to do what I have commanded them.


text:
When you make a loan to your neighbors, don’t go into their homes to get ·something in place of it [a pledge].


text:
If a poor person gives you a ·coat to show he will pay the loan back [pledge], don’t keep it overnight.


text:
Give the ·coat [pledge] back at sunset, because your neighbor needs that coat to sleep in, and he will ·be grateful to [bless] you. And the Lord your God will see that you have done a ·good [righteous] thing.


text:
Don’t ·cheat [oppress; exploit] hired servants who are poor and needy, whether they are ·fellow Israelites [relatives; brothers] or ·foreigners [resident aliens] living in one of your ·towns [gates].


text:
Pay them each day before sunset, because they are poor and need the money. Otherwise, they may ·complain [cry out] to the Lord about you, and you will be guilty of sin.


text:
·Parents [Fathers] must not be put to death if their children do wrong, and children must not be put to death if their ·parents [fathers] do wrong. Each person must die for his own sin [; ].


text:
Do not be unfair to a ·foreigner [resident alien] or an orphan. Don’t take a widow’s coat ·to make sure she pays you back [as a pledge; ].


text:
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God ·saved [ransomed; redeemed] you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this.


text:
When you are ·gathering [reaping] your harvest in the field and ·leave behind [forget] a bundle of grain, don’t go back and get it. Leave it there for ·foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, and widows so that the Lord your God can bless everything you do [].


text:
When you beat your olive trees to knock the olives off, don’t ·beat the trees a second time. Leave […strip] what is left for ·foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, and widows.


text:
When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don’t ·pick the vines a second time [glean what is left]. Leave what is left for foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, and widows.


text:
If two people have an argument and go to court, the judges will decide the case. They will ·declare one person right [acquit the innocent] and ·the other [convict the] guilty.


text:
If the guilty person has to be ·punished with a beating [struck; flogged], the judge will make that person lie down and be ·beaten [struck; flogged] in front of him. The number of lashes should match the crime.


text:
But don’t ·hit [strike] a person more than forty times, because more than that would disgrace ·him [your relative/neighbor] before others [].


text:
When an ox is ·working in the grain [treading the grain], do not ·cover its mouth to keep it from eating [muzzle it; ].


text:
If two brothers are living together, and one of them dies without having a son, his widow must not marry ·someone [a stranger] outside her husband’s family. Her husband’s brother must marry her, which is his duty to her as a brother-in-law.


text:
The first son she has ·counts as the son of the dead [will raise up the name of his] brother so that his name will not be ·forgotten [blotted/wiped out] in Israel [; ].


text:
But if a man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she should go to the elders at the town gate. She should say, “My brother-in-law will not ·carry on [raise up] his brother’s name in Israel. He refuses to do his duty for me.”


text:
Then the elders of the town must call for the man and talk to him. But if he ·is stubborn [stands] and says, “I don’t want to marry her,”


text:
the woman must go up to him in ·front of the leaders [the presence of the elders]. She must take off one of his sandals and spit in his face and say, “This is for the man who won’t ·continue [build] his brother’s ·family [house]!”


text:
If two men are fighting and one man’s wife comes to ·save [protect] her husband from his attacker, grabbing the attacker by his ·sex organs [genitals],


text:
You must have ·true [whole; full] and ·honest [accurate] weights and measures so that you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you.


text:
The Lord your God ·hates [detests] anyone who ·is dishonest and uses dishonest measures [does such things—who acts crookedly/does bad things; ; ; ; ; ].


text:
When you were tired and worn out, they met you on the road and ·attacked [picked off] all ·those lagging behind [the stragglers]. They were not afraid of God.


text:
When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he ·is giving you [makes you inherit] as your ·own [possession], you shall ·destroy [blot/wipe out] any memory of the Amalekites ·on the earth [from under the heavens]. Do not forget [Saul forgot (), but the Amalekites (called Agagites) come to an end in the book of Esther ()]!


text:
The First Harvest When you go into the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [inheritance], to ·take it over [possess it] and live in it,


text:
you must take some of the first harvest of crops that grow from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Put the food in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to ·be worshiped [cause his name to dwell; Zion; ].


text:
Go and say to the priest ·on duty at that time [in office in those days], “Today I declare before the Lord your God that I have come into the land the Lord promised our ·ancestors [fathers] that he would give us [].”


text:
Then you shall announce before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean [likely a reference to Jacob/Israel’s stay in Paddan-Aram; ]. He went down to Egypt and lived as a ·foreigner [resident alien] with only a few people, but they became a great, powerful, and large nation there [].


text:
But the Egyptians were ·cruel [mean] to us, ·making us suffer [afflicting/humiliating us] and ·work very hard [giving us onerous work].


text:
So we ·prayed [cried out] to the Lord, the God of our ·ancestors [fathers], and he heard us. When he saw our ·trouble [affliction; humiliation], hard work, and ·suffering [oppression; ; , ],


text:
the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his ·great power [strong hand] and ·strength [outstretched arm], using great terrors, signs, and ·miracles [wonders].


text:
Then he brought us to this place and gave us this ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ].


text:
Now I bring part of the first harvest from this land that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.


text:
Then you and the Levites and ·foreigners [resident aliens] among you should rejoice, because the Lord your God has given good things to you and your ·family [house].


text:
·Bring [Finish paying] a ·tenth [tithe] of all your harvest the third year [] (the year to give a ·tenth [tithe] of your harvest). Give it to the Levites, ·foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, and widows so that they may eat in your ·towns [gates] and be full.


text:
Then say to the Lord your God, “I have taken out of my house ·the part of my harvest that belongs to God [what is holy/consecrated/sacred], and I have given it to the Levites, ·foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, and widows. I have done everything you commanded me; I have not broken your commands, and I have not forgotten any of them.


text:
I have not eaten any of the holy part while I was in ·sorrow [mourning]. I have not removed any of it while I was unclean [in a ritual sense], and I have not offered it ·for [or to] dead people. I have obeyed you, the Lord my God, and have done everything you commanded me.


text:
So look down from heaven, your holy home. Bless your people Israel and bless the land you have given us, which you ·promised [swore] to our ·ancestors [fathers]—a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ].”


text:
Obey the Lord’s Commands Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and laws; be careful to obey them with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul].


text:
Today you have said that the Lord is your God, and you ·have promised to do what he wants you to do [will walk on his way/path]—to keep his ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], commands, and laws. You have said you will ·obey him [listen to his voice].


text:
And today the Lord has said that you are his ·very own people [treasured/special possession; ], as he has promised you. But you must obey his commands.


text:
He will ·make you greater [set you higher] than all the other nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor, and you will be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he has said [].


text:
The Law Written on Stones Then Moses, along with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commands I have ·given [commanded] you today.


text:
Soon you will cross the Jordan River to go into the land the Lord your God is giving you. On that day set up some large stones and cover them with plaster.


text:
When you cross over, write all the words of these ·teachings [laws; instructions] on them. Then you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ], just as the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], promised.


text:
After you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones on Mount Ebal [; ], as I command you today, and cover them with plaster.


text:
Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God, but don’t use any iron tool to cut the stones [];


text:
build the altar of the Lord your God with ·stones from the field [uncut stones; whole stones]. Offer burnt offerings [] on it to the Lord your God,


text:
and offer ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [] there, and eat them and rejoice before the Lord your God.


text:
Curses of the Law Then Moses and the Levites who were priests spoke to all Israel and said, “Be ·quiet [silent], Israel. Listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.


text:
·Obey [Listen to the voice of] the Lord your God, and keep his commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I ·give [command] you today.”


text:
When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes must stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.


text:
And these tribes must stand on Mount Ebal to announce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali [these two mountains form a natural amphitheatre].


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who makes an idol or statue and secretly sets it up, because the Lord ·hates [detests] the ·idols people make [the work of the hand of an artisan; ; ; ; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who dishonors his father or mother [; ; ; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who moves ·the stone that marks a neighbor’s border [a neighbor’s boundary marker; ; ; ; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who ·sends [misleads] a blind person down the wrong road [].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who is ·unfair [deprives justice] to ·foreigners [resident aliens], orphans, or widows.” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“A man will be cursed who ·has sexual relations [lies] with his father’s wife, because it ·is a dishonor to [uncovers the skirt of; ; ] his father.” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who ·has sexual relations [lies] with an animal [; ; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“A man will be cursed who ·has sexual relations [lies] with his sister, whether she is his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter [, ; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“A man will be cursed who ·has sexual relations [lies] with his mother-in-law [; ].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who ·kills [strikes] a neighbor secretly.” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who takes ·money [a bribe] to ·murder [strike] an innocent person [].” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
“Anyone will be cursed who does not ·agree with [confirm] the words of these ·teachings [laws; instructions] and does not obey them.” Then all the people will say, “Amen!”


text:
Blessings for Obeying You must completely ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God, and you must carefully follow all his commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today. Then the Lord your God will ·make you greater [set you higher] than any other nation on earth.


text:
·Obey [Listen to the voice of] the Lord your God so that all these blessings will come and ·stay with [overtake] you:


text:
·Your children [The fruit of your womb] will be blessed, as well as ·your crops [the fruit of your land]; your ·herds [the fruit of your livestock] will be blessed with calves and your flocks with lambs.


text:
The Lord will help you defeat the enemies that ·come [rise against you] to fight you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will run from you in seven directions [as at Jericho; ].


text:
The Lord your God will bless you with full barns, and he will bless ·everything you do [all your undertakings; all that is sent out from your hand]. He will bless the land he is giving you.


text:
The Lord will make you his holy people, as he ·promised [swore; ]. But you must obey his commands and ·do what he wants you to do [you must walk on his way/path].


text:
Then everyone on earth will see that you are ·the Lord’s people [called by the name of the Lord], and they will be afraid of you.


text:
The Lord will make you rich: ·You will have many children, your animals will have many young, and your land will give good crops […in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your land]. It is the land that the Lord ·promised [swore to] your ·ancestors [fathers] he would give to you [].


text:
The Lord will open up his heavenly storehouse so that the skies send rain on your land at the right time, and he will bless everything you do. You will lend to other nations, but you will not need to borrow from them.


text:
The Lord will make you like the head and not like the tail; you will be on top and not on bottom. But you must obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am ·giving [commanding] you today, being careful to keep them.


text:
Do not ·disobey [turn aside to the right or to the left from] anything I command you today. Do exactly as I command, and do not follow other gods or serve them.


text:
Curses for Disobeying But if you do not ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] I am ·giving [commanding] you today, all these curses will come upon you and ·stay [overtake you]:


text:
·Your children [The fruit of your womb] will be cursed, as well as ·your crops [the fruit of your land]; the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks will be cursed.


text:
The Lord will send you curses, confusion, and punishment in ·everything you do [all your undertakings; all that is sent out from your hand]. You will be destroyed and suddenly ruined because you did wrong when you ·left [abandoned; forsook] him.


text:
The Lord will ·give [make cling to] you ·terrible diseases [plagues] and destroy you from the land you are going to ·take [possess].


text:
The Lord will ·punish [strike] you with disease, fever, swelling, heat, lack of rain, plant diseases, and mildew until you ·die [perish].


text:
The ·sky [heavens] above will be like bronze [giving no rain], and the ground below will be like iron [].


text:
The Lord will turn the rain into dust and sand, which will fall from the ·skies [heavens] until you are destroyed.


text:
The Lord will help your enemies defeat you [as at Ai; ]. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run from them in seven directions. And you will become a thing of horror among all the kingdoms on earth.


text:
Your dead bodies will be food for all the birds of the ·sky [heavens] and wild animals, and there will be no one to scare them away.


text:
The Lord will ·punish [strike] you with boils like those the Egyptians had. You will have ·bad growths [tumors; ulcers], sores, and itches that can’t be ·cured [healed].


text:
You will have to feel around ·in the daylight [at noon] like a blind person in darkness. You will ·fail in everything you do [not succeed in your way]. People will ·hurt [oppress] you and steal from you every day, and no one will ·save [help] you.


text:
You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will ·force her to have sexual relations with him [have her]. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not ·get its grapes [enjoy it].


text:
Your ox will be ·killed [slaughtered; butchered] before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be ·taken away [stolen] from you, and it will not be brought back. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will ·save [help] you.


text:
Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will grow tired looking for them every day, but there will be nothing you can do.


text:
People you don’t know will eat the ·crops [fruit of] your land and hard work have produced. You will be ·mistreated [oppressed] and ·abused [ill-treated] all your life.


text:
The Lord will ·give you [strike you with] ·sore [horrible] boils on your knees and legs that cannot be cured, and they will go from the soles of your feet to the tops of your heads.


text:
The Lord will send you and the king whom you set over yourselves away to a nation neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] know, where you will serve other gods made of wood and stone.


text:
You will become a ·hated thing [object of horror] to the nations where the Lord sends you; ·they will laugh at you and make fun of you [a proverb and a byword].


text:
You will ·plant much seed in [carry out much seed to] your field, but your harvest will be small, because locusts will ·eat the crop [consume it].


text:
You will plant vineyards and work hard in them, but you will not ·pick the grapes [harvest] or drink the wine, because the worms will eat them.


text:
You will have olive trees in all your land, but you will not ·get any [anoint yourself with] olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees.


text:
You will ·have [bear] sons and daughters, but you will not be able to keep them, because they will be taken captive.


text:
The ·foreigners [resident aliens] who live among you will ·get stronger and stronger [go higher and higher], and you will ·get weaker and weaker [go lower and lower].


text:
·Foreigners [They] will lend money to you, but you will not be able to lend to them. They will be like the head, and you will be like the tail.


text:
All these curses will come upon you. They will ·chase [pursue] you and ·catch [overtake] you and destroy you, because you did not ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God and keep the commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] he ·gave [commanded] you.


text:
You had plenty of everything, but you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a ·pure [or glad] heart,


text:
so you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and poor, and the Lord will put a ·load on you [yoke of bronze on your neck] until he has destroyed you [].


text:
The Curse of an Enemy Nation The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the world, and it will swoop down like an eagle. You won’t ·understand their language [hear its tongue; ],


text:
and they will ·look mean [be stern-faced]. They will not ·respect [show favoritism to] old people or ·feel sorry for [favor; have compassion for] the young.


text:
They will eat the ·calves from your herds and the harvest of your field [fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your land], and you will be destroyed. They will not leave you any grain, new wine or oil, or any calves from your herds or lambs from your flocks. You will ·be ruined [perish].


text:
That nation will ·surround and attack [besiege] all your ·cities [gates]. You trust in your high, ·strong [fortified] walls, but they will fall down. That nation will ·surround [besiege] all your ·cities [gates] everywhere in the land the Lord your God is giving you.


text:
·Your enemy will surround you. Those people will make you starve so that [In the dire position that the siege of your enemies places you] you will eat ·your own babies [the fruit of your womb], the ·bodies [flesh] of the sons and daughters the Lord your God gave you.


text:
Even the most gentle and kind man among you will ·become cruel [look threateningly] to his brother, his wife ·whom he loves [of his lap], and his children who ·are still alive [remain].


text:
He will not even give them any of the flesh of his children he is eating, because it will be all he has left. ·Your enemy will surround you and make you starve [In the dire position that the siege of your enemies places you] in all your ·cities [gates].


text:
The most gentle and kind woman among you, so gentle and kind she would hardly even walk on the ground, will ·be cruel [look threateningly] to her husband ·whom she loves [of her lap] and to her son and daughter.


text:
She will give birth to a baby, but she will plan to eat the baby and ·what comes after the birth itself [the afterbirth; that which comes out between her feet]. She will eat them secretly ·while the enemy surrounds the city. Those people will make you starve in all your cities […in the dire position that the siege of your enemies places you; ].


text:
Be careful to obey everything in these ·teachings [laws; instructions] that are written in this ·book [scroll]. You must respect the glorious and ·wonderful [awesome] name of the Lord your God,


text:
or the Lord will give terrible diseases to you and your ·descendants [seed]. You will have long and serious diseases, and long and miserable sicknesses.


text:
He will ·give [bring back to] you all the diseases of Egypt that you dread, and the diseases will ·stay with [cling to] you.


text:
The Lord will also give you every disease and sickness not written in this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Law; Instruction], until you are destroyed.


text:
You people may have outnumbered the stars [; ; ; ], but only a few of you will be left, because you did not ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God.


text:
Just as the Lord was once ·happy [pleased; delighted] with you and gave you ·good things [prosperity] and made you grow in number, so then the Lord will be ·happy [pleased; delighted] to ruin and destroy you, and you will be removed from the land you are entering to take as your ·own [possession].


text:
Then the Lord will scatter you among the nations—from one end of the earth to the other [; ; ]. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] have known.


text:
You will have no rest among those nations and no place that is yours. The Lord will make your ·mind [or heart] ·worried [tremble], your ·sight weak [eyes fail], and your soul ·sad [languish; depressed].


text:
You will live ·with danger [in suspense] and be afraid night and day. You will not be sure that you will live.


text:
In the morning you will say, “·I wish [O that] it were evening,” and in the evening you will say, “·I wish [O that] it were morning.” ·Terror [Dread] will be in your heart, and the things you have seen will scare you.


text:
The Lord will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though ·I, Moses, [I; possibly a reference to God] said you would never go back to Egypt. And there you will try to sell yourselves as slaves to your enemies, but no one will buy you.


text:
The Agreement in Moab The Lord commanded Moses to ·make [cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] in Moab in addition to the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he had ·made [cut] with them at ·Mount Sinai [Horeb; ]. These are the words of that ·agreement [covenant; treaty].


text:
Moses called all the Israelites together and said to them: You have seen everything the Lord did before your own eyes to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh] and to ·the king’s [his] leaders and to the whole country.


text:
But to this day the Lord has not given you a ·mind [heart] that understands; you don’t really understand what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears.


text:
I led you through the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years, and during that time neither your clothes nor sandals wore out [].


text:
You ate no bread and drank no wine or ·beer [strong drink; alcoholic beverage made from grain]. This was so you would understand that I am the Lord your God.


text:
When you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight us, but we ·defeated [struck] them [].


text:
We captured their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh ·to be their own [as an inheritance; ].


text:
You must carefully obey everything in this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] so that you will ·succeed [prosper] in everything you do.


text:
Today you are all standing here before the Lord your God—your leaders and important men, your elders, ·officers [scribes], and all the other men of Israel,


text:
your wives and children and the ·foreigners [resident aliens] who ·live among you [are in the midst of your camp], who chop your wood and carry your water.


text:
You are all here to enter into an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] ·and a promise with the Lord your God [sworn by an oath], an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] the Lord your God is ·making [cutting] with you today.


text:
This will make you today his own people. He will be your God, as he told you and as he ·promised [swore to] your ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [; ].


text:
But I am not just making this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] ·and its promises [sworn by an oath] with you


text:
You saw their ·hateful idols [detestable things, the filthy idols] made of wood, stone, silver, and gold.


text:
Make sure no man, woman, ·family group [clan], or tribe among you ·leaves [whose heart turns away from] the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. They would be to you like a ·plant [root] that grows bitter, poisonous fruit.


text:
These are the kind of people who hear ·these curses [or the words of this oath] but bless themselves ·internally [in their hearts/minds], thinking, “We will ·be safe [have peace] ·even though we continue doing what we want to do.” Those people may destroy all of your land, both wet and dry [or if we act with determination so water may bring an end to the drought].


text:
The Lord will ·not [be unwilling to] forgive them. His anger will be like a burning fire against those people, and all the curses written in this ·book [scroll] will come on them []. The Lord will ·destroy [blot out; wipe away] ·any memory of them on the earth [their name from under the heavens].


text:
He will separate them from all the tribes of Israel for punishment. All the curses of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] that are written in this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions] will happen to them.


text:
Your children, the generation that will come after you, as well as foreigners from faraway lands, will see the disasters that come to this land and the diseases the Lord will send on it. They will say,


text:
“The land is ·nothing but burning cinders [burned by sulphur] and salt. Nothing is planted, nothing grows, and nothing blooms. It is like Sodom and Gomorrah [], and Admah and Zeboiim [; ], which the Lord ·destroyed [overturned] ·because he was very angry [in his anger and his wrath].”


text:
And the answer will be, “It is because the people broke the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] of the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], which he ·made [cut] with them when he brought them out of Egypt.


text:
They went and served other gods and bowed down to gods they did not even know. The Lord did not ·allow [permit] that,


text:
so he became very angry at the land and brought all the curses on it that are written in this ·book [scroll; ].


text:
Since the Lord became angry, upset, and furious with them, he took them out of their land and put them in another land where they are today.”


text:
There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has ·let us know [revealed]. These things belong to us and our children forever so that we will do everything in these ·teachings [laws; instructions].


text:
The Israelites Will Return When all these blessings and curses I have described happen to you, and the Lord your God has ·sent [driven] you away to other nations [; ; ; ], ·think about [call to mind; meditate on] these things.


text:
Then you and your children will return to the Lord your God, and you will ·obey him [listen to his voice] with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul] in everything I am commanding you today.


text:
Then the Lord your God will ·give you back your freedom [restore your fortunes]. He will ·feel sorry for [have mercy on] you, and he will bring you back again from the nations where he scattered you [; ].


text:
He may ·send [drive] you to the ends of the ·earth [heavens], but he will gather you and bring you back from there,


text:
back to the land that belonged to your ·ancestors [fathers]. It will be yours. He will give you success, and there will be more of you than there were of your ·ancestors [fathers].


text:
The Lord your God will ·prepare you and your descendants [circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed] to love him with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul] so that you will live.


text:
The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, who hate you and ·are cruel to [persecute] you.


text:
And you will again ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord, keeping all his commands that I ·give [command] you today.


text:
The Lord your God will make you ·successful [prosperous] in ·everything you do [all the work of your hands]. ·You will have many children, your cattle will have many calves, and your fields will produce good crops […in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your land], because the Lord will again be ·happy [pleased; delighted] with you, just as he was with your ·ancestors [fathers].


text:
But you must ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God by keeping all his commands and ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that are written in this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions]. You must return to the Lord your God with ·your whole being [all your heart/mind and all your soul].


text:
Choose Life or Death This command I ·give [command] you today is not too hard for you; it is not ·beyond what you can do [far away].


text:
It is not up in heaven. You do not have to ask, “Who will go up to heaven and get it for us so we can obey it and keep it?”


text:
It is not on the other side of the sea. You do not have to ask, “Who will go across the sea and get it? Who will tell it to us so we can keep it?”


text:
Look, today I offer you life and ·success [prosperity; good things], death and ·destruction [failure; bad things].


text:
I command you today to love the Lord your God, to ·do what he wants you to do [walk in his ways/paths], and to keep his commands, his ·rules [statutes; ordinances, requirements], and his laws. Then you will live and ·grow in number [multiply], and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your ·own [possession].


text:
But if you turn away from the Lord and do not ·obey [listen to] him, if you are led to bow and serve other gods,


text:
I tell you today that you will surely be destroyed. And you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and ·take as your own [possess].


text:
Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Then you and your ·children [seed] may live.


text:
To choose life is to love the Lord your God, ·obey him [listen to his voice], and ·stay close [cling] to him. He is your life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he ·promised [swore] to give your ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [; ].


text:
“I am now one hundred twenty years old, and I cannot lead you anymore. The Lord told me I would not cross the Jordan River [];


text:
the Lord your God will lead you across himself. He will destroy those nations for you, and you will take ·over [possession of] their land. Joshua will also lead you across, as the Lord has said [; ; ].


text:
The Lord will do to those nations what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when he destroyed them and their land [].


text:
The Lord will give those nations to you; do to them ·everything [according to all the commandments] I ·told [commanded] you.


text:
Be strong and ·brave [courageous; ]. Don’t be afraid of them and don’t be frightened, because the Lord your God will go with you. He will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [abandon; forsake] you.”


text:
Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in front of the people, “Be strong and ·brave [courageous], because you will lead these people into the land the Lord ·promised [swore] to give their ·ancestors [fathers], and help them take it as their own.


text:
The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [abandon; forsake] you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”


text:
Moses Writes the Teachings So Moses wrote down these ·teachings [laws; instructions] and gave them to the priests and all the elders of Israel. (The priests are the sons of Levi, who carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; ] with the Lord.)


text:
Then Moses commanded them: “Read these teachings for all Israel to hear at the end of every seven years, which is the year ·to cancel what people owe [of remission; ]. Do it during the ·Feast [Festival] of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles; ; ; ], when all the Israelites will come to appear before the Lord your God and stand at the place he will choose [].


text:
·Gather [Assemble] all the people: the men, women, children, and ·foreigners [resident aliens] living in your ·towns [gates] so that they can listen and learn to ·respect [fear] the Lord your God and carefully obey everything in this ·law [teaching; instruction].


text:
Since their children do not know ·this law [it], they must hear it. They must learn to ·respect [fear] the Lord your God for as long as they live in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take ·for your own [as your possession].”


text:
The Lord Calls Moses and Joshua The Lord said to Moses, “·Soon you will [Look, the day is approaching for you to] die. ·Get [Call] Joshua and ·come [present him] to the Meeting Tent so that I may command him.” So Moses and Joshua ·went to [presented themselves at] the Meeting Tent.


text:
The Lord appeared at the Meeting Tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the Tent [representing the presence of God; ; ].


text:
And the Lord said to Moses, “You will soon ·die [lie down/sleep with your fathers]. Then these people will ·not be loyal to me but will worship [prostitute themselves with] the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will ·leave [abandon; forsake] me, breaking the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] I ·made [cut] with them.


text:
·Then [On that day] I will become very angry at them, and I will ·leave [abandon; forsake] them. I will ·turn away [hide my face] from them, and they will be ·destroyed [devoured; consumed]. Many terrible things will happen to them. ·Then [On that day] they will say, ‘·It is [Is it not…?] because God is not with us that these terrible things are happening.’


text:
I will surely ·turn away [hide my face] from them ·then [on that day], because they have done wrong and have turned to other gods.


text:
“Now write down this song and teach it to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]. ·Then have them sing it [Place it in their mouth], because it will be my witness against ·them [the sons/children of Israel].


text:
When I bring them into the land I ·promised [swore] to their ·ancestors [fathers], a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; ], they will eat as much as they want and get fat. Then they will turn to other gods and serve them. They will ·reject [despise] me and break my ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty].


text:
Then when many troubles and terrible things happen to them, this song will testify against them, because the song will not be forgotten by their ·descendants [seed]. I know what they ·plan [incline; ; ] to do, even before I take them into the land I ·promised [swore to] them.”


text:
So Moses wrote down the song that day, and he taught it to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


text:
Then the Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and ·brave [courageous; ], because you will lead the people of Israel to the land I promised them, and I will be with you [].”


text:
After Moses finished writing all the words of the ·teachings [laws; instructions] in a ·book [scroll],


text:
he gave a command to the Levites, who carried the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; ] with the Lord.


text:
He said, “Take this ·Book [Scroll] of the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions] and put it beside the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; ] with the Lord your God. It must stay there as a witness against you.


text:
I know how ·stubborn [stiff-necked] and ·disobedient [rebellious] you are. You have ·disobeyed [rebelled against] the Lord while I am alive and with you, and you will ·disobey [rebel against me] even more after I die!


text:
·Gather [Assemble] all the elders of your tribes and all your ·officers [scribes] to me so that I may say these things ·for them to hear [in their ears], and so that I may ask heaven and earth to ·testify [witness] against them [].


text:
I know that after I die you will become completely ·evil [corrupt]. You will turn away from the ·commands I have given [way I commanded] you. Terrible things will happen to you in the future when you do what the Lord says is evil, and you will make him angry with the ·idols you have made [work of your hands].”


text:
Moses’ Song And Moses spoke this whole song ·for all the people of Israel to hear [in the ears of the whole assembly of Israel]:


text:
My teaching will drop like rain; my words will ·fall [distill] like dew. They will be like showers on the grass; they will pour down like rain on young plants.


text:
I will announce the name of the Lord. ·Praise God because he is great [Ascribe greatness to our God]!


text:
He is like a rock; what he does is perfect, and ·he is always [all his ways are] fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is ·right [righteous] and ·fair [virtuous].


text:
They ·have done evil against him [are corrupt]. ·To their shame [or Their faults show] they are no longer his children [; ]; they are an ·evil [perverted] and ·lying [crooked] people.


text:
This is not the way to repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people. ·He is [Is he not…?] your Father and Maker, who made you and formed you.


text:
Remember the old days. Think of the years already passed. Ask your father and he will tell you; ask your elders and they will inform you.


text:
God Most High gave ·the nations their lands [each nation its inheritance], dividing up the ·human race [sons of man]. He set up borders for the people ·and even numbered the Israelites [according to the number of the sons/children of Israel].


text:
The Lord took his people as his ·share [portion], the people of Jacob as his ·very own [special inheritance].


text:
He found them in a ·desert [wilderness], a windy, ·empty [unformed; ] land. He surrounded them and brought them up, guarding them as ·those he loved very much [the apple/pupil of his eye].


text:
He was like an eagle ·building [watching; stirring up] its nest that ·flutters [hovers] over its young. It spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its feathers.


text:
The Lord ·brought them to [or made them ride over] the heights of the land and fed them the fruit of the fields. He ·gave them [suckled them with] honey from the rocks, bringing oil from the ·solid [flint] rock.


text:
There were milk curds from the cows and milk from the flock; there were fat sheep and goats. There were sheep and goats from Bashan [a particularly fertile area east of the Sea of Galilee] and the best of the wheat. You drank the ·juice [fermenting/foaming blood] of grapes [wine].


text:
·Israel [Jeshurun; a name for Israel meaning “virtuous”; perhaps intended ironically; , ; ] grew fat and kicked; they were fat and ·full [bloated] and firm. They ·left [abandoned] the God who made them and ·rejected [dishonored] the Rock who saved them.


text:
They made sacrifices to demons, not God, to gods they had never known, new gods from nearby, gods your ·ancestors [fathers] did not fear.


text:
You left God who is the Rock, ·your Father [who bore you; or who begot you], and you forgot the God who gave you birth.


text:
He said, “I will turn ·away [my face away] from them and see what ·will happen to them [their end will be]. They are ·evil people [a perverted generation], ·unfaithful [untrustworthy] children.


text:
They used things that are not gods to make me jealous [] and ·worthless idols [vanities; vain idols] to make me angry. So I will use those who are not a nation to make them jealous; I will use a nation that ·does not understand [is foolish] to make them angry.


text:
My anger has started a fire that burns down to ·the place of the dead [Sheol; the grave or the underworld]. It will ·burn up [consume] the ·ground [or earth] and its ·crops [produce], and it will set fire to the ·base [foundations] of the mountains.


text:
They will be starved and sick, destroyed by terrible diseases. I will send them ·vicious [the teeth of] animals ·and gliding, poisonous snakes [with the poison/venom of creatures that crawl in the dust].


text:
In the streets the sword will ·kill [bereave]; in their ·homes [bedrooms] there will be terror. Young men and women will die, and so will ·babies [sucklings] and gray-haired men.


text:
I will ·scatter them [or dash them to pieces] as I said, and ·no one will remember them [I will cause their memory to cease from among humans].


text:
But I didn’t want ·their enemy to brag [or to provoke the enemy]; their enemy might misunderstand and say, ‘·We have won [Our hand is lifted up]! The Lord has done none of this.’”


text:
I wish they were wise and understood this; I wish they could see ·what will happen to them [their end].


text:
·One person cannot [How can one person…?] chase a thousand people, and ·two people cannot [two…?] fight ten thousand unless their Rock has sold them, unless the Lord has ·given them up [surrendered them; ].


text:
Their vine comes from Sodom, and their fields are like Gomorrah []. Their grapes are full of poison; their bunches of grapes are bitter.


text:
Their wine is like ·snake poison [the venom of serpents], like the ·deadly [cruel] poison of cobras.


