Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



David went to the town of Mahanaim. Shobi son of Nahash came from Rabbah in Ammon, Machir son of Ammiel came from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim.

The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. So he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to conquer them. They afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel. For eighteen years they lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead. The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was greatly distressed. read more.
The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah: We sinned against you. We left our God and served the Baals. Jehovah answered: Did I free you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? Did I save you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? They oppressed you and you cried out to me. You still left me and worshiped other gods. I am not going to rescue you again. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your time of trouble. But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today! So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer. Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead. There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.

Jephthah crossed the river to fight the Ammonites, and Jehovah gave him victory. He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. It was a great slaughter. The Ammonites were defeated by Israel.

The men of Ephraim were ready for battle. They crossed the Jordan River to Zaphon and said to Jephthah: Why did you cross the border to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We are going to burn the house down over your head! Jephthah replied: My people and I had a great struggle with the Ammonites. I called you, but you would not rescue me from them. When I realized you were not going to, I risked my life and crossed the border to fight them. Jehovah gave me victory over them. Why are you coming to fight me now?

These nation included: Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the goods taken from Zobah's King Hadadezer, son of Rehob.

In the spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, David sent out Joab with his officers and the Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged the city of Rabbah. David stayed in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Joab fought against the Ammonite city of Rabbah and captured its royal fortress. He sent messengers to tell David: I fought against Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding its water supply. Assemble the rest of the troops. Surround the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city. Then it will be named after me. read more.
David assembled the rest of the army and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city. He removed the crown of their god Milcom from off the head of their king. The crown was made of seventy-five pounds of gold. There was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown. He also carried off everything else of value. David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls with iron picks and axes. He also put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities. David went back to Jerusalem. The people of Israel returned to their homes.

King David dedicated all the articles of gold, silver, and bronze to Jehovah, along with the silver and gold he had taken from other nations-from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

In the spring, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led the army to war. They destroyed the Ammonites and came to Rabbah to attack it, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down. David took the gold crown from the head of Rabbah's king. It was placed on David's head. The crown was found to weigh seventy-five pounds, and in it was a precious stone. David also took a lot of goods from the city. He took the troops who were there and put them to work with saws, hoes, and axes. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. After that David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.

God helped him when he attacked the Philistines, the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. His fame spread to the border of Egypt because he became very powerful.

He fought with the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites gave him seven thousand and five hundred pounds of silver, sixty thousand bushels of wheat, and sixty thousand bushels of barley. The Ammonites gave him the same amount for two more years.


But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today! So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer. Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead. read more.
There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.

After time passed the Ammonites went to war against Israel. When this war occurred, the leaders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. They said: Come and be our commander, so that we can fight the Ammonites. read more.
Jephthah answered: You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my father's house. Why have you come to me now that you are in trouble? They replied: We turn to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead. Jephthah said: If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and Jehovah gives me victory, will I be your ruler? They replied: We agree. Jehovah is our witness. Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in Jehovah's presence. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. He said: What do you have against us that you want to fight us? Why have you invaded our country? The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers: Because Israel took away our land when they came out of Egypt. They took land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully. Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. This was his answer: It is not true that Israel took away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon. It happened this way: 'when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh. They sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but he would not let them go through his land. So the people of Israel stayed at Kadesh. Then they went through the desert around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab. The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. They asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land. But Sihon refused to let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel. Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the people of Israel victory over Sihon and his army. So the people of Israel took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country. They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west. Jehovah, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites for his people, the people of Israel. Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything Jehovah, our God, has taken for us. Do you think you are better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever challenge Israel or fight with them? Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer for three hundred years, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why did you not retake them during that time? I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong to me by making war on me. Jehovah is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.' The king of Ammon paid no attention to this message from Jephthah. The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh and returned to Mizpah in Gilead and went on to Ammon. Jephthah promised Jehovah: If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will sacrifice with a burnt offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I return from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice. (Jeremiah 19:5) Jephthah crossed the river to fight the Ammonites, and Jehovah gave him victory. He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. It was a great slaughter. The Ammonites were defeated by Israel.


Once again the Israelites did evil against Jehovah by worshiping the Baals and the Astartes. They also worshiped the gods of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of the Philistines. They abandoned Jehovah and stopped worshiping him. The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. So he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to conquer them. They afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel. For eighteen years they lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead. read more.
The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was greatly distressed. The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah: We sinned against you. We left our God and served the Baals. Jehovah answered: Did I free you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? Did I save you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? They oppressed you and you cried out to me. You still left me and worshiped other gods. I am not going to rescue you again. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your time of trouble. But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today! So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer. Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead. There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.


Once again the Israelites did evil against Jehovah by worshiping the Baals and the Astartes. They also worshiped the gods of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of the Philistines. They abandoned Jehovah and stopped worshiping him. The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. So he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to conquer them. They afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel. For eighteen years they lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead. read more.
The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was greatly distressed. The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah: We sinned against you. We left our God and served the Baals. Jehovah answered: Did I free you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? Did I save you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? They oppressed you and you cried out to me. You still left me and worshiped other gods. I am not going to rescue you again. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them save you in your time of trouble. But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today! So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer. Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead. There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.

Jephthah was a brave soldier from Gilead. He was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. They had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They told him: You will have no inheritance from our father for you are the son of another woman. Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There a group of worthless men joined with him and they went around together. read more.
After time passed the Ammonites went to war against Israel. When this war occurred, the leaders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. They said: Come and be our commander, so that we can fight the Ammonites. Jephthah answered: You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my father's house. Why have you come to me now that you are in trouble? They replied: We turn to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead. Jephthah said: If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and Jehovah gives me victory, will I be your ruler? They replied: We agree. Jehovah is our witness. Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in Jehovah's presence. Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. He said: What do you have against us that you want to fight us? Why have you invaded our country? The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers: Because Israel took away our land when they came out of Egypt. They took land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully. Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. This was his answer: It is not true that Israel took away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon. It happened this way: 'when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh. They sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but he would not let them go through his land. So the people of Israel stayed at Kadesh. Then they went through the desert around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab. The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. They asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land. But Sihon refused to let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel. Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the people of Israel victory over Sihon and his army. So the people of Israel took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country. They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west. Jehovah, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites for his people, the people of Israel. Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything Jehovah, our God, has taken for us. Do you think you are better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever challenge Israel or fight with them? Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer for three hundred years, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why did you not retake them during that time? I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong to me by making war on me. Jehovah is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.' The king of Ammon paid no attention to this message from Jephthah. The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh and returned to Mizpah in Gilead and went on to Ammon. Jephthah promised Jehovah: If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will sacrifice with a burnt offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I return from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice. (Jeremiah 19:5) Jephthah crossed the river to fight the Ammonites, and Jehovah gave him victory. He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. It was a great slaughter. The Ammonites were defeated by Israel.