Bible in 90 Days

¹³ And they answered him, saying, No, we will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hands; but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ And when he came unto Lehi, {Heb. jaw} the Philistines received him with shouts; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

¹⁵ And he found a new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand and took it and slew a thousand men with it.

¹⁶ Then Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, one heap, two heaps; with the jaw of an ass I have slain a thousand men.

¹⁷ And when he had finished speaking, he cast away the jawbone out of his hand and called that place Ramathlehi. {Heb. the lifting up of the jaw}

¹⁸ ¶ And he was sore athirst and called on the LORD and said, Thou hast given this great salvation by the hand of thy slave; and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

¹⁹ Then God broke a tooth that was in the jaw, and water came out there; and he drank, and recovered his spirit, and he lived. Therefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, {Heb. the fountain of he who called} which is in Lehi unto this day.

²⁰ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

16 ¶ Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and went in unto her.

² And it was told unto those of Gaza, Samson is come here. And they compassed him in and laid in wait for him all night in the gate of the city and were quiet all that night, saying, In the morning when it is light, we shall kill him.

³ And Samson slept until midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.

⁴ ¶ And it came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

⁵ And the cardinals of the Philistines came up unto her and said unto her, Entice him and see what gives him his great strength and by what means we may overcome him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and each one of us will give thee eleven hundred pieces of silver.

⁶ And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, what gives thee thy great strength and how might thou be bound to afflict thee.

⁷ And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green wicker strands that were never dried, then I shall become weak and be as any other man.

⁸ Then the cardinals of the Philistines brought up to her seven green wicker strands which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

⁹ Now there were men lying in wait in a chamber of her house. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he broke the wicker strands as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

¹⁰ Then Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me and told me lies; now tell me, I pray thee, how thou might be bound.

¹¹ And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then I shall become weak and be as any other man.

¹² Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound him with them and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And there were men lying in wait abiding in a chamber. But he broke them from off his arms like a thread.

¹³ And Delilah said unto Samson, Until now thou hast mocked me, and told me lies. Tell me, therefore, now, how thou might be bound. Then he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the cloth.

¹⁴ And she fastened it with the stake and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep and went away with the stake of the loom and with the cloth.

¹⁵ And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times and hast not yet told me what gives thee thy great strength.

¹⁶ And it came to pass that, pressing and grinding him daily with her words, his soul was reduced unto mortal anguish.

¹⁷ Therefore, he told her all his heart and said unto her, A razor has never come upon my head, for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.

¹⁸ ¶ And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the cardinals of the Philistines, saying, Come up this time, for he has showed me all his heart. Then the cardinals of the Philistines came up unto her and brought the money in their hand.

¹⁹ And she caused him to sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

²⁰ And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, This time I will go out like before and escape; not knowing that the LORD had departed from him.

²¹ But the Philistines took hold of him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of iron that he should grind in the prison house.

²² ¶ And the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

²³ Then the cardinals of the Philistines gathered themselves together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.

²⁴ And when the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the destroyer of our country, who slew many of us.

²⁵ And it came to pass when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson that he may make us laugh. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport, and they set him between the pillars.

²⁶ And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Bring me near and let me feel the pillars upon which the house stands that I may lean upon them.

²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women; and all the cardinals of the Philistines were there, and upon the roof there were about three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson was mocked.

²⁸ Then Samson called unto the LORD and said, O Lord GOD, remember me now and strengthen me now only this once, O God, that I may take vengeance at once of the Philistines for my two eyes.

²⁹ Then Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was borne up, and leaned upon them, on the one with his right hand and on the other with his left.

³⁰ And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he pushed with all his might, and the house fell upon the cardinals and upon all the people that were in it. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than those which he slew in his life.

³¹ Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the sepulchre of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

17 ¶ And there was a man of Mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

² And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were stolen from thee, about which thou didst curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

³ And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had completely dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for thee, my son, to make thee a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will restore it unto thee.

⁴ After the money was restored unto her, his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image, which was set up in the house of Micah.

⁵ And the man Micah had a brothel of idolatry, {Heb. house of gods} and made an ephod and teraphim {the vessels, clothing and instruments pertaining to idol worship} and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did that which was right in his own eyes.