text:
“·I have been saving this [Is this not stored up with me…?], and I have it ·locked [sealed] in my ·storehouses [treasuries].


text:
·I will punish those who do wrong [Vengeance is mine; ]; I will repay them. Soon their foot will slip, because their day of ·trouble [disaster] is near, and their ·punishment [doom] will come quickly.”


text:
The Lord will ·defend [vindicate; judge] his people and have mercy on his servants. He will see that their ·strength [power; control; hand] is gone, that nobody is left, slaves or free.


text:
Who ate the fat from their sacrifices [], and who drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let those gods come to help you! Let them protect you!


text:
“Now you will see that I am ·the one God [he]! There is no god but me. I ·send death and life [kill and make alive]; I ·can hurt [wound], and I can heal. No one can escape from ·me [my hand].


text:
I will sharpen my flashing sword, and I will take it in my hand to judge []. I will ·punish [bring vengeance on] my enemies and pay back those who hate me.


text:
My arrows will be ·covered [drunk] with their blood; my sword will eat their flesh. The blood will flow from those who are killed and the captives. The ·heads of the enemy leaders [or long-haired enemy] will be cut off.”


text:
·Be happy [Rejoice], nations, with his people, because he will repay you for the blood of his servants. He will ·punish [work vengeance on] his enemies, and he will ·remove the sin of [provide atonement for] his land and people.


text:
Moses came with Joshua son of Nun, and they spoke all the words of this song ·for the people to hear [in the ears of his people].


text:
he said to them: “·Pay careful attention to [Set your heart on] all the words I ·have said [testify; give witness] to you today, and command your children to obey carefully everything in these ·teachings [laws; instructions].


text:
These should not be unimportant words for you, but rather they mean life for you! By these words you will live a long time in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your ·own [possession].”


text:
“Go up the Abarim Mountains, to Mount Nebo in the country of Moab, across from Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites as their ·own [possession; one can look far into the Promised Land from Nebo].


text:
On that mountain that you climb, you will die and ·join [be gathered to] your ·ancestors [fathers], just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his ·ancestors [fathers; ].


text:
You both sinned against me at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin, and you did not honor me as holy there among the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel; ].


text:
So now you will only look at the land from far away. You will not enter the land I am giving the ·people [sons; children] of Israel.”


text:
Moses Blesses the People Moses, the man of God, gave this blessing to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] before he died.


text:
He said: “The Lord came from Mount Sinai and ·rose like the sun [shone forth] from ·Edom [Seir; another name for Edom]; he ·showed his greatness [blazed forth] from Mount Paran. He came with ·thousands of angels [myriads of holy ones] ·from the southern mountains [or marching at his right hand; ; ; , ; ].


text:
The Lord surely loves his people and takes care of all ·those who belong to him [his holy/consecrated ones]. They ·bow down [submit; or followed] at his feet, and they are taught by him.


text:
Moses ·gave us [commanded us with] the ·teachings [laws; instructions] that ·belong to the people [are the possession of the assembly] of Jacob.


text:
The Lord became king ·of Israel [in Jeshurun; ] when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.


text:
Moses said this about the people of Judah: “Lord, listen to Judah’s ·prayer [voice]; bring them back to their people. They ·defend [contend for] themselves with their hands. Help them fight their enemies!”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Levi: “Lord, your Thummim and Urim [] belong to ·Levi, whom you love [your loyal one]. Lord, you tested him at Massah and argued with him at the waters of Meribah [].


text:
He said about his father and mother, ‘I don’t care about them.’ He did not treat his brothers as favorites or give special favors to his children, but he protected your word and guarded your ·agreement [covenant; treaty; ].


text:
He teaches your ·laws [judgments] to the people of Jacob and your ·teachings [laws; instructions] to the people of Israel. He ·burns [places] incense before you and makes whole burnt offerings [] on your altar.


text:
Lord, ·make them strong [bless his powers]; be pleased with the work ·they do [of their hand]. ·Defeat those who attack them [Strike the loins of those who rise against them], and don’t let ·their enemies [those who hate them] rise up again.”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Benjamin: “The Lord’s loved ones will lie down in safety, because ·he [or the Most High] protects them all day long. The ones he loves rest ·with him [between his shoulders].”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Joseph: “May the Lord bless their land with ·wonderful [or the best fruits from the] dew from heaven, ·with water from the springs [and from the deeps] below,


text:
with the best fruits that the sun brings, and with the best fruits ·that the moon brings [or of the months].


text:
Let the ·old [ancient] mountains give the finest crops, and let the everlasting hills give the best fruits.


text:
Let the ·full earth [earth and its fullness] give the best fruits, and let the Lord who lived in ·the burning bush [the thorn bush; or Sinai; ] be pleased. May ·these blessings [they] rest on the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the ·one who was blessed [prince] among his brothers.


text:
Joseph has the majesty of a firstborn bull; ·he is as strong as [his horns are the horns of] a wild ox []. He will ·stab [gore] other nations with them, even those ·nations far away [at the ends of the earth]. These are the ·ten thousands [myriads] of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh [tribes named after Joseph’s sons].”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Zebulun: “·Be happy [Rejoice] when you go out, Zebulun, and ·be happy [rejoice] in your tents, Issachar.


text:
They will call the people to the mountain, and there they will offer the ·right [righteous] sacrifices. They will ·do well from all that is in [suck the abundance of] the sea, and from the treasures hidden in the sand on the shore.”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Gad: “·Praise God who gives Gad more land [Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad]! Gad lives there like a lion, who tears off arms and heads.


text:
They chose the best land for themselves. They received a large share, like that given to an officer. When the leaders of the people ·gathered [or came], the people of Gad did what the Lord said was ·right [righteous; just], and they judged Israel fairly.”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Dan: “Dan is like a lion’s cub, who ·jumps out of [leaps forth from] Bashan [].”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Naphtali: “Naphtali ·enjoys special kindnesses [is deeply favored], and they are full of the Lord’s blessings. ·Take as your own [or It possesses] the west and south.”


text:
Moses said this about the people of Asher: “Asher is the most blessed of the sons; let him be his brothers’ favorite. Let him ·bathe [dip] his feet in olive oil [symbolizing comfort and luxury].


text:
Your ·gates will have locks of [bolts/bars are] iron and bronze, and ·you will be strong as long as you live [your strength will be like your days].


text:
“There is no one like the God of ·Israel [Jeshurun; ], who rides through the ·skies [heavens] to help you, who rides on the clouds in his majesty [; ; ; ; ; ].


text:
·The everlasting God is your place of safety [or He humbles the gods of old], and ·his arms will hold you up forever [or humbles the ancient powers]. He will force your enemy out ahead of you, saying, ‘Destroy the enemy!’


text:
The people of Israel will ·lie down [reside; dwell] in safety. Jacob’s ·spring [or abode] is theirs alone. Theirs is a land full of grain and new wine, where the ·skies [heavens] drop their dew.


text:
Israel, you are blessed! ·No one else [Who…?] is like you, because you are a people saved by the Lord. He is your shield and helper, your glorious sword. Your enemies will ·be afraid of you [come cringing to you], and you will ·walk all over [trample] their ·holy places [high places; or backs].”


text:
Moses Dies Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Mount Pisgah, across from Jericho. From there the Lord showed him all the land from Gilead to Dan,


text:
all of Naphtali and the lands of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the ·Mediterranean [Western] Sea,


text:
as well as the ·southern desert [the Negev] and the whole Valley of Jericho up to Zoar. (Jericho is called the city of palm trees.)


text:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I ·promised [swore] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said to them, ‘I will give this land to your ·descendants [seed; ; ].’ ·I have let you look at [Your eyes have seen] it, Moses, but you will not cross over there.”


text:
He buried Moses in Moab in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but even today no one knows where his grave is.


text:
Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not weak, and ·he was still strong [his vigor had not left him].


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] cried for Moses for thirty days, staying in the plains of Moab until the time of ·sadness [mourning] was over.


text:
Joshua son of Nun was then filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had ·put [laid] his hands on him. So the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] listened to Joshua, and they did what the Lord had commanded Moses.


text:
and sent him to do signs and ·miracles [wonders] in Egypt—to ·the king [Pharaoh], to all his ·officers [servants], and to the whole land of Egypt.


text:
Moses had ·great power [a strong hand], and he did great and wonderful things for all the Israelites to see.


text:
God’s Command to Joshua After Moses, the servant of the ·Lord [or Yahweh; “Lord” (capital letters) represents the divine name YHWH, usually pronounced “Yahweh”], died, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ ·assistant [aide; servant].


text:
The Lord said, “My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people ·go across [get ready to cross; arise and cross] the Jordan River into the land I am giving to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


text:
I promised Moses I would give you this land [], so I will give you every place ·you go [the sole of your foot walks/treads] in the land.


text:
All the land from the ·desert in the south [desert; wilderness] to ·Lebanon in the north [Lebanon] will be yours. All the land from the great river, the ·Euphrates, in the east [Euphrates], to the ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea ·in the west [toward the going down of the sun] will be yours, too, ·including [or which is all] the land of the Hittites [Palestine was known as “Hatti-land” (or “Hittite country”) by the Egyptians and Babylonians].


text:
No one will be able to ·defeat [resist; stand against] you all your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [desert; forsake] you.


text:
“Joshua, be strong and ·brave [courageous; resolute]! You must lead these people ·so they can take [to possess/inherit] the land that I promised their fathers I would give them.


text:
Be strong and ·brave [courageous; resolute]. Be ·sure [careful] to obey all the ·teachings [law] my servant Moses ·gave [commanded] you. If you ·follow them exactly [do not turn from it to the right or to the left], you will be successful in everything you do.


text:
·Always remember [Do not let depart from your mouth] what is written in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law]. ·Study [Meditate on] it day and night to be ·sure [careful; diligent] to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be ·wise [prudent; successful] and ·successful [prosperous] ·in everything [or along life’s path; along the way].


text:
·Remember that I [Have I not…?] commanded you to be strong and ·brave [courageous; resolute]. Don’t be afraid or ·discouraged [dismayed], because the Lord your God will be with you ·everywhere you go [or in all you do].”


text:
“Go through the camp and ·tell [command] the people, ‘Get your ·supplies [provisions] ready. ·Three days from now [or Within a few days] you will cross the Jordan River and take the land the Lord your God is ·giving you [giving you to inherit/possess].’”


text:
“Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, told you []. He said the Lord your God would give you ·rest [a place of rest/security] and would give you this land.


text:
Now your wives, children, and animals may stay here in the land Moses has given you east of the Jordan River, but your fighting men must dress for war and cross the Jordan River ahead of your brothers to help them.


text:
The Lord has given you a place ·to rest [of security] and will do the same for your brothers. But you must help them until they take the land the Lord their God is giving them. Then you may return to your own land east of the Jordan River, the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you [].”


text:
Then the people answered Joshua, “Anything you command us to do, we will do. Any place you send us, we will go.


text:
Just as we fully obeyed Moses, we will obey you. ·We ask only that [or And may] the Lord your God be with you just as he was with Moses.


text:
Whoever ·refuses to obey [rebels against] your commands or ·turns against [refuses to obey] you will be put to death. Just be strong and ·brave [courageous; resolute]!”


text:
Spies Sent to Jericho Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from ·Acacia [Shittim; a Hebrew word meaning “acacia”] and said to them, “Go and ·look at [check out] the land, particularly at the city of Jericho.” So the men went to Jericho and ·stayed [lodged] at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.


text:
Someone told the king of Jericho, “[Look; Behold] Some men from Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.”


text:
So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land.”


text:
But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, “They did come here, but I didn’t know where they came from.


text:
In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know where they went, but if you go quickly, maybe you can catch them.”


text:
(The woman had taken the men up to the roof and had hidden them there under stalks of flax that she had spread out.)


text:
So the king’s men went out looking for the spies on the road that leads to the ·crossings [fords] of the Jordan River. The city gate was closed just after the king’s men left the city.


text:
She said to them, “I know the Lord has given this land to your people. ·You frighten us very much [A terror of you has fallen on us]. Everyone living in this land is ·terribly afraid of [melting away before] you


text:
because we have heard how the Lord dried up the ·Red Sea [or Sea of Reeds] when you came out of Egypt []. We have heard how you ·destroyed [or devoted to the Lord for destruction; see ; ] Sihon and Og, two Amorite kings who lived ·east of [beyond] the Jordan.


text:
When we heard this, ·we were very frightened [our hearts melted]. ·Now our men are afraid to fight you [And there rose up no spirit/breath in a man because of you] because the Lord your God ·rules [is God in] the heavens above and the earth below!


text:
So now, ·promise [swear to] me ·before [or by] the Lord that you will show ·kindness [loyalty] to my family just as I showed ·kindness [loyalty] to you. Give me ·some proof [a sure sign; a solemn pledge] that you will do this.


text:
Allow my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all of their families to live. ·Save [Rescue; Preserve] us from death.”


text:
The men agreed and said, “It will be our lives for your lives if you don’t tell anyone what we are doing. When the Lord gives us the land, we will be ·kind [loyal] and ·true [faithful] to you.”


text:
The house Rahab lived in was built on the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window.


text:
She said to them, “Go into the hills so the ·king’s men [pursuers] will not find you. Hide there for three days. After the ·king’s men [pursuers] return, you may go on your way.”


text:
The men said to her, “You must do as we say. If not, we ·cannot be responsible for keeping [will be free from] this oath you have made us swear.


text:
When we return to this land, you must tie this ·red [scarlet] rope in the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your ·family [father’s house] into your house.


text:
If anyone leaves your house and is killed, ·it is his own fault [his blood is on his head]. We ·cannot be responsible for him [are innocent]. If anyone in your house ·is hurt [has a hand laid on them], ·we will be responsible [his blood will be on our head].


text:
Rahab answered, “·I agree to this [Let it be according to your words].” So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the ·red [scarlet] rope in the window.


text:
The men left and went into the hills where they stayed for three days. The ·king’s men [pursuers] looked for them all along the road, but after three days, they returned to the city without finding them.


text:
Then the two men started back. They left the hills and crossed the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.


text:
They said, “The Lord surely has given ·us all of the land [all the land into our hand]. All the people in that land are ·terribly afraid of [melting away before] us.”


text:
Crossing the Jordan Early the next morning Joshua and all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] left ·Acacia [Hebrew: Shittim; ]. They traveled to the Jordan River and camped there before crossing it.


text:
and gave orders to the people: “When you see the priests and Levites carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord your God [], leave where you are and follow it.


text:
That way you will know which way to go since you have never ·been here [passed this way] before. But do not ·follow too closely [come near it]. Stay about ·a thousand yards [two thousand cubits] behind the Ark.”


text:
Then Joshua told the people, “·Make yourselves holy [Consecrate yourselves], because tomorrow the Lord will do ·amazing [miraculous] things among you.”


text:
Joshua said to the priests, “Take the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] and go ahead of the people.” So the priests lifted the Ark and carried it ahead of the people.


text:
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to ·make you great [exalt/honor you] in the ·opinion [eyes] of all the Israelites so the people will know I am with you just as I was with Moses.


text:
·Tell [Command] the priests who carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] to go to the edge of the Jordan River and stand in the water.”


text:
Then Joshua said to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.


text:
Here is proof that the living God is ·with [among] you and that he will ·force [drive] out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.


text:
[Look; Behold] The Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord of the whole world will go ahead of you into the Jordan River.


text:
The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the ·Master [Ruler; Lord] of the whole world [], into the Jordan ahead of you. When they step into the water, it will stop. The ·river will stop flowing [waters going down will be cut off from above] and will stand up in a heap [thus reminding them of the crossing of the sea in ].”


text:
So the people left ·the place where they had camped [their camp/tents], and they followed the priests who carried the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] across the Jordan River.


text:
During harvest the Jordan overflows its banks. When the priests carrying the Ark came to the edge of the river and stepped into the water,


text:
the water ·upstream [going down from above] stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the ·Dead [Salt] Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river ·near [opposite; across from] Jericho.


text:
The priests carried the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while ·all the people [the whole nation] of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land.


text:
Rocks to Remind the People After all the ·people [nation] had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,


text:
·Tell [Command; Instruct] them to get twelve rocks from the middle of the river, from where the priests stood. Carry the rocks and put them down where you ·stay [camp; lodge] tonight.”


text:
and said to them, “Go out into the river where the Ark of the Lord your God is. Each of you bring back one rock, one for each tribe of Israel, and carry it on your shoulder.


text:
They will be a ·sign [reminder; memorial] among you. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these rocks mean [to you]?’


text:
Tell them the water stopped flowing in the Jordan when the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord crossed the ·river [Jordan]. These rocks will always remind the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] of this [stone memorials are common in the OT; ; ; ; ].”


text:
So the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] obeyed Joshua and carried twelve rocks from the middle of the Jordan River, one rock for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried the rocks with them and put them down where they made their camp.


text:
Joshua also put twelve rocks in the middle of the Jordan River where the priests had stood while carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. These rocks are still there today.


text:
The priests carrying the Ark continued standing in the middle of the river until everything was done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried across the river.


text:
After they finished crossing the river, the priests carried the Ark of the Lord to the other side as the people watched.


text:
The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh obeyed what Moses had told them. They were dressed for war, and they crossed the river ahead of the other people.


text:
About forty thousand soldiers prepared for war passed before the Lord as they marched across the river, going toward the plains of Jericho.


text:
That day the Lord ·made Joshua great [honored/exalted Joshua] in the ·opinion [eyes] of all the Israelites. They ·respected [revered; stood in awe of] Joshua all his life, just as they had ·respected [revered; stood in awe of] Moses.


text:
“Command the priests to bring the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; Testimony] out of the river.”


text:
Then the priests carried the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord out of the river. As soon as their feet touched dry land, the water began flowing again. The river again overflowed its banks, just as it had before they crossed.


text:
The people ·crossed [came up from] the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal, ·east [on the eastern border] of Jericho.


text:
Then he spoke to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]: “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What ·do these rocks mean [are these stones]?’


text:
The Lord your God ·caused the water to stop flowing [dried up the river before you] until you finished crossing it, just as the Lord did to the ·Red Sea [or Sea of Reeds; ]. He ·stopped the water [dried it up] until we crossed it.


text:
The Lord did this so all ·people [the nations/people of the earth] would know ·he has great power [that the hand of the Lord is powerful] and so you would always ·respect [revere; fear] the Lord your God.’”


text:
All the kings of the Amorites west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings living by the ·Mediterranean Sea [Sea] heard that the Lord dried up the Jordan River until the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] had crossed it. ·After that they were scared [Their hearts melted] and ·too afraid to face [there was no breath/spirit in them because of] the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


text:
The Israelites Are Circumcised At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make knives from flint stones and circumcise [] the ·Israelites [sons of Israel a second time].”


text:
So Joshua made knives from flint stones and circumcised the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] at ·Gibeath Haaraloth [Hebrew for “Hill of Foreskins”].


text:
This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men old enough to serve in the army died in the desert on the ·way [journey] ·out of [or after leaving] Egypt.


text:
The men who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but none of those who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] had moved about in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years. During that time all the fighting men who had left Egypt had died because they had not obeyed the Lord []. So the Lord swore they would not see the land he had promised their ancestors to give them, a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; a phrase describing the natural bounty of the land].


text:
Their sons ·took [were raised up in] their places. But none of the sons born on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised, so Joshua circumcised them.


text:
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have ·removed [rolled away] the shame [disgrace; reproach] of ·your slavery in Egypt [Egypt].” So that place was named Gilgal [sounds like Hebrew for “rolled away”; ], which it is still named today.


text:
The ·people [sons/children] of Israel were camped at Gilgal [] on the plains of Jericho. It was there, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, they celebrated the Passover Feast [].


text:
The day after the Passover, the people ate food grown on that land: ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] and roasted grain.


text:
The day they ate this food, the manna stopped coming []. The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] no longer got the manna from heaven. They ate the food grown in the land of Canaan that year.


text:
Joshua was near Jericho when he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand [; ]. Joshua went to him and asked, “Are you ·a friend or an enemy [for us or for our enemies/adversaries]?”


text:
The man answered, “·I am neither [No]. I have come as the commander of the Lord’s army [God himself who comes as a warrior; ].” Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground and asked, “Does my ·master [lord] have a ·command [message] for me, his servant?”


text:
The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy [].” So Joshua did.


text:
The Fall of Jericho The people of Jericho were afraid because the Israelites were near. They closed the city gates and guarded them [Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons/children of Israel]. No one went into the city, and no one came out.


text:
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have given ·you Jericho [Jericho into your hands], its king, and all its fighting men.


text:
Have seven priests carry trumpets made from ·horns of male sheep [rams’ horns] and have them march in front of the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets as they march.


text:
They will make one long blast on the trumpets. When you hear that sound, have all the people give a loud shout. Then the walls of the city will ·fall [collapse] so the people can ·go [charge] straight into the city.”


text:
So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together and said to them, “Carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. Tell seven priests to carry trumpets and march in front of it.”


text:
Then Joshua ordered the ·people [or army], “Now go! March around the city. The ·soldiers with weapons [armed troops; or royal guard] should march in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord.”


text:
When Joshua finished speaking to the ·people [or army], the seven priests began marching before the Lord. They carried the seven trumpets and blew them as they marched. The priests carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord followed them.


text:
·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops; or The royal guard] marched in front of the priests, and ·armed men [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark. The priests were blowing their trumpets.


text:
But Joshua had ·told [commanded] the people not to give ·a war cry [the shout]. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you. Then shout.”


text:
So Joshua had the Ark of the Lord carried around the city one time. Then they went back to camp for the night.


text:
The seven priests carried the seven trumpets and marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their trumpets. ·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops or The royal guard] marched in front of them, and ·other soldiers [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark of the Lord. ·All this time the priests were blowing their trumpets […while the trumpets kept blowing].


text:
So on the second day they marched around the city one time and then went back to camp. They did this every day for six days.


text:
On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city, just as they had on the days before. But on that day they marched around the city seven times.


text:
The seventh time around the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, ·shout [give the battle cry]! The Lord has given you this city!


text:
The city and everything in it are to be ·destroyed as an offering [devoted; set apart; ] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house should remain alive. They must not be killed, because Rahab hid the ·two spies [messengers] we sent out [].


text:
·Don’t take any of [Keep away from] the things that are ·to be destroyed as an offering [devoted; set apart] to the Lord. If you take them and bring them into ·our camp [the camp of Israel], you yourselves will be ·destroyed [devoted/set apart for destruction], and you will bring trouble to all of Israel.


text:
All the silver and gold and things made from bronze and iron belong to the Lord and must ·be saved for him [go into the treasury of the Lord].”


text:
When the priests blew the trumpets, the ·people [army] shouted. At the sound of the trumpets and the ·people’s [army’s] shout, the walls fell, and everyone ·ran [charged] straight into the city. So the Israelites ·defeated [captured; took] that city.


text:
They ·completely destroyed [devoted to the Lord] with the ·sword [edge of the sword] every living thing in the city—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.


text:
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house. Bring her out and bring out those who ·are with [belong to] her, because of the ·promise you made [oath you swore] to her.”


text:
So the ·two men [young men] went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all ·those with [who belonged to] her. They put all of her family in a safe place outside the camp of Israel.


text:
Then Israel burned the whole city and everything in it, but they did not burn the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron. These were ·saved for [put in the treasury of the house of] the Lord.


text:
Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute, her ·family [father’s household], and all who ·were with [belonged to] her, because Rahab had helped the men he had sent to spy out Jericho [; ; ]. Rahab still lives among the Israelites today.


text:
Then Joshua ·made [or caused them to take] this oath: “Anyone who tries to rebuild this city of Jericho will be cursed ·by [or before] the Lord. The one who lays the foundation of this city will lose his ·oldest [firstborn] son, and the one who sets up the gates will lose his youngest son [].”


text:
The Sin of Achan But the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·did not obey the Lord [acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; ]. There was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan. (He was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.) Because Achan kept some of the ·things that were to be given to the Lord [devoted things], the ·Lord became very angry [Lord’s anger burned] at the Israelites.


text:
Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai [the name means “dump,” indicating that it should have been an easy military target], which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He told them, “Go to Ai and spy out the area.” So the men went to spy on Ai.


text:
Later they came back to Joshua and said, “There are ·only a few people [few soldiers] in Ai, so we will not need all our people to defeat them. Send only two or three thousand men to fight. ·There is no need to send [or Don’t tire out] all of our people.”


text:
So about three thousand men went up to Ai, but ·the people of Ai beat them badly [they fled from the men of Ai].


text:
The people of Ai killed about thirty-six Israelites and then chased the rest from the city gate all the way down to ·the canyon [or the stone quarries; or Shebarim], killing them as they went down the hill. When the Israelites saw this, ·they lost their courage [the heart of the people melted and became like water].


text:
Then Joshua tore his ·clothes in sorrow [clothes]. He ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground before the Ark of the Lord and stayed there until evening. The ·leaders [elders] of Israel did the same thing. They also threw ·dirt [dust] on their heads [to show their sorrow].


text:
Then Joshua said, “·Lord God [or Sovereign Lord], why did you bring our people across the Jordan River ·and then let the Amorites destroy us [to give us into the hands of the Amorites]? ·We would have [If only we had] been happy to stay on the other side of the Jordan.


text:
Lord, ·there is nothing I can say now [what can I say now that…]. Israel has ·been beaten by [fled from; turned their back before] the enemy.


text:
The Canaanites and all the other people in this country will hear about this and will ·surround [encircle] and ·kill us all [cut off our name from the earth]! Then what will you do for your own great name?”


text:
The Israelites have sinned; they have broken the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I commanded them to obey. They took some of the ·things I commanded them to destroy [devoted things]. They have stolen and lied and have ·taken those things for themselves [put them among their own belongings].


text:
That is why the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] cannot ·face [stand before] their enemies. They ·turn away from the fight and run [fled/turned their backs before their enemies], because I have ·commanded that they be destroyed [devoted them for destruction]. I will not ·help [be with] you anymore unless you destroy ·everything as I commanded [the things devoted for destruction from among] you.


text:
“Now go! ·Make the people holy [Consecrate the people]. Tell them, ‘·Set yourselves apart to the Lord [Consecrate yourselves] for tomorrow. The Lord, the God of Israel, says ·some of you are keeping things he commanded you to destroy [there are devoted things among you, Israel!]. You will never ·defeat [stand before] your enemies until you ·throw away those things [remove the devoted things from among you].


text:
“‘Tomorrow morning you must be present with your tribes. The Lord will choose one tribe to stand alone before him. Then the Lord will choose ·one family group [clan] from that tribe to stand before him. Then the Lord will choose one family from that ·family group [clan] to stand before him, person by person.


text:
The one who is ·keeping what should have been destroyed [caught with the devoted things] will himself be destroyed by fire. Everything ·he owns [that is his] will be destroyed with him. He has broken the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing ·among the people of [in] Israel!’”


text:
Early the next morning Joshua led all of Israel to present themselves in their tribes, and the Lord chose the tribe of Judah.


text:
So the ·family groups [clans] of Judah presented themselves, and the Lord then chose the ·family group [clan] of Zerah. When all the ·families [clan] of Zerah presented themselves, the family of Zabdi was chosen.


text:
And Joshua told all the men in that family to present themselves. The Lord chose Achan son of Carmi. (Carmi was the son of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.)


text:
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, ·tell the truth. Confess to the Lord, the God of Israel [Give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him; a solemn charge to tell the truth and confess his sins to God]. Tell me what you did, and don’t try to hide anything from me.”


text:
Among the things I saw was a beautiful ·coat [robe; cloak] from ·Babylonia [Shinar] and about ·five pounds [two hundred shekels] of silver and ·more than one and one-fourth pounds of gold [a gold bar weighing fifty shekels]. I wanted these things very much for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent, with the silver underneath.”


text:
So Joshua sent ·men [messengers] who ran to the tent and ·found the things [behold, it was] hidden there, with the silver underneath.


text:
The men brought them out of the tent, took them to Joshua and all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], and spread them out on the ground before the Lord.


text:
Then Joshua and all the people led Achan son of Zerah to the Valley of ·Trouble [or Achor; a Hebrew word meaning “trouble” or “disaster”]. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold bar, Achan’s sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, tent, and everything he owned.


text:
Joshua said, “·I don’t know why [Why have…?] you caused so much trouble [Hebrew achor] for us, but now the Lord will bring trouble [Hebrew achor] to you.” Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they died [; ; ]. Then the people burned them.


text:
They piled rocks over Achan’s body, and they are still there today. That is why it is called the Valley of ·Trouble [Achor]. After this the Lord ·was no longer angry [turned from his burning anger].


text:
Ai Is Destroyed Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid or ·give up [be discouraged/dismayed; ; ]. Lead ·all your fighting men [the whole army] to Ai. I ·will help you defeat [have given into your hand] the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.


text:
You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may ·take all the wealth [plunder its goods and livestock] and keep it for yourselves. Now ·tell some of your soldiers to set up [set] an ambush behind the city.”


text:
So Joshua ·led his whole army toward [and all the people rose to go up against] Ai. Then he chose thirty thousand ·of his best fighting men [brave warriors] and sent them out at night.


text:
Joshua gave them these orders: “·Listen carefully [Look; Behold]. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don’t go far from it, but continue to watch and be ready.


text:
I and the men who are with me will march toward the city, and the men in the city will come out to fight us, just as they did before. Then we will ·turn and run away from [flee before] them.


text:
They will chase us away from the city, thinking we are running away from them as we did before. When we run away,


text:
come out from your ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give ·you the power to win [it into your hand].


text:
Then Joshua sent them to wait in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed the night ·with his [among the] people.


text:
Early the next morning Joshua ·gathered his men together [mustered the army]. He and the ·older leaders [elders] of Israel led them up to Ai.


text:
All of the soldiers who were with Joshua marched up to Ai and stopped in front of the city and made camp north of it. There was a valley between them and the city.


text:
Then Joshua chose about five thousand men and set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai.


text:
So the people took their positions; the main camp was north of the city, and the ·other men [rear guard; ambush] were hiding to the west. That night Joshua went down into the valley.


text:
Now when the king of Ai saw the army of Israel, he and his people got up early the next morning and hurried out to fight them. They went out to ·a place east of the city [or the meeting/appointed place near the Arabah/desert plain], but the king did not know soldiers were waiting in ambush behind the city.


text:
Joshua and all the men of Israel ·let the army of Ai push them back [pretended to be defeated]. Then they ran toward the ·desert [wilderness].


text:
All the men in Ai were called to chase Joshua and his men, so they ·left the city and went after them [were lured away from the city].


text:
All the men of Ai and Bethel chased the army of Israel [nearby Bethel must have been closely allied with Ai]. The city was left ·open [unguarded]; not a man ·stayed to protect it [was left in Ai or Bethel].


text:
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold ·your spear [the spear/javelin that is in your hand] toward Ai, because I will give ·you that city [it into your hand].” So Joshua held ·his spear [the spear/javelin that was in his hand] toward the city of Ai.


text:
When the Israelites who were in ambush saw this, they quickly came out of their hiding place and hurried toward the city. They entered the city, ·took control of [captured] it, and quickly set it on fire.


text:
When the men of Ai looked back, ·they saw [look; behold] smoke rising [into the sky] from their city. At the same time the Israelites stopped running and turned against ·the men of Ai [their pursuers], who could not escape in any direction.


text:
When Joshua and all ·his men [Israel] saw that the ·army [men in ambush] had taken control of the city and saw the smoke rising from it, they stopped running and turned to ·fight [strike down] the men of Ai.


text:
The men who were in ambush also came out of the city to help with the fight. So the men of Ai were caught between the armies of Israel. None of the enemy escaped. The Israelites ·fought [struck them down] until not one of the men of Ai ·was left alive [either survived or escaped], except


text:
A Review of the Fighting During the fighting the army of Israel chased the men of Ai into the fields and ·desert [wilderness] and killed all of them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there.


