Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east were gathered together, and went over and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

And the Midianites and the Amalekites, and all the sons of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude, and their camels without number, like the sand by the seaside for multitude.

And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

And Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the armies of the sons of the east. For a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword fell.

And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What type [were] the men whom you killed at Tabor?" And they said, "{They were like you}; each [one of them] had the appearance of the sons of the king."

And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

Then he told his firstborn son Jether, "Get up and kill them!" But he was afraid, since he was still only a youngster.

Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

And Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And it happened as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel turned again and went lusting after the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.

And the sons of Israel did not remember Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side.

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.

And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baals and Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. And they left Jehovah, and did not serve Him.

And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon.

And that year they troubled and oppressed the sons of Israel; all the sons of Israel on the other side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead, for eighteen years.

And the sons of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was very distressed.

And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against You, both because we have forsaken our God and also have served the Baals.

And Jehovah said to the sons of Israel, Did not I deliver you from Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

And the sons of Israel said to Jehovah, We have sinned. Do You to us whatever is good in Your eyes; only deliver us, we pray You, today.

Then the sons of Ammon were gathered and camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel assembled themselves together and camped in Mizpeh.

And the people and rulers of Gilead said to one another, What man is there who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

And it happened after some time the sons of Ammon made war against Israel.

And when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob.

And they said to Jephthah, Come and be our commander, so that we may fight with the sons of Ammon.

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, For this reason we turn again to you now, so that you may go with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our head over all the people of Gilead.

And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah delivers them before me, shall I be your head?

And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you have come against me to fight in my land?

And the king of the sons of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan. Now therefore restore those lands peaceably.

And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the sons of Ammon.

And he said to him, So says Jephthah, Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon.

And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

So I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Jehovah, the Judge, will judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.

And the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah which he sent to him.

Then the Spirit of Jehovah came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead passed over to the sons of Ammon.

And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

then it shall be that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, surely it shall belong to Jehovah, or I will offer it up instead of a burnt offering.

And Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them. And Jehovah delivered them into his hand.

And he struck them from Aroer even until you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and to the meadow of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. So were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel.

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to that which has come out of your mouth, because Jehovah has taken vengeance for you upon your enemies, even of the sons of Ammon.

And the men of Ephraim were called together and went northward, and said to Jephthah, Why did you go over to fight against the sons of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house upon you with fire.

And Jephthah said to them, My people and I were at great strife with the sons of Ammon. And when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands.

When I saw that you did not deliver me, I took my life in my hand and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand, and why have you come up against me, to fight against me today?

And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

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

And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

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

And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You only hate me, and do not love me. You have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell you?

And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed hard upon him. And she told the riddle to the sons of her people.

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

And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

And the sons of Dan sent from their family five men from their borders, men of war, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. And they said to them, Go, search the land. And when they came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, they stayed there.

And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate.

They had gone far away from the house of Micah, and the men in the houses near Micah's house had been called together and had overtaken the sons of Dan.

And they cried to the sons of Dan. And they turned their faces and said to Micah, What ails you, that you have been called together?

And the sons of Dan said to him, Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon you and you lose your life with the lives of your household.

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

They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the city's name used to be Laish.

And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan 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, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.

And his master said to him, We will not turn aside here into the city of a stranger that is not of the sons of Israel. We will pass over to Gibeah.

And behold, an old man came in from his work out of the field in the evening, and the man from mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gib-eab; and the men of the place, sons of the Jaminite.

Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

And it was so that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day. Think of it, take advice and speak.

Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to Jehovah in Mizpeh.

And the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel said, Speak. How did this evil happen?

And the man the Levite will answer, the husband of the woman slain, and he will say, To Gibeah which is to the sons of Benjamin I came, I and my concubine to lodge.

Behold, you are all sons of Israel. Give here your advice and counsel.

Now, therefore, deliver the men, the sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

And the sons of Benjamin gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out 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 who drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.