⁷ ¶ And there was a young man out of Bethlehem of Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

⁸ And the man had departed out of the city from Bethlehem of Judah to sojourn where he could find a place, and he came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah as he journeyed.

⁹ And Micah said unto him, From where hast thou come? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem of Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

¹⁰ Then Micah said unto him, Dwell with me and be a father and a priest unto me, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year and the ordinary apparel and thy food. So the Levite went in.

¹¹ And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

¹² And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in the house of Micah.

¹³ Then Micah said, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.

18 ¶ In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Dan sought a possession for themselves to dwell in, for unto that day their lot had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance.

² And the sons of Dan sent five men from their family of their borders, men of valour, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it, and they said unto them, Go, search the land. These came unto Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, and they lodged there.

³ When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the accent of the voice of the young man the Levite, and they turned in there and said unto him, Who brought thee here? And what doest thou in this place? And what hast thou here?

⁴ And he said unto them, Thus and thus Micah has done with me and has hired me that I may be his priest.

⁵ And they said unto him, Ask counsel now, therefore, of God, that we may know whether he shall prosper our journey which we do.

⁶ And the priest replied unto them, Go in peace. Your journey which ye do is before the LORD.

⁷ ¶ Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw that the people that dwelt there were secure, idle, and confident after the manner of the Zidonians; and there was no one in that land that might hinder them in any way from possessing that land; furthermore they were far from the Zidonians and had no business with anyone.

⁸ And they returned unto their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

⁹ And they said, Arise, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good; and are ye to remain still? Do not be slothful to go and to enter to possess the land.

¹⁰ When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure and to a large land, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.

¹¹ And there went from there of the family of Dan, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

¹² And they went up and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim in Judah; therefore, they called that place the camp of Dan unto this day; it is behind Kirjathjearim.

¹³ And they passed from there unto Mount Ephraim and came unto the house of Micah.

¹⁴ ¶ Then the five men that had gone to spy out the land of Laish said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod and teraphim and a graven image and a molten image? Now, therefore, consider what ye have to do.

¹⁵ And they turned in there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and greeted him. {Heb. asked him of peace}

¹⁶ And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

¹⁷ And the five men that went to spy out the land went up and went in there and took the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten image while the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed with weapons of war.

¹⁸ So they entered into Micah’s house and took the graven image the ephod and the teraphim and the molten image. Then the priest said unto them, What are you doing?

¹⁹ And they said unto him, Silence, lay thy hand upon thy mouth and go with us to be our father and priest; is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family of Israel?

²⁰ And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod and the teraphim and the graven image and went in the midst of the people.

²¹ So they turned and departed and put the little ones and the cattle and the baggage before them.

²² And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together and overtook the sons of Dan.

²³ And they cried unto the sons of Dan. And these turned their faces and said unto Micah, What ails thee that thou dost come with such a company?

²⁴ And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made and the priest, and ye are gone away; and what is left to me? And why do ye say unto me, What ails thee?

²⁵ And the sons of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us lest peradventure angry fellows run upon thee and thou lose thy life with the lives of thy household.

²⁶ And the sons of Dan went their way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

²⁷ ¶ And they took the things which Micah had made together with the priest which he had and came unto Laish unto a people that were at quiet and secure, and they smote them with the edge of the sword and burnt the city with fire.

²⁸ And there was no deliverer because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with anyone; and it was in the valley that lies by Bethrehob. Then they rebuilt the city and dwelt therein.

²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel; however, the name of the city was Laish at the first.

³⁰ And the sons of Dan set up the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershon, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

³¹ And they set up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

19 ¶ In those days when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem of Judah.

² And his concubine committed adultery against him and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehem of Judah and was there four whole months.

³ And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father’s house. And when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;

⁴ and his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him, and he dwelt with him three days; eating and drinking, and abiding there.

⁵ And on the fourth day when they arose early in the morning, the Levite rose up to depart; and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterwards ye shall go.

⁶ And the two of them sat down together and ate and drank. And the damsel’s father said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and thy heart shall be merry.

⁷ And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him to remain and lodge