text:
Joshua ·had held his spear toward Ai, as a sign to destroy the city, and did not draw it back [did not draw back the hand that held his spear/javelin] until all the people of Ai were ·destroyed [devoted to destruction; ; ].


text:
The people of Israel kept for themselves the animals and the ·other things the people of Ai had owned [plunder of the city], as the Lord had commanded Joshua to do.


text:
Then Joshua burned the city of Ai and made it [permanently; forever] a pile of ruins. And it is still like that today.


text:
Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening [an act of humiliation and shame; ]. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s body down from the tree and to throw it down at the city gate. Then they covered it with a pile of rocks [], which is still there today.


text:
Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]. Joshua built the altar as it was explained in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of Moses. It was made from ·uncut [whole] stones; no tool was ever used on them. On that altar the Israelites offered burnt offerings [] to the Lord and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [].


text:
There Joshua ·wrote [made a copy of] the teachings of Moses on stones for all the ·people [sons; children] of Israel to see.


text:
The elders, officers, judges, and all the Israelites were there; ·Israelites and non-Israelites [native-born and foreigners] were all standing around the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant of] the Lord in front of the priests, the Levites who had carried the Ark. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Ebal, and half stood in front of Mount Gerizim. This was the way the Lord’s servant Moses had earlier commanded the people to be blessed [; ].


text:
Then Joshua read all the words of the ·teachings [law; instruction], the blessings and the curses, exactly as they were written in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law].


text:
All the Israelites were gathered together—men, women, and children—along with the ·non-Israelites [foreigners] who lived among them. Joshua read every ·command [word] that Moses had given.


text:
The Gibeonite Trickery All the kings ·west of [beyond] the Jordan River heard about these things: the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They lived in the ·mountains [hill country] and ·on the western foothills [or in the lowlands/Shephelah] and along the whole ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea coast.


text:
When the ·people [inhabitants] of Gibeon heard ·how Joshua had defeated [what Joshua had done to] Jericho and Ai,


text:
they decided to trick the Israelites. They gathered old sacks and old ·leather wine bags [wineskins] that were cracked and mended, and they put them on the backs of their donkeys.


text:
They put ·old [worn and patched] sandals on their feet and wore ·old [ragged] clothes, and they took some dry, ·moldy [or crumbling] bread.


text:
Then they went to Joshua in the camp near Gilgal []. The men said to Joshua and the ·Israelites [men of Israel], “We have traveled from a faraway country. Make a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with us.”


text:
The ·Israelites [men of Israel] said to these Hivites, “Maybe you live near us. How can we make a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you []?”


text:
The Hivites said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” But Joshua asked, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”


text:
The men answered, “We are your servants who have come from a far country, because we heard of the ·fame [reputation; name] of the Lord your God. We heard about what he has done and everything he did in Egypt.


text:
We heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites ·from the east side of [who were beyond] the Jordan River—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan who ·ruled [was] in Ashtaroth.


text:
So our elders and ·our people [all the inhabitants of our country] said to us, ‘Take ·food [provisions] for your journey and go and meet ·the Israelites [them]. Tell them, “We are your servants. Make a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with us.” ’


text:
“Look at our bread. On the day we left home to come to you it was warm and fresh, but now [look; behold] it is dry and ·moldy [or crumbling].


text:
Look at our ·leather wine bags [wineskins]. They were new and filled with wine, but now they ·are cracked and old [are ripped; or have burst]. Our clothes and sandals are worn out from the long journey.”


text:
The men of Israel ·tasted [or examined; took some of] the bread, but they did not ·ask the Lord what to do [seek the Lord’s guidance].


text:
So Joshua agreed to make peace with the Gibeonites and to let them live. And the leaders of the Israelites ·swore an oath to keep the agreement [swore to them].


text:
Three days after they had made the ·agreement [covenant; treaty], the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites ·lived nearby [were neighbors and lived in their midst].


text:
So the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] went to where they lived and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.


text:
But the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did not attack those cities, because they had ·made a promise [sworn] to them before the Lord, the God of Israel. ·All the Israelites [The whole assembly/congregation] grumbled against the leaders.


text:
But [all] the leaders answered, “We ·have given our promise [swore (an oath)] before the Lord, the God of Israel, so we cannot ·attack [touch] them now.


text:
This is what we must do. We must let them live. Otherwise, ·God’s anger [wrath] will ·be against [come upon] us for breaking the oath we swore to them.


text:
So let them live, but they will cut wood and carry water for ·our people [the whole congregation].” ·So the leaders kept their promise to them [or…as the leaders had decided].


text:
Joshua called for the Gibeonites and asked, “Why did you ·lie to [deceive; trick] us? ·Your land was near our camp [You live among us], but you told us you were from a far country.


text:
Now, you will be placed under a curse to ·be our slaves [never cease being slaves/servants]. You will have to cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.”


text:
The Gibeonites answered Joshua, “We lied to you because we were afraid you would kill us. ·We heard [It was clearly/with certainty reported to your servants] that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all of this land and to ·kill [destroy] all the people who lived in it []. That is why we did this.


text:
Now [look; behold] ·you can decide what [we are in your hands] to do with us, whatever you think is right.”


text:
but he made the Gibeonites slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelites, and they did it for the altar of the Lord—·wherever he chose it to be [at the place that he would choose; ; ]. They are still doing this today [].


text:
The Sun Stands Still At this time Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had ·defeated [captured] Ai and ·completely destroyed it [devoted it to destruction; ; ], doing to Ai and its king as he had also done to Jericho and its king. The king also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Israel and that they ·lived nearby [were living among them; or had become allies].


text:
Adoni-Zedek and his people were very afraid because of this. Gibeon was not a little town like Ai; it was a ·large [great; important] city, ·as big as a city that had a king [like one of the royal cities], and all its men were good fighters.


text:
So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent a message to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon [five major cities in the southern mountains]. He begged them,


text:
“Come with me and help me attack Gibeon, which has made a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Joshua and the Israelites.”


text:
Then these five Amorite kings—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—gathered their armies, went to Gibeon, surrounded it, and attacked it.


text:
The Gibeonites sent this message to Joshua in his camp at Gilgal []: “Don’t ·let us, your servants, be destroyed [abandon your servants]. Come quickly and help us! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the mountains have joined their armies and are fighting against us.”


text:
The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of those armies, because I will ·hand them over to you [give them into your hand]. None of them will be able to stand against you.”


text:
The Lord ·confused those armies [threw them into a panic] when Israel attacked, so Israel defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. They chased them along the road going up to Beth Horon and ·killed men [struck them down] all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.


text:
As they chased the enemy down the Beth Horon Pass to Azekah, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the ·sky [heavens] and killed them. More people were killed by the hailstones than by the Israelites’ swords.


text:
On the day that the Lord gave up the Amorites to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], Joshua stood before all the people of Israel and said to the Lord: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon. Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon.”


text:
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the ·people [nation] ·defeated [took vengeance on] their enemies. ·These words are [Is this not…?] written in the ·Book [Scroll] of Jashar [meaning “Upright One”; an extrabiblical account of Israel’s wars, now lost; ]. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and waited to go down for a full day.


text:
·That has never happened at any time [There has been no day like it] before that day or since. That was the day the Lord listened to a human being. Truly the Lord was fighting for Israel!


text:
So he said, “·Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks [Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave]. Put some men there to guard it,


text:
but don’t stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don’t let them get to their cities, because the Lord your God will ·hand them over to you [give them into your hand].”


text:
So Joshua and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·killed the enemy [finished slaying them with a very great slaughter], but a ·few [remnant; few survivors] were able to get back to their strong, walled cities.


text:
After the fighting, Joshua’s men came back safely to him at Makkedah. No one ·was brave enough to say a word against [or suffered even a scratch on his tongue; the Hebrew idiom “sharpened/scratched his tongue” may mean to threaten with words or to suffer a minor injury] the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


text:
Joshua said, “Move the ·rocks that are covering the opening [mouth] of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.”


text:
So Joshua’s men brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.


text:
When they brought the five kings out to Joshua, he called for all his men. He said to the commanders of his army, “Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came close and put their feet on their necks [a gesture of triumph and dominance; ; ].


text:
Joshua said to his men, “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid or ·discouraged [dismayed; ; ], because I will show you what the Lord will do to the enemies you will fight in the future.”


text:
Then Joshua killed the five kings and hung their bodies on five trees [an act of humiliation and shame; ], where he left them until evening.


text:
At sunset Joshua ·told [commanded] his men to take the bodies down from the trees. Then they threw them into the same cave where they had been hiding and covered the opening of the cave with large rocks, which are still there today.


text:
That day Joshua ·defeated [captured] Makkedah. He killed the king and ·completely destroyed [devoted to destruction; ; ; ] all the people in that city as an offering to the Lord; no one was left alive. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.


text:
Defeating Southern Cities Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.


text:
The Lord handed over the city and its king. They ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] every person in the city; no one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king that they had done to the king of Jericho.


text:
Then Joshua and all the Israelites left Libnah and went to Lachish, which they ·surrounded [took up positions against; besieged] and attacked.


text:
The Lord ·handed over Lachish [gave Lachish into their hand] on the second day. The Israelites ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] everyone in that city just as they had done to Libnah.


text:
During this same time Horam king of Gezer came to help Lachish, but Joshua also defeated him and his army; no one was left alive.


text:
Then Joshua and all the Israelites went from Lachish to Eglon. They ·surrounded [took up positions against; besieged] Eglon, attacked it, and


text:
captured it the same day. They ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] all its people and ·completely destroyed [devoted to destruction; ; ] everything in it as an offering to the Lord, just as they had done to Lachish.


text:
capturing it and all the little towns near it. The Israelites ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] its king, its surrounding towns, and everyone in Hebron; no one was left alive there. Just as they had done to Eglon, they ·completely destroyed [devoted to destruction; ; ] the city and all its people as an offering to the Lord.


text:
They captured that city, its king, and all the little towns near it, ·completely destroying [striking with the edge of the sword and devoting to destruction; ] everyone in Debir as an offering to the Lord; no one was left alive there. Israel did to Debir and its king just as they had done to Libnah and its king, just as they had done to Hebron.


text:
So Joshua ·defeated [struck down] ·all the kings of the cities of these areas [the whole region/land]: the ·mountains [hill country], ·southern Canaan [the Negev], the ·western foothills [lowlands; Shephelah], and the slopes [and all their kings]. The Lord, the God of Israel, had ·told [commanded] Joshua to ·completely destroy [devote to destruction; ; ] all ·the people [that breathed] as an offering to the Lord, so he left no one alive in those places.


text:
He captured all these cities and their kings ·on one trip [in one campaign; at one time], because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel.


text:
Defeating Northern Kings When Jabin king of Hazor [the largest and best fortified of the Canaanite cities] heard about all that had happened, he sent messages to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Acshaph.


text:
He sent messages to the kings in the northern ·mountains [hill country] and also to the kings in the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah] south of ·Lake Galilee [Kinnereth] and in the ·western foothills [lowlands; Shephelah]. He sent a message to the king of ·Naphoth [or the heights of] Dor in the west [the coastal plain south of Mount Carmel]


text:
and to the kings of the Canaanites in the east and in the west. He sent messages to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the ·mountains [hill country]. Jabin also sent one to the Hivites, who lived below Mount Hermon in the area of Mizpah [a coalition of the northern cities of Palestine].


text:
So the armies of all these kings came together with their horses and chariots [a great challenge to the Israelites, who only had foot soldiers]. There were as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore [].


text:
All of these kings met together at the waters of Merom [probably modern Meirun, eight miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee], joined their armies together into one camp, and made plans to fight against the Israelites.


text:
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will ·cripple [hamstring] their horses and burn all their chariots.”


text:
The Lord ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] Israel. They chased them to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Valley of Mizpah in the east [locations north and west of the battle]. Israel fought until none of the enemy was left alive.


text:
Joshua did what the Lord said to do; he ·crippled [hamstrung] their horses and burned their chariots [Israel did not take the horses and chariots to use themselves, in order to show their trust in God; ].


text:
Then Joshua went back and captured the city of Hazor and ·killed [struck with the sword] its king. (Hazor had been the leader of all the kingdoms that fought against Israel.)


text:
Israel ·killed [struck with the sword] everyone in Hazor, ·completely destroying them [devoting them to destruction; ; ]; no one was left ·alive [that breathed]. Then they burned Hazor itself.


text:
Joshua captured all of these cities, ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] all of their kings, and ·completely destroyed [devoted to destruction; ] everything in these cities. He did this just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded.


text:
But the Israelites did not burn any cities that were built on their mounds [so Israel could immediately occupy these strategically important cities; ], except Hazor; only that city was burned by Joshua.


text:
The ·people [sons; children] of Israel kept for themselves ·everything [the plunder/spoil] they found in the cities, including all the animals. But they ·killed [struck with the edge of the sword] all the people there; they left no one ·alive [that breathed].


text:
Long ago the Lord had commanded his servant Moses to do this, and then Moses had commanded Joshua to do it [; ]. Joshua ·did everything [left nothing undone that] the Lord had commanded Moses.


text:
So Joshua defeated all the people in the land [a general statement, since not every city was taken; ; ]. He had control of the mountains and ·the area of southern Canaan [all the Negev], all the areas of Goshen, the ·western foothills [lowlands; Shephelah], and the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah]. He controlled the ·mountains [hill country] of Israel and ·all the hills near them [or its lowlands/Shephelah].


text:
·Joshua controlled all the land from […from] Mount Halak near ·Edom [Seir] to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon, below Mount Hermon. Joshua also captured all the kings in the land and killed them.


text:
The people of only one city in all the land had made a peace ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Israel—the Hivites living in Gibeon. All the other cities were defeated in war.


text:
The Lord ·made those people stubborn [hardened their hearts; ] so they would fight against Israel and ·he could completely destroy them [would be devoted to destruction; ; ] without mercy. This is what the Lord had commanded Moses to do.


text:
Now Joshua fought the Anakites [or Anakim; ] who lived in the ·mountains [hill country] of Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel, and he completely destroyed them and their towns.


text:
There were no Anakites left living in the land of the Israelites ·and only a few were left [or though some remained] in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.


text:
Joshua took control of all the ·land of Israel [land] as the Lord had ·told Moses to do [or promised Moses] long ago. He gave the land to Israel, ·because he had promised it to them [as an inheritance]. ·Then Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel […according to their tribal divisions], and ·there was peace in the land [the land had rest from war].


text:
Kings Defeated by Israel The Israelites took control of the land east of the Jordan River from the Arnon ·Ravine [Gorge; Valley; enters the middle of Dead Sea from the east] to Mount Hermon [in the far north] and all the land along the eastern side of the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah]. These ·lands belonged to the kings [were the kings of the land] whom the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] defeated.


text:
Sihon king of the Amorites [; ; ; ] ·lived in [or ruled] the city of Heshbon and ruled the land from Aroer ·at [or on the edge/rim of] the Arnon ·Ravine [Gorge; Valley] to the Jabbok River [flows from the northeast into the Jordan about 20 miles north of the Dead Sea]. His land started in the middle of the ravine, which was their border with the Ammonites. Sihon ruled over half the land of Gilead [the region east of the Jordan between Galilee and just north of the Dead Sea]


text:
and over the eastern side of the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah] from Lake ·Galilee [Kinnereth] to the ·Dead Sea [Sea of Arabah, the Salt Sea]. And he ruled from Beth Jeshimoth south to the slopes of Pisgah [].


text:
Og king of Bashan was one of the ·last [remnant] of the Rephaites. He ·ruled [or lived in] the land in Ashtaroth and Edrei [cities east and southeast of Galilee].


text:
He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, and all the area of Bashan [east and northeast of Galilee] up to ·where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived [the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites]. Og also ruled half the land of Gilead up to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.


text:
The Lord’s servant Moses and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] defeated all these kings, and Moses gave that land to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh as their own [; ].


text:
Joshua and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] also defeated kings in the land west of the Jordan River. He gave the people the land ·and divided it among the twelve tribes to be their own [according to their tribal divisions]. It was between Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon [the far north] and Mount Halak near ·Edom [Seir; the far south].


text:
This included the ·mountains [hill country], the ·western foothills [lowlands; Shephelah], the ·Jordan Valley [Arabah], the slopes, the ·desert [wilderness], and ·southern Canaan [the Negev]. This was the land where the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had lived. The Israelites defeated the king of each of the following cities:


text:
Land Still to Be Taken When Joshua was very old, the Lord said to him, “Joshua, you have grown old, but there is still much land for you to ·take [possess; conquer].


text:
This is what is left: the regions of Geshur and of the Philistines [the southern coastline along the Mediterranean Sea];


text:
the area from the Shihor River [Wadi el-Arish located below Gaza] ·at the border [east; in front] of Egypt ·to [to the border of] Ekron in the north, which ·belongs to the Canaanites [is regarded/counted as Canaanite]; the five Philistine ·leaders [rulers; lords] at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the Avvites,


text:
·who live south of the Canaanite land, from Arah of the Sidonians [the people of the northern coastal plains] to Aphek, to the border of the Amorites;


text:
the ·Gebalites [inhabitants of the city of Byblos, located north of modern Beirut], and the area of Lebanon east of Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.


text:
“The Sidonians are living in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, but I will ·force [drive] all of them out ahead of the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]. Be sure to ·remember this land when you divide the land among the Israelites [allocate this land to Israel as an inheritance], as I ·told [commanded] you.


text:
“Now divide the land ·among [as an inheritance among] the nine tribes and ·West [the half-tribe of] Manasseh.”


text:
Dividing the Land ·East Manasseh and [With it; referring to the other half-tribe of Manasseh] the tribes of Reuben and Gad had received their ·land [inheritance]. The Lord’s servant Moses had given them the land east of the Jordan River [].


text:
·Their land started at [From] Aroer at the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; ] ·and continued to [or including] the town in the middle of the ravine, and it included the whole ·plain [or plateau] from Medeba to Dibon.


text:
All the towns ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in the city of Heshbon, were in that land. The land continued to the area where the Ammonites lived.


text:
Gilead [] was also there, as well as the area where the people of Geshur and Maacah lived, and all of Mount Hermon and Bashan as far as Salecah.


text:
All the kingdom of Og king of Bashan was in the land []. Og was ·one of the last [from the remnant] of the Rephaites, and in the past he ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had ·defeated [struck] them and had taken their land.


text:
Because the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did not ·force [drive] out the people of Geshur and Maacah, they still live among the Israelites today.


text:
The tribe of Levi was the only one that ·did not get any land [he gave no inheritance]. Instead, they were given all the burned sacrifices [a portion of the food offerings] made to the Lord, the God of Israel, as he had promised them [; ; ].


text:
Theirs was the land from Aroer near the Arnon ·Ravine [Valley; ] to the town of Medeba, including the whole plain and the town in the middle of the ·ravine [valley];


text:
So that land included all the towns on the plain and all the area that Sihon king of the Amorites had ruled from the town of Heshbon. Moses had defeated him along with the leaders of the Midianites, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All these ·leaders [princes] ·fought together with [or were subjects of] Sihon and lived in that country.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·killed [slayed with the sword] many people during the fighting, including Balaam of Beor, who ·tried to use magic to tell the future [practiced divination; ].


text:
The land given to Reuben stopped at the shore of the Jordan River. So the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben included all these towns and their villages.


text:
the land of Jazer and all the towns of Gilead; half the land of the Ammonites that went as far as Aroer near Rabbah;


text:
in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the ·other land [rest of the kingdom] Sihon king of Heshbon had ruled east of the Jordan River and continuing to the end of Lake ·Galilee [Kinnereth].


text:
·All this land went to [This is the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Gad, including all these towns and their villages.


text:
This is the land Moses had given to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Half of all the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Manasseh were given this land:


text:
The land started at Mahanaim and included all of Bashan [] and the land ruled by Og king of Bashan; all the towns of Jair in Bashan, sixty cities in all;


text:
half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities where Og king of Bashan had ruled. All this went to the ·family [or descendants; children/sons] of Makir son of Manasseh, and half of all his ·sons [descendants] were given this land.


text:
Moses had given this land to these tribes on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River east of Jericho [, ].


text:
But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi because the Lord, the God of Israel, promised that he himself would be the gift for the Levites [; ; ; ].


text:
Eleazar the priest [the son of Aaron; ; ], Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [heads of the fathers] of all the tribes of Israel decided what land to give to the people in the land of Canaan.


text:
The Lord had commanded Moses long ago how he wanted the people to choose their land. The people of the nine-and-a-half tribes threw lots [casting lots left the decision to God; the Urim and Thummim may have been used; ; ] to decide which land they would receive.


text:
Moses had already given the two-and-a-half tribes their land east of the Jordan River. But the tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance] like the others.


text:
The sons of Joseph had ·divided into [become] two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was not given any ·land [inheritance]. It was given only some towns in which to live and pastures for its ·animals [cattle and property].


text:
The Lord had told Moses how to give the land to the tribes of Israel, and the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] divided the land.


text:
Caleb’s Land One day ·some men from the tribe of Judah [the sons/descendants of Judah] went to Joshua at Gilgal []. Among them was Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. He said to Joshua, “You remember what the Lord said at Kadesh Barnea when he was speaking to ·the prophet Moses [Moses, the man of God] about you and me [, , ].


text:
Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me to ·look at [spy out] the land where we were going. I was forty years old then. When I came back, I ·told Moses what I thought about the land [brought back an honest report; brought him word as it was in my heart; ].


text:
The other men who went with me ·frightened the people [made the heart of the people melt; ; ], but I ·fully believed the Lord would allow us to take the land [or remained loyal to the Lord; followed the Lord].


text:
So that day Moses ·promised [swore to; made an oath to] me, ‘The land where ·you went [your foot has trodden] will become your ·land [inheritance], and your children will own it forever. I will give you that land because you ·fully believed in [or remained loyal to; followed] the Lord, my God.’


text:
“Now then, [look; behold] the Lord has kept his promise. He has kept me alive for forty-five years from the time he said this to Moses during the time ·we all [Israel] wandered in the ·desert [wilderness]. Now ·here [look; behold] I am, eighty-five years old.


text:
I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out, ·and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then [my strength then is like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in].


text:
So give me the mountain country the Lord promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that the ·Anakite people [Anakim] lived there and the cities were large and well protected. But now with the Lord helping me, I will ·force [drive] them out, just as the Lord said.”


text:
Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him the city of Hebron [southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean hills] as his ·own [inheritance].


text:
Hebron still ·belongs to [remains the inheritance of] the family of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he ·had faith and obeyed [remained loyal to; wholly followed] the Lord, the God of Israel.


text:
(In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba, named for Arba, the greatest man among the Anakites.) After this ·there was peace in the land [the land had rest from war].


text:
Land for Judah The ·land that was given to [allotment for] the tribe of Judah was divided among all the ·family groups [clans]. It went all the way to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin in the far south, at the border of Edom.


text:
and went south of ·Scorpion Pass [or the ascent of Akrabbim] to Zin. From there it passed to the south of Kadesh Barnea and continued past Hezron to Addar. From Addar it turned and went to Karka.


text:
It continued to Azmon, the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt, and then to the ·Mediterranean Sea [Sea]. This was the southern border.


text:
The eastern border was the shore of the ·Dead [Salt] Sea, as far as the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border started at the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan River.


text:
Then ·the northern border went [the border went up] through the Valley of Achor to Debir where it turned toward the north and went to Gilgal. Gilgal is ·across from the road that goes through [opposite] Adummim Pass, on the south side of the ·ravine [valley; gorge]. The border continued to the waters of En Shemesh and stopped at En Rogel.


text:
Then it went through the Valley of ·Ben [the Son of] Hinnom, next to the southern ·side [slope] of the Jebusite city (·which is called [that is,] Jerusalem). There the border went to the top of the hill on the west side of Hinnom Valley, at the northern end of the Valley of ·Giants [Raphaim].


text:
From there it went to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah and then it went to the cities near Mount Ephron. There it turned and went toward Baalah, ·which is called [that is,] Kiriath Jearim.


text:
At Baalah the border turned west and went toward Mount Seir. It continued along the ·north side [northern slope] of Mount Jearim (also called Kesalon) and ·came [or descended] to Beth Shemesh. From there it ·went past [or crossed to] Timnah


text:
to the ·hill north [northern slope] of Ekron. Then it turned toward Shikkeron and ·went past [or crossed to] Mount Baalah and continued on to Jabneel, ending at the sea.


text:
The ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea was the western border. Inside these borders lived the ·family groups [clans] of Judah.


text:
The Lord had commanded Joshua to give Caleb son of Jephunneh ·part of the land [a portion] in Judah, so he gave Caleb the town of Kiriath Arba, ·also called [that is,] Hebron []. (Arba was the father of Anak.)


text:
Caleb ·forced [drove] out the three ·Anakite families [sons of Anak] living in Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.


text:
Then he left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.)


text:
Caleb said, “I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.”


text:
Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife.


text:
When Acsah came to ·Othniel [him; could be Othniel or Caleb], she ·told him to ask [or asked] her father for a field. So Acsah went to her father. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”


text:
Acsah answered, “·Do me a special favor [Give me a blessing]. Since you have given me land in ·southern Canaan [the Negev], also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.


text:
·The tribe of Judah got the land God had promised them [This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah]. ·Each family group got part of the land […according to its clans].


text:
The tribe of Judah got all these towns in the ·southern part of Canaan [extreme south; Negev] near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,


text:
Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (also called Gederothaim). There were fourteen towns and their villages.


text:
Ashdod and the small towns and villages around it; the villages and small towns around Gaza as far as the ·brook [stream; wadi] of Egypt and along the coast of the ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea.


text:
They were also given the two towns of Rabbah and Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim) and their villages.


text:
The ·army [people; sons] of Judah was not able to ·force [drive] out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites still live among the people of Judah to this day.


text:
Land for Ephraim and Manasseh This is the ·land [allotment] the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Joseph received. It started at the Jordan River near Jericho and continued to the ·waters [springs] of Jericho, just east of the city. The border went up from Jericho to the ·mountains [hill country] of Bethel [located northwest of Jersusalem].


text:
Then it continued from Bethel ·(also called Luz) [or to Luz] ·to [crossing over to] the Arkite border at Ataroth.


text:
From there it went west to the ·border [territory] of the Japhletites and continued to the area of the Lower Beth Horon. Then it went to Gezer and ended at the sea.


text:
This is the land that was given to the ·family groups [clans] of Ephraim: Their border [of their inheritance] started at Ataroth Addar in the east, went to Upper Beth Horon,


text:
and then to the sea. From Micmethath [on the north] it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and ·continued eastward [or passing by it on the east] to Janoah.


text:
Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah. It continued until it touched Jericho and stopped at the Jordan River.


text:
The border went from Tappuah west to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook] and ended at the sea. This is all the ·land [inheritance] that was given to each ·family group [clan] in the tribe of the Ephraimites.


text:
·Many of the towns were actually within Manasseh’s borders, but the people of Ephraim got those towns and their villages […and the cities set apart for the sons of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages].


text:
The Ephraimites could not ·force the Canaanites to leave [drive out the Canaanites living in] Gezer, so the Canaanites still live among the Ephraimites today, but they became ·slaves [forced laborers] of the Ephraimites.


text:
Then land was ·given [allotted] to the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s ·first son [firstborn; ]. Manasseh’s ·first son [firstborn] was Makir [], the ·father of Gilead [or ancestor of the Gileadites]. ·Makir was a great soldier [or His descendants were great solders], so the lands of Gilead and Bashan were given to his family.


text:
·Land [An allotment] was also given to the other ·family groups of Manasseh [sons/descendants of Manasseh, by their clans]—[the sons/descendants of] Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were ·all the other sons [the male descendants] of Manasseh son of Joseph.


text:
Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, who was the son of Gilead, who was the son of Makir, who was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad had no sons, but he had five daughters, named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


text:
They ·went to [presented themselves before] Eleazar the priest [; ; ] and to Joshua son of Nun and all the leaders. They said, “The Lord told Moses to give us land ·like the men received [among/or along with our brothers; ; ].” So ·Eleazar [or Joshua; he] obeyed the Lord and gave the daughters ·some land [an inheritance], ·just like [or among] the brothers of their father.


text:
So the tribe of Manasseh had ten sections of land ·west of the Jordan River and two more sections, [in addition to] Gilead and Bashan [], on the east side of the Jordan River.


text:
The daughters of Manasseh received ·land just as the sons did [an inheritance among/along with his sons]. Gilead was given to the rest of the ·families [sons; descendants] of Manasseh.


text:
The ·lands [border] of Manasseh ·were in the area between Asher and [ran from Asher to] Micmethath, ·near [or east of] Shechem. The border went south to the ·En Tappuah area [inhabitants of En Tappuah],


text:
which belonged to Manasseh, except for the town of Tappuah. It was along the border of Manasseh’s land and belonged to the ·sons [people; tribe] of Ephraim.


text:
The border of Manasseh continued south to Kanah ·Ravine [Valley; or Brook]. The cities in this area of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the ravine and went to the sea.


text:
The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north belonged to Manasseh. The ·Mediterranean Sea [sea] was the western border. The border touched Asher’s land on the north and Issachar’s land on the east.


text:
In the areas of Issachar and Asher, the people of Manasseh ·owned [included; had] these towns: Beth ·Shan [or Shean] and its small towns; Ibleam and its small towns; the people who lived in Dor and its small towns; the people in ·Naphoth Dor [or Dor, that is, Naphoth; Dor…the third is Naphoth] and its small towns; the people who lived in Taanach and its small towns; the people in Megiddo and its small towns.


text:
·Manasseh [The sons/descendants of Manasseh] was not able to defeat those cities, so the Canaanites ·continued [persisted; were determined] to live there.


text:
When the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] grew strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, although they did not ·force them to leave the land [drive them out completely; ].


text:
The ·people from the tribes [sons/descendants] of Joseph said to Joshua, “You gave ·us [me] only one ·area of land [portion as an inheritance], but ·we are many [I am a great] people. Why did you give us only one part of all the land the Lord gave his people?”


text:
And Joshua answered them, “If you have too many people, go up to the forest and ·make a place [clear out land] for yourselves to live there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaites. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is too small for you.”


text:
The ·people [sons/descendants] of Joseph said, “It is true. The ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim is not enough for us, but the Canaanites who live in the valley have ·strong armies [iron chariots], both in Beth Shan and all the small towns in that area, and in the Valley of Jezreel.”


text:
Then Joshua said to the ·people [house] of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “There are many of you, and you have great power. You should be given more than one ·share of land [allotment].


text:
You also will have the ·mountain [hill] country. It is a forest, but you can ·cut down the trees and make it a good place to live [clear it and possess its farthest border]. You will own all of it because you will ·force the Canaanites to leave the land [drive out the Canaanites] even though they have ·powerful weapons [iron chariots] and are strong.”


text:
The Rest of the Land Divided All of the Israelites [the whole congregation of the sons/children of Israel] gathered together at Shiloh where they set up the Meeting Tent []. The land was now under their control.


text:
So Joshua said to the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel]: “·Why do you wait so long [How long will you delay] to take your land? The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given this land to you.


text:
Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to study the land. They will ·describe in writing [or make a map of] the land their tribe wants as its ·share [inheritance], and then they will come back to me.


text:
They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will keep their land in the south, and the ·people [house] of Joseph will keep their land in the north.


text:
You should ·describe [or map out] the seven parts of land in writing and bring what you have written to me. Then I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord our God.


text:
But the Levites do not ·get any part of these lands [have an allotment among you], because ·they are priests, and their work is to serve [their portion/inheritance is the priesthood of] the Lord. Gad, Reuben, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh have received the ·land [inheritance] promised to them, which is east of the Jordan River. Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave it to them [].”


