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;

Then went Abimelech son of Jerubbaal, to Shechem, unto the brethren of his mother, - and spake unto them, and unto all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying;

Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the owners of Shechem - Which is better for you, that there should rule over you, seventy men, all sons of Jerubbaal, or that there should rule over you, one man? And remember that, your bone and your flesh, am I.

And he entered the house of his father, at Ophrah, and slew his brethren, sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon one stone, - but there remained Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, for he had hidden himself.

yet have, ye, risen up against the house of my father, to-day, and slain his sons - seventy men, upon one stone, - and made Abimelech, son of his maidservant, king over the owners of Shechem, because he is, your brother;

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.

And Gaal son of Ebed came, with his brethren, and they passed through to Shechem, - and the owners of Shechem put their trust in him.

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?

And, when Zubul, governor of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, then was kindled his anger.

And he sent messengers unto Abimelech, by deceit, saying, - Lo! Gaal son of Ebed, and his brethren, are coming into Shechem; and lo! are fortifying the city against thee.

Then came forth Gaal son of Ebed, and took his stand at the opening of the gate of the city, - so Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the place of ambush.

all the wickedness also, of the men of Shechem, did God requite upon their own head, - and so brought in upon, them the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubbaal.

And there arose, after Abimelech, to save Israel - Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, - and, he, used to sit in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim;

Now he had thirty sons, that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had, thirty cities, - they are called Havvoth-jair, until this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

And the sons of Israel again did the thing that was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, - and forsook Yahweh, and served him not.

So the anger of Yahweh kindled upon Israel, - and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the sons of Ammon;

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.

And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan, to fight, even against Judah and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, - so that Israel was sore distressed.

Then did the sons of Israel make outcry unto Yahweh, saying, - We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.

Then said Yahweh unto the sons of Israel, - Was it not, from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, that I saved you ?

And the sons of Israel said unto Yahweh - We have sinned, do, thou, with us, according to all that is fitting in thine eyes, - only rescue us, we beseech thee this day.

Now the sons of Ammon were called out, and they encamped in Gilead, - and the sons of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.

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.

Now, Jephthah the Gileadite, was a mighty man of valour, but, he, was the son of an unchaste woman, - yet Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

And the wife of Gilead bare him sons, - and, when the wife's sons grew up, they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him - Thou shalt not inherit with the house of our father, for, son of an alien woman, art thou.

And so it came to pass, after a time, - that the sons of Ammon made war with Israel.

When, therefore, it came to pass that the sons of Ammon made war with Israel, then went the elders of Gilead, to summon Jephthah out of the land of Tob.

And they said to Jephthah, Oh! come and be our commander, - that we may do battle with the sons of Ammon.

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah - Therefore, have we, now, returned unto thee, that, if thou go with us, and do battle with the sons of Ammon, then shalt thou become our head, for all the inhabitants of Gilead.

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead - If ye do bring me back to do battle with the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh deliver them up before me, shall, I myself, become your head?

So then Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, - What occasion is there between us, that thou shouldst have come unto me, to fight against my land?

And the king of the sons of Ammon said unto the messengers of Jephthah - Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan, - now, therefore, restore them in peace.

And Jephthah yet once more sent messengers unto the king of the sons of Ammon;

and said a unto him, Thus, saith Jephthah, - Israel took not away the land of Moab, or the land of the sons of Ammon;

Now, therefore, art thou, really better, than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Hath there been any, striving at all, with Israel, or any, fighting at all, with them,

I, therefore, have not sinned against thee; but, thou, art doing me a wrong, in fighting against me, - Let Yahweh, the Judge, give judgment today, between the sons of Israel, and the sons of Ammon!

But the king of the sons of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah, which he sent unto him.

Then came upon Jephthah the spirit of Yahweh, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, - and passed through Mizpeh of Gilead, and, from Mizpeh of Gilead, he passed through unto the sons of Ammon.

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, - If thou wilt, deliver, the sons of Ammon into my hand,

then shall it be, that, whosoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house, to meet me, when I return successful, from the sons of Ammon, shall belong unto Yahweh, and I will offer him up, as an ascending-sacrifice.

So then Jephthah passed over unto the sons of Ammon, to fight against them, - and Yahweh delivered them into his hand;

and he smote them, from Aroer even till thou enterest in to Minnith, even twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with an exceeding great smiting, - and thus were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel.

Then came Jephthah towards Mizpah, unto his own house, and lo! his daughter, coming forth to meet him, with timbrels, and with dances, - and, she, was none other than his only child, he had not, besides her, either son or daughter.

And she said unto him - My father! Thou hast opened wide thy mouth unto Yahweh, Do with me, according to that which hath gone forth out of thy mouth, - after that Yahweh hath exacted for thee an avenging from thine enemies, from the sons of Ammon.

And the men of Ephraim were called together, and passed over northward, - and said unto Jephthah - Wherefore didst thou pass over to do battle with the sons of Ammon, and, for us, didst not call, to go with thee? Thy house, will we consume over thee with fire.

And Jephthah said unto them, Great strife, had, I and my people, even with the sons of Ammon; but, when I cried unto you for help, ye saved me not out of their hand.

So, when I saw that thou wast not going to save, then put I my life in my hand, and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand. Wherefore, then, have ye come up against me this day, to fight against me?

