Judges 1-4

New Life Version

Adoni-bezek Is Taken

1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked the Lord, “Who will be first to go up and fight against the Canaanites for us?” ² The Lord said, “Judah will go up. See, I have given the land into his hand.” ³ Then Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me into the land which is given to me. Let us fight against the Canaanites together. Then I will go with you into the land which is given to you.” So Simeon went with him. ⁴ Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. They killed 10,000 men at Bezek. ⁵ They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they won the war against the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-bezek tried to run away, but they went after him and caught him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. Now God has paid me for what I have done.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and there he died.

⁸ Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it. They destroyed it with the sword and set the city on fire. ⁹ After this the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev and in the plains. ¹⁰ Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron was Kiriath-arba before.) They won the war against Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

¹¹ From there Judah went against the people of Debir. (The name of Debir was Kiriath-sepher before.) ¹² Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who fights against Kiriath-sepher and takes it.” ¹³ Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took the city. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. ¹⁴ When she came to Othniel, she talked him into asking her father for a field. As she came down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” ¹⁵ She said to him, “Give me a special gift. You have given me the land of the Negev. Give me the wells of water also.” So Caleb gave her the wells in the high land and in the valley.

¹⁶ The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went with the people of Judah from Jericho to the desert of Judah south of Arad. They went and lived with the people. ¹⁷ Then Judah went with his brother Simeon. They killed the Canaanites living in Zephath and destroyed the whole city. The name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸ Judah took Gaza with its land, Ashkelon with its land, and Ekron with its land. ¹⁹ The Lord was with Judah. They took the hill country for their own. They could not drive out the people living in the valley, because they had iron war-wagons. ²⁰ They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak. ²¹ But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The men of the family of Joseph went up against Bethel. And the Lord was with them. ²³ Those of the family of Joseph spied out Bethel. (The name of the city was Luz before.) ²⁴ The men who were spying out Bethel saw a man coming out of the city. They said to him, “Show us the way into the city, and we will be kind to you.” ²⁵ So he showed them the way into the city. They destroyed the city with the sword. But they let the man and all his family go free. ²⁶ The man went into the land of the Hittites. He built a city there and gave it the name of Luz. That is its name to this day.

Some of the People Were Not Driven Out of the Land

²⁷ But the men of Manasseh did not take for their own Bethshean and its towns or Taanach and its towns. They did not drive out the people of Dor and its towns, or of Ibleam and its towns, or of Megiddo and its towns. So the Canaanites stayed in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites work for them. But they did not drive all of them out.

²⁹ Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. So the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

³⁰ Zebulun did not drive out the people of Kitron or the people of Nahalol. So the Canaanites lived among them and were made to work.

³¹ Asher did not drive out the people of Acco, or the people of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. ³² So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. For they did not drive them out.

³³ Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or the people of Beth-anath. But they lived among the Canaanites, the people of the land. The people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were made to work for them.

³⁴ The Amorites drove the people of Dan into the hill country. They did not let them come down to the valley. ³⁵ The Amorites would not leave Mount Heres, Aijalon or Shaalbim. But when the family of Joseph became strong, they made the Amorites work for them. ³⁶ The land of the Amorites was from the hill-side of Akrabbim, up from Sela.

The Angel of the Lord Speaks to Israel

2 The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I promised your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break My agreement with you. ² Do not make any agreement with the people of this land. Tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done? ³ So now I say, ‘I will not drive them away from you. They will be like thorns in your sides. Their gods will be a trap to you.’” ⁴ When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people cried in a loud voice. ⁵ So they called that place Bochim. And there they gave gifts in worship to the Lord.

The Death of Joshua

⁶ When Joshua sent the people of Israel away, each one went home to his own land. ⁷ The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the leaders who lived longer than Joshua and who had seen all the great works the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was 110 years old. ⁹ They buried him within his land in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ All the people of that day died. The children who came after them did not know the Lord. They did not know about the things He had done for Israel.

Israel Is No Longer Faithful to the Lord

¹¹ Then the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, the gods of the Canaanites. ¹² They turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods of the nations around them, and worshiped them. So they made the Lord angry. ¹³ They turned away from the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ The Lord was angry with Israel. He gave them into the hands of angry men who robbed them. He sold them into the hands of those around them who hated them. The people of Israel could no longer stand in front of those who hated them. ¹⁵ The Lord punished them everywhere they went. The Lord did what He had told them and promised them He would do. The people were very troubled.

¹⁶ Then the Lord gave them special men to judge between what was right or wrong. These men saved them from those who robbed them. ¹⁷ But the people did not listen to those chosen to judge. The people were not faithful to the Lord and they worshiped other gods. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had walked in obeying the Laws of the Lord. They did not do as their fathers had done. ¹⁸ When the Lord gave them special men to judge them, the Lord was with the judge. And He saved them from those who hated them. For the Lord showed them pity because of their pain when others made it hard for them and hurt them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they would turn again and act worse than their fathers. They would follow other gods and serve them and worship them. They would not give up their sinful acts or their strong wills. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He said, “This nation has sinned against My agreement I made with their fathers. They have not listened to My voice. ²¹ I will stop driving away from them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test Israel. I will see if Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it like their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord let those nations stay. He was not quick to drive them out. And He did not give them into the power of Joshua.