text:
So the men who were chosen to map the land started out. Joshua told them, “Go and study the land and describe it in writing. Then come back to me, and I will ·throw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh.”


text:
So the men left and ·went into [passed through] the land. They ·described [mapped out] in a scroll each town in the seven parts of the land. Then they came back to Joshua, who was still at the camp at Shiloh.


text:
There Joshua ·threw [cast] lots in the presence of the Lord to ·choose [apportion] the lands that should be given to each tribe.


text:
Land for Benjamin The first ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Benjamin. Each ·family group [clan] received some land between the land of Judah and the land of Joseph. This is the land chosen for Benjamin:


text:
The northern border started at the Jordan River and went along the northern ·edge [slope] of Jericho, and then it went west into the ·mountains [hill country]. That boundary continued ·until it was just east [to the desert/wilderness] of Beth Aven.


text:
From there it ·went [crossed] south to Luz (also called Bethel) and then down to Ataroth Addar, which is on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.


text:
At the hill to the south of Beth Horon, the border turned and went south near the western side of the hill. It went to Kiriath Baal (also called Kiriath Jearim), a town ·where people of Judah lived [of the sons/descendants of Judah]. This was the western border.


text:
The southern border started ·near [at the edge of] Kiriath Jearim and went west to the ·waters [spring] of Nephtoah.


text:
Then ·it [the boundary] went down to the bottom of the hill, which was near the Valley of Ben Hinnom, on the north side of the Valley of Rephaim. The border continued down the Hinnom Valley just south of the Jebusite city to En Rogel.


text:
There it turned north and went to En Shemesh. It continued to Geliloth ·near [opposite] the Adummim Pass. Then it went down to the ·great Stone [Stone] of Bohan son of Reuben.


text:
The border continued to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Arabah and went down into the ·Jordan Valley [or Arabah].


text:
From there it went to the northern ·part [slope] of Beth Hoglah and ended at the north shore of the ·Dead [Salt] Sea, ·where the Jordan River flows into the sea [at the mouth of the Jordan in the south]. This was the southern border.


text:
The Jordan River was the border on the eastern side. So this was the ·land [inheritance] given to the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin with the borders on all sides.


text:
Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen towns and their villages. All these areas are the lands the ·family groups [clans] of Benjamin were given.


text:
Land for Simeon The second ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Simeon. Each ·family group [clan] received some of the land ·inside the area [in the midst of the inheritance of the sons/descendants] of Judah.


text:
They also received all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (this is the same as Ramah in ·southern Canaan [the Negev]). So ·these were the lands given to [this was the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] in the tribe of Simeon.


text:
The land of the Simeonites was taken from part of the land of Judah. Since Judah had much more land than they needed, the Simeonites received ·part of their land [their inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance].


text:
Land for Zebulun The third ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Zebulun [in southwestern Galilee, north of West Manasseh and east of the coastal tribe of Asher]. Each ·family group [clan] of Zebulun received some of the land. The border of Zebulun went as far as Sarid.


text:
Then it went west to Maralah and ·came near [touched] Dabbesheth and then ·near [the brook/valley in front of/east of] Jokneam.


text:
Then it turned ·to the east [eastward toward the sunrise]. It went from Sarid to the area of Kisloth Tabor and on to Daberath and ·to [up to] Japhia.


text:
It continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin, ending at Rimmon. There the border turned and went toward Neah.


text:
At Neah it turned again and went to the north to Hannathon and continued to the Valley of Iphtah El.


text:
Inside this border were the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.


text:
Land for Issachar The fourth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Issachar [in southern Galilee, southeast of Zebulun and north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Issachar received some of the land.


text:
The border of their land touched the area called Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh and stopped at the Jordan River. There were sixteen towns and their villages.


text:
These cities and towns were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of Issachar.


text:
Land for Asher The fifth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the tribe of Asher [along the Mediterranean coast north of East Manasseh]. Each ·family group [clan] of Asher received some of the land.


text:
Then it turned east and went to Beth Dagon, touching Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El. Then it went north of Beth Emek and Neiel and passed north to Cabul.


text:
Then the border went back south toward Ramah and continued to the ·strong, walled [fortified] city of Tyre. There it turned and went toward Hosah, ending at the sea. This was in the area of Aczib,


text:
These cities and their villages were part of the ·land that was given to [inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [the sons/descendants of] Asher.


text:
Land for Naphtali The sixth ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Naphtali [east and north of the Sea of Galilee]. Each ·family group [clan] of Naphtali received some of the land.


text:
The border of their land started at the ·large tree [oak] in Zaanannim, ·which is near [or in] Heleph. Then it went through Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan River.


text:
Then it went to the west through Aznoth Tabor and ·stopped at [extended to] Hukkok. It ·went to the area of [touched] Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah, at the Jordan River, on the east.


text:
The ·strong, walled [fortified] cities inside these borders were called Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,


text:
·Iron [or Yirom], Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and all their villages.


text:
The towns and the villages around them were ·in the land that was given to [the inheritance of] the ·family groups [clans] of [the sons/descendants of] Naphtali.


text:
Land for Dan The seventh ·part of the land [lot] was given to the ·tribe [sons; descendants] of Dan [between Ephraim and Judah along the Mediterranean coast]. Each ·family group [clan] of Dan received some of the land.


text:
(·But the Danites had trouble taking their land [When the territory of the sons/descendants of Dan was lost to them…]. They went and fought against Leshem [or Laish; in the far north between Naphtali and West Manasseh], defeated it, and ·killed the people who lived there [struck it with the edge of the sword]. So the Danites ·moved into [took possession and settled in] the town of Leshem and changed its name to Dan, because he was the father of their tribe.)


text:
Land for Joshua After ·the leaders [they] finished dividing the land and giving it to the different tribes, the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] gave Joshua son of Nun ·his land [an inheritance] also.


text:
They gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, just as the Lord commanded. He built up the town and lived there.


text:
So these ·lands [inheritances] were given to the different tribes of Israel. Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the ·leaders [heads of the fathers] of each tribe divided up the land by lots at Shiloh. They met in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent []. Now they were finished dividing the land.


text:
“Tell the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] to ·choose [designate] the special cities of ·safety [refuge], as I had Moses command you to do [].


text:
If a person kills someone accidentally and without meaning to kill him, that person may go to a city of ·safety [refuge] to hide. There the killer will be safe from the ·relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; avenger of blood].


text:
“When the killer ·runs [flees] to one of those cities, he must stop at the entrance ·gate [of the city gate], stand there, and tell the ·leaders of the people [elders of that city] what happened [the council of leaders met at the city gate and held trials there; ; ]. Then that person will be allowed to enter the city and will be given a place to live among them.


text:
But if the ·one who is chasing him [near-relative; avenger of blood] follows him to that city, ·the leaders of the city [they] must not hand over the ·killer [manslayer]. It was an accident. He did not hate him beforehand or kill him on purpose.


text:
·The killer [He] must stay in the city until ·a court comes to a decision [he stands before the congregation for judgment] and until the high priest dies [; the high priest’s death may have marked a general amnesty]. Then he may go back home to the town from which he ran away.”


text:
So the Israelites chose these cities to be cities of ·safety [refuge]: Kedesh in Galilee in the ·mountains [hill country] of Naphtali; Shechem in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah;


text:
Bezer ·on the east side of the Jordan River near [beyond the Jordan east of] Jericho in the ·desert [wilderness plain] in the land of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead in the land of Gad; and Golan in Bashan in the land of Manasseh.


text:
Any Israelite or ·anyone living among them [resident alien; sojourner] who killed someone accidentally was to be allowed to run to one of these cities of ·safety [refuge]. There he would not be killed, before he ·was judged [stood before the congregation], by the ·relative who had the duty of punishing a murderer [near-relative; avenger of blood].


text:
Towns for the Levites The heads of the ·Levite families [fathers of the Levites] went to talk to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the ·families [fathers] of all the tribes of Israel.


text:
At Shiloh in the land of Canaan, they said to them, “The Lord commanded Moses that you give us towns where we may live and pastures for our animals.”


text:
So the Israelites obeyed this command of the Lord and gave the Levite people these towns and pastures ·for their own land [from their own inheritance/possessions]:


text:
The Kohath ·family groups [clans] were part of the tribe of Levi [the three sons of Levi were Kohath, Gershom, and Merari; ; ]. Some of the Levites in the Kohath ·family groups [clans] were from the family of Aaron the priest. To these Levites were ·given [allotted; given by lot] thirteen towns in the areas of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.


text:
The ·other family groups [rest of the sons/descendants] of Kohath were given ten towns in the areas of Ephraim, Dan, and ·West [the half-tribe of] Manasseh.


text:
The ·people from the Gershon family groups [sons/descendants of Gershom] were given thirteen towns ·in the land [from the clans of the tribe] of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the East Manasseh in Bashan.


text:
The ·family groups [clans of the sons/descendants] of Merari were given twelve towns in the areas of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.


text:
So the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] gave the Levites these towns and the pastures around them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.


text:
These are the names of the towns that came from the ·lands [tribe of the sons/descendants] of Judah and Simeon.


text:
They gave them Kiriath Arba, also called Hebron, and all its pastures in the ·mountains [hill country] of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)


text:
But the fields and the villages around Kiriath Arba had been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh [as his possession].


text:
So they gave the city of Hebron to the descendants of Aaron (Hebron was a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]). They also gave them the towns of Libnah,


text:
Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, and all the pastures around them. Nine towns were given from these two tribes.


text:
·They also gave the people of Aaron these cities that belonged to [And from] the tribe of Benjamin: Gibeon, Geba,


text:
So these thirteen towns with their pastures were given to the priests, who were from the ·family [sons; descendants] of Aaron.


text:
The other Kohathite ·family groups [clans] of the Levites were ·given [allotted] these towns from the tribe of Ephraim:


text:
Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim (which was a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Gezer,


text:
·West [The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Taanach and Gath Rimmon and the pastures around these two towns.


text:
So these ten towns and the pastures around them were given to the rest of the Kohathite ·family groups [clans].


text:
The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] of the Levite tribe were given these towns: ·East [The half-tribe of] Manasseh gave them Golan in Bashan, which was a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer], and Be Eshtarah, and the pastures around these two towns.


text:
The tribe of Naphtali gave them Kedesh in Galilee (a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, and the pastures around these three towns.


text:
The Merarite ·family groups [clans] (the rest of the Levites) were given these towns: The tribe of Zebulun gave them Jokneam, Kartah,


text:
The tribe of Gad gave them Ramoth in Gilead (a city of ·safety [refuge for the killer/manslayer]), Mahanaim,


text:
A total of forty-eight towns with their pastures in the ·land [midst of the possession of the sons/children of Israel] of Israel were given to the Levites.


text:
So the Lord gave ·the people [Israel] all the land he had promised their ancestors. The people took the land and lived there.


text:
The Lord gave them ·peace [rest] on all sides, as he had ·promised [sworn to] their ancestors. None of their enemies ·defeated [could resist] them; the Lord handed all their enemies ·over to them [into their hands].


text:
Three Tribes Go Home Then Joshua called a meeting of the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [half-tribe of] Manasseh.


text:
He said to them, “You have done everything Moses, the Lord’s servant, told you to do. You have also obeyed ·all my commands [my voice in all I commanded you].


text:
For a long time you have ·supported [not abandoned/forsaken] the other Israelites. You have been careful to ·obey the commands [or carry out the task] the Lord your God gave you [].


text:
The Lord your God promised to give the Israelites ·peace [rest], and he has kept his promise. Now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you, ·on the east side of [beyond] the Jordan River.


text:
But be careful to obey the ·teachings [commandment] and laws Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave you: to love the Lord your God and ·obey his commands [walk in his paths], to ·continue to follow [hold fast to] him and serve him ·the very best you can [with all your heart and with all your soul].”


text:
Then Joshua ·said good-bye to [blessed] them, and ·they left and [sent them away and they] went away to their ·homes [tents].


text:
Moses had given the land of Bashan to ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan River to ·West Manasseh [the other half]. And he sent them to their homes and he blessed them.


text:
He said, “Go back to your homes with your riches. You have many animals, silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and many beautiful clothes. Divide among ·yourselves [your brothers] the ·things [plunder] you have taken from your enemies.


text:
So the people from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh left the other ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] at Shiloh in Canaan and went back to Gilead. It was their own land, given to them by Moses as the Lord had commanded.


text:
The people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh went to Geliloth, near the Jordan River in the land of Canaan. There they built a ·beautiful [or imposing; impressive] altar.


text:
The ·other Israelites still at Shiloh [sons/children of Israel] heard about the altar these three tribes built at the border of Canaan at Geliloth, near the Jordan River on Israel’s side.


text:
All the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] became very angry at these three tribes, so ·they [the whole assembly/congregation] met together and decided to ·fight [wage war against] them [because they considered this idolatry; ].


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.


text:
They also sent ·one leader [ten leaders, one] from each of the ten tribes at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader ·of his family group [among the clans] of Israelites.


text:
These leaders went to Gilead to talk to the people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh. They said:


text:
“·All the Israelites [The whole assembly/congregation of the Lord] ask you: ‘Why did you ·turn against [break faith by turning away from] the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? You know that this is ·against God’s law [rebellion this day against the Lord].


text:
·Remember what happened at Peor [Wasn’t the sin of Peor enough; ]? We still ·suffer today [have not cleansed/purified ourselves] because of that sin, for which ·God made many Israelites very sick [a plague came against the congregation/assembly of the Lord].


text:
And now are you turning against the Lord and refusing to follow him? “‘If you ·don’t stop what you’re doing [rebel against the Lord] today, the Lord will be angry with ·everyone in Israel [the whole congregation/assembly] tomorrow.


text:
If your land is ·unclean [in a ritual sense], come over into our land where the Lord’s ·Tent [Tabernacle] is. Share it with us. But don’t ·turn [rebel] against the Lord and us by building another altar for the Lord our God.


text:
·Remember how [Is it not true that…?] Achan son of Zerah refused to obey the command about ·what must be completely destroyed [the devoted things; ]. That one man broke God’s law, but ·all the Israelites [the whole assembly/congregation] were punished. ·Achan died because of his sin, but others also died [And he did not die alone for his sin].’”


text:
The people from Reuben, Gad, and ·East [the half-tribe of] Manasseh answered [the heads of the clans of Israel],


text:
“·The Lord is God of gods! [or El, God, the Lord] ·The Lord is God of gods [or El, God, the Lord]! God knows, and we want you to know also. If we have ·done something wrong [rebelled or broken faith with the Lord], ·you may kill us [do not spare us today].


text:
If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings [] or ·grain [gift; tribute; ] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [], may the Lord himself punish us.


text:
“We did not build it for that reason. We feared that someday your people would not accept us as part of your nation. Then they might say, ‘·You cannot worship [What do you have to do with…?] the Lord, the God of Israel.


text:
The Lord made the Jordan River a border between us and you people of Reuben and Gad. You ·cannot worship [have no share/portion in] the Lord.’ So we feared that your children might make our ·children [descendants] stop ·worshiping [fearing] the Lord.


text:
This altar is ·proof to [witness between] you and us and to all our ·children [generations] who will come after us that we ·worship the Lord [do the service of the Lord before him] with our whole burnt offerings, grain, and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings. This was so your ·children [descendants] would not say to our ·children [descendants], ‘You ·are not the Lord’s [have no share/portion in the Lord].’


text:
“In the future if ·your children [they] say that to us or our ·children [generations], we can say, ‘See the altar made by our ancestors. It is ·exactly like [a copy/model of] the Lord’s altar, but we do not use it for burnt offerings or sacrifices. It ·shows that we are part of Israel [is a witness between us and you].’


text:
“·Truly, we don’t want to be [Far be it from us to rebel] against the Lord or to ·stop following [turn away from] him by building an altar for burnt offerings [], grain [gift; tribute] offerings [], or sacrifices. We know the only true altar to the Lord our God is in front of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].”


text:
When Phinehas the priest and the ·ten leaders [leaders of the congregation, the heads of the clans of the families of Israel,] heard the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, they were ·pleased [satisfied].


text:
So Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “·Now [Today] we know the Lord is ·with us [in our midst] ·and that you didn’t turn against [or because you have not broken faith with] him. Now ·the Israelites will not be punished by [you have rescued the Israelites from the hand of] the Lord.”


text:
Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and went back to Canaan where they told the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] what had happened.


text:
They were ·pleased [satisfied] and thanked God. So they ·decided not to fight [talked no more about going to war against] the people of Reuben and Gad and destroy those lands.


text:
And the people of Reuben and Gad named the altar ·Proof That We Believe the Lord Is God [A Witness Between Us—That the Lord Is God; or Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God”].


text:
The Last Words of Joshua The Lord gave Israel ·peace [rest] from their enemies around them. Many years passed, and Joshua grew very old.


text:
He called a meeting of ·all [all Israel:] the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel. He said, “I am now very old.


text:
You have seen what the Lord has done to ·our enemies [these nations] to help us. The Lord your God fought for you.


text:
·Remember that [See; Behold] ·your people have been given their [I have alloted to you the] land between the Jordan River and the ·Mediterranean [Great] Sea in the west, the land I promised to give you.


text:
The Lord your God will ·force [drive] out the people living there. The Lord will push them out ahead of you. And you will ·own the [occupy/possess their] land, as he has promised you.


text:
“Be strong. You must be careful to obey everything ·commanded [that is written] in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of Moses. Do not ·stray [turn aside] from it either from the left or the right.


text:
Don’t ·become friends [associate; mix] with ·the people living among us who are not Israelites [these nations remaining among you]. Don’t ·say [mention; or invoke] the names of their gods or make anyone swear by them. Don’t serve or ·worship [bow down before] them.


text:
You must ·continue to follow [hold fast to; cling to] the Lord your God, as you have done ·in the past [to this day].


text:
“The Lord has ·forced to leave [driven out] many great and powerful nations. No nation has been able to ·defeat [resist; stand before] you [to this day].


text:
With his help, one Israelite ·could defeat [routs] a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, as he promised to do.


text:
“[But] If you turn away from the way of the Lord and ·become friends with [ally yourselves with; cling to] ·these people who are not part of Israel [the remnant of these nations who remain among you] and marry them,


text:
the Lord your God will not ·help you defeat [drive out] your enemies. They will be like ·traps [a snare and a trap] for you, like whips on your back and thorns in your eyes, ·and none of you will be left in [until you perish from] this good land the Lord your God has given you.


text:
“·It’s almost time for me to die [Look, today I am going the way of all the earth]. You know ·and fully believe [in your hearts and souls] that the Lord has not failed to keep a single one of the good promises he made. He has fulfilled every one of them. Not one of them has failed.


text:
Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true, and in the same way, his other promises will come true. He promised that evil will come to you and that he will destroy you from this good land that he gave you.


text:
This will happen if you don’t keep your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord your God. If you go and serve other gods and ·worship [bow down before] them, the ·Lord will become very angry with you [anger of the Lord will burn against you]. Then ·none of you will be left in [you will quickly perish from] this good land he has given you.”


text:
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to ·stand [present themselves] before God.


text:
Then Joshua said to all the people, “Here’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you: ‘A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods.


text:
But I, the Lord, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan [; ]. And I ·gave him many children, including [or multiplied his descendants, beginning with] his son Isaac [].


text:
I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau []. I gave the land around the ·mountains [hill country] of ·Edom [Hebrew: Seir] to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt [].


text:
Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I ·brought many disasters on the Egyptians [plagued Egypt by what I did in their midst; ]. Afterwards I brought you out [].


text:
When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the ·Red Sea [Sea], and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses.


text:
So the people called out to the Lord. And ·I [he] brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them []. ·You yourselves [Your eyes] saw what I did ·to the army of [in] Egypt. After that, you lived in the ·desert [wilderness] for a long time.


text:
“‘Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took ·control [possession] of that land [; ].


text:
But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, ·prepared to fight [arose and fought] against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you [],


text:
but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he ·asked for good things to happen to you [kept blessing you]! I ·saved you and brought you out of his power [delivered you out of his hand].


text:
“‘Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the ·people [or leaders] of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I ·handed them over to you [gave them into your hand].


text:
I sent ·terror [or the hornet; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain] ahead of you to ·force [drive] out two Amorite kings [; ]. ·You took the land without using swords and bows [It was not by your sword or by your bow].


text:
I gave you that land where you had not worked. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.’”


text:
Then Joshua said to the people, “Now ·respect [fear; be in awe of] the Lord and serve him ·fully [faithfully; in truth] and sincerely. ·Throw [Put] away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [River] and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.


text:
But if ·you don’t want [it is undesirable/evil in your eyes] to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the ·Euphrates River [River], or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my ·family [house], we will serve the Lord.”


text:
Then the people answered, “·We will never stop following [Far be it from us to forsake] the Lord to serve other gods!


text:
It was the Lord our God who brought ·our [us and our] ancestors out of Egypt. ·We were slaves in that land, but […out of the house of slavery, and] the Lord did great ·things [signs] for us there. He brought us out and ·protected [preserved] us while we traveled through other lands.


text:
Then he ·forced [drove] out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”


text:
Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God [] and a jealous God []. If you ·turn against him [rebel] and sin, he will not forgive you.


text:
If you ·leave [forsake; abandon] the Lord and serve ·other [foreign] gods, he will ·send you great trouble [bring disaster on you]. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will ·destroy [consume] you.”


text:
Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” The people said, “Yes, we are.”


text:
Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the [foreign] gods that ·you have [are in your midst]. ·Love the Lord, the God of Israel, with all your heart [Bend your heart toward the Lord, the God of Israel].”


text:
On that day at Shechem Joshua made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] for the people. He made ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·laws [regulations] for them to follow.


text:
Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [sanctuary; shrine; holy place].


text:
Joshua said to all the people, “·See [Behold] this stone! It will ·remind you of what we did today [be a witness against you]. ·It was here the Lord spoke to us today [It has heard all the words the Lord said to us]. It will ·remind you of what happened so you will not [be a witness against you, lest you] ·turn against [are untrue to; deal falsely with] your God.”


text:
They buried him in ·his own land [the land of his inheritance] at Timnath Serah, in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.


text:
The Israelites served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua who had ·seen [experienced; known] what the Lord had done for Israel.


text:
Joseph Comes Home When the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them [; ; ]. They buried them at Shechem, in the ·land [piece of ground] Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem) []. This land ·now belonged to [became the inheritance of] Joseph’s children.


text:
And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, which had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.


text:
Judah Fights the Canaanites After Joshua died, the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] asked the ·Lord [or Yahweh; the translation “Lord” (all caps) represents the divine name YHWH, usually pronounced “Yahweh”], “Who will ·be first to go and [lead the] fight for us against the Canaanites?”


text:
The Lord said to them, “·The tribe of Judah [Judah] will go. [Look; Behold] I have ·handed the land over to them [given the land into his hand].”


text:
·The men of Judah [Judah] said to ·the men of Simeon, their relatives [his brother Simeon], “Come and help us fight the Canaanites for our ·land [allotment]. If you do, we will go and help you fight for your ·land [allotment].” So ·the men of Simeon [Simeon] went with them [Simeon’s land lay within Judah; ].


text:
When Judah attacked, the Lord handed over the Canaanites and the Perizzites to them, and they defeated ten thousand men at the city of Bezek.


text:
·There [At Bezek] they found Adoni-Bezek [the ruler of the city], and fought him. The men of Judah defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites,


text:
but Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him, and when they caught him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes [such mutilation was common in the ancient Near East, rendering a king unfit for military service or priestly functions; ].


text:
Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes had been cut off used to eat scraps that fell from my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” The men of Judah took Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem, and he died there.


text:
Then the ·men [sons] of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They ·attacked with their swords [struck it with the edge of the sword] and burned the city [a temporary conquest; David later captured the city; ].


text:
Later, they went down to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, in the ·dry [or hill] country ·to the south [in the Negev], and in the ·western hills [or lowland].


text:
·The men of Judah [Judah] went to fight against the Canaanites in the city of Hebron (which used to be called Kiriath Arba [; ; ]). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai [; ].


text:
Caleb and His Daughter Then they left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.)


text:
Before attacking the city, Caleb said, “I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.”


text:
Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife.


text:
When Acsah came to ·Othniel [him; could be Othniel or Caleb], she ·told him to ask [or asked] her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?” []


text:
Acsah answered him, “·Do me a special favor [Give me a blessing]. Since you have given me land in ·southern Canaan [the Negev], also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs [].


text:
Fights with the Canaanites The ·Kenite people, who were from the family of [sons/descendants of the Kenite] Moses’ father-in-law [], left the city of palm trees [Jericho]. They went with the men of Judah to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Judah to live with them there in ·southern Judah [the Negev] near the city of Arad.


text:
The men of Judah and the men of Simeon [], their ·relatives [brothers], defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They ·completely destroyed the city [devoted it to the Lord for destruction; see ; ], so they called it Hormah [sounds like Hebrew for “total destruction”].


text:
The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron [Philistine cities along the coast], and the lands around them.


text:
The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took the land in the ·mountains [hill country], but they could not force out the people living on the plain, because they had iron chariots [wooden chariots with iron fittings].


text:
As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, and Caleb forced out the three sons of Anak [; ; ].


text:
But the people of Benjamin could not ·make the Jebusite people leave [drive out the Jebusites from] Jerusalem. Since that time the Jebusites have lived with the ·Benjaminites [sons of Benjamin] in Jerusalem.


text:
The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “Show us a way into the city, and we will ·be kind to [have mercy on; or reward] you.”


text:
So the man showed them the way into the city. The men of Joseph ·attacked with swords the people in Bethel [struck the city with the edge of the sword], but they let the man and his family go free.


text:
He went to the land where the Hittites lived [in Syria, north of Israel] and built a city. He named it Luz, which it is called even today.


text:
The people of Manasseh did not ·force [drive] out the inhabitants of the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, nor the small towns around them, because the Canaanites were determined to stay there.


text:
Later, the Israelites grew strong and forced the Canaanites ·to work as slaves [into forced labor], but they did not ·make all the Canaanites leave their land [drive them out completely].


text:
The people of Ephraim did not ·force [drive] out all of the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer with the people of Ephraim.


text:
The people of Zebulun did not force out the Canaanites living in the cities of Kitron and Nahalol. They stayed and lived with the people of Zebulun, but Zebulun ·made them work as slaves [forced them into hard labor].


text:
The people of Asher did not ·force [drive out] the Canaanites from the cities of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, and Rehob [cities on the Mediterranean Sea north of Carmel and inland from the coast].


text:
Since the people of Asher did not ·force [drive] them out, the Canaanites continued to live with them.


text:
The people of Naphtali did not ·force [drive] out the people of the cities of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath [the region east of Asher]. So they continued to live with the Canaanites in those cities, and the Canaanites ·worked as slaves [did forced labor].


text:
The Amorites forced the Danites back into the ·mountains [hill country] and would not let them come down to live in the plain [; ].


text:
The Amorites were determined to stay in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Amorites ·work as slaves [do forced labor].


text:
The land of the Amorites was from ·Scorpion [or Akrabbim; Hebrew for “scorpion”] ·Pass [or Ascent; south of the Dead Sea] to Sela and beyond.


text:
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [an angelic spokesperson for God, sometimes identified with the Lord himself; ; ; ] went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land I promised to give your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my ·agreement [covenant] with you [; ].


text:
But you must not make an ·agreement [covenant] with the people who live in this land []. You must ·destroy [tear down] their altars [].’ But you did not obey me. How could you do this [What is this you have done]?


text:
·Now I tell you [or Then I told you; ; ], ‘I will not ·force [drive] out the people in this land. They will ·be your enemies [or ensnare you; or be thorns in your side], and their gods will be a ·trap [snare] for you.’”


text:
After the angel gave ·Israel [the sons/children of Israel] this message from the Lord, they ·cried loudly [lifted up their voices and wept].


text:
Joshua Dies After Joshua ·dismissed [sent away] the people, the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] went to take possession of the land that they had been given.


text:
The people ·served [worshiped; remained faithful to] the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who ·lived after [outlived] Joshua and who had seen what great things the Lord had done for Israel.


text:
They buried him in ·his own land [the territory of his inheritance] at Timnath Heres [also known as Timnath Serah; ; ] in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.


text:
The People Disobey After ·those people [the whole generation] ·had died [were gathered to their fathers/ancestors], ·their children [another generation] grew up and did not know the Lord or what he had done for Israel.


text:
So ·they [the sons/children of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], and they worshiped the ·Baal idols [Baals; Baal was the main god of the Canaanites, but had many local manifestations].


text:
They ·quit following [abandoned] the Lord, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They began to worship the gods of the people who lived around them, and that made the Lord angry.


text:
The Lord was angry with the people of Israel, so he ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] ·robbers [raiders; plunderers] who took their possessions. He ·let their enemies who lived around them defeat them [sold them into the hand of their enemies around them]; they could not ·protect themselves [resist/stand before them].


text:
When the Israelites went out to fight, ·they always lost, because the Lord was not with them [the hand of the Lord was against them for harm/evil]. The Lord had sworn to them this would happen. So the Israelites ·suffered very much [were in great distress].


text:
God Chooses Judges Then the Lord ·chose leaders called [raised up] ·judges [leaders; not courtroom judges, but leaders who guided the nation through difficult times, sometimes as military commanders], ·who saved the Israelites from [to deliver them from the hand of] the ·robbers [raiders; plunderers].


text:
But the Israelites did not listen to their ·judges [leaders; ]. They ·were not faithful to God but [prostituted themselves to and] worshiped other gods instead. Their ancestors had ·obeyed [walked in the way/path of] the Lord’s commands, but they quickly turned away and did not obey.


text:
Whenever the Lord sent ·judges [leaders] to save the Israelites from their enemies, he was with that ·judge [leader] and rescued the people during that ·judge’s [leader’s] lifetime. The Lord ·felt sorry for them [took pity on them; or relented] when they cried for help because of those who ·hurt [oppressed and afflicted] them.


text:
But when the ·judges [leaders; ] died, the Israelites ·again sinned [returned to their corrupt ways] and worshiped other gods. They became worse than their ancestors. The Israelites were very stubborn and refused to change their evil ways.


text:
So the ·Lord became angry with [anger of the Lord burned against] the Israelites. He said, “These people have ·broken [violated] the ·agreement [covenant] I made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me.


text:
I will use them to test Israel, to see if Israel will keep ·the Lord’s commands [the way of the Lord to walk in it] as their ancestors did.”


text:
In the past the Lord had permitted those nations to stay in the land. He did not quickly ·force [drive] them out or ·help Joshua’s army defeat them [give them into the hand of Joshua].


text:
These are the nations the Lord did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not ·fought in [experienced; known] the wars of Canaan.


text:
(The only reason the Lord left those nations in the land was to teach the descendants of the Israelites who had not fought in those wars how to fight.)


text:
These are the nations: the five ·rulers [lords] of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.


text:
Those nations were in the land to test the Israelites—to see if they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors by [the hand of] Moses.


text:
The people of Israel lived with the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


text:
The Israelites ·began to marry [took as wives] the daughters of those people, and they ·allowed their daughters to marry [gave their daughters to] the sons of those people. Israel also served their gods.


text:
Othniel, the First Judge The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. They forgot about the Lord their God and served the ·idols of Baal [Baals; ] and ·Asherah [Asherahs; sacred trees or poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah; ; ].


text:
So the Lord ·was angry with [burned in anger against] Israel and allowed ·Cushan-Rishathaim [or Cushan, the Doubly Wicked] king of ·northwest Mesopotamia [or Aram Naharaim; Naharaim means “two rivers,” referring to Mesopotamia] to rule over the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] for eight years.


text:
When Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord ·sent someone to save them [raised up a deliverer]. Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, saved the Israelites.


