Hear kings and hearken lords, I will sing, and give praise unto the LORD God, of Israel.

the mountains melted before the LORD, even mount Sinai before the LORD God of Israel.

The villages were uninhabited in Israel; were uninhabited until I, Deborah, arose; until I arose a mother in Israel.

"God chose new fashions of war, for when they had war at their gates: there was not seen, among forty thousand, either shield or spear in Israel.

Mine heart loveth the maintainers of the law in Israel, that are willing among the people.

Now the archers did cry, where men draw water; there shall they tell of the justice of the LORD, and of the justice of his uplandish folk in Israel. And then the people of the LORD went down unto the gates.

And the children of Israel committed wickedness in the sight of the LORD. And the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Midianites seven years.

And when the hand of the Midianites was sore upon Israel, the children of Israel made them dens in the mountains and caves and strongholds.

For when Israel had sown then came the Midianites, the Amalekites, and they of the east country upon them and pitched their tents against them,

and destroyed the increase of the earth even unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel; neither sheep, ox or ass,

And so was Israel exceedingly impoverished by the Midianites and cried unto the LORD.

And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

the LORD sent a prophet unto them, and said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: I fetched you from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage

And the LORD looked upon him and said, "Go hence in this thy might and deliver Israel out of the hands of the Midianites: Behold, I have sent thee."

And he answered him, "Oh Lord, wherewith should I save Israel? Behold my kindred is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

And Gideon said unto God, "If thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou hast said:

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the threshing place. And if the dew be on the fleece only, and dry upon all the earth beside: then I shall be sure that thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou saidest."

And the LORD said unto Gideon, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make her vaunt to my dishonour and say, 'Our own hand hath saved us.'

And they took victuals with them for the folk, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel, every man unto his tent, and kept the three hundred with him. And the host of Midian was beneath him in a valley.

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

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation of the same, he bowed himself to the earth and returned unto the host of Israel, and said, "Up, for the LORD hath delivered into your hands the host of the Midianites."

And the men of Israel gathered together of the tribe of Naphtali, of Asher, and of all Manasseh, and followed after the Midianites.

Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, "Reign over us, both thou, thy son and thy son's son, for thou hast delivered us out of the hands of the Midianites."

And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.

Thus were the Midianites brought low before the children of Israel, so that they lift up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

But as soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baal, and made Baalberith their God,

And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man unto his own house.

After Abimelech there arose, to defend Israel, one Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, which dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

And he judged Israel twenty three years, and then died and was buried in Shamir.

And after him arose Jair a Gileadite, which judged Israel twenty two years.

And the children of Israel wrought wickedness yet again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD and served him not.

And the LORD was wroth with Israel, and sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon:

which pilled and oppressed the children of Israel in those days eighteen years, all that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.

Moreover, the children of Ammon went over Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim: so that Israel was sore cumbered.

Then the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against thee: for we have forsaken our own God, and have served Baalim."

And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, "Did not the Egyptians, the Amorites, the children of Ammon, the Philistines,

But the children of Israel said unto the LORD, "We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever please thee, and deliver us only at this time."

And they put away the strange gods from them and served the LORD. And the misery of Israel grieved his soul.

Then the children of Ammon gathered together and pitched in Gilead. And the children of Israel gathered them together and pitched in Mizpeh.

But it chanced, in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land, when they came out of Egypt, even from Arnon unto Jabbok and from thence unto Jordan, now therefore restore those lands again with fair means."

and said unto him, "Thus sayeth Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon.

But when Israel came out of Egypt, they walked through the wilderness, even unto the reed sea, and came to Kadesh,

and sent messengers unto the king of Edom saying, 'Let us, we pray thee, go through thy land.' But the king of Edom would not agree thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab, but he would not consent. And so Israel abode still in Kadesh.

And then Israel sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, and king of Heshbon, and said unto him, 'Let us pass through thy land unto our own country.'

But Sihon trusted not Israel, to go through his coasts: but gathered all his people together and pitched in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

But the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his folk into the hands of Israel. And so Israel smote them and conquered all the land of the Amorites, the inhabiters of the said country.

So now seeing the LORD God of Israel hath cast out the Amorites before his people, shouldest thou possess the land?

And thereto art thou better than Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab? Did he strive with Israel or fight against thee,

all the while Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundredth years? Why didst thou not recover them in all that space?

Wherefore I have not sinned against thee. But thou doest me wrong, to war against me. The LORD therefore be judge this day, between the children of Israel, and the children of Ammon."

And he smote them from Aroer unto Minnith, twenty cities. And so forth to the plain of the vineyards, and made an exceeding great slaughter. And thus the children of Ammon were brought under, before the children of Israel.

