And it came to pass, after the death of Jeshua, that the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, saying, - Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites, first, to make war upon them?

And Judah went against the Canaanites who were dwelling in Hebron, now, the name of Hebron, formerly, was Kiriath-arba, - and they smote Sheshai and Ahiman, and Talmai.

And, Ephraim, dispossessed not the Canaanites who were dwelling in Gezer, - so the Canaanites remained in their midst, in Gezer.

And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, - and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh which he had wrought for Israel.

All that generation also, were gathered unto their fathers, - and there arose another generation, after them, who had not known Yahweh, nor even the work which he had wrought for Israel.

and forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them, - and angered Yahweh.

Then kindled the anger of Yahweh upon Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of spoilers, who plundered them, - and he sold them into the hand of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

And, though Yahweh raised up judges, - who saved them out of the hand of them that plundered them,

yet, even unto their judges, did thy not hearken, for they went unchastely astray after other gods, and bowed themselves down to them, - they turned aside speedily out of the way wherein their fathers who hearkened unto the commandments of Yahweh, walked, they did not so.

And, when Yahweh raised them up judges, then was Yahweh with the judges, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies, all the days of the judge, - for Yahweh was grieved at their outcry, because of them who oppressed them, and ill-treated them.

Now, these, are the nations which Yahweh left, that he might, by them, put Israel to the proof, - all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan;

And the sons of Israel made outcry unto Yahweh, so Yahweh raised up a saviour unto the sons of Israel, who saved them, - even Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

And so it was, when he had made an end of offering the present, that he sent away the people who had been bearing the present;

but, he himself, turned back from the images that were by Gilgal, and said, A secret word, have I, unto thee, O king! And he said - Silence! Thereupon went out from his presence all who had been standing near him.

And, after him, was Shamgar, son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines, six hundred men, with an ox-goad, - and, he also, saved Israel.

So Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, - now, the prince of his host, was Sisera, and, he, dwelt in Harosheth of the nations.

And, Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, she, was judging Israel, at that time:

And lo! Barak - in pursuit of Sisera! So Jael went forth to meet him, and said unto him, Come and let me shew thee - the man whom thou art seeking. And he came in with her, and lo! Sisera - lying dead, with the tent-pin in his temples.

Is it not They keep finding - dividing spoil, One damsel, two damsels, to every several hero, Spoil, of divers coloured raiment for Sisera, Spoil, of divers coloured raiment, embroidered, Coloured raiment richly embroidered, on the necks of them who are taken as spoil?

So, perish all thine enemies, O Yahweh, But be, they who love him, as the going forth of the sun, in his might! And the land had rest forty years.

then sent Yahweh a prophet unto the sons of Israel, - who said unto them - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, I, led you up out of Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of servants;

Yea I rescued you out of the hand of Egypt, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, - that I might drive them out from before you, and I gave unto you their land;

And he said unto him, If, I beseech thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, then wilt thou work for me a sign, that it is, thou, who art speaking with me.

So they said, one to another, Who hath done this thing? And they inquired, and made search, and it was said, Gideon son of Joash, hath done this thing.

And Joash said unto all who stood by him - Will, ye, plead for Baal, or will, ye, save him? Whoso pleadeth for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning, - if, a god, he be let him plead for himself, because one hath overthrown his altar.

Then said Yahweh unto Gideon - Yet, are the people too many, take them down unto the waters, that I may prove them for thee, there, - and it shall be, that, he of whom I say unto thee, This one, shall go with thee, the same, shall go with thee, and, every one of whom I say unto thee, This one, shall not go with thee, the same, shall not go.

When I shall blow with the horn, I and all who are with me, then shall, ye also, round about all the camp, blow with your horns, and shall say, For Yahweh and for Gideon!

And Gideon came towards the Jordan, being about to pass over - he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint yet pursuing.

Now, Zebah and Zalmunna, were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left out of all the host of the sons of the east, - and, the fallen, were a hundred and twenty thousand men, who had drawn the sword.

Then came he in unto the men of Succoth, and said, Lo! Zebah and Zalmunna, - concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying - Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy power, that we should give to thy weary men bread?

Then said he unto Zebah and unto Zalmunna, What manner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? And they said, As thou art, so were they, each one, as handsome as the sons of a king.

And, his concubine who was in Shechem, she also, bare him a son, - and he gave him the name of Abimelech.

so the sons of Israel remembered not Yahweh, their own God, - who had rescued them out of the hand of all their enemies, on every side;

that the cruel wrong to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come upon them , - and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the owners of Shechem who strengthened his hands, to slay his brethren.

So the owners of Shechem set for him liers in wait, upon the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who crossed over them by the road, - and it was told Abimelech.

And Gaal son of Ebed said: Who is Abimelech - and who is the son of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? Serve ye the men of Hamor, Shechem's father, but why should, we, serve him?

So then Zebul said unto him - Where, then, is thy mouth that kept on saying, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not, this, the people which thou didst despise? Go forth, I pray thee, now, and fight with them!