text:
The Spirit of the Lord ·entered [enpowered; came upon; was upon] Othniel, and he became Israel’s ·judge [leader; ]. When he went to war, the Lord ·handed over to him [gave into his hand] ·Cushan-Rishathaim [or Cushan, the Doubly Wicked; ] king of ·northwest Mesopotamia [or Aram Naharaim; ].


text:
Ehud, the Judge Again the ·people [sons/children] of Israel did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. So the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power to defeat Israel because of the evil Israel did.


text:
Eglon got the ·Ammonites and the Amalekites [sons/descendants of Ammon and Amalek] to join him. Then he attacked Israel and took the city of palm trees [Jericho].


text:
So the ·people [sons; children] of Israel were ·ruled by [subject to] Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.


text:
When the people cried to the Lord, he ·sent someone to save [raised up a rescuer/deliverer for] them. He was Ehud, son of Gera from the people of Benjamin, who was ·left-handed [bound in the right hand]. Israel sent Ehud to give Eglon king of Moab the ·payment [tribute money] he demanded.


text:
Ehud made himself a sword with two edges, ·about eighteen inches [a cubit; the distance between the elbow and the tip of the fingers] long, and he tied it to his right hip under his clothes.


text:
Ehud gave Eglon king of Moab the ·payment [tribute money] he demanded. Now Eglon was a very fat man [Eglon means “fat calf”].


text:
After he had given Eglon the ·payment [tribute money], Ehud ·sent away [dismissed] the people who had carried it.


text:
When he passed the ·statues [images; idols] near Gilgal, he turned around [Ehud returned to Eglon’s palace and sought a private audience with the king] and said to Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, King Eglon.” The king said, “·Be quiet [Silence; or Give us privacy]!” Then he sent all of his servants out of the room.


text:
Ehud went to King Eglon, as he was sitting alone in the ·room above his summer palace [cool upper room; probably a breezy roof-top room with lattice windows; perhaps a bathroom]. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king stood up from his chair [perhaps an act of reverence to receive the divine oracle],


text:
Ehud reached with his left hand and took out the sword that was tied to his right hip [the unusual location on the right allowed concealment and caught the king by surprise]. Then he stabbed the sword deep into the king’s belly!


text:
Even the handle sank in, and ·the blade came out his back [or his bowels discharged]. The king’s fat covered the whole sword, so Ehud left the sword in Eglon.


text:
Then he went out ·of the room [or to the porch/vestibule; or through the latrine] and closed and locked the doors behind him.


text:
When the servants returned just after Ehud left, they found the doors to the room locked. So they thought the king was ·relieving himself [covering his feet; a euphemism].


text:
They waited for a long time. Finally they became ·worried [anxious; or embarrassed] because he still had not opened the doors. So they got the key and unlocked them and ·saw [look; behold] their king lying dead on the floor!


text:
While the servants were waiting, Ehud had escaped. He passed by the ·statues [idols; images] and went to Seirah.


text:
When he reached the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim he blew the trumpet. The ·people [sons; children] of Israel heard it and went down from the hills with Ehud leading them.


text:
He said to them, “Follow me! The Lord has ·helped you to defeat [given into your hand] your enemies, the Moabites.” So Israel followed Ehud and captured the ·crossings [fords] of the Jordan River ·across from [or against] Moab. They did not allow the Moabites to cross the Jordan River.


text:
So that day Moab was ·forced to be under the rule of Israel [subdued/made subject that day under the hand of Israel], and there was ·peace [rest] in the land for eighty years.


text:
Shamgar, the Judge After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath saved Israel. Shamgar killed six hundred Philistines with ·a sharp stick used to guide oxen [an oxgoad].


text:
Deborah, the Woman Judge After Ehud died, the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] again did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord].


text:
So he ·let them be defeated by [sold them into the hands of] Jabin, a king of Canaan who ruled in the city of Hazor. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of Jabin’s army.


text:
Because he had nine hundred ·iron [iron-clad; iron-fitted; ] chariots and ·was very cruel to [harshly oppressed] the ·people [sons; children] of Israel for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.


text:
Deborah would sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah, which was between the cities of Ramah and Bethel, in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. And the ·people [sons; children] of Israel would come to her ·to settle their arguments [for judgment].


text:
Deborah ·sent a message to [or sent for; summoned] Barak son of Abinoam. Barak lived in ·the city of Kedesh, which is in the area of Naphtali [Kedesh-Naphtali]. Deborah said to Barak, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go and gather ten thousand ·men [sons] of Naphtali and Zebulun [two tribes covering most of Israel’s area north of the Jezreel Valley] and lead them to Mount Tabor [a cone-shaped mountain in Jezreel Valley southwest of Lake Galilee].


text:
I will ·make [draw/pull out] Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, and his chariots, and his army meet you at the Kishon River. I will ·hand Sisera over to you [give him into your hand].’”


text:
Then Barak said to Deborah, “I will go if you will go with me, but if you won’t go with me, I won’t go.”


text:
“·Of course [Certainly; Going] I will go with you,” Deborah answered, “but you will not get ·credit [honor; glory; fame] ·for the victory [in the road/way/venture you are taking]. The Lord will ·let a woman defeat Sisera [sell Sisera into the hand of a woman].” So Deborah [arose and] went with Barak to Kedesh.


text:
At Kedesh, Barak ·called [summoned] the people of Zebulun and Naphtali together. ·From them, he gathered ten thousand men to follow him [Ten thousand men went up at his feet], and Deborah went with him also.


text:
Now Heber the Kenite had ·left [separated/moved away from] the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ ·brother-in-law [or father-in-law]. Heber had put up his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh [this verse introduces the family of Jael, the woman alluded to by Deborah in ; see ].


text:
Sisera gathered his nine hundred ·iron [iron-clad; iron-fitted; ] chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.


text:
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! Today is the day the Lord ·will hand over Sisera [has given Sisera into your hand]. The Lord has ·already cleared the way for [gone out before] you.” So Barak led ten thousand men down Mount Tabor.


text:
As Barak approached, the Lord ·confused [caused to panic; or routed] Sisera and his army and chariots. The Lord defeated them with the [edge of the] sword, but Sisera ·left [jumped out of] his chariot and ran away on foot.


text:
Barak and his men chased Sisera’s chariots and army to Harosheth Haggoyim. ·With their swords [By the edge of the sword] they killed all of Sisera’s men; not one of them was left alive.


text:
But Sisera himself ran away to the tent where Jael lived. She was the wife of Heber, one of the Kenite family groups []. ·Heber’s family [The house of Heber] ·was at peace [or had an alliance] with Jabin king of Hazor.


text:
Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “·Come into my tent [Turn aside], master! Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera went into Jael’s tent, and she covered him with a ·rug [or blanket].


text:
Sisera said to Jael, “I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink.” So she opened a ·leather bag [goatskin] of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up.


text:
He said to her, “Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’”


text:
But Jael, the wife of Heber, took a tent peg and a hammer and ·quietly [secretly] went to Sisera. Since he was very tired, he was in a deep sleep. She hammered the tent peg through the side of Sisera’s ·head [temple; or mouth] and into the ground. And so Sisera died.


text:
·At that very moment [And behold] Barak came by Jael’s tent, chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, “Come. I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak entered her tent, and there Sisera lay dead, with the tent peg in his ·head [temple; or mouth].


text:
On that day God ·defeated [subdued; humiliated] Jabin king of Canaan ·in the sight of [before the sons/children of] Israel.


text:
·Israel became stronger and stronger [The hand of sons/children of Israel pressed harder and harder] against Jabin king of Canaan until finally they destroyed him.


text:
“·The leaders led Israel [or When locks of hair grow in Israel; referring to the keeping of a Nazirite vow (); the Hebrew here is obscure]. The ·people [nation] ·volunteered to go to battle [answered the call; offered themselves willingly]. ·Praise [Bless] the Lord!


text:
Listen, kings. Pay attention, rulers! I ·myself [even I] will sing to the Lord. I will ·make music [or sing praises] to the Lord, the God of Israel.


text:
“Lord, when you came from Seir [another name for Edom], when you marched from the ·land [or fields] of Edom, the earth shook, the ·skies [heavens] ·rained [poured; dropped], and the clouds ·dropped [poured] water.


text:
The mountains ·shook [quaked] before the Lord, the God of Mount Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel!


text:
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath [], in the days of Jael, the ·main roads were empty [highways were deserted; or caravans were no more]. Travelers went on ·the back roads [winding paths; because of Canaanite robbers on the highways].


text:
·There were no warriors in Israel [or The villagers/peasants would not fight; or The villagers deserted their villages] until ·I [or you], Deborah, arose, until ·I [or you] arose to be a mother to Israel.


text:
At that time ·they chose to follow new gods [or God chose new leaders/warriors]. Because of this, ·enemies fought us at our [war came to the] city gates. ·No one could find a shield or a spear [A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear] among the forty thousand people of Israel.


text:
My heart is with the ·commanders [leaders; princes] of Israel. ·They volunteered freely [or And with those who volunteered freely] from among the people. ·Praise [Bless] the Lord!


text:
“You who ride on white [female] donkeys and sit on ·saddle blankets [or rich carpets], and you who walk along the road, ·listen [ponder this; or tell of this]!


text:
Listen to the sound of the ·singers [village musicians; or those who distribute the water; or those who divide the sheep] at the watering holes. There they tell about the ·victories [or righteous deeds/triumphs] of the Lord, the ·victories [or righteous deeds/triumphs] of the Lord’s ·warriors [or villagers; peasantry] in Israel. Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.


text:
“Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak! ·Go capture your enemies [Take captive your captives], son of Abinoam!


text:
“Then ·those who were left [the remnant/survivors] ·came down to the important leaders [or of the nobles/leaders came down]. The Lord’s people came down to me ·with strong men [or against the mighty].


text:
They came from Ephraim ·in the mountains of [or whose roots were in; or who uprooted] Amalek. ·Benjamin was among the people who followed you [or They follow you, Benjamin, with your people/soldiers]. From ·the family group of Makir [Makir], the commanders came down. And from Zebulun came those who ·lead [carry the officer’s/commander’s staff].


text:
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. The people of Issachar were loyal to Barak and ·followed him [were sent under his command; were sent at his feet] into the valley. ·The Reubenites [Among the clans of Reuben they] ·thought hard about what they would do [greatly searched their hearts; or had great indecision].


text:
Why did you stay by the sheepfold? Was it to hear the ·music played [whistling] for your ·sheep [flocks]? ·The Reubenites [Among the clans of Reuben they] ·thought hard about what they would do [greatly searched their hearts; or had great indecision].


text:
·The people of Gilead [Gilead; the grandson of Manasseh, though the term is used for the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan] stayed east of the Jordan River. ·People of Dan [Dan; ], why did you stay by the ships [Dan remained on the Mediterranean coast rather than help in the battle]? The people of Asher stayed at the seashore, at their ·safe harbors [coves; landings].


text:
But the people of Zebulun ·risked their lives [despised their lives even to death], as did the people of Naphtali on the ·battlefield [heights of the field].


text:
“The kings came, and they fought. At that time the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo. But they took away no ·silver or possessions of Israel [plunder of silver].


text:
The stars fought from heaven [personified as God’s army]; from their ·paths [courses], they fought Sisera.


text:
The Kishon River swept Sisera’s men away, that ·old river [ancient torrent], the Kishon ·River [torrent; a rainstorm sent from God swelled the river]. March on, my soul, with strength!


text:
Then the horses’ hoofs ·beat [pounded] the ground. Galloping, galloping go Sisera’s ·mighty horses [stallions; steeds; mighty ones].


text:
‘·May the town of Meroz be cursed [Curse Meroz],’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘·Bitterly curse [Utterly curse; Curse a curse upon] its ·people [inhabitants], because they did not come to help the Lord. ·They did not fight the strong enemy [To help the Lord against the warriors/mighty ones].’


text:
“Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, May she be blessed above all women who live in tents.


text:
Sisera asked for water, but Jael gave him milk. In a bowl fit for a ·ruler [noble; king], she brought him ·cream [or curds].


text:
Jael reached out her hand and took the tent peg. Her right hand reached for the workman’s hammer. She ·hit [struck] Sisera! She ·smashed [crushed] his head! She ·crushed [shattered] and pierced ·the side of his head [his temple/or mouth]!


text:
·At [or Between] Jael’s feet he ·sank [bowed]. He fell, and he lay there. ·At [or Between] her feet he ·sank [bowed]. He fell. Where Sisera ·sank [bowed], there he fell, dead!


text:
“Sisera’s mother looked out through the window. She looked through the ·curtains [lattice] and cried out, ‘Why is Sisera’s chariot so late in coming? Why are ·sounds of his chariots’ horses [the chariots’ hoofbeats] delayed?’


text:
The wisest of her ·servant ladies [or princesses] answer her, ·and [indeed] Sisera’s mother says to herself,


text:
‘Surely they are ·robbing the people they defeated and dividing those things among themselves [finding and dividing the spoil]! Each soldier is given a ·girl [womb; slang for women] or two. ·Maybe Sisera is taking [For Sisera a plunder of] ·pieces of dyed cloth [or colorful garments]. ·Maybe they are even taking [For spoil/plunder] pieces of dyed, embroidered cloth for the necks of the ·victors [plunderers]!’


text:
“·Let [May] all your enemies ·die [perish] this way, Lord! But ·let [may] all the people who love you be ·as strong as the rising sun [like the sun rising in its strength]!” Then there was ·peace [rest] in the land for forty years.


text:
The Midianites Attack Israel Again the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. So for seven years the Lord ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] Midian.


text:
Because the ·Midianites were very powerful and were cruel to [hand of Midian was so strong/oppressive against] Israel, the Israelites made ·hiding places [shelters; dens] in the mountains, in caves, and in ·safe places [strongholds].


text:
Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other ·peoples [sons] from the east would come and attack them.


text:
They ·camped in the land [encamped against them] and destroyed the crops that the Israelites had planted as far away as Gaza. They left ·nothing [no sustenance/living thing] for Israel to eat, and no sheep, cattle, or donkeys.


text:
The Midianites came with their tents and their ·animals [livestock] ·like swarms of [as numerous as] locusts to ·ruin [ravage; lay waste] the land. There were so many people and camels they could not be counted.


text:
Israel ·became very poor [or was weakened; was brought low] because of the Midianites, so they cried out to the Lord.


text:
When the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] cried out to the Lord ·against [or because of] the Midianites,


text:
the Lord sent a prophet to them. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you out of Egypt, the ·land [house] of slavery.


text:
I ·saved [rescued; delivered] you from the [hand of the] Egyptians and from all those who ·were against [oppressed] you. I ·forced [drove] ·the Canaanites [them] out of their land and gave it to you.


text:
Then I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. Do not ·worship [fear; reverence] the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you did not ·obey me [listen to my voice].”


text:
The Angel of the Lord Visits Gideon The angel of the Lord [angelic spokesperson for God, sometimes identified with the Lord himself; ; ; ; ] came and sat down under the oak tree at Ophrah that belonged to Joash, ·one of the Abiezrite people [the Abiezrite]. Gideon, Joash’s son, was ·separating some wheat from the chaff [threshing/beating out wheat] in a winepress to keep the wheat from the Midianites [in a pit hidden from sight].


text:
The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, ·mighty [courageous] warrior!”


text:
Then Gideon said, “·Sir [My lord], if the Lord is with us, why ·are we having so much trouble [has all this happened to us]? Where are the ·miracles [wonderful deeds] our ancestors told us about? They said, “Didn’t the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has ·left [abandoned] us and has ·handed us over to the Midianites [given us into the hand of Midian].”


text:
The Lord turned to Gideon and said, “Go with your strength and ·save [rescue; deliver] Israel from the ·Midianites [hand of Midian]. ·I am the one who is sending you. [Am I not sending you?]”


text:
But Gideon answered, “Lord, how can I ·save [rescue; deliver] Israel? My ·family group [clan] is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the ·least important [or youngest] member of my family.”


text:
The Lord answered him, “I will be with you. ·It will seem as if the Midianites you are fighting are only one man [or You will strike down the whole Midian army; You will strike/defeat Midian as one man].”


text:
Then Gideon said to the Lord, “If ·you are pleased with me [I have found favor in your eyes], give me ·proof [a sign] that it is really you talking with me.


text:
Please ·wait here [do not leave] until I come back to you. Let me bring my offering and set it in front of you.” And the Lord said, “I will ·wait [stay] until you return.”


text:
So Gideon went in and ·cooked [prepared] a young goat, and with ·twenty quarts [an ephah] of flour, made ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread]. Then he put the meat into a basket and the broth into a pot. He brought them out and ·gave [presented; offered] them to ·the angel [him] under the oak tree.


text:
The angel of God [] said to Gideon, “Put the meat and the ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread] on that rock over there. Then pour the broth on them.” And Gideon did as he was told.


text:
The angel of the Lord touched the meat and the bread with the end of ·the stick that was in his hand [his staff]. Then fire jumped up from the rock and completely burned up the meat and the bread! And the angel of the Lord disappeared!


text:
Then Gideon ·understood [realized; saw] he had been talking to the angel of the Lord. So Gideon cried out, “[Oh no; Alas; Aha] ·Lord God [Sovereign Lord]! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”


text:
So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The Lord Is Peace. ·It still [To this day it] stands at Ophrah, ·where the Abiezrites live [of the Abiezrite].


text:
Gideon Tears Down the Altar of Baal That same night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the bull that belongs to your father and a second bull seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the ·Asherah idol [or Asherah pole; Asherah; a Canaanite fertility goddess; ] beside it.


text:
Then build an altar to the Lord your God ·with its stones in the right order [or in the proper manner] on this ·high ground [stronghold]. ·Kill and burn a [Sacrifice as a burnt offering the] second bull on this altar, using the wood from the Asherah idol.”


text:
So Gideon got ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him to do. But Gideon was afraid that his family and the men of the city might see him, so he did it at night, not in the daytime.


text:
When the men of the city got up the next morning, ·they saw that [look; behold] the altar for Baal ·had been destroyed [was cut down] and that the ·Asherah idol [Asherah pole; Asherah; ] beside it had been cut down! They also saw the altar Gideon had built and the second bull that had been sacrificed on it.


text:
The men of the city asked each other, “Who did this?” After they ·asked many questions [made a careful investigation], someone told them, “Gideon son of Joash did this.”


text:
So the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring your son out. He has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the ·Asherah idol [Asherah pole; Asherah] beside it. He must die!”


text:
But Joash said to ·the angry crowd around [all those who stood against] him, “·Are you going to take Baal’s side [or Are you pleading Baal’s case; or Does Baal need you to defend him]? Are you going to ·defend [save; rescue; deliver] him? Anyone who ·takes Baal’s side [or pleads his case; or thinks Baal needs defending] will be killed by morning! If Baal is a god, let him fight for himself. It’s his altar that has been pulled down.”


text:
So on that day Gideon got the name Jerub-Baal, which means “let Baal ·fight against him [or plead his own case; or defend himself],” because Gideon pulled down Baal’s altar.


text:
Gideon Defeats Midian All the Midianites, the Amalekites, and other ·peoples from [sons of] the east ·joined together [assembled; formed an alliance] and came across the Jordan River and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.


text:
But the Spirit of the Lord ·entered [empowered; came upon; clothed] Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the Abiezrites to follow him.


text:
He sent messengers to all of Manasseh, calling them to follow him. He also sent messengers to the people of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. So they also went up to meet Gideon and his men.


text:
Then Gideon said to God, “·You said you would help me save Israel [If you are about to deliver Israel by my hand, as you said…].


text:
[Look; Behold] I will put ·some wool [a wool fleece] on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the ·wool [fleece] but all of the ground is dry, then I will know that you will ·use me to save Israel [save Israel by my hand], as you said.”


text:
And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning and squeezed the ·wool [fleece], he got a full bowl of water from it.


text:
Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t ·be angry with [let your anger burn against] me if I ask just one more thing. Please let me make one more test. Let only the ·wool [fleece] be dry while the ground around it gets wet with dew.”


text:
That night God did that very thing. Just the ·wool [fleece] was dry, but the ground around it was wet with dew.


text:
Early in the morning Jerub-Baal (also called Gideon) and all his men set up their camp at the spring of Harod [at the foot of Mount Gilboa]. The Midianites were camped north of them in the valley [of Jezreel] at the bottom of the hill called Moreh.


text:
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men ·to defeat the Midianites [for me to give Midian into your hand]. I don’t want the Israelites to brag ·that they saved themselves [saying, “My own hand has saved/delivered me”].


text:
So now, ·announce to [call into the ears of] the ·people [nation; army], ‘Anyone who is ·afraid [fearful and trembling] may leave Mount Gilead [probably another name for Gilboa] and go back home.’” So twenty-two thousand men returned home, but ten thousand remained.


text:
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take the men down to the water, and I will ·test [sort; sift out] them for you there. If I say, ‘This man will go with you,’ he will go. But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,’ he will not go.”


text:
So Gideon led the men down to the water. There the Lord said to him, “Separate them into those who drink water by lapping it up like a dog [with cupped hand making a bowl] and those who ·bend down [kneel] to drink [with faces in the water].”


text:
There were three hundred men who used their hands to bring water to their mouths, ·lapping it as a dog does [lapping]. All the rest ·got down on their knees [kneeled] to drink.


text:
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Using the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will save you and ·hand Midian over to you [give the Midianites into your hand]. Let all the others go home.”


text:
So Gideon sent the rest of Israel ·to their homes [each to his tent]. But he kept three hundred men and took the ·jars [provisions] and the trumpets of those who left. Now the camp of Midian was in the valley below Gideon.


text:
That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up. Go down and attack the camp of the Midianites, because I will give ·them to you [it into your hands].


text:
When you come to the camp of Midian, you will hear what they are saying. Then ·you will not be afraid [your hands will be strengthened] to attack the camp.” Gideon Is Encouraged So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the ·edge [outposts; guardposts] of the enemy camp.


text:
The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the ·peoples from [sons of] the east were camped in that valley. ·There were so many of them they seemed like locusts […like locusts in numbers/greatness]. Their camels could not be counted because they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore!


text:
When Gideon came to the enemy camp, he heard a man telling his friend about a dream. He was saying, “[Look; Behold] I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into the camp of Midian. It hit the tent so hard that the tent turned over and fell flat!”


text:
The man’s friend said, “·Your dream is about [This can be nothing except] the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel. God ·will hand [has given into his hand] Midian and the whole army over to him!”


text:
When Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he ·worshiped God [bowed in worship]. Then Gideon went back to the camp of Israel and called out to them, “Get up! The Lord has handed the army of Midian ·over to you [into your hand]!”


text:
Gideon divided the three hundred men into three ·groups [companies; divisions]. He gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar with a burning torch inside.


text:
Surround the enemy camp. When I and everyone with me blow our trumpets, you blow your trumpets, too. Then shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”


text:
Midian Is Defeated So Gideon and the one hundred men with him came to the edge of the enemy camp at the beginning of the middle watch of the night, just after they had ·changed guards [posted sentries; set the watch]. Then Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars.


text:
All three groups of Gideon’s men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands. Then they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”


text:
Each of Gideon’s men ·stayed [stood] in his place around the camp, but the Midianites began shouting and running to escape.


text:
When Gideon’s three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord ·made all the Midianites fight each other with their swords [set the sword of a man against his companion]! The enemy army ran away to the city of Beth Shittah toward Zererah. They ran as far as the border of Abel Meholah, near the city of Tabbath [toward the southeast].


text:
Then men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh were called out to chase the Midianites.


text:
Gideon sent messengers through all the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, saying, “Come down and attack the Midianites. Take control of the ·Jordan River [waters; the shallow crossing points] as far as Beth Barah before the Midianites can get to it.” So they called out all the men of Ephraim, who took control of the ·Jordan River [waters of the Jordan ahead of them; ] as far as Beth Barah.


text:
The men of Ephraim captured two ·princes [leaders; commanders] of Midian named Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, and they continued chasing the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, ·who was east of [or who was beside/across; from beyond] the Jordan River.


text:
The men of Ephraim asked Gideon, “·Why did you treat us this way [What is this thing you have done to us]? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight against Midian?” They argued ·angrily [fiercely; greatly] with Gideon.


text:
But he answered them, “·I have not done as well as you! [What have I done compared to you?] The ·small part you did [the gleanings of Ephraim; picking up the leftover grapes after harvest] was better than ·all that my people of Abiezer did [the vintage/grape harvest of Abiezer].


text:
God ·let you capture [gave into your hand] Oreb and Zeeb, the ·princes [leaders; commanders] of Midian. ·How can I compare what I did with what you did [What did I do in comparison]?” When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, ·they were not as angry anymore [they calmed down; their spirit declined/subsided].


text:
Gideon Captures Two Kings When Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan River, they were ·tired [exhausted], but they chased the enemy across to the other side.


text:
Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my soldiers some loaves of bread because they are ·very tired [exhausted]. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”


text:
But the ·leaders [princes; officials] of Succoth said, “Why should we give your soldiers bread? ·You haven’t caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet [Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand?].”


text:
Then Gideon said, “·The Lord will surrender [When the Lord surrenders] Zebah and Zalmunna to me. After that, I will ·whip [beat; tear; thresh] your skin with thorns and briers from the ·desert [wilderness].”


text:
Gideon left Succoth and went up to the city of Peniel and ·asked them for food [spoke this to them]. But the people of Peniel gave him the same answer as the people of Succoth.


text:
So Gideon said to the men of Peniel, “·After I win the victory [When I return in peace], I will return and pull down this tower.”


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna and their army were in the city of Karkor. About fifteen thousand men were left of the armies of the ·peoples [sons] of the east. Already one hundred twenty thousand ·soldiers [men who draw the sword] had ·been killed [fallen in battle].


text:
Gideon went up the road of those who live in tents [the route taken by caravans or nomads] east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the ·enemy army [camp] ·when they did not expect it [in a surprise attack; while they were secure].


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, ran away, but Gideon chased and captured them and ·frightened away [routed; caused to panic] their army.


text:
Gideon captured a young man from Succoth and ·asked him some questions [interrogated him]. So the young man wrote down for Gideon the names of seventy-seven ·officers [princes; leaders] and elders of Succoth.


text:
Gideon Punishes Succoth When Gideon came to Succoth, he said to the people of that city, “·Here are [Look!; Behold!] Zebah and Zalmunna. You ·made fun of [taunted; insulted] me by saying, ‘Why should we give bread to your tired men? ·You have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet [Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand?].’”


text:
So Gideon took the elders of the city and ·punished them [taught them a lesson] with thorns and briers from the ·desert [wilderness].


text:
Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were the men like that you killed on Mount Tabor?” They answered, “They were like you. Each one of them looked like ·a prince [sons of a king].”


text:
Gideon said, “Those were my brothers, my mother’s sons. As surely as the Lord lives, I would not kill you if you had spared them.”


text:
Then Gideon said to Jether, his oldest son, “Kill them.” But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he did not draw his sword.


text:
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on. ·Kill us [Do it] yourself. As the saying goes, ‘·It takes a man to do a man’s job [As is a man, so is his strength; it was honorable to be killed by a great warrior, but humiliating to be killed by a boy].’” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the ·decorations [crescent-shaped ornaments] off their camels’ necks.


text:
Gideon Makes an Idol The people of Israel said to Gideon, “You ·saved [rescued; delivered] us from the Midianites. Now, we want you and your son and your grandson to rule over us [to establish a royal dynasty].”


text:
But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will be your ruler.”


text:
He said, “I want you to do this one thing for me. I want each of you to give me a gold earring from ·the things you took in the fighting [his plunder].” (The Ishmaelites [related to the Midianites, and sometimes identified with them; ] wore gold earrings.)


text:
They said, “We will ·gladly [indeed] give you what you want.” So they spread out a ·coat [cloak; garment], and everyone threw down an earring from ·what he had taken [his plunder].


text:
The gold earrings weighed ·about forty-three pounds [1,700 shekels of gold]. This did not count the ·decorations [crescent-shaped ornaments], ·necklaces [pendants], and purple robes worn by the kings of Midian, nor the chains from the camels’ necks.


text:
Gideon used the gold to make a ·holy vest [ephod; perhaps in imitation of the high priest and used to discern God’s will; ], which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. But all the Israelites ·were unfaithful to God [prostituted themselves] and worshiped it, so it became a ·trap [snare; cause of sin] for Gideon and his family.


text:
The Death of Gideon So Midian was ·under the rule of [subdued before] ·Israel [the sons/children of Israel]; they did not ·cause trouble anymore [raise its head again]. And the land had ·peace [rest] for forty years, ·as long as Gideon was alive [in the days of Gideon].


text:
He had a ·slave woman [concubine; a secondary wife, of lower status than a primary wife but higher than a common servant] who lived in Shechem, and he had a son by her, whom he named Abimelech [“My father is king”].


text:
So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age. He was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah, ·where the Abiezrites live [of the Abiezrites].


text:
As soon as Gideon died, the ·people [sons; children] of Israel ·were again unfaithful to God and followed [prostituted themselves to] the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did not remember the Lord their God, who had ·saved [rescued; delivered] them from all their enemies living all around them.


text:
And they were not ·kind [loyal; faithful] to the family of Jerub-Baal, also called Gideon, for all the good he had done for Israel.


text:
Abimelech Becomes King Abimelech [] son of Jerub-Baal [Gideon; ] went to his ·uncles [mother’s brothers] in the city of Shechem. He said to ·his uncles [them] and all of his mother’s ·family group [clan],


text:
“·Ask [or Whisper to; Speak in the ears of] the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem, ‘Is it better for the seventy sons of Gideon to rule over you or for one man to rule?’ Remember, I am your ·relative [bone and your flesh].”


text:
Abimelech’s ·uncles [mother’s brothers] ·spoke to [or whispered to; spoke in the ears of] all the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem about this [for him; on his behalf]. And ·they decided [they were inclined; their heart was stretched] to follow Abimelech, because they said, “He is our ·relative [brother].”


text:
So the leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech about ·one and three-quarter pounds [seventy pieces/coins] of silver from the temple of the god Baal-Berith []. Abimelech used the silver to hire some worthless, reckless men, who ·followed him wherever he went [went after him].


text:
He went to Ophrah, the hometown of his father, and murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal [Gideon; ]. He killed them all on one stone. But Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, Jotham, hid from Abimelech and ·escaped [survived; was left].


text:
Then all of the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo [“house of the fill”; probably the earthen structure on which the Tower of Shechem () was built] gathered beside the ·great tree [oak] by the pillar [likely an object of pagan worship] in Shechem. There they made Abimelech their king.


text:
Jotham’s Story When Jotham heard this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted to the people: “Listen to me, you ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem, so that God will listen to you!


text:
One day the trees decided to ·appoint [anoint] a king to rule over them. They said to the olive tree, ‘·You be king [Rule; Reign] over us!’


text:
“But the olive tree said, ‘Men and gods are honored by my oil. Should I ·stop making it [cease my fatness/abundance] and go and sway over the other trees?’ [Ancient kings were sometimes compared to trees, providing shelter and protection for their subjects.]


text:
“But the fig tree answered, ‘Should I stop making my sweet and good fruit and go and sway over the other trees?’


text:
“But the vine answered, ‘My new wine makes men and gods happy. Should I stop making it and go and sway over the trees?’


text:
“But the thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to ·appoint [anoint] me king over you, come and ·find shelter [take refuge] in my shade! But if not, let fire come out of the thornbush and ·burn up [consume; devour] the cedars of Lebanon!’ [A worthless thornbush provides no shelter and burns hot and quick (), igniting the great cedars of Lebanon (the most valuable trees in the ancient Near East); see .]


text:
“Now, ·were you completely honest and sincere [if you acted in truth and integrity/blamelessness] when you made Abimelech king? ·Have you [And if you have] been fair to Jerub-Baal [Gideon; ] and his ·family [house]? ·Have [And if] you treated him as ·you should [his hands deserved]?