And it became an ordinance in Israel, year by year, that the daughters of Israel should go and lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year.

And when Jephthah had judged Israel six years, he died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

After this man, one Ibozan of Bethlehem judged Israel;

And when Ibozan had judged Israel seven years, he died and was buried at Bethlehem.

And after him, Elon a Zebulunite judged Israel ten years,

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

And when Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite had judged Israel eight years, he died and was buried in Pirathon, the land of Ephraim in the mount of the Amalekites.

And the children of Israel began again to commit wickedness in the sight of the LORD. And the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

For see, thou shalt conceive and bear a son. And there may no razor or shearers come on his head: for the lad shall be an abstainer unto God, even from the time of his birth. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines."

But his father and mother wist not that it was the LORD's doing, and that he sought an occasion of the Philistines, which at that time reigned over Israel.

And he judged Israel, in the days of the Philistines, twenty years.

And then his brethren and all the house of his father came down and took him up, and brought him and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

For in those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did what thought him best.

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of Dan sought them an inheritance to dwell in, for unto that time there fell none inheritance unto them among the tribes of Israel.

And they answered him, "Hold thy peace, and put thine hand upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be unto us a father and a priest. Whether is it better for thee to be a priest? Unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe or a kindred in Israel?"

And called it Dan, after the name of Dan their father which was born unto Israel. Howbeit in very deed the name of the city was Laish at the beginning.

It chanced in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite dwelling on the side of mount Ephraim, took to wife a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah:

But his master said unto him, "We will not turn in to a strange city that are not of the children of Israel: we will go forth to Gibeah."

And when he was come unto his house, he took a dressing knife, and caught his concubine and divided her through the bones into twelve pieces, and sent her into all quarters of Israel.

And all that saw it said, "There was no such deed done or seen since the children of Israel came out of Egypt unto this day. Consider the matter, give counsel and say your minds."

Then all the children of Israel went out: and there gathered a congregation together as it had been but one man, even from Dan to Beersheba and out of the land of Gilead, unto the land to Mizpeh.

And there stood folk out of all quarters of all the tribes of Israel, in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew swords.

And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizphah. Then said the children of Israel, "Tell us how this wickedness happened."

And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the lands of the inheritance of Israel. For they have committed abomination and folly in Israel.

Behold, ye are all children of Israel. See therefore and give your advice in the case."

And we will take ten men of the hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of the thousand, and a thousand out of the ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people to make that they may go against Gibeah Benjamin, according to all the folly, that they have wrought in Israel."

And so all the men of Israel gathered together, unto Gibeah, knit together as it had been but one man.

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying, "What wickedness is this that is happened among you?

Now therefore deliver us the men, those wicked wretches of Gibeah that we may slay them, and put away evil from Israel." Neverthelater, the children of Benjamin would not hearken unto the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

but gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to come out in battle against the children of Israel.

And the children of Israel, beside the children of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew swords, and all men of war.

And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and asked of God, who should begin the battle against the children of Benjamin, and the LORD said, "Judah shall begin."

And the children of Israel stood up early and besieged Gibeah.

And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and put themselves in array against them, to fight against Gibeah.

And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed in Israel that day twenty two thousand men, and brought them to the earth.

And the folk of the children of Israel plucked up their hearts, and went to again and made battle in the same place where they did the first day:

And the LORD said, "Go up unto them." And when the children of Israel were come to the children of Benjamin the second day,

the children of Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah, the second day, and destroyed to the earth of the children of Israel once again, eighteen thousand men that drew swords every man of them.

Then the children of Israel and all the people went up and came unto Bethel, and wept and sat there before the LORD, and fasted the same day unto evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

And Israel set layers await against Gibeah round about.

And the children of Israel went against the children of Benjamin the third time, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as twice before.

Then came the children of Benjamin against the people, till they were drawn a great way from the city. And they began to smite of the people dead - as twice before, by two highways of which one goeth up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the field - upon a thirty men of Israel.

For the children of Benjamin thought that the other had been beaten before them, as at the first time. But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and pluck them away from the city, unto the highways."

And then all the men of Israel rose up out of their standing, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar. And likewise the layers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah,

and came before Gibeah: ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and there was sore battle. But the other knew not that evil was so nigh them.

And the LORD plagued Benjamin before Israel, so that the children of Israel destroyed in Benjamin the same day twenty five thousand and a hundred men, that drew swords every one of them.

It seemed the children of Benjamin, that the other had been put to the worse. For the men of Israel gave room to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the layers in wait which they had laid against Gibeah.

And the appointment of the men of Israel with the layers in wait to run upon Benjamin with the sword, was when they should make the smoke rise up out of the city.