So, even all the people cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and laid them over the basement, and set it on fire over them who were therein, - even all the men of the tower of Shechem died about a thousand men and women.

and they enfeebled and oppressed the sons of Israel in that year, - eighteen years, did they this unto all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, that was in Gilead.

Go and make outcry unto the gods whom ye have chosen, - they, must save you, in the time of your tribulation.

Then said the people, the princes of Gilead, one to another, Who is the man that will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? he shall become head to all the inhabitants of Gilead.

So Jephthah fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob, - and there gathered about Jephthah unemployed men, who went forth with him.

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said - Alas! my daughter, Thou hast, brought me low, Even, thou, hast come to be among them who trouble me, - Yet, I, opened wide my mouth unto Yahweh, and cannot go back.

And so it was, he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy ass colts, - and he judged Israel eight years.

Then Manoah made entreaty unto Yahweh, and said: Pardon, O My Lord! the man of God whom thou didst send, I pray thee, let him come again unto us, that he may teach us what we are to do, unto the boy that is to be born.

So the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, - and said unto him, Lo! the man, hath appeared unto me, who came the other day unto me.

So Manoah took the kid, and the meal-offering, and caused them to ascend upon the rock unto Yahweh, who was about to do, wondrously, while Manoah and his wife were looking on.

And it came to pass, because they feared him, that they took thirty companions, who remained with him.

And the Spirit of Yahweh, came suddenly over him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote of them thirty men, and took their garments, and gave the changes of raiment to them who had told the riddle, - and his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

And the wife of Samson was given unto his companion who had served him as his friend.

Then said the Philistines - Who hath done this? And they said - Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father, with fire.

And, when the people saw him, they praised their god, - for they said - Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, even him who laid waste our land, and who multiplied our slain.

And Samson said - Let my soul die with the Philistines! And he bowed mightily, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead, whom he slew at his death, were more than they whom he slew in his life.

But he restored the silver to his mother, - so his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave it to the silversmith, who made thereof a graved (molten) image, and it was in the house of Micah.

Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods, - and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.

So then the sons of Dan sent, out of their family, five men out of their bounds - men who were sons of valour - out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol - to spy out the land, and to explore it, and they said unto them, Go! explore the land. And they came into the hill country of Ephraim, as far as the house of Micah, and lodged there.

They, being by the house of Micah, knew the voice of the young man, the Levite, - so they turned aside there, and said to him - Who brought thee in hither? and what art thou doing in this place, and what hast thou here?

So the five men went their way, and entered Laish, - and saw the people who were therein, dwelling securely, after the manner of the Zidonians, quietly and securely, and there was no one to reproach them with anything in the land, none to possess himself of dominion, they being, far away, from the Zidonians, and having no dealings with any one.

Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, - now, therefore, know what ye will do!

Then went up the five men who had been to spy out the land, they came in thither, they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, - now, the priest, was standing at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred men who were begirt with weapons of war.

And they called unto the sons of Dan, who turned their faces, - and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou hast called out thy neighbours?

and called the name of the city, Dan, by the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel, - howbeit, Laish, was the name of the city, at the first.

And it came to pass in those days, when, king, there was none in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah.

And his lord said unto him, We will not turn aside into a city of aliens, who are, not of the sons of Israel, - but will pass on as far as Gibeah.

And so it was, that every one who beheld said - There hath not happened, nor been seen the like of this, from the day when the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt, until this day: Put it to yourselves contemning it, take counsel and speak!

Now, therefore, deliver up the men - the sons of the Abandoned One - who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and vileness be consumed out of Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not hearken unto the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel.

Out of all this people, were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed, - any one of whom could sling with a stone to a hair's-breadth, and not miss.

And they arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked of God, and the sons of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first, to fight against the sons of Benjamin? And Yahweh said - Judah, first.

So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, - and that the men of Israel had given place to Benjamin, because they trusted to the liers in wait, whom they had set near Gibeah.

But there turned and fled, towards the desert, unto the cliff Rimmon, six hundred men, - who abode in the cliff Rimmon, four months.

And the sons of Israel said, Who was there that came not up, in the convocation, out of all the tribes of Israel, unto Yahweh? For, the great oath, had been taken, as to any who came not up unto Yahweh at Mizpah, saying - He shall be, put to death.

What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, - seeing that, we ourselves, have sworn by Yahweh, not to give them of our daughters, for wives?

And they found - of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead - four hundred young women, virgins, who had not cohabited with man, - so they brought them into the camp, at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Then the whole assembly sent, and spake unto the sons of Benjamin, who were in the cliff Rimmon, - and proclaimed to them, peace.

So Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, - but they found not for them to suffice , even so.

So then, the elders of the assembly said, What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, - for womankind, hath been destroyed out of Benjamin?

And the sons of Benjamin did so, and carried off wives, according to their number, of them who were dancing, whom they seized, - and they went their way, and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt therein.