text:
Remember, my father fought for you and risked his life to ·save [rescue; deliver] you from the ·power of the Midianites [hand of Midian].


text:
But now you have ·turned [revolted; risen up] against my father’s ·family [house] and have killed his seventy sons on one stone []. You have made Abimelech, the son of my father’s ·slave girl [maidservant], king over the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem just because he is your ·relative [brother]!


text:
So then, if you have ·been honest and sincere [acted in truth and integrity/blamelessness] to Jerub-Baal [Gideon; ] and his ·family [house] today, ·be happy with [rejoice in] Abimelech as your king. And may he ·be happy with [rejoice in] you!


text:
But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and completely burn you ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem and Beth Millo [the cedars of Lebanon in the allegory; ]! Also may fire come out of the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech!”


text:
Then Jotham ran away and escaped to the city of Beer [meaning “well”]. He lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.


text:
Then God sent an evil spirit to make trouble between Abimelech and the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem so that they ·turned [revolted; acted treacherously] against him.


text:
God did this to repay [avenge] the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal [Gideon; ] and to make their brother Abimelech pay for their spilled blood, together with the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem who ·helped him murder [strengthened his hand to kill] his brothers.


text:
The ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem were against Abimelech then and put men on the hilltops in ambush to rob everyone going by. And Abimelech was told.


text:
A man named Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers ·moved into [came to] Shechem, and the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of Shechem ·trusted [or gave their allegiance to] him.


text:
They went out to the vineyards to pick grapes, and they ·squeezed [stomped/trod on] the grapes. Then they had a feast in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed said, “·We are the men of Shechem. Who is Abimelech [Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem] that we should serve him? Isn’t he one of Jerub-Baal’s [Gideon’s] sons, and isn’t Zebul his ·officer [deputy; lieutenant]? ·We should serve [Serve…!] the men of Hamor, Shechem’s father. Why should we serve Abimelech?


text:
If you made me commander of these people, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, ‘·Get your army ready [Muster your troops; Strengthen your army] and come out to battle.’”


text:
Now when Zebul, the ·ruler [governor] of ·Shechem [the city], heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, ·he was very angry [his anger burned].


text:
He sent messengers to Abimelech ·secretly [deceptively; or in Arumah], saying, “Gaal son of Ebed and Gaal’s brothers have come to Shechem, and they are ·turning [inciting; stirring up] the city against you!


text:
You and your men should get up during the night and ·hide [lie in wait; set an ambush] in the fields outside the city.


text:
As soon as the sun comes up in the morning, ·attack [raid; rush upon] the city. When Gaal and his men come out to fight you, do what ·you can to them [your hand finds to do].”


text:
So Abimelech and all his soldiers got up during the night and ·hid near [lay in wait outside; set an ambush against] Shechem in four groups.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed went out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate. As he was standing there, Abimelech and his soldiers came out of their ·hiding places [ambush].


text:
When Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Zebul, “Look! There are people coming down from the mountains!” But Zebul said, “You are seeing the shadows of the mountains. The shadows just look like people.”


text:
But again Gaal said, “Look, there are people coming down from the ·center of the land [or navel of the earth; ], and there is a group coming from the ·fortune-tellers’ tree [diviner’s oak; a place where fortunes were told; ironically, Gaal’s fortune had been sealed]!”


text:
Zebul said to Gaal, “Where is your ·bragging [mouth] now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ ·You made fun of [Didn’t you mock/insult/despise…?] these men. Now go out and fight them.”


text:
Abimelech ·and his men chased them [chased him], and many of Gaal’s men ·were killed [or fell wounded] before they could get back to the city gate.


text:
he separated his men into three groups and ·hid them [set an ambush; lay in wait] in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he jumped up and ·attacked [struck; slew] them.


text:
Abimelech and his ·group [force; company] ran to the entrance gate to the city. The other two groups ran out to the people in the fields and struck them down.


text:
Abimelech and his men fought the city of Shechem all day until they captured it and killed its people. Then he ·tore it down [razed/leveled the city] and ·threw salt over the ruins [sowed it with salt; to symbolize destruction and desolation; ; ].


text:
The Tower of Shechem Burns When the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] who were in the Tower of Shechem [either a nearby town or a structure within Shechem; ] heard what had happened to Shechem, they gathered in the ·safest room [stronghold; inner chamber] of the temple of El Berith [].


text:
Abimelech heard that all the ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there.


text:
So he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon [near Shechem]. Abimelech took an ax and cut some ·branches [brushwood] and put them on his shoulders. He said to all those with him, “Hurry! Do what I have done!”


text:
So all those men cut ·branches [brushwood] and followed Abimelech and piled them against the ·safest room [stronghold; inner chamber] of the temple. Then they set them on fire and burned ·the people inside [the stronghold over them]. So all the people who were at the Tower of Shechem also died—about a thousand men and women.


text:
Abimelech’s Death Then Abimelech went to the city of Thebez. He ·surrounded the city, attacked it, [besieged/encamped against Thebez] and captured it.


text:
But inside the city was a strong ·tower [or fortress], so all the men, women, and ·leaders [leading citizens; lords] of that city ran to the tower. When they got inside, they locked the door behind them. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower [to fight back and avoid the fate of the people of Shechem; ].


text:
but as he came near, a woman dropped a ·grinding stone [upper millstone; the smaller stone (about 10 inches long) that was rolled by hand over the top of the larger lower millstone; ] on his head, crushing his skull.


text:
He quickly called to the officer who carried his armor and said, “Draw your sword and kill me. I don’t want people to say, ‘A woman killed Abimelech [a humiliation for a warrior; ; ].’” So ·the officer [his servant; or the young man] stabbed Abimelech, and he died.


text:
In that way God ·punished [repaid; returned to] Abimelech for all the evil he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.


text:
God also ·punished [repaid; returned on the heads of] the men of Shechem for the evil they had done. So the curse spoken by Jotham, the son of Jerub-Baal [Gideon], came ·true [on them].


text:
Tola, the Judge ·After Abimelech died [After Abimelech], another ·judge [leader; ] ·came [arose] to save Israel. He was Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo. Tola was from the people of Issachar and lived in the city of Shamir in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim.


text:
Jair, the Judge After ·Tola died [him], Jair ·from the region of Gilead [the Gileadite] ·judged [led; ] Israel for twenty-two years.


text:
Jair had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys []. These thirty sons controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which are called the ·Towns [Havvoth; Hebrew for “towns” or “tent-villages”] of Jair to this day.


text:
The Ammonites Trouble Israel Again the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. They ·worshiped [served] ·Baal and Ashtoreth [the Baals and Ashtoreths; ; referring to the idols of these gods found throughout Israel], the gods of Aram [these included Hadad, Mot, Anath, and Rimon], Sidon [Baal and Ashtoreth], Moab [Chemosh; ], and Ammon [Molech; ], and the gods of the Philistines [Dagon; ]. The Israelites ·left [abandoned; forsook] the Lord and stopped serving him.


text:
So the Lord ·was angry with [burned with anger against] them and ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] the Philistines and the Ammonites.


text:
In the same year those people ·destroyed [shattered and crushed; from two Hebrew words that sound similar] the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] who lived east of the Jordan River in the region of Gilead, where the Amorites lived. So the Israelites suffered for eighteen years.


text:
The Ammonites then crossed the Jordan River to fight the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, causing much ·trouble [distress] to the people of Israel.


text:
So the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you. We ·left [abandoned; forsook] our God and ·worshiped [served] the ·Baal idols [Baals].”


text:
The Lord answered the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,


text:
Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites ·were cruel to [oppressed] you, you cried out to me, and ·I saved [did I not save/rescue/deliver…?] you [from their hand].


text:
But now you have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me again and have ·worshiped [served] other gods. So I ·refuse to [will no longer] save you again.


text:
You have chosen those gods. So go ·call [cry out] to them for help. Let them ·save [rescue; deliver] you when you are in ·trouble [distress].”


text:
But the ·people [sons; children] of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever ·you want [you see fit; is good in your eyes], but please ·save [rescue; deliver] us today!”


text:
Then the Israelites threw away the foreign gods among them, and they worshiped the Lord again. So ·he felt sorry for them [or he could no longer bear it; or he grew impatient; his spirit grew short] when he saw their suffering.


text:
The ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] ·gathered for war [were called to arms] and camped in Gilead. The Israelites gathered and camped at Mizpah.


text:
The leaders of the people of Gilead said, “Who will lead us to attack the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon]? He will become the head of all those who live in Gilead.”


text:
Jephthah Is Chosen as Leader Jephthah was a ·strong soldier [mighty warrior] from Gilead [a region east of the Jordan]. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute.


text:
Gilead’s wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home, saying to him, “You will not get any of our father’s ·property [inheritance], because you are the son of another woman.”


text:
So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob [region northeast of Gilead; , ]. There some ·worthless [good-for-nothing; trouble-making] men began to ·follow [or travel with] him.


text:
When the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah to bring him back from Tob.


text:
They said to him, “Come and ·lead our army [be our commander/ruler] so we can fight the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon].”


text:
But Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me? You forced me to leave my father’s house. Why are you coming to me now that you are in trouble?”


text:
The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “·It is because of those troubles that [For that reason; or Despite that; Nevertheless] we come to you now. Please come with us and fight against the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon]. You will be the ·ruler [leader; head] over everyone who lives in Gilead.”


text:
Then Jephthah answered, “If you take me back to Gilead to fight the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] and the Lord helps me win, ·I will be your ruler [or will I really be your ruler/leader/head?].”


text:
The elders of Gilead said to him, “The Lord ·is listening to everything we are saying [is our witness; or will mediate for us; will hear between us; an oath formula]. ·We promise to do all that you tell us to do [or …if we do not do as you say].”


text:
So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their ·leader [head; ruler] and ·commander of their army [or chief; leader]. Jephthah repeated all of his words in front of the Lord at Mizpah [either to further ratify them or to confirm God’s direction].


text:
Jephthah Sends Messengers to the Ammonite King Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon], asking, “What ·have you got against Israel [to me and to you]? ·Why have you […that you have] come to attack our land?”


text:
The king of the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] answered the messengers of Jephthah, “We are fighting Israel because you took our land when you came up from Egypt. You took our land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River to the Jordan River. Now give our land back to us peacefully.”


text:
When the Israelites came up out of Egypt, they went through the ·desert [wilderness] to the Red Sea and then to Kadesh.


text:
Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let ·the people of Israel [us] ·go across [pass through] your land [].’ But the king of Edom ·refused [would not listen]. They sent the same message to the king of Moab, but he also refused. So the Israelites stayed at Kadesh.


text:
“Then the Israelites went through the ·desert [wilderness] around the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. Israel went east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River [the border of Moab]. They did not cross it to go into the land of Moab.


text:
“Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of the city of Heshbon, asking, ‘Let the people of Israel pass through your land to go to our ·land [place].’


text:
But Sihon did not trust the Israelites to cross his land. So he ·gathered all of his people [mobilized his army] and camped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.


text:
“But the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his army ·over to [into the hand of] Israel. All ·the land [or that territory] of the Amorites became the property of Israel.


text:
So Israel took all the ·land [territory] of the Amorites from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, from the desert to the Jordan River [].


text:
“It was the Lord, the God of Israel, who ·forced [drove] out the Amorites ahead of his people Israel. So do you think you can ·make them leave [take possession of it]?


text:
·Take [Will you not possess…?] the land that your god Chemosh [the chief god of the Moabites, which the Amorites were evidently also worshiping] has given you. We will live in the land the Lord our God has ·given [dispossessed before] us!


text:
“Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab []? Did he ever quarrel or fight with the people of Israel?


text:
For three hundred years the Israelites have lived in Heshbon and Aroer and the towns around them and in all the cities along the Arnon River. Why have you not taken these cities back in all that time?


text:
I have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by making war on me. May the Lord, the Judge, decide today whether the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] or the Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] are right.”


text:
But the king of the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] ·ignored [would not listen to] this message from Jephthah.


text:
Jephthah’s Promise Then the Spirit of the Lord ·entered [empowered; came/was upon; ; ] Jephthah. Jephthah passed through Gilead and Manasseh and the city of Mizpah in Gilead to the land of the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon].


text:
Jephthah made a ·promise [vow] to the Lord, saying, “If you will ·hand over the Ammonites to me [give the sons of Ammon into my hand],


text:
I will ·give you [offer; sacrifice] as a burnt offering [] the first thing that comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return ·from the victory [in peace]. It will be the Lord’s.”


text:
Then Jephthah went over to fight the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon], and the Lord ·handed them over to him [gave them into his hand].


text:
Jephthah ·struck them down [crushed/defeated them with a great slaughter] from the city of Aroer to the area of Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as the city of Abel Keramim. So the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon] were ·defeated [subdued] by the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel].


text:
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, [look; behold] his daughter was the first one to come out to meet him, ·playing a tambourine [with tambourines] and dancing []. She was his only child; he had no other sons or daughters.


text:
When Jephthah saw his daughter, he tore his clothes [to show his sorrow] and said, “[Ah!] My daughter! You have ·made me so sad [devastated me; brought me to my knees]. You have brought me disaster! I ·made a promise [have given my word; opened my mouth] to the Lord, and I cannot ·break it [recant; return]!”


text:
Then his daughter said, “Father, you ·made a promise [gave your word; opened your mouth] to the Lord. So do to me just what ·you promised [came out of your mouth], because the Lord ·helped you defeat [avenged you of; or vindicated you before] your enemies, the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon].”


text:
She also said, “But let me do one thing. Let me be alone for two months to go ·to [down and up in] the mountains. Let me and my friends go and ·cry together since I will never marry [weep for my virginity].”


text:
Jephthah said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months. She and her friends ·stayed [walked] in the mountains and ·cried for her because she would never marry [wept for her virginity].


text:
After two months she returned to her father, and Jephthah did to her what he had ·promised [vowed; ]. Jephthah’s daughter ·never had a husband [or died a virgin; never knew a man; some claim Jephthah committed her to lifelong service as a virgin at the sanctuary (); more likely, he literally fulfilled his rash vow (see next verse)]. From this came a custom in Israel that


text:
every year the young women of Israel would go out for four days to ·remember [commemorate] the daughter of Jephthah from Gilead.


text:
Jephthah and Ephraim The men of Ephraim called all their soldiers together and crossed the river to the town of Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why didn’t you call us to help you fight the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon]? We will burn your house down ·with you in it [over you].”


text:
Jephthah answered them, “My people and I fought a great battle against the ·Ammonites [sons/descendants of Ammon]. I called you, but you didn’t ·come to help me [save/rescue/deliver me from their hand].


text:
When I saw that you would not help me, I risked my own life and went against the Ammonites. The Lord ·handed them over to me [gave them into my hand]. So why have you come to fight against me today?”


text:
Then Jephthah called the men of Gilead together and fought the men of Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You men of Gilead are ·nothing but deserters [or fugitives; or renegades] from Ephraim—living ·between [or in the territory of] Ephraim and Manasseh.”


text:
The men of Gilead captured the ·crossings [fords; ] of the Jordan River ·that led to the country of [opposite] Ephraim. A person from Ephraim trying to escape would say, “Let me cross the river.” Then the men of Gilead would ask him, “Are you from Ephraim?” If he replied no,


text:
they would say to him, “Say the word ‘Shibboleth [the word means “flood” or “stream” in Hebrew].’” The men of Ephraim could not say that word correctly [the difference in accent gave them away (cf. )]. So if the person from Ephraim said, “Sibboleth,” the men of Gilead would kill him at the ·crossing [ford]. So forty-two thousand people from Ephraim were killed at that time.


text:
Jephthah ·judged [led; ] Israel for six years. Then Jephthah, the man from Gilead, died and was buried in a town in Gilead.


text:
He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He ·let his daughters marry [gave them in marriage to] men who were not in his ·family group [clan], and he brought thirty women who were not in his tribe to be wives for his sons. Ibzan ·judged [led] Israel for seven years.


text:
Elon, the Judge After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun ·judged [led; ] Israel. He ·judged [led] Israel for ten years.


text:
Abdon, the Judge After Elon died, Abdon son of Hillel from the city of Pirathon ·judged [led; ] Israel.


text:
He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys []. He ·judged [led] Israel for eight years.


text:
Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the ·mountains [hill country] where the Amalekites lived.


text:
The Birth of Samson Again the ·people [sons; children] of Israel did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. So he ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] the Philistines for forty years.


text:
There was a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan, who lived in the city of Zorah [fifteen miles west of Jerusalem; ]. He had a wife, but she [was barren/infertile and] could not have children [a cause of both sadness and shame; ; ].


text:
The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [angelic spokesperson for God, sometimes identified with the Lord himself; ; ; ; ; ] appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “·You [Look/Behold, you are barren and] have not been able to have children, but you will ·become pregnant [conceive] and give birth to a son.


text:
Be careful not to drink wine or ·beer [or other fermented drink; strong drink; an alcoholic beverage made from grain] or eat anything that is unclean [in a ritual sense],


text:
because you will ·become pregnant [conceive] and have a son. You must never cut his hair, because he will be a Nazirite [], given to God from ·birth [the womb]. He will begin to ·save [rescue; deliver] Israel from the ·power [hand] of the Philistines.”


text:
Then Manoah’s wife went to him and told him what had happened. She said, “A man from God came to me. He looked like an angel from God; ·his appearance was frightening [very terrifying/awesome]. I didn’t ask him where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name.


text:
But he said to me, ‘You will ·become pregnant [conceive] and will have a son. Don’t drink wine or ·beer [or other fermented drink; strong drink; ] or eat anything that is unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite [] to God from his birth until the day of his death.’”


text:
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, I beg you to let the man of God come to us again. Let him teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born to us.”


text:
God heard Manoah’s prayer, and the ·angel [messenger] of God came to Manoah’s wife again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.


text:
So she ran to tell him, “·He is here [Look; Behold]! The man who ·appeared [came] to me the other day is here!”


text:
Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” The man said, “I am.”


text:
So Manoah asked, “When what you say happens, what kind of life should the boy live? What ·should he do [is his mission/vocation]?”


text:
The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord said, “Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her to do.


text:
She must not eat anything that grows on a grapevine, or drink any wine or ·beer [or other fermented drink; strong drink; ], or eat anything that is unclean [in a ritual sense]. She must do everything I have commanded her.”


text:
Manoah said to the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord, “We would like you to stay awhile so we can cook a young goat for you.”


text:
The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord answered, “Even if I stay awhile, I would not eat your food. But if you want to prepare something, offer a burnt offering [] to the Lord.” (Manoah did not understand that the man was really the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord.)


text:
Then Manoah asked the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord, “What is your name? Then we will honor you when what you have said really happens.”


text:
The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord said, “Why do you ask my name? It is ·too amazing for you to understand [beyond comprehension; wonderful; ].”


text:
So Manoah sacrificed a young goat on a rock and offered ·some grain as a gift [a grain/gift/tribute offering; ] to the Lord. Then ·an amazing thing happened [or the Lord did an amazing thing] as Manoah and his wife watched.


text:
As the flames went up to ·the sky [heaven] from the altar, the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord ·went up [ascended] in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw that, they bowed facedown on the ground.


text:
The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord did not appear to them again. Then Manoah ·understood [realized; knew] that the man was really the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord.


text:
But his wife said to him, “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering [] or ·grain [gift; tribute] offering []. He would not have shown us all these things or told us all this.”


text:
So the woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson [related to the Hebrew word for “sun”; perhaps “sun-like” or “light from God”; ]. He grew, and the Lord blessed him.


text:
The Spirit of the Lord began to ·work in Samson [move/stir/empower him] while he was in the city of Mahaneh Dan, between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.


text:
Samson’s First Marriage Samson went down to the city of Timnah where he saw ·a Philistine woman [one of the daughters of the Philistines].


text:
When he returned home, he said to his father and mother, “I saw ·a Philistine woman [one of the daughers of the Philistines] in Timnah. I want you to get her for me so I can marry her.”


text:
His father and mother answered, “·Surely there is [Is there not…?] a woman from ·Israel [the daughters of your brothers/relatives] you can marry. Do you have to marry a woman from the uncircumcised Philistines []?” But Samson said, “Get that woman for me! She is ·the one I want [right in my eyes]!”


text:
(Samson’s parents did not know that ·the Lord wanted this to happen [this was from the Lord] because he was looking for a ·way [opportunity] to challenge the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at this time.)


text:
Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, as far as the vineyard near there. ·Suddenly [And behold], a young lion came roaring toward Samson!


text:
The Spirit of the Lord ·entered Samson with great power [empowered/came upon/rushed upon him; ; ; ], and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. ·For him it was as easy as tearing apart […as one tears] a young goat. But Samson did not tell his father or mother what he had done.


text:
Then he went down to the city and talked to the Philistine woman, and ·he liked her [she was right in Samson’s eyes].


text:
Several days later Samson went back to ·marry [get; take] her. On his way he went over to look at the body of the dead lion and ·found [behold, there was] a swarm of bees and honey in it.


text:
Samson ·got [scooped; scraped] some of the honey with his hands and walked along eating it. When he came to his parents, he gave some to them. They ate it, too, but Samson did not tell them he had ·taken [scooped; scraped] the honey from the body of the dead lion [touching the carcass violated Samson’s Nazirite vow; , ; ].


text:
Samson’s father went down to see the Philistine woman. And Samson gave a feast, as was the custom for the ·bridegroom [young men].


text:
Samson’s Riddle Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. Try to find the answer during the seven days of the feast. If you can, I will give you thirty linen ·shirts [garments] and thirty changes of clothes.


text:
But if you can’t, you must give me thirty linen ·shirts [garments] and thirty changes of clothes.” So they said, “Tell us your riddle so we can hear it.”


text:
Samson said, “Out of the eater comes something to eat. Out of the strong comes something sweet.” After three days, they had not ·found the answer [solved the riddle].


text:
On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Did you invite us here to make us poor? ·Trick [Entice; Coax] your husband into telling us the answer to the riddle. If you don’t, we will burn you and everyone in your father’s house.”


text:
So Samson’s wife went to him, crying, and said, “You hate me! You don’t really love me! You told ·my people [the sons of my people] a riddle, but you won’t tell me the answer.” Samson said, “I haven’t even told my father or mother. Why should I tell you?”


text:
Samson’s wife cried for the rest of the seven days of the feast. So he finally gave her the answer on the seventh day, because she kept ·bothering [nagging; pressing] him. Then she told ·her [the sons of her] people the answer to the riddle.


text:
Before sunset on the seventh day of the feast, the Philistine men had the answer. They came to Samson and said, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Then Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my ·young cow [heifer; referring to his wife], you would not have solved my riddle!”


text:
Then the Spirit of the Lord ·entered Samson and gave him great power [empowered/came upon/rushed upon him; ]. Samson went down to the city of Ashkelon [a Philistine capital] and killed thirty of its men and took all that they had and gave the clothes to the men who had answered his riddle. Then he went to his father’s house very angry.


text:
Samson Troubles the Philistines At the time of the wheat harvest [late May or early June], Samson went to visit his wife, taking a young goat with him [as a gift]. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room,” but her father would not let him go in.


text:
He said to Samson, “I thought you really hated your wife, so I gave her to your ·best man [companion; ]. ·Her younger sister is [Is not her younger sister…?] more beautiful. Take her instead.”


text:
But Samson said to them, “This time ·no one will blame me [I am justified/blameless/innocent] for hurting you Philistines!”


text:
So Samson went out and caught three hundred ·foxes [or jackals]. He took two at a time, tied their tails together, and then tied a torch to the tails of each pair of ·foxes [or jackals].


text:
After he lit the torches, he let the ·foxes [or jackals] loose in the grainfields of the Philistines so that he burned up their standing grain, the ·piles [heaps; shocks] of grain, their vineyards, and their olive trees.


text:
The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” Someone told them, “Samson, the son-in-law of the ·man from Timnah [Timnite], did because his father-in-law gave his wife to his ·best man [companion].” So the Philistines burned Samson’s wife and her father to death.


text:
Then Samson said to the Philistines, “Since you did this, I won’t stop until I ·pay you back [get revenge on you]!”


text:
Samson ·attacked the Philistines and killed many of them [struck them down calf on thigh with a great slaughter]. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.


text:
The Philistines went up and camped in the land of Judah, ·near a place named [spreading out near; or overrunning/raiding] Lehi.


text:
The men of Judah asked them, “Why have you come here to fight us?” They answered, “We have come to make Samson our prisoner, to ·pay him back for what he did to our people [do to him as he did to us].”


text:
Then three thousand men of Judah went to the ·cave [cleft] in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “What have you done to us? Don’t you know that the Philistines rule over us?” Samson answered, “I only ·paid them back for [did to them] what they did to me.”


text:
Then they said to him, “We have come to ·tie you up [bind you] and to hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me you will not ·hurt [attack; come against] me yourselves.”


text:
The men from Judah said, “·We agree [No; meaning they wouldn’t hurt him]. We will just ·tie you up [bind you] and give you to the Philistines. We will not kill you.” So they tied Samson with two new ropes and led him up from the cave in the rock.


text:
When Samson came to the Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him, ·shouting for joy [or with shouts of triumph; shouting]. Then the Spirit of the Lord ·entered Samson and gave him great power [came upon/rushed upon/empowered him; ]. The ropes on him weakened like burned ·strings [flax] and [his bonds] fell off his hands!


text:
Samson found the ·jawbone [fresh jawbone; not yet decayed] of a ·dead donkey [ass], took it, and ·killed [struck down] a thousand men with it!


text:
Then Samson said, “With a donkey’s jawbone I ·made donkeys out of them [or have piled them in heaps]. With a donkey’s jawbone I ·killed [struck down] a thousand men!”


text:
When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone. So that place was named Ramath Lehi [Jawbone Hill].


text:
Samson was very thirsty, so he cried out to the Lord, “You gave me, your servant, this great victory. Do I have to die of thirst now? Do I have to be captured by ·people who are not circumcised [or these pagans; the uncircumcised]?”


text:
Then God ·opened up a hole in the ground [split open the basin/hollow place] at Lehi, and water came out. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he ·felt better [revived]. So he named that spring ·Caller’s Spring [or Spring of the One Who Cries Out; En Hakkore], which is still in Lehi.


text:
Samson Goes to the City of Gaza One day Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there. He went in ·to spend the night with her [to her; a euphemism for sexual relations].


text:
When the people of Gaza heard, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and ·waited for him [set an ambush; lay in wait] near the city gate all night. They whispered to each other, “·When dawn comes [At the morning light], we will kill Samson!”


text:
But Samson only stayed with the prostitute until midnight. Then he got up and took hold of the doors and the two posts of the city gate and tore them loose, along with the bar. He put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces the city of Hebron.


text:
Samson and Delilah After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Valley of Sorek.


text:
The Philistine ·rulers [lords] went to Delilah and said, “Find out what makes Samson so strong. ·Trick [Seduce; Entice] him into telling you how we can overpower him and tie him up and ·capture [subdue] him. If you do this, each one of us will give you ·twenty-eight pounds [eleven hundred pieces] of silver.”


text:
So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me why you are so strong. How can someone tie you up and ·capture [subdue] you?”


text:
Samson answered, “Someone would have to tie me up with seven ·new [fresh] bowstrings that have not been dried. Then I would be as weak as any other man.”


text:
The Philistine ·rulers [lords] brought Delilah seven ·new [fresh] bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson with them.


text:
Some men were ·hiding [lying in wait] in ·another [an inner; or their] room. Delilah said to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But Samson broke the bowstrings like pieces of burned ·string [flax]. So the Philistines did not find out the secret of Samson’s strength.


text:
Then Delilah said to Samson, “You ·made a fool of [mocked; or deceived] me. You lied to me. Now tell me how someone can ·tie you up [subdue you].”


text:
Samson said, “They would have to tie me with new ropes that have not been used before. Then I would become as weak as any other man.”


text:
So Delilah took new ropes and tied Samson. Some men were hiding in ·another [an inner; or their] room. She called out to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he broke the ropes from his arms as easily as if they were threads.


text:
Then Delilah said to Samson, “·Again [Until now] you have ·made a fool of [mocked; or deceived] me. You lied to me. Tell me how someone can tie you up.” He said, “Using the loom, weave the seven braids of my hair into the ·cloth [woven fabric; web], and tighten it with a pin. Then I will be as weak as any other man.” While Samson slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the ·cloth [woven fabric; web].


text:
Then she fastened it with a pin. Again she said to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” Samson woke up and pulled out the pin and the loom with the ·cloth [woven fabric; web].


text:
Then Delilah said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when ·you don’t even trust me [your heart is not with me]? This is the third time you have ·made a fool of [mocked; or deceived] me. You haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.”


text:
She ·kept bothering [nagged; pressed] Samson about his secret day after day until ·he felt he was going to die [his soul was annoyed to death]!


text:
So he told her ·everything [all his heart]. He said, “·I have never had my hair cut [A razor has never come upon my head], because I have been set apart to God as a Nazirite ·since I was born [from my mother’s womb; , ; ]. If someone shaved my head, I would lose my strength and be as weak as any other man.”


text:
When Delilah saw that he had told her ·everything sincerely [all his heart], she sent a message to the Philistine ·rulers [lords]. She said, “Come back one more time, because he has told me ·everything [all that is in his heart].” So the Philistine rulers came back to Delilah and brought the silver ·with them [in their hands].


text:
Delilah got Samson to sleep, lying in her lap. Then she called in a man to shave off the seven braids of Samson’s hair. In this way she began to ·make him weak [subdue him; make him vulnerable], and his strength left him.


text:
Then she said, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” He woke up and thought, “I’ll leave as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.


text:
Then the Philistines captured Samson and ·tore [gouged] out his eyes. They took him down to Gaza, where they put bronze ·chains [shackles] on him and made him grind grain in the prison.


text:
Samson Dies The Philistine ·rulers [lords] gathered to celebrate and to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said, “Our god has handed Samson our enemy ·over to us [into our hand].”


text:
When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “This man ·destroyed [laid waste; ravaged] our country. He ·killed many of us [multiplied our dead]! But our god handed over our enemy to us.”


text:
·While the people were enjoying the celebration [When they were in high spirits; When their heart was good], they said, “Bring Samson out to ·perform for [entertain; amuse] us.” So they brought Samson from the prison, and he ·performed for [entertained; amused] them. They made him stand between the pillars.


text:
Samson said to the ·servant [youth; young man] holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars that hold up the ·temple [house] so I can lean against them.”


text:
Now the ·temple [house] was full of men and women. All the Philistine ·rulers [lords] were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson perform.


text:
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “·Lord God [Sovereign Lord], remember me. God, please give me strength one more time so I ·can pay these Philistines back [avenge the Philistines] for putting out my two eyes!”


text:
Then Samson ·turned to [grasped] the two center pillars ·that supported the whole temple [on which the house rested]. He braced himself between the two pillars, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.


text:
Samson said, “Let me die with these Philistines!” Then he pushed ·as hard as he could [with all his strength], causing the temple to fall on the ·rulers [lords] and all the people in it. So Samson killed more of the Philistines when he died than ·when he was alive [during his lifetime].


text:
Samson’s brothers and ·his whole family [all the house of his father] went down to get his body. They brought him back and buried him in the tomb of Manoah, his father, between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson had ·judged [led; ] Israel for twenty years.


text:
He said to his mother, “I heard you speak a curse [uttered against the thief] about the ·twenty-eight pounds [eleven hundred pieces] of silver that were taken from you. I have the silver with me; I took it.” His mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son [for confessing the crime]!”


text:
Micah gave the ·twenty-eight pounds [eleven hundred pieces] of silver to his mother. Then she said, “I will ·give [dedicate] this silver [from my hand] to the Lord. ·I will have my son make [or For the benefit of my son I will make] ·an idol and a statue [a carved image and a cast-metal image; or a carved image overlaid with silver]. So I will give the silver back to you.”