And so it was, he had thirty sons, and, thirty daughters, sent he abroad, while, thirty daughters, brought he from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

And there judged Israel, after him, Abdon son of Hillel, the Pirathonite.

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

And Abdon son of Hillel, the Pirathonite died, - and was buried in Pirathon, in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

And the sons of Israel again did the thing that was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, - so Yahweh delivered them up into the hand of the Philistines, forty years.

And the messenger of Yahweh appeared unto the woman, - and said unto her - Lo! I pray thee, thou, art barren, and hast borne no child, but thou shalt conceive, and shalt bear a son.

for lo! thou, art about to conceive and bear a son, and no, razor, shall come on his head, for, one separate unto God, shall the boy be from his birth, - and, he, shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

But he said unto me, Lo! thou art about to conceive, and bear a son, - now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean, for, one separate unto God, shall the boy be, from his birth until the day of his death.

So the woman hare a son, and called his name Samson, - and the boy grew, and Yahweh blessed him.

And the wife of Samson wept upon him, and said - Thou dost, altogether hate me, and dost not love me, a riddle, hast thou put forth to the sons of my people, and, unto me, thou hast not told it! And he said to her, Lo! to my own father and mother, have I not told it, and, to thee, shall I tell it?

So she wept upon him the seven days, - while their banquet lasted, - and it came to pass, on the seventh day, that he told her, because she urged him, and she told the riddle unto the sons of her people.

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 he said unto his mother - The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken by thee, when, thou, didst utter a curse, and didst also say in my hearing, Lo! the silver, is with me! I took it. Then said his mother, Blessed, be my son by Yahweh.

And, when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said - I had, hallowed, the silver unto Yahweh out of mine own hand, for my son, to make a graved (molten) image, now, therefore, I will restore it unto thee.

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.

And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, - and the young man became to him, as one of his sons.

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.

Now, the six hundred men, begirt with weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate, - they being of the sons of Dan.

They, had gone a good way from the house of Micah, when, the men that were in the houses near to the house of Micah, were called out and overtook the sons of Dan.

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 the sons of Dan said unto him, Do not let thy voice be heard among us, - lest men embittered in soul fall upon you, and thou gather in thy life and the lives of thy household.

And the sons of Dan went on their journey, - and, when Micah saw that they were, too strong, for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image, - and, Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons, became priests to the tribe of the Danites, until the day of the captivity of the land.

And it came to pass, on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, and gat up to go, that the father of the damsel said unto his son-in-law, - Stay thy heart with a morsel of bread, and, afterwards, ye shall go your way.

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.

They, were gladdening their heart, when lo! men of the city, men of the sons of the Abandoned One, beset the house round about, beating violently against the door, - and they spake unto the old man the owner of the house, saying, Bring forth the man that hath entered into thy house, that we may know him.

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!

Then went forth all the sons of Israel, and the assembly came together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba with the land of Gilead, - unto Yahweh at Mizpah.

And the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. Then said the sons of Israel, Tell us , In what manner was brought to pass this vileness?

Lo! ye all, are sons of Israel, - give your word and counsel, here.

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.

Then did the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together out of the cities, unto Gibeah, - to go forth to battle against the sons of Israel.

And the sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day, out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men, that drew the sword, - besides, of the inhabitants of Gibeah, were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

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.

And the sons of Israel arose in the morning, - and encamped against Gibeah.

Then came forth the sons of Benjamin out of Gibeah, - and laid low of Israel, on that day, twenty-two thousand men, to the ground.

Now the sons of Israel had gone up, and wept before Yahweh, until the evening, and asked of Yahweh, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother? And Yahweh said, Go up against him.

So the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin, on the second day.

And Benjamin came forth to meet them out of Gibeah, on the second day, and laid low, of the sons of Israel, yet eighteen thousand men, to the ground, - all these, drew the sword.

Then went up all the sons of Israel, and all the people, and came to Bethel, and wept, and tarried there before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, until the evening, - and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices and peace-offerings, before Yahweh.

And the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, - there, being the ark of the covenant of God, in those days;

and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days, saying: Shall I yet again go forth to battle, against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And Yahweh said - Go up, for, to-morrow, will I deliver him into thy hand.

So the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, - and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as time after time.

And the sons of Benjamin came forth against the people, they were drawn away from the city, - and began to smite of the people, slaying as time after time, in the highways, whereof, one, goeth up to Bethel, and, the other, to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men in Israel.

Then said the sons of Benjamin, They are, being smitten, before us, as at the first. But the sons of Israel had said - Let us flee, and draw them away from the city, into the highways.

Thus Yahweh smote Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed in Benjamin, that day, twenty-five thousand and one hundred men, - all these, drew the sword.

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.

So, when the men of Israel turned in the battle, - and, the Benjamites, began to smite and slay of the sons of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, Yea! they are, smitten, before us, as in the first battle,

Thus, the men of Israel, turned against the sons of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, beginning with the city, each and every one down to the beast, even to every one that was met with, - moreover, all the cities they came to, they set on fire.

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.

And the sons of Israel grieved for Benjamin, their brother, - and they said, There is cut off, to-day, one tribe out of Israel.

So the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men, of the sons of valour, - and commanded them, saying: - Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, with the edge of the sword, with the women, and the little ones.

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