The Bible Part 51

9:9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour G.o.d and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 9:10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

9:11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 9:12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

9:13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth G.o.d and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 9:14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

9:15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

9:16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 9:17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 9:18 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;) 9:19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

9:21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

9:22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 9:23 Then G.o.d sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 9:24 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.

9:25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

9:26 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.

9:27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their G.o.d, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

9:28 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? 9:29 And would to G.o.d this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

9:30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

9:31 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.

9:32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 9:33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

9:34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

9:35 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.

9:36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.

9:37 And Gaal spake again, and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

9:38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

9:39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

9:40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

9:41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

9:42 And it came to pa.s.s on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

9:43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.

9:44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.

9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

9:46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the G.o.d Berith.

9:47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

9:48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.

9:49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

9:50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

9:51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

9:52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

9:53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.

9:54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

9:56 Thus G.o.d rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 9:57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did G.o.d render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

10:1 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.

10:2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

10:3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

10:4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty a.s.s colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

10:5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the G.o.ds of Syria, and the G.o.ds of Zidon, and the G.o.ds of Moab, and the G.o.ds of the children of Ammon, and the G.o.ds of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

10:7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

10:8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

10:9 Moreover the children of Ammon pa.s.sed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

10:10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our G.o.d, and also served Baalim.

10:11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 10:12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other G.o.ds: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

10:14 Go and cry unto the G.o.ds which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

10:15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

10:16 And they put away the strange G.o.ds from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

10:17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel a.s.sembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.

10:18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

11:2 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.

11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

11:4 And it came to pa.s.s in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

11:5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 11:6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

11:7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? 11:8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

11:9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 11:10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

11:11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

11:12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 11:13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

11:14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 11:15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 11:16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 11:17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pa.s.s through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

11:18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compa.s.sed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

11:19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pa.s.s, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

11:20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pa.s.s through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

11:21 And the LORD G.o.d of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

11:22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

11:23 So now the LORD G.o.d of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 11:24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy G.o.d giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our G.o.d shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

11:25 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, 11:26 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 hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? 11:27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

11:28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he pa.s.sed over Gilead, and Mana.s.seh, and pa.s.sed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he pa.s.sed over unto the children of Ammon.

11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 11:31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

11:32 So Jephthah pa.s.sed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

11:33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

11:34 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.

11:35 And it came to pa.s.s, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

11:36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

11:37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

11:38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

11:39 And it came to pa.s.s at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 11:40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

12:1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore pa.s.sedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

12:2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

12:3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and pa.s.sed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? 12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Mana.s.sites.

12:5 And the Gileadites took the pa.s.sages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; 12:6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to p.r.o.nounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the pa.s.sages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

12:7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

12:8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

12:9 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.

12:10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

12:11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

12:12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

12:13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

12:14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten a.s.s colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

12:15 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.

13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

13:2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

13:3 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.

13:4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto G.o.d from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of G.o.d came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of G.o.d, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: 13:7 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 G.o.d from the womb to the day of his death.