text:
When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took about ·five pounds [two hundred pieces of silver] and gave it to a ·silversmith [or idol-maker; ]. With it he made an ·idol and a statue [or carved image overlaid with silver; an abomination and violation of the law; ], which stood in Micah’s house.


text:
Micah had a ·special holy place [shrine], and he made a ·holy vest [ephod] and some ·household idols [teraphim; ]. Then Micah ·chose [ordained; installed; or paid; filled the hand of] one of his sons to be his priest.


text:
At that time Israel did not have a king, so everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes [the common refrain through the rest of Judges, referring both to the lack of a human king and the rejection of God’s sovereignty; ; ; ].


text:
There was a young man who was a Levite [the priestly tribe of Israel; ] from the city of Bethlehem in Judah who was ·from [or living among] the people of Judah.


text:
He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live, and ·on his way [or to carry on his vocation] he came to Micah’s house in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim.


text:
Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I’m looking for a place to live.”


text:
Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father [meaning an advisor or counselor; ] and my priest. I will give you ·four ounces [ten pieces] of silver each year and clothes and food.” So the Levite went in.


text:
Micah ·made him [installed/ordained him as; or paid him to be; filled his hand to be] a priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.


text:
Then Micah said, “Now I know the Lord will ·be good to [prosper] me, because I have a Levite as my priest.”


text:
The Tribe of Dan Captures Laish At that time Israel did not have a king []. And at that time the tribe of Dan was still ·looking for a land [seeking an inheritance] where they could live, a land of their own. The Danites had not yet ·been given their own land [moved into their land; received their allotment] among the tribes of Israel.


text:
So, from their family groups, they chose five ·soldiers [valiant men; men, sons of strength] from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out and explore the land. They were told, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, to Micah’s house, where they spent the night.


text:
When they came near Micah’s house, they recognized the ·voice [or accent] of the young Levite []. So they stopped there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? ·Why are you here [What is your business here]?”


text:
They said to him, “Please ask God if ·our journey [our mission; the way we are going] will be successful.”


text:
The priest said to them, “Go in peace. The Lord ·is pleased with [approves of; watches over] your journey.”


text:
So the five men left. When they came to the city of Laish, they saw that the people there lived in safety, ·like [according to the custom of] the people of Sidon. They ·thought they were safe [were quiet and secure/unsuspecting] and ·had plenty of everything [or no ruler was humiliating them]. They lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone else.


text:
When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their ·relatives [brothers] asked them, “What did you find?”


text:
They answered, “We have seen the land, and it is very good. ·We should attack [Arise, let us go up against] them. ·Aren’t you going to do something [Are you just going to sit there]? Don’t ·wait [hesitate; or be lazy]! Let’s go and take that land!


text:
When you go, you will see there is ·plenty of [a wide/spacious] land—·plenty of everything [lacking nothing]! The people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has handed that land over to us!”


text:
On their way they set up camp near the city of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is named Mahaneh Dan [“Camp of Dan”] to this day.


text:
From there they traveled on to the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. Then they came to Micah’s house.


text:
The five men who had explored the land around Laish said to their ·relatives [brothers], “Do you know in one of these houses there are a ·holy vest [ephod; ], household gods [], an ·idol, and a statue [or image overlaid with silver; ]? ·You know [or Decide now] what to do.”


text:
So they stopped at the Levite’s house, which was also Micah’s house, and ·greeted the Levite [or asked how he was doing].


text:
The six hundred ·Danites [men who were of the sons/descendants of Dan] stood at the entrance gate, wearing their weapons of war.


text:
The five spies went into the house and took the ·idol [carved image], the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols, and the ·statue [cast-metal image]. The priest and the six hundred men armed ·for [with weapons of] war stood by the entrance gate.


text:
When the spies went into Micah’s house and took the [carved] image, the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols, and the ·statue [cast-metal image], the priest asked them, “What are you doing?”


text:
They answered, “Be quiet! ·Don’t say a word [Put your hand over your mouth]. Come with us and be our father [meaning an advisor or counselor; ; ] and priest. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man’s house or for a tribe and ·family group [clan] in Israel?”


text:
This ·made the priest happy [pleased the heart of the priest]. So he took the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols [], and the ·idol [carved image] and went with the ·Danites [people].


text:
They left Micah’s house, putting their little children, their animals, and everything they owned in front of them [for protection in case of attack; ].


text:
When they had gone a little way from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah ·were called out [assembled] and caught up with them.


text:
The men with Micah shouted at the ·Danites [sons/descendants of Dan], who turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you? Why have you ·been called out to [assembled for a] fight?”


text:
Micah answered, “You took my gods that I made and my priest. What do I have left? How can you ask me, ‘What’s the matter?’”


text:
The ·Danites [sons/descendants of Dan] answered, “·You should not argue with [or Don’t say another word to; Don’t let your voice be heard among] us. Some of our ·angry [bitter] men might attack you, ·killing you [and you will lose your life] and your ·family [household].”


text:
Then the ·Danites [sons/descendants of Dan] went on their way. Micah knew they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.


text:
Then the Danites took what Micah had made and his priest and went on to Laish. They attacked those ·peaceful [quiet] and ·unsuspecting [secure] people and killed them with their swords and then burned the city.


text:
There was no one to ·save [rescue; deliver] the people of Laish. They lived too far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else. Laish was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The people of Dan rebuilt the city and lived there.


text:
They named the city Dan after their ancestor Dan, one of the sons of Israel; the city’s original name was Laish.


text:
The ·people [sons; descendants] of Dan set up the ·idol [carved image] in the city of Dan. Jonathan son of Gershom, Moses’ son, and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the ·land was captured [captivity of the land; time of the exile].


text:
The people of Dan set up the ·idols [carved images] Micah had made as long as the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle; House] of God was in Shiloh.


text:
A Levite and His Servant At that time Israel did not have a king []. There was a Levite who lived in the ·faraway [remote] ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. He had taken a ·slave woman [concubine; ] from the city of Bethlehem in the land of Judah to live with him,


text:
but she ·was unfaithful to [or became angry with] him. She left him and went back to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah and stayed there for four months.


text:
Then her husband went to ·ask her [persuade her; speak to her heart] to come back to him, taking with him his servant and two donkeys. When the Levite came to her father’s house, she invited him to come in, and her father was happy to ·see [welcome; meet] him.


text:
The father-in-law, the young woman’s father, ·asked [urged; persuaded] him to stay. So he stayed for three days and ate, drank, and slept there [hospitality was (and is) a very high cultural value in the Middle East].


text:
On the fourth day they got up early in the morning. The Levite was getting ready to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “·Refresh [Strengthen] yourself by eating something. Then go.”


text:
So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. After that, the father said to him, “Please stay tonight. Relax and enjoy yourself.”


text:
When the man got up to go, his father-in-law ·asked [urged; persuaded] him to stay. So he stayed again that night.


text:
On the fifth day the man got up early in the morning to leave. The woman’s father said, “·Refresh [Strengthen] yourself. Wait until this afternoon.” So the two men ate together.


text:
When the Levite, his ·slave woman [concubine; ], and his servant got up to leave, the father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said, “It’s almost night. The day is almost gone. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and go home.”


text:
But the Levite did not want to stay another night. So he took his two saddled donkeys and his ·slave woman [concubine] and ·traveled toward [arose and went and came opposite] the city of Jebus (also called Jerusalem).


text:
As the day was almost over, they came near Jebus. So the servant said to his master, “Let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites, and spend the night here.”


text:
But his master said, “No. We won’t go inside a foreign city. Those people are not ·Israelites [of the sons/children of Israel]. We will go on to the city of Gibeah.”


text:
He said, “Come on. Let’s try to make it to Gibeah or Ramah so we can spend the night in one of those cities.”


text:
So they went on. The sun went down as they came near Gibeah, which belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.


text:
They stopped there to spend the night. They came to the public square [an open area inside the city gate, the hub for business, government, and social interaction] of the city and sat down, but no one invited them home to spend the night [a mark of shame for the city, since hospitality was of great importance; contrast this with ].


text:
Finally, in the evening an old man came in from his work in the fields. His home was in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, but now he was ·living [residing; staying] in Gibeah. (The people of Gibeah were from the tribe of Benjamin.)


text:
The Levite answered, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to my home in a remote area of the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah, but now I am going to the ·Holy Tent [House] of the Lord [probably the shrine at Shiloh; ; ]. No one has invited me to stay in his house.


text:
We already have straw and food for our donkeys and bread and wine for me, ·the young woman [your maidservant], and my ·servant [the young man with your servants; politely referring to himself and his servants as the old man’s servants]. We don’t need anything.”


text:
The old man said, “You are welcome to stay at my house. Let me give you anything you need, but don’t spend the night in the public square.”


text:
So the old man took the Levite into his house, and he fed their donkeys. They washed their feet and had something to eat and drink.


text:
While they were enjoying themselves, [look; behold] some ·wicked [worthless; troublemaking] men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to ·have sexual relations with [know; a euphemism for sex] him.” [The Benjamites had become as evil as the men of Sodom; .]


text:
The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my ·friends [brothers]. Don’t be so evil. This man is a guest in my house. Don’t do this ·terrible [outrageous; disgraceful; vile] thing!


text:
Look, here are my ·daughter, who has never had sexual relations before [virgin daughter], and the man’s ·slave woman [concubine; ]. I will bring them out to you now. You can ·abuse [violate] them and do ·anything you want [what is good in your eyes] with them, but don’t do such a ·terrible [outrageous; disgraceful; vile] thing to this man.”


text:
But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his ·slave woman [concubine; ] and sent her outside to them. They ·forced her to have sexual relations with them [raped her], and they abused her all night long. Then, at dawn, they let her go.


text:
She came back to the house where her master was staying and fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.


text:
In the morning when the Levite got up, he opened the door of the house and went outside to go on his way. But his slave woman was lying at the doorway of the house, with her hands on the ·doorsill [threshold].


text:
The Levite said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But she did not answer. So he put her on his donkey and went home.


text:
When the Levite got home, he took a knife and cut his ·slave woman [concubine; ] into twelve parts, limb by limb. Then he sent a part to each area of Israel.


text:
Everyone who saw this said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before, not since the ·people [sons; children] of Israel came out of Egypt. Think about it [Consider this; or Just imagine!]. Discuss it [Take counsel; or Make a plan]. Tell us what to do [or Speak out against this!].”


text:
The War Between Israel and Benjamin So all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] from Dan to Beersheba [from the farthest north to the farthest south], including the land of Gilead [on the east side of the Jordan River], ·joined together [assembled] before the Lord in the city of Mizpah.


text:
The ·leaders [cornerstones; ] of all the tribes of Israel took their places in the ·meeting [assembly] of the people of God. There were 400,000 soldiers ·with swords [who drew the sword].


text:
(The ·people [sons; descendants] of Benjamin heard that the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] said to the Levite, “Tell us how this evil thing happened.”


text:
So the husband of the murdered woman answered, “My ·slave woman [concubine; ] and I came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.


text:
During the night the ·men [leaders; lords] of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house and wanted to kill me. They ·forced my slave woman to have sexual relations [abused/raped my concubine] and she died.


text:
I took her and cut her into parts and sent ·one part [her] to ·each area [every region of the inheritance] of Israel because the people of Benjamin did this ·wicked [lewd; abominable] and ·terrible [outrageous; shameful] thing in Israel.


text:
Then all the people stood up at the same time, saying, “None of us will go ·home [to his tent]. Not one of us will go back to his house!


text:
That way we will choose ten men from every hundred men from all the tribes of Israel, and we will choose a hundred men from every thousand, and a thousand men from every ten thousand. These will find ·supplies [provisions; food] for the army. Then the army will go to the city of Gibeah of Benjamin to ·repay [punish] them for the ·terrible [outrageous; shameful] thing they have done in Israel.”


text:
The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin demanding, “What is this ·evil [wicked; terrible] thing ·some of your men have done [that has taken place among you]?


text:
Hand over the ·wicked [worthless; troublemaking] men in Gibeah so that we can put them to death. We must ·remove [purge] this evil from Israel.” But the ·Benjaminites [sons of Benjamin] would not listen to their ·fellow Israelites [brothers, the sons of Israel].


text:
The ·Benjaminites [sons of Benjamin] left their own cities and met at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.


text:
In only one day the ·Benjaminites [sons of Benjamin] ·got [mobilized; mustered] 26,000 soldiers together who ·were trained with swords [drew the sword]. They also had 700 ·chosen [elite; well-trained] men from Gibeah.


text:
Among all these trained soldiers, seven hundred were left-handed [], each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss []!


text:
The Israelites, except for the Benjaminites, gathered 400,000 ·soldiers with swords [men who drew the sword, all of them men of war].


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] went up to the ·city of Bethel [or house of God; the meaning of the name “Bethel”] and asked God, “·Which tribe [Who] shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go first.”


text:
The next morning the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] got up and ·made a camp near [or encamped against] Gibeah.


text:
Then the ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] went before the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord, “Shall we go to fight ·our relatives, the Benjaminites [the sons of my brother Benjamin], again?” The Lord answered, “Go up and fight them.” The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·came to fight [drew near to] the ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] the second day.


text:
The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 ·Israelites [men of the sons/children of Israel], all of whom ·carried swords [drew the sword].


text:
Then all the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel], the whole army, went up to Bethel []. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and ·fellowship [or peace] offerings to the Lord.


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the ·Agreement with God [Covenant; Treaty] was there.


text:
A priest named Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before ·the Ark of the Agreement [it].) They asked, “Shall ·we [I] go to fight ·our relatives [my brother], the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?” The Lord answered, “Go, because tomorrow I will ·hand them over to you [give them into your hand].”


text:
They went to fight against the Benjaminites at Gibeah on the third day, getting into position for battle as they had done before.


text:
When the Benjaminites came out to fight them, the ·Israelites [people] backed up and drew them away from the city. The ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] began to kill some of the ·Israelites [people] as they had done before. About thirty Israelites were killed—some in the fields and some on the roads leading to Bethel and to Gibeah.


text:
The ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] said, “We are winning as before!” But the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] said, “Let’s ·run [retreat; flee]. Let’s ·trick them into going farther away [draw/lure them away] from their city and onto the roads.”


text:
All the Israelites moved from their places and got into battle positions at a place named Baal Tamar. Then the Israelites ·ran out [charged; jumped up] from their hiding places ·west of Gibeah [or from Maareh-geba].


text:
Ten thousand of the ·best trained [elite; chosen] soldiers from all of Israel attacked Gibeah. The battle was very hard. The Benjaminites did not know disaster was ·about to come to them [close at hand; touching against them].


text:
The Lord ·used the Israelites to defeat the Benjaminites [struck Benjamin in front of Israel]. On that day the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] killed 25,100 Benjaminites, ·all armed with swords [who drew the sword].


text:
Then the ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] saw that they were defeated. The Israelites had ·moved back [retreated] because they were depending on the ·surprise attack [ambush] they had set up near Gibeah [ now detail the account summarized in )].


text:
The men in ·hiding [ambush] rushed into Gibeah, spread out, and killed everyone in the city with ·their swords [the edge of the sword].


text:
Now the Israelites had set up a signal with the men in hiding. The men in the ·surprise attack [ambush] were to send up a cloud of smoke from the city.


text:
Then the army of Israel ·turned around in the battle [counterattacked; a similar strategy was used against Ai; ]. The Benjaminites had killed about thirty Israelites. They were saying, “·We are winning [They are defeated], as in the first battle!”


text:
But then a cloud of smoke began to rise from the city. The Benjaminites turned around and ·saw that [look; behold] the whole city was going up ·in smoke [into the sky/heavens].


text:
Then the Israelites turned and began to fight. The Benjaminites were terrified because they knew that disaster was ·coming to them [close at hand; touching against them].


text:
So the Benjaminites ran away from the Israelites toward the ·desert [wilderness], but ·they could not escape the battle [the battle pursued/overtook them]. And the Israelites who came out of the cities ·killed [struck; destroyed] them.


text:
They surrounded the Benjaminites and chased them and ·caught [overtook; stomped on] them in the area east of ·Gibeah [or Geba].


text:
The Benjaminites ·ran [fled; retreated] toward the ·desert [wilderness] to the rock of Rimmon, but the Israelites ·killed [cut down; gleaned] 5,000 Benjaminites along the roads. They chased them as far as Gidom and ·killed [struck down] 2,000 more Benjaminites there.


text:
On that day 25,000 Benjaminites were killed, ·all of whom had fought bravely with swords [valiant/capable men who drew the sword].


text:
But 600 Benjaminites ran to the rock of Rimmon in the ·desert [wilderness], where they stayed for four months.


text:
Then the Israelites went back to the ·land [sons] of Benjamin and killed the people in every city and also the animals and everything they could find. And they burned every city they ·found [came to].


text:
Wives for the Men of Benjamin At Mizpah the men of Israel had sworn, “Not one of us will let his daughter marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin.”


text:
The people went to the city of Bethel and sat before God until evening, ·crying loudly [lifting their voices weeping greatly].


text:
They said, “Lord, God of Israel, why has this terrible thing happened to us so that one tribe ·of Israel is missing [has disappeared from Israel] today?”


text:
Early the next day the people built an altar and put burnt offerings [] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [] to God on it.


text:
Then the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] asked, “Did any tribe of Israel not ·come here to meet [assemble] with us ·in the presence of [before] the Lord?” They asked this question because they had ·sworn [taken a solemn oath] that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah would be ·killed [put to death].


text:
The ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] felt sorry for ·their relatives, the Benjaminites [Benjamin, their brother]. They said, “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.


text:
We swore before the Lord that we would not ·allow our daughters to marry a Benjaminite [give our daughters to them for wives]. How can we make sure that the remaining men of Benjamin will have wives?”


text:
Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel did not ·meet with us [assemble] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord at Mizpah?” ·They found that [And look/behold] no one from the city of Jabesh Gilead had come.


text:
So the ·whole group of Israelites [assembly; congregation] sent twelve thousand ·soldiers [men, sons of strength] to Jabesh Gilead to kill the people with ·their swords [the edge of the sword], even the women and children.


text:
“This is what you must do: Kill every man in Jabesh Gilead and every ·married woman [woman who has known the bed of a male].”


text:
The soldiers found four hundred young ·unmarried women [virgins; ] among the residents of Jabesh Gilead, so they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.


text:
Then the whole ·group of Israelites [assembly; congregation] sent a message to the ·men [sons; descendants] of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, ·offering to make peace with [calling/proclaiming peace to] them.


text:
So the men of Benjamin came back at that time. The Israelites gave them the women from Jabesh Gilead who had ·not been killed [been spared/kept alive], but there were not enough women.


text:
The people of Israel ·felt sorry [had compassion; grieved] for the Benjaminites because the Lord had ·separated [made a gap/breach in] the tribes of Israel.


text:
The elders of the ·Israelites [assembly; congregation] said, “The women of Benjamin have been ·killed [destroyed; wiped out]. ·Where can we get wives [What shall we do] for the men of Benjamin who are still alive?


text:
·These men must have children to continue their families [The survivors of Benjamin must have heirs/an inheritance] so a tribe in Israel will not ·die [be wiped/blotted] out.


text:
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry them, because ·we swore [the sons/children of Israel had sworn], ‘Anyone who gives a wife to ·a man of Benjamin [Benjamin] is cursed.’


text:
·We have an idea [Look; Behold]! There is a yearly festival of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of the city of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of the city of Lebonah.”


text:
So ·the elders [they] told the men of Benjamin, “Go and ·hide [lie in wait/ambush] in the vineyards.


text:
Watch for the young women from Shiloh to come out to join the dancing. Then run out from the vineyards and ·take [seize; catch] ·one of the young Shiloh women [each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh] and return to the land of Benjamin.


text:
·If [or When] their fathers or brothers come to us and complain, we will say: ‘·Be kind to the men of Benjamin [or Do us a favor], because we did not get wives for Benjamin during the war. And you are not guilty [of breaking your oath; ] because you did not [voluntarily] give the women to the men from Benjamin.’”


text:
So that is what the ·Benjaminites [sons/descendants of Benjamin] did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them [according to their number], ·took her away, and married her [and carried her off]. Then they went back to ·the land God had given them [their inheritance] and rebuilt their cities and lived there.


text:
Then the ·Israelites [sons/children of Israel] went home to their own tribes and ·family groups [clans], to their own ·land that God had given them [inheritance].


text:
In those days Israel did not have a king. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes [; ; ].


text:
Long ago when the ·judges [leaders; not courtroom judges, but leaders who guided the nation through difficult times; ; a very dark time in Israel’s history] ruled Israel, there was a ·shortage of food [famine] in the land. So a man from the town of Bethlehem in Judah left to ·live [sojourn; reside as a resident alien] in the ·country [region] of Moab [east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea; ] with his wife and his two sons.


text:
The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife was named Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathahites from Bethlehem in Judah. When they came to Moab, they settled there.


text:
These sons married women from Moab. One was named Orpah, and the other was named Ruth. Naomi and her sons had lived in Moab about ten years


text:
when Mahlon and Kilion also died. So Naomi was left alone without her husband or her two ·sons [offspring; ].


text:
While Naomi was in Moab, she heard that the Lord had ·come to help [visited] his people and had given them food again. So she and her daughters-in-law ·got ready [arose] to leave Moab and return home.


text:
Naomi and her daughters-in-law left the place where they had lived and ·started back [set off on the road to return] to the land of Judah.


text:
But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back home, each of you to your own mother’s house. May the Lord ·be as kind [show mercy/lovingkindness] to you as you have been to me and ·my sons who are now dead [with the dead].


text:
May the Lord give you ·another happy home and a new [to find rest/security, each in the house of her] husband.” When Naomi kissed the women good-bye, they ·began to cry out loud [raised their voices and wept].


text:
But Naomi said, “My daughters, ·return to your own homes [return]. Why ·do you want to [should you] go with me? ·I cannot give birth to more sons [Do I have sons in my womb…?] to give you new husbands;


text:
go back, my daughters, to your own homes. […because] I am too old to have another husband. Even if I told myself, ‘I still have hope’ and had another husband tonight, and even if I had more sons,


text:
·should [or would] you wait until they were grown into men []? ·Should [or Would] you ·live for so many years without husbands [remain unmarried]? Don’t do that, my daughters. ·My life is much too sad for you to share [or It is more bitter for me than for you], because the Lord has been against me!”


text:
The women ·cried together out loud [raised their voices and wept] again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law Naomi good-bye, but Ruth ·held on [clung] to her tightly.


text:
Naomi said to Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and her own ·gods [or god; Chemosh was the chief god of the Moabites; ]. Go back with her.”


text:
Ruth Stays with Naomi But Ruth said, “Don’t ·beg [urge] me to ·leave [abandon] you or to ·stop following [turn back from] you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.


text:
And where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord ·punish me terribly [do to me and even more] if I do not keep this promise: ·Not even [or Nothing but] death will separate us.”


text:
When Naomi saw that Ruth ·had firmly made up her mind [was resolved/determined] to go with her, she stopped ·arguing with [urging; talking to] her.


text:
So Naomi and Ruth went on until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, ·all the people became very excited [the whole town was abuzz/stirred up]. The women of the town said, “Is this really Naomi?”


text:
Naomi answered the people, “Don’t call me Naomi [“pleasant” or “happy”]. Call me Mara [“bitter” or “sad”], because ·the Almighty [Shaddai] has ·made my life very sad [dealt bitterly/harshly with me].


text:
·When I left, I had all I wanted [I went out full], but now, the Lord has brought me home ·with nothing [empty]. Why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has ·spoken against [testified against; or afflicted; opposed] me and the Almighty [] has ·given me so much trouble [brought calamity/misfortune/evil on me]?”


text:
So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, returned from the land of Moab and arrived at Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest [April or May].


text:
Ruth Meets Boaz Now Naomi had a ·rich [or influential; man of great wealth/standing] relative named Boaz, from Elimelech’s ·family [clan].


text:
One day Ruth, the Moabite, said to Naomi, “[Please] Let me go to the fields. Maybe someone ·will be kind enough to [in whose eyes/sight I find grace/favor will] let me ·gather the grain he leaves behind [glean among the sheaves/bundles; ].” Naomi said, “Go, my daughter.”


text:
So Ruth went ·to the fields and gathered the grain that the workers cutting the grain had left behind [and gleaned in the field behind the reapers/harvesters]. It just so happened that the field belonged to Boaz, from Elimelech’s ·family [clan; a chance event from Ruth’s perspective, but part of God’s plan].


text:
·Soon [or Just then; And look/behold] Boaz came from Bethlehem and greeted his ·workers [reapers; harvesters], “The Lord be with you!” And the workers answered, “May the Lord bless you!”


text:
Then Boaz asked his ·servant [young man; foreman] in charge of the ·workers [reapers; harvesters], “·Whose girl is that [To whom does that young woman belong; referring, in this patriarchal culture, to her husband or father]?”


text:
The ·servant [young man; foreman] answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the ·country [land] of Moab.


text:
She said, ‘Please let me follow the ·workers cutting grain [reapers; harvesters] and ·gather what they leave behind [glean among the sheaves/bundles].’ She came and has remained here, from morning until just now. She ·has stopped only a few moments [or just now stopped for a moment] to rest in the ·shelter [hut; house].”


text:
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “·Listen [Have you not heard…?], my daughter. Don’t go to ·gather grain for yourself [glean] in another field. Don’t even leave this field at all, but ·continue following closely behind [stay close to; cling to] my ·women workers [servant girls; young women].


text:
Watch to see into which fields ·they [the men reaping; the Hebrew pronoun is masculine] go to ·cut grain [reap] and follow ·them [the women gathering; the Hebrew pronoun is feminine]. I ·have warned [or will warn] the young men not to ·bother [harass; touch] you. When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the water jugs that the young men have ·filled [drawn (from the well)].”


text:
Then Ruth bowed low with her face to the ground and said to him, “I am ·not an Israelite [a foreigner]. Why have ·you been so kind to notice me [I found favor/grace in your eyes]?”


text:
Boaz answered her, “I ·know [have been fully informed] about all ·the help you have given [that you have done for] your mother-in-law after your husband died. You left your father and mother and your ·own country [native land] to come to a ·nation [people] where you did not know anyone.


text:
May the Lord reward you for all you have done. May your wages be paid in full by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for shelter [like a protective mother bird].”


text:
Then Ruth said, “·I hope I can continue to please you [May I continue to find grace/favor in your eyes; or I have found favor/grace in your eyes], ·sir [my lord]. [Because] You have ·said kind and encouraging words to [comforted and spoken to the heart of] me, your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”


text:
At mealtime Boaz told Ruth, “Come here. Eat some of our bread and dip it in ·our sauce [the vinegar/wine-vinegar].” So Ruth sat down beside the ·workers [reapers; harvesters]. Boaz ·handed [offered; served] her some roasted grain, and she ate until she was ·full [satisfied]; she even had some food left over.


text:
When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his ·workers [young men], “Let her ·gather [glean] even around the ·piles of cut grain [sheaves]. Don’t ·tell her to go away [reprimand/insult/humiliate her].


text:
In fact, pull out some full heads of grain for her from the bundles and let her gather them. Don’t ·tell her to stop [rebuke/scold her].”


text:
So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she ·separated the grain from the chaff [threshed/beat out what she had gleaned], and there was about ·one-half bushel [an ephah; about 30 pounds] of barley.


text:
Ruth carried the grain into town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had ·gathered [gleaned]. Ruth also took out the food that was left over ·from lunch [after she was full/satisfied] and gave it to Naomi.


text:
·Naomi [Her mother-in-law] asked her, “Where did you ·gather all this grain [glean] today? Where did you work? Blessed be whoever noticed you!” Ruth told her mother-in-law in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”


text:
Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “The Lord bless him! ·He continues to be kind to us—both […who has not abandoned] the living and the dead!” Then Naomi told Ruth, “Boaz is one of our close relatives, one ·who should take care of us [of our guardians/kinsmen-redeemers; a relative who would care for a bereaved family in various ways: looking after destitute members (); avenging a murdered relative (); marrying a sister-in-law to raise up children for her deceased husband (; called “levirate” marriage); buying back family land () or redeeming family members who had been sold as slaves ()].”


text:
Then Ruth, the Moabite, said, “Boaz ·also [even] told me, ‘Keep close to my ·workers [young men] until they have finished my whole harvest.’”


text:
But Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is better for you to continue working with his ·women workers [female servants; young women]. If you work in another field, someone might ·hurt [harm; or harass] you.”


text:
So Ruth continued working closely with the ·workers [female workers; young women] of Boaz, gathering grain until the barley harvest [March-April] and the wheat harvest [April-May] were finished. And she continued to live with Naomi, her mother-in-law.


text:
Naomi’s Plan Then Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, ·I must [Should I not…?] find ·a suitable home [rest; a husband and a home to provide security] for you, ·one that will be good for you [or so you will be secure; that it will go/be well for you].


text:
Now Boaz, whose ·young women [female servants] you worked with, is our close relative [and so an appropriate guardian/kinsman-redeemer to marry Ruth; ]. [Look; Behold] Tonight he will be ·working [winnowing barley] at the threshing floor.


text:
Wash yourself, put on perfume, ·change your clothes [or get dressed up; or put on your cloak], and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you’re there until he has finished ·his dinner [eating and drinking].


text:
Watch him so you will know where he lies down to sleep. When he lies down, go and ·lift the cover off [uncover] his ·feet [or legs; evidently an appeal for marriage] and lie down. He will tell you what you should do.”


text:
So Ruth went down to the threshing floor and did all her mother-in-law ·told [instructed; commanded] her to do.


text:
After ·his evening meal [he had eaten and drunk], ·Boaz felt good [his heart was good/pleased] and went to sleep lying ·beside [at the end of] the pile of grain. Ruth went to him quietly and lifted the cover from his feet and lay down.


text:
About midnight Boaz ·was startled [or shuddered] and rolled over. [And look/behold] There was a woman lying near his feet!


text:
Boaz asked, “Who are you?” She said, “I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread ·your cover [or the corner of your garment; or your wings; ] over me [a request for the provision and protection of marriage], because you are a ·relative who is supposed to take care of me [guardian; kinsman-redeemer; ].”


text:
Then Boaz said, “The Lord bless you, my daughter. This [second; last] act of kindness is greater than the ·kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning [first]. You didn’t look for a young man to marry, either rich or poor.


text:
Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do everything you ask, because all the people in our town know you are a ·good [worthy; noble] woman [].


text:
It is true that I am a ·relative who is to take care of you [guardian; kinsmen-redeemer; ], but you have a closer relative than I.


text:
Stay here tonight, and in the morning we will see if he will ·take care of [be a guardian for; redeem] you. If he decides to ·take care of [be a guardian for; redeem] you, that is fine. But if he refuses, I will ·take care of [be a guardian for; redeem] you myself, as surely as the Lord lives. So ·stay here [lie down] until morning.”


text:
So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning but got up while it was still too dark to recognize anyone. Boaz thought, “People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor.”


text:
So Boaz said to Ruth, “Bring me your ·shawl [cloak] and hold it open.” So Ruth held her ·shawl [cloak] open, and Boaz poured six portions of barley into it. Boaz then put it on ·her head [or her back; her] and went back to the city.


text:
When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did ·you do [things go], my daughter?” Ruth told Naomi everything that ·Boaz [the man] did for her.


text:
She said, “Boaz gave me these six portions of barley, saying, ‘You must not go home ·without a gift for [empty to] your mother-in-law.’”


text:
Naomi answered, “·Wait [Stay here; or Be patient], my daughter, until you see what happens. ·Boaz [The man] will not rest until he has finished doing what he should do today.”


