And they forsook LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

And the anger of LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them. And he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before th

Wherever they went out, the hand of LORD was against them for evil, as LORD had spoken, and as LORD had sworn to them. And they were exceedingly distressed.

And LORD raised up judges who saved them out of the hand of those who despoiled them.

And yet they did not hearken to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly out of the way in which their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of LORD.

And when LORD raised up judges for them, then LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For LORD regretted because of their groaning because of those who oppressed them and

But it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They did not cease from their doings, nor from their

And the anger of LORD was kindled against Israel, and he said, Because this nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not hearkened to my voice,

So LORD left those nations, without driving them out quickly. Neither did he deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

[namely], the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.

And the sons of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods.

And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of LORD, and forgot LORD their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth.

Therefore the anger of LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, And the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

And when the sons of Israel cried to LORD, LORD raised up a savior to the sons of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

And the Spirit of LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim.

And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of LORD. And LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done that which was evil in the sight of LORD.

And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees.

And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

But when the sons of Israel cried to LORD, LORD raised up for them a savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

And Ehud made for himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length. And he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

And he offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the men who bore the tribute.

But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to thee, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all who stood by him went out from him.

And Ehud came to him. And he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to thee. And he arose out of his seat.

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body.

And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his body, and it came out behind.

Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them.

Now when he was gone out, his servants came, and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.

And they delayed till they were ashamed, and, behold, he did not open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key, and opened, and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

And Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.

And it came to pass, when he came, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.

And he said to them, Follow after me, for LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow a man to pass over.

And they smote about ten thousand men of Moab at that time, every robust man, and every man of valor, and there escaped not a man.

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

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

And the sons of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of LORD, when Ehud was dead.

And LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose army was Sisera who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

And the sons of Israel cried to LORD, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he mightily oppressed the sons of Israel twenty years.

And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, Has not LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, [saying], Go and approach to mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the sons of Naph

And I will draw Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, to thee, to the river Kishon, with his chariots and his multitude, and I will deliver him into thy hand.

And Barak said to her, If thou will go with me, then I will go, but if thou will not go with me, I will not go.

And she said, I will surely go with thee. Notwithstanding, the journey that thou take shall not be for thine honor, for LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh. And there went up ten thousand men at his feet, and Deborah went up with him.

Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the sons of Hobab the brother-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon.

And Deborah said to Barak, Up, for this is the day in which LORD has delivered Sisera into thy hand. Has not LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

And LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. And Sisera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the army, to Harosheth of the Gentiles. And all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not a man left.

However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

And he said to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

And he said to her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man comes and inquires of thee, and says, Is there any man here? that thou shall say, No.

Then Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep, so he fainted and died.

And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seek. And he came to her, and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.

And the hand of the sons of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

LORD, when thou went forth out of Seir, when thou marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped water.

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways.

Tell, ye who ride on white donkeys, ye who sit on rich carpets, and ye who walk by the way.

Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, there they shall rehearse the righteous acts of LORD, the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. Then the people of LORD went down to the gates.

Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song. Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam.

Then a remnant of the nobles [and] the people came down. LORD came down for me against the mighty.

Out of Ephraim, those whose root is in Amalek, after thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples, out of Machir, came down governors, and out of Zebulun those who handle the marshal's staff.

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, as was Issachar, so was Barak, into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben there were great resolves of heart.

Gilead abode beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, and abode by his creeks.

Zebulun was a people who jeopardized their lives to the death, and Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.

The kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no gain of money.

She put her hand to the tent-pin, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer. And with the hammer she smote Sisera; she struck through his head. Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.

Through the window she looked forth, and cried--the mother of Sisera through the lattice--Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots delay?

So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD, but let those who love him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of LORD, and LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. And because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east, they came up against them.

And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come to Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.

For they came up with their cattle and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number, and they came into the land to destroy it.

And Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to LORD.

And it came to pass, when the sons of Israel cried to LORD because of Midian,

that LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel. And he said to them, Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage.

And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land.

And I said to you, I am LORD your God. Ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell, but ye have not hearkened to my voice.

And the agent of LORD came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite. And his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

And the agent of LORD appeared to him, and said to him, LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.

And Gideon said to him, Oh, my lord, if LORD is with us, then why has all this befallen us? And where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now LORD has cast us of

And LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent thee?

And he said to him, Oh, LORD, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

And LORD said to him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shall smite the Midianites as one man.

And he said to him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou who talk with me.

Depart not from here, I pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal. He put the flesh in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.

And the agent of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

Then the agent of LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the agent of L

And Gideon saw that he was the agent of LORD. And Gideon said, Alas, O lord LORD! Inasmuch as I have seen the agent of LORD face to face.

And LORD said to him, Peace be to thee. Fear not; thou shall not die.

Then Gideon built an altar there to LORD, and called it LORD-shalom. To this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And it came to pass the same night, that LORD said to him, Take thy father's bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it.