The Nations That Are Still in the Land

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test Israel. They were left to test all those who had not fought in any of the wars in Canaan. ² So the children of the people of Israel who had not fought in wars might be taught about war. ³ These nations are: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were left to test Israel, to find out if Israel would obey the Laws the Lord gave their fathers through Moses. ⁵ The people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. ⁶ They married their daughters. They gave their own daughters to their sons, and they worshiped their gods. ⁷ The people of Israel did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. ⁸ So the anger of the Lord was against Israel. He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. The people of Israel worked for Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ But the people of Israel cried to the Lord. And the Lord gave the people of Israel someone who would save them. He gave them Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he led Israel. When he went out to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. He was stronger than Cushan-rishathaim. ¹¹ The land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

¹² The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. So the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab strength against Israel, because they had sinned in the eyes of the Lord. ¹³ Eglon gathered together with the people of Ammon and Amalek. They went and won the war against Israel. And they took the city of Jericho. ¹⁴ The people of Israel worked for Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the people of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord gave them someone to save them. He gave them Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent taxes by him to Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud made a sword for himself with two sharp sides, almost as long as an arm. He tied it to the top part of his right leg, under his coat. ¹⁷ Then he brought the taxes to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud had finished paying the taxes, he sent away the people who had carried the taxes. ¹⁹ But he himself turned around at the stone gods of Gilgal and returned to Eglon, saying, “I have secret news for you, O king.” Eglon said, “Keep quiet.” And all who stood by him went away from him. ²⁰ Ehud came to him while Eglon was sitting alone in his summer room. And Ehud said, “I have news from God for you.” The king got up from his seat. ²¹ Ehud put out his left hand, took the sword from his right leg, and pushed it into Eglon’s stomach. ²² The whole sword went into his stomach and the fat closed over it. For he did not pull the sword out of his stomach. The insides of Eglon’s stomach ran out. ²³ Then Ehud went out the back way. He closed the doors of the summer room behind him, and locked them.

²⁴ When Ehud had gone out, Eglon’s servants came. They saw that the doors of the summer room were locked. So they said, “He is only resting in there away from the heat.” ²⁵ They waited until they were afraid because Eglon did not open the doors of the summer room. So they opened the lock and looked in the doors. And they found their owner lying dead on the floor.

²⁶ Ehud got away while they were waiting. He passed the stone gods and got away to Seirah. ²⁷ When he got there, he blew the horn in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country. Ehud went in front of them. ²⁸ He said to them, “Go after them. For the Lord has given into your hands the Moabites who hate you.” So they went down after him. They took over the crossing places of the Jordan beside Moab. And they did not let anyone cross. ²⁹ At that time they killed about 10,000 Moabites, all strong men with strength of heart. No one got away. ³⁰ So Moab was crushed under the power of Israel that day. And the land had rest for eighty years.

³¹ After Ehud, Shamgar the son of Anath became the leader. He killed 600 Philistines with a stick used to push cattle, and he also saved Israel.

Deborah and Barak

4 After Ehud died, the people of Israel sinned in the eyes of the Lord again. ² So the Lord let them be taken by Jabin king of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The head of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. ³ The people of Israel cried to the Lord, for Jabin had 900 iron war-wagons. He made it very hard for the people of Israel for twenty years.

⁴ Now Lappidoth’s wife Deborah, a woman who spoke for God, was judging Israel at that time. ⁵ She would sit under the tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. And the people of Israel came to her to find out what was right or wrong. ⁶ She sent for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedeshnaphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go to Mount Tabor. Take with you 10,000 men from the sons of Naphtali and Zebulun. ⁷ I will have Sisera, the head of Jabin’s army, meet you at the river Kishon. He will have his war-wagons and his many soldiers with him. But I will give him into your hand.’” ⁸ Then Barak said to her, “I will go if you go with me. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹ And she said, “For sure I will go with you. But the honor will not be yours as you go on your way. For the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to come to Kedesh. He went up with 10,000 men. And Deborah went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had gone away from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses. He had put up his tent as far away as the big tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh.

¹² They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³ Sisera gathered together all his 900 iron war-wagons. He gathered together all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. ¹⁴ Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! For this is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. See, the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and 10,000 men followed him. ¹⁵ The Lord brought trouble upon Sisera and all his war-wagons and all his army in front of Barak with the sword. Sisera got down from his war-wagon and ran away on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak went after the war-wagons and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim. All of Sisera’s army fell by the sword. Not one was left.

¹⁷ Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. For there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ Jael went out to meet Sisera, saying, “Come in, my lord. Come in to me. Do not be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she put a cover over him. ¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink. For I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin bag of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him. ²⁰ He said to her, “Stand in the door of the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there anyone here?’ you say, ‘No.’” ²¹ But Heber’s wife Jael took a big tent nail in her hand and a tool to hit it with. Because Sisera was very tired, he went into a deep sleep. She went to him in secret and hit the big nail into the side of his head. It went through and into the ground. So he died. ²² As Barak came after Sisera, Jael came out to meet him. She said to him, “Come. I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak went in with her, and he saw Sisera lying dead with the big tent nail in his head.

²³ God put Jabin the king of Canaan under the power of the people of Israel on that day. ²⁴ The people of Israel made it harder and harder for Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed him.