text:
Boaz Marries Ruth Boaz went to the city gate [the hub of the town for judicial, business, and social interaction] and sat there until the ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer; ] he had mentioned passed by. Boaz called to him, “·Come here [Turn aside], ·friend [or so-and-so; the man is not named, perhaps ironically because he refused to preserve Naomi’s family name], and sit down.” So the man ·came over [turned aside] and sat down.


text:
Then Boaz said to the ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer], “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, ·wants to sell [is selling] the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech [it was important in Israel to keep property in the family].


text:
So I ·decided [or thought it my obligation] to tell you about it: If you want to ·buy back the land [redeem it], then ·buy it [redeem] in front of the people who are sitting here and in front of the elders of my people. But if you don’t want to buy it, tell me, because you are the ·only one [or first in line] who can buy it, and I am next after you.” The close relative answered, “I will ·buy back the land [redeem it].”


text:
Then Boaz explained, “When you ·buy [acquire] the land from [the hand of] Naomi, you must also ·marry [acquire] Ruth, the Moabite, the dead man’s wife. ·That way, the land will stay in the dead man’s name […to raise up a name for the dead man upon his inheritance].”


text:
The ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer] answered, “I can’t ·buy back the land [redeem it]. If I did, I might ·harm [destroy; endanger; put in jeopardy] ·what I can pass on to my own sons [my inheritance]. I cannot ·buy the land back [redeem it], so ·buy it [redeem it for] yourself.”


text:
Long ago in Israel ·when people traded or bought back [for the redemption and transfer of] something, one person took off his sandal and gave it to the other person. This was the ·proof of ownership [or validation of the transaction] in Israel.


text:
So the ·close relative [guardian; kinsman-redeemer] said to Boaz, “Buy the land yourself,” and he took off his sandal.


text:
Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today. I ·am buying [have bought] from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion and Mahlon.


text:
I ·am also taking [have also acquired] Ruth, the Moabite, who was the wife of Mahlon, as my wife. ·I am doing this so her dead husband’s property will stay in his name and his name will not be separated […so that his name will not be cut off] from his ·family [brothers] and ·his hometown [the gate of his place]. You are witnesses today.”


text:
So all the people and elders who were at the city gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the ·people [house] of Israel [the twelve sons of Israel were born to Leah, Rachel and their servant girls; ]. May you become ·powerful [or wealthy; or renowned] in the district of Ephrathah and ·famous [renowned] in Bethlehem.


text:
As Tamar gave birth to Judah’s son Perez [an ancestor of Boaz () whose birth resulted from a levirate union (; ; ) and so was parallel to this situation], may the Lord give you many children through Ruth. May your family be great like his.”


text:
So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife and ·had sexual relations with [went in to] her. The Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.


text:
The women told Naomi, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord who ·gave you this grandson [has not left you today without a guardian/kinsman-redeemer]. May ·he [his name] become ·famous [renowned] in Israel.


text:
He will ·give you new [restore/renew your] life and will take care of you in your old age because of your daughter-in-law who loves you. She is better for you than seven sons, because she has given birth to ·your grandson [him].”


text:
Naomi took the boy, ·held him in her arms [or put him on her lap; or took him to her breast], and ·cared for him [or became his nurse/caregiver].


text:
The neighbors gave the boy his name, saying, “·This boy was [A son has been] born for Naomi.” They named him Obed [“servant”]. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David [Israel’s greatest king, through whom the Messiah would come; ; , ; ].


text:
Samuel’s Birth There was a [certain] man named Elkanah son of Jeroham from ·Ramathaim [Ramah; just north of Jerusalem] in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. Elkanah was from the ·family [or region] of Zuph. (Jeroham was Elihu’s son. Elihu was Tohu’s son, and Tohu was the son of Zuph ·from the family group of Ephraim [an Ephraimite].)


text:
Elkanah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none [childlessness carried a serious social stigma].


text:
Every year Elkanah left his town of Ramah and ·went up [traveled] to Shiloh [the central worship place at that time, 30 miles north of Jerusalem, where the tabernacle was located] to worship the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; of Hosts] and to offer sacrifices to him. Shiloh was where Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, served as priests of the Lord.


text:
·When [On the day] Elkanah offered sacrifices, he always gave ·a share of the meat [portions] to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.


text:
But Elkanah always gave Hannah ·a double portion of the meat because he loved her and the Lord had kept her from having children [or only one portion of the meat even though he loved her, because the Lord had kept her from having children; only one portion would be needed since there was no child to feed].


text:
·Peninnah [Her rival/foe] would ·tease [taunt] Hannah and ·upset [provoke; irritate; make fun of] her, because the Lord had ·made her unable to have children [closed her womb].


text:
This happened ·every year [year after year] ·when [whenever] they went up to the house of the Lord at Shiloh []. Peninnah would ·upset [taunt; provoke] Hannah until Hannah would cry and not eat anything.


text:
Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why won’t you eat? Why are you ·sad [downhearted]? ·Don’t I mean more [or Am I not better] to you than ten sons?”


text:
Once, after ·they had eaten their meal [eating and drinking] in Shiloh [], Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on ·a chair [the seat] ·near the entrance to [by the doorpost of] the Lord’s ·house [temple; Tabernacle].


text:
Hannah was so ·sad [anguished; deeply distressed; bitter] that she cried bitterly ·and [as she] prayed to the Lord.


text:
She made this ·promise [vow], saying, “Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; of Hosts], if you will look on the ·sorrow [affliction; misery; humiliation] of your maidservant, and will ·remember [remember and not forget] me, and will give ·me [your maidservant] a son, I will give him back to ·you [the Lord] all the days of his life, and no one will ever ·cut his hair [touch his head] with a razor [indicating consecration to the Lord as a Nazirite; ].”


text:
Hannah was praying ·in her heart [silently]; her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk


text:
and said to her, “·Stop getting [How long are you going to stay…?] drunk! ·Throw away [Get rid of; Put away] your wine!”


text:
Hannah answered [and said], “No, sir, I have not drunk any wine or ·beer [strong drink; an alcoholic beverage made of grain]. I am ·a deeply troubled woman [very discouraged; oppressed in spirit], and I was ·telling the Lord about all my problems [pouring out my heart/soul to/before the Lord].


text:
Don’t think ·I am [your maidservant is] an ·evil [worthless] woman. I have been praying all this time ·because I have many troubles and am very sad [out of great anguish/anxiety and sorrow/resentment].”


text:
Eli answered, “·Go! I wish you well [Go in peace!]. May the God of Israel ·give you what [grant the request/petition] you asked of him.”


text:
Hannah said, “May ·I always please you [your servant find favor in your sight].” So she left and ate something, and ·she [her face/countenance] was not sad anymore.


text:
Early the next morning they got up and worshiped [before] the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah ·had sexual relations with [knew] his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.


text:
So Hannah ·became pregnant [conceived], and in time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel [sounds like “God heard” in Hebrew], saying, “His name is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him.”


text:
Hannah Gives Samuel to God ·Every [or The next] year Elkanah went with his whole family to Shiloh [] to offer sacrifices and to keep the ·promise [vow] he had made to ·God [the Lord].


text:
·But one time [But] Hannah did not go with him. She told her husband, “When the boy is ·old enough to eat solid food [weaned], I will take him to Shiloh []. Then I will give him to [… and present him before] the Lord, and he will ·always live there [stay there permanently/forever].”


text:
Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, said to her, “Do what you think is best. ·You may stay home until the boy is old enough to eat [Stay until you have weaned him]. May the Lord ·do what you have said [bring about his promise; confirm/establish his word].” So Hannah stayed at home to nurse her son until he was ·old enough to eat [weaned].


text:
When Samuel was ·old enough to eat [weaned], [though still very young,] Hannah took him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh [], along with a three-year-old bull, ·one-half bushel [an ephah] of flour, and a ·leather bag filled with [skin of] wine.


text:
After they had ·killed the bull for the sacrifice [slaughtered the bull], they brought Samuel to Eli.


text:
Hannah said to Eli, “As surely as you live, sir, I am the same woman who stood ·near [beside] you praying to the Lord.


text:
Now I ·give him back [dedicate him; lend him] to the Lord. He ·will belong [is dedicated/given over/lent] to the Lord all his life.” And ·he [or they] worshiped the Lord there.


text:
Hannah Gives Thanks Hannah prayed [and said; Hannah’s prayer is similar to and Mary’s song in ]: “·The Lord has filled my heart with joy [My heart rejoices/exults in the Lord]; ·I feel very strong in the Lord [My strength/horn is exalted/lifted up in the Lord; a lifted horn symbolizes strength, based on an animal lifting its head triumphantly] ·I can laugh at [My mouth mocks/derides] my enemies; I ·am glad [rejoice/delight] because you have ·helped [saved; rescued; delivered] me!


text:
“There is no one ·holy [set apart] like the Lord. There is no ·God but [one besides] you; there is no Rock like our God.


text:
“·Don’t continue bragging [Talk/Boast no more so proudly/haughtily], ·don’t speak proud words [don’t let such arrogance come out of your mouth]. The Lord is a God who ·knows everything [is wise], and he ·judges [weighs] what people do.


text:
“The bows of ·warriors [the mighty] ·break [are shattered], but ·weak people [those who stumbled/tottered] ·become strong [gird on strength].


text:
Those who ·once had plenty of food [were well fed] now ·must work [hire themselves out] for ·food [bread], but people who were hungry ·are hungry no more [grow fat]. The woman who ·could not have children [was barren] now ·has [gives birth to] seven, but the woman who had many children now ·is sad [wastes away; languishes].


text:
“The Lord ·sends death [kills], and he ·brings to [gives] life. He ·sends people to the grave [brings down to Sheol; the grave or the place of the dead], and he raises ·them to life again [up].


text:
The Lord makes some people poor, and others he makes rich. He ·makes some people humble [brings low/down], and others he ·makes great [lifts up; exalts].


text:
The Lord ·raises [lifts] the poor up from the dust, and he lifts the needy from the ·ashes [garbage heap]. He ·lets the poor sit [sets/seats the poor] with princes and ·receive [they inherit] a throne of honor. “The ·foundations [pillars] of the earth belong to the Lord, and the Lord ·set [poised] the world upon them.


text:
He ·protects [guards the feet/steps of] those who are ·loyal [faithful] to him, but ·evil people [the wicked] will ·be silenced [disappear] in darkness. ·Power is not the key to success [For no one succeeds/prevails by strength alone].


text:
The Lord ·destroys [shatters] ·his enemies [those who oppose/fight against him]; he will thunder ·in [from] heaven against them. The Lord will judge ·all [throughout; the ends of] the earth. He will give ·power [strength] to his king and ·make his appointed king strong [exalt the horn of his anointed/anointed one; ].”


text:
Eli’s Evil Sons Then Elkanah went home to Ramah [], but the boy ·continued to serve [ministered to/before] the Lord ·under [in the presence of] Eli the priest.


text:
Now Eli’s sons were ·evil men [scoundrels; good-for-nothings]; they did not ·care about [know; respect; regard] the Lord.


text:
·This is what the priests would normally do to [… nor about their duties as priests for] the people: Every time someone ·brought [offered] a sacrifice, the meat would be ·cooked [boiled] in a pot. The priest’s servant would then come carrying a fork that had three prongs.


text:
He would plunge the fork into the pot or the kettle or cauldron or pan. Whatever the fork brought out of the pot belonged to the priest. But this is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh [] to offer sacrifices.


text:
Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come to the person offering sacrifices and say, “Give the priest some meat to roast. He won’t accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.”


text:
If the one who offered the sacrifice said, “Let the fat be burned up first as usual, and then take anything you want,” the priest’s servant would answer, “No, give me the meat now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”


text:
·The Lord saw that [In the Lord’s sight] the sin of the servants was very ·great [serious] because they ·did not show respect for [treated with contempt; despised] the offerings ·made to [of] the Lord.


text:
Samuel Grows Up But Samuel ·obeyed [served; ministered before] the Lord. As a boy he wore a linen ·holy vest [ephod; a special garment worn only by priests; ].


text:
Every year his mother made a little ·coat [robe] for him and took it to him when she went with her husband to Shiloh [] for the [annual] sacrifice.


text:
When Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, he would say, “May the Lord ·repay you with [or give you] ·children [an heir; seed] through Hannah ·to take the place of [in exchange for] the boy Hannah ·prayed for and gave back [dedicated] to the Lord.” Then Elkanah and Hannah would go home.


text:
The Lord was ·kind to [gracious to; or visited] Hannah, so she ·became the mother of [conceived and bore] three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up ·serving [in the presence of; before] the Lord.


text:
Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all ·the Israelites [Israel] and how his sons ·had sexual relations [lay] with the women who served at the ·entrance [doorway] to the Meeting Tent.


text:
If you sin against someone, God can ·help [intercede/mediate/arbitrate for] you. But if you sin against the Lord himself, ·no one [who…?] can ·help [intercede/mediate/arbitrate for] you!” But Eli’s sons would not listen to ·him [the voice/words/rebuke of their father], because the Lord ·had decided [desired; wanted] to put them to death.


text:
A man of God [a prophet] came to Eli and said, “·This is what the Lord says [Thus says the Lord]: ‘·I [Did I not…?] clearly showed myself to the ·family [house] of your ·ancestor Aaron [father] when in Egypt they were slaves to ·the king of Egypt [Pharaoh’s house].


text:
·I chose [Did I not choose…?] them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests. I wanted them to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ·holy vest [ephod in my presence/before me]. ·I [Did I not…?] also let the ·family [house] of your ·ancestor [father] have ·part of all [all] the offerings by fire sacrificed by the Israelites.


text:
So why ·don’t you respect [do you scorn/trample/look greedily at; kick at] the sacrifices and ·gifts [offerings that I have commanded/prescribed]? You honor your sons ·more than [above] me. You ·grow fat [fatten yourselves] on the ·best [choicest] parts of the meat the Israelites bring to me.’


text:
“So the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I promised that your ·family [house] and your ·ancestor’s family [father’s house] would ·serve [minister/walk before] me always.’ But now the Lord says: ‘·This must stop [Far be it from me]! I will honor those who honor me, but I will ·dishonor [despise; have contempt for] those who ·ignore [disdain] me.


text:
The ·time [day] is coming when I will ·destroy [break/cut off the strength of] the ·descendants [seed] of both you and your ·ancestors [father’s house]. No ·man [one] will ·grow old [reach old age] in your family.


text:
You will ·see trouble in my house. No matter what good things happen to Israel, [or watch with envy/distress/greedy eyes on all the prosperity I pour out on Israel. But] there will never be an old ·man [person] in your family [].


text:
I will ·not totally cut off your family from my altar. But […keep one of you alive at my altar so that] your eyes will cry and your heart be sad, because all your descendants will die.


text:
“‘·I will give you a [This will be your] sign. Both your sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day [].


text:
Then I will ·choose [raise up] a loyal priest ·for myself [or myself] who will ·listen to me and do what I want [act according to what is in my heart and soul/mind]. I will ·make his family continue [build him an enduring family/house], and he will always ·serve before [walk/go in and out before] my ·appointed king [anointed one; ].


text:
Then everyone left in your ·family [house] will come and bow down before him. They will beg for a ·little money [piece of silver] or a ·little food [loaf of bread] and say, “Please give me ·a job as priest [some priestly duty/work] so I can ·have food to eat [eat a morsel of bread].”’”


text:
God Calls Samuel The boy Samuel ·served [ministered before] the Lord under Eli. In those days ·the Lord did not speak directly to people very often [the word from the Lord was rare]; there were very few visions.


text:
Eli’s eyes were so ·weak [dim] he ·was almost blind [could not see]. One night he was lying in ·bed [his usual place].


text:
Samuel was ·also in bed [lying down] in the Lord’s ·house [sanctuary; temple], where the Ark of God [another name for the Ark of the Covenant; ] was. God’s lamp [probably the Menorah] ·was still burning [had not yet gone out].


text:
He ran to Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.” But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back ·to bed [and lie down].” So Samuel went back ·to bed [and lay down].


text:
The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel again went to Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.” Again Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back ·to bed [and lie down].”


text:
Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and ·the Lord had not spoken directly to him yet [the word of the Lord had not been revealed to him before].


text:
The Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.” Then Eli ·realized [understood; perceived; discerned that] the Lord was calling the boy.


text:
So he told Samuel, “Go ·to bed [lie down]. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. ·I am your servant and I am […for your servant is] listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in ·bed [his place].


text:
The Lord came and stood there and called as he had before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “·Speak, Lord. I am your servant and I am [Speak, for your servant is] listening.”


text:
The Lord said to Samuel, “Watch, I am going to do something in Israel that will ·shock [make the ears ring/tingle of] those who hear about it.


text:
·At that time [In that day] I will ·do to [carry out against] Eli and his ·family [house] everything I ·promised [threatened; spoke], from beginning to end.


text:
I told Eli I would ·punish [judge] his ·family always [house forever], because ·he knew his sons were evil [of the sin/iniquity he knew of]. They ·cursed God [blasphemed], but he did not ·stop [correct; discipline; rebuke] them.


text:
So I swore to Eli’s ·family [house], ‘Your ·guilt [sins; iniquity] will never be ·removed [forgiven; atoned for; expiated] by sacrifice or offering.’”


text:
Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the ·house [temple] of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision,


text:
Eli asked, “·What did the Lord say [What word/message did he speak/give] to you? Don’t hide it from me. May God ·punish you terribly [do so to you, and more also,] if you hide from me anything he said to you.”


text:
So Samuel told Eli everything and did not hide anything from him. Then Eli said, “He [or It] is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks ·is best [good].”


text:
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up; he did not let any of Samuel’s ·messages [words] ·fail to come true [fall to the ground].


text:
Then all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba [from the extreme north to the extreme south], knew Samuel was ·a true [confirmed/attested as a] prophet of the Lord [; ].


text:
And the Lord continued to ·show himself [appear; manifest himself] at Shiloh [], and he ·showed [revealed] himself to Samuel through his word.


text:
So, ·news about Samuel [or Samuel’s words] spread through all of Israel. The Philistines Capture the Ark of the Agreement At that time the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines [a rival nation occupying the southwest coast of Israel]. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer [somewhere near Aphek; means “stone of help”] and the Philistines [camped] at Aphek [on the plain of Sharon, northeast of Joppa].


text:
The Philistines ·went [deployed; drew up in battlelines] to meet the Israelites in battle. And ·as the battle spread [or when battle was joined], they defeated the Israelites, killing about four thousand soldiers on the battlefield.


text:
When ·some Israelite soldiers [the troops] went back to their camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord ·let the Philistines defeat us [or defeat/rout us before the Philistines]? Let’s bring the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] ·with [or of] the Lord [the Ark represented the presence of God; ] here from Shiloh [] and take it with us into battle. Then ·God [or it] will save us from the ·power [hand] of our enemies.”


text:
So the ·people [or troops] sent men to Shiloh []. They brought back the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] ·with [or of] the Lord [] ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; of Hosts], who sits ·between [on] the ·gold creatures with wings [cherubim; powerful angelic creatures]. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark [of the covenant of God].


text:
When the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] ·with [or of] the Lord came into the camp, all the Israelites ·gave a great shout of joy [shouted with a great shout] that made the ground shake.


text:
When the Philistines heard Israel’s shout, they asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” Then the Philistines ·found out [realized; understood] that the Ark of the Lord had come into the Hebrew camp.


text:
They were afraid and said, “·A god [or The gods; or God] has come into the Hebrew camp! ·We’re in trouble [Woe to us; Disaster]! This has never happened before!


text:
·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] us! Who can ·save [rescue; deliver] us from these powerful gods? ·They are the ones [These are the gods] who ·struck [smote] the Egyptians with ·all kinds of disasters [plagues] in the ·desert [wilderness; ].


text:
Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men! In the past they were ·our [your] slaves. So fight like men, or ·we [you] will become their slaves.”


text:
So the Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, and every ·Israelite soldier ran away to his own home [man fled to his tent]. It was a great ·defeat [slaughter] for Israel, because thirty thousand Israelite [foot] soldiers ·were killed [fell].


text:
The Ark of God was ·taken [captured] by the Philistines, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.


text:
That same day a man ·from the tribe of [of] Benjamin ran from the battle. He tore his clothes and put dust on his head [to indicate mourning].


text:
When he arrived in Shiloh [], Eli was by the side of the road. He was sitting there in a chair, watching [eagerly; anxiously], because ·he was worried about [his heart trembled/feared for] the Ark of God. When the Benjaminite entered Shiloh [], he told ·the bad news [what had happened]. Then all the ·people in town [city; towns] cried loudly.


text:
Eli heard the crying and asked, “What’s all this ·noise [commotion]?” The Benjaminite ran to Eli and told him what had happened.


text:
The Benjaminite told him, “I have come from the battle. I ·ran all the way here [escaped/fled from the battle line] today.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”


text:
The ·Benjaminite [messenger] answered, “Israel ·ran away [fled] from the Philistines, and the ·Israelite army has lost many soldiers [people/troops have been slaughtered]. Your two sons are both dead, and the Philistines have ·taken [captured] the Ark of God.”


text:
When he mentioned the Ark of God [], Eli fell backward off his chair. He fell beside the gate, broke his neck, and died, because he was old and ·fat [heavy]. He had ·led [judged; been judge of] Israel for forty years.


text:
The Glory Is Gone Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and was about to give birth. When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been taken and that Eli, her father-in-law, and Phinehas, her husband, were both dead, she ·began to give [went into labor/crouched down and gave] birth to her child. The child was born, but ·the mother had much trouble in giving birth [her labor pains overwhelmed her].


text:
As she was dying, the women who helped her said, “Don’t ·worry [be afraid]! You’ve given birth to a son!” But she did not answer or pay attention.


text:
She named the baby Ichabod [meaning “No Glory”], saying, “Israel’s glory ·is gone [has departed].” She said this because the Ark of God had been ·taken [captured] and her father-in-law and husband were dead.


text:
She said, “Israel’s glory is ·gone [departed], because the Ark of God has been ·taken away [captured].”


text:
Trouble for the Philistines After the Philistines [] had captured the Ark of God [], they took it from Ebenezer [] to Ashdod [one of the five chief cities of the Philistines].


text:
They carried it into Dagon’s [a major Philistine god, perhaps a storm god] temple and put it next to Dagon [to symbolize that Israel’s god was now on the side of Dagon].


text:
When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, they found that Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord [as if in worship]. So they put Dagon back in his place.


text:
The next morning when they rose, they again found Dagon fallen face-down on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. His head and hands had broken off and were lying ·in the doorway [on the threshold; the treatment given corpses of enemy soldiers]. Only his ·body [trunk] was ·still in one piece [intact; left to him].


text:
So, ·even today [to this day], Dagon’s priests and others who enter his temple at Ashdod refuse to step on the ·doorsill [threshold of Dagon].


text:
The ·Lord was hard [hand of the Lord was heavy] on the people of Ashdod and ·their neighbors [its environs]. He ·caused them to suffer [ravaged/terrified them] and ·gave them [struck/afflicted them with] ·growths on their skin [tumors; or hemorrhoids].


text:
When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The Ark of the God of Israel can’t stay with us. ·God is punishing [His hand is heavy on] us and Dagon our god.”


text:
The people of Ashdod called all five Philistine ·kings [rulers] together and asked them, “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” The rulers answered, “Move the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath [another major city of the Philistines to the southeast of Ashdod].” So the Philistines moved it to Gath.


text:
But after they moved it to Gath, there was a great panic. The ·Lord was hard [hand of the Lord was heavy] on that city also, and he ·gave [struck; afflicted] both old and young people in Gath ·growths on their skin [with an outbreak of tumors/or hemorrhoids].


text:
Then the Philistines sent the Ark of God to Ekron [a third major city of the Philistines north of Gath]. But when it came into Ekron, the people of Ekron ·yelled [cried out], “Why are you bringing the Ark of the God of Israel to our city? Do you want to kill us and our people?”


text:
So they called all the ·kings [rulers] of the Philistines together and said, “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own place ·before it kills [or it will kill] us and our people!” All the people in the city were struck with ·terror [deadly panic] because ·God was so hard [God’s hand was so heavy] on them there.


text:
The people who did not die were ·troubled [struck; afflicted] with ·growths on their skin [tumors; or hemorrhoids]. So the people of Ekron ·cried [wailed] loudly to heaven.


text:
The Ark of God Is Sent Home The Philistines kept the ·Ark of God [] in their ·land [territory; country] seven months.


text:
Then the Philistines [] called for their priests and ·magicians [diviners] and said, “What should we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back ·home [to its place]!”


text:
They answered, “If you send back the Ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it back ·empty [without a gift]. ·You must give [Return it to him with] a ·penalty [guilt] offering. If you are then healed, you will know that it was ·because of the Ark that you had such trouble [his hand that has been lifted from you].”


text:
The Philistines asked, “What kind of ·penalty [guilt] offering should we send to ·Israel’s God [him]?” They answered, “Make five gold ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths on your skin [tumors] and five gold ·models [likenesses; images] of ·rats [or mice]. ·The number of ·models [likenesses; images] must match the number of Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords], because the same ·sickness [plague] has ·come on [struck; afflicted] you and your ·kings [rulers; lords].


text:
Make ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths [tumors] and the ·rats [or mice] that are ·ruining [destroying; ravaging] the ·country [land], and give ·honor [glory] to Israel’s God. Then maybe he will ·stop being so hard on [lift his hand from] you, your gods, and your ·land [country].


text:
·Don’t be stubborn [Why do you harden your hearts…?] like the ·king [Pharaoh] of Egypt and the Egyptians [; ; ]. After God ·punished them terribly [brought disaster on; or made fools of them], ·they let the Israelites leave Egypt [did they not send the Israelites out, and they departed?].


text:
“You must ·build [prepare] a new cart and get two cows that have just had calves. These must be cows that have never had yokes on their necks. Hitch the cows to the cart, and take the calves ·home, away from their mothers [away from them and put them in a pen].


text:
Put the Ark of the Lord [] on the cart and the gold ·models [likenesses; objects] you are sending him for the ·penalty [guilt] offering in a ·box [chest] beside the Ark. Then send the cart ·straight on its way [to go its own way].


text:
Watch the cart. If it goes toward Beth Shemesh [a town on the border with Philistia about 24 miles west of Jerusalem] in ·Israel’s own land [its own territory], [then] the Lord has ·given us this great sickness [brought this great disaster/harm on us]. But if it doesn’t, we will know that ·Israel’s God has not punished us [it was not God’s hand that struck us]. It just happened by chance.”


text:
·The Philistines did what the priests and magicians said [The men did so]. They took two cows that had just had calves and hitched them to the cart, but they kept their calves ·at home [in a pen].


text:
They put the Ark of the Lord and the ·box [chest] with the gold rats and ·models [likenesses; images] of ·growths [tumors] on the cart.


text:
Then the cows went straight toward Beth Shemesh. They stayed on the road, ·mooing [lowing] all the way, and did not turn right or left. The Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] followed the cows as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.


text:
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were ·harvesting [reaping] their wheat in the valley. When they ·looked up [raised their eyes] and saw the Ark of the Lord, they were ·very happy [joyful to see it].


text:
The cart came to the field belonging to Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped near a large rock. The people of Beth Shemesh chopped up the wood of the cart. Then they ·sacrificed [offered] the cows as burnt offerings to the Lord.


text:
The Levites took down the Ark of the Lord and the ·box [chest] that had the gold ·models [likenesses; images], and they put both on the large rock. That day the people of Beth Shemesh offered whole burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.


text:
The Philistines had sent these gold ·models [likenesses; images] of the ·growths [tumors] as ·penalty [guilt] offerings to the Lord. They sent one ·model [likeness; image] for each Philistine town: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron [the five chief cities of Philistia].


text:
And the Philistines also sent gold ·models [likenesses; images] of ·rats [or mice]. The number of ·rats [or mice] matched the number of towns belonging to the Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords], including both ·strong, walled [fortified] cities and country villages. The large rock on which they put the Ark of the Lord is still there [as a witness] in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.


text:
But some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark of the Lord. So God killed seventy of them. The people of Beth Shemesh ·cried [mourned] because the Lord had struck them ·down [so heavily; with a great slaughter].


text:
·They [The men of Beth Shemesh] said, “Who can stand ·before [in the presence of] the Lord, this holy God? ·Whom will he strike next [or To whom shall he/it go next]?”


text:
Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim [a town nine miles north of Jerusalem], saying, “The Philistines have ·brought back [returned] the Ark of the Lord. Come down and take it to your city.”


text:
The men of Kiriath Jearim [] came and took the Ark of the Lord [] to Abinadab’s house on a hill. There they made Abinadab’s son Eleazar ·holy [consecrated; set him apart] for the Lord so he could ·guard [have charge of] the Ark of the Lord.


text:
The Lord Saves the Israelites The Ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. And the people of Israel ·began to follow [lamented; longed for] the Lord again.


text:
Samuel spoke to ·the whole group [all the people/house] of Israel, saying, “If you’re turning back to the Lord with all your hearts, you must ·remove [get rid of; banish] your foreign gods and your idols of Ashtoreth. You must ·give yourselves [commit; direct your hearts] fully to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will ·save [rescue; deliver] you from the Philistines.”


text:
So the Israelites [sons/children of Israel] ·put away [got rid of; banished] their idols of Baal and Ashtoreth, and they served only the Lord.


text:
Samuel said, “·All Israel must meet [Gather/Assemble all of Israel] at Mizpah [just north of Jerusalem within the tribe of Benjamin], and I will ·pray to [plead to; intercede with] the Lord for you.”


text:
So the Israelites ·met together [gathered; assembled] at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord [a ritual not commonly found in the OT] and fasted that day. They confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel ·served as judge of [judged] Israel at Mizpah.


text:
The Philistines heard the Israelites were ·meeting [gathered; assembled] at Mizpah, so the Philistine ·kings [rulers; lords] came up to attack them. When ·the Israelites [sons/children of Israel] heard they were coming, they were afraid.


text:
They said to Samuel, “Don’t stop ·praying [pleading; interceding; crying out] to the Lord our God for us! Ask him to ·save [rescue; deliver] us from the [hand of the] Philistines!”


text:
Then Samuel took a ·baby [suckling] lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering [an atonement sacrifice; ]. He ·called to [pleaded/interceded with; cried out to] the Lord for Israel’s sake, and the Lord ·answered [heard] him.


text:
While Samuel was ·burning [sacrificing] the [burnt] offering, the Philistines came near to attack Israel. But [on that day] the Lord thundered against them with ·loud thunder [a loud voice]. They were ·so frightened they became confused. So [… thrown into such a panic that] the Israelites ·defeated [routed] the Philistines in battle.


text:
The men of Israel ·ran [rushed; went] out of Mizpah and ·chased [pursued] the Philistines almost to Beth Car [exact location is unknown], ·killing the Philistines [slaughtering them] along the way.


text:
Peace Comes to Israel After this happened Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named the stone Ebenezer [“Stone of help”], saying, “The Lord has helped us ·to this point [this far].”


text:
So the Philistines were ·defeated [subdued; humbled] and did not enter the Israelites’ ·land [borders] again. The [hand of the] Lord was against the Philistines all Samuel’s life.


text:
Earlier the Philistines had taken towns from the Israelites, but ·the Israelites won them back [they were restored to Israel], from Ekron [] to Gath []. They also took back from the [hand of the] Philistines the ·lands [territory] near these towns. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.


text:
Every year he went [on circuit] from Bethel [north of Jerusalem, near Ai in the central hill country] to Gilgal [near Jericho] to Mizpah and judged the Israelites in all these towns.


text:
But he always went back to Ramah [], where his home was. There he judged Israel and built an altar to the Lord.


text:
Israel Asks for a King When Samuel was old, he ·made [appointed] his sons judges ·for [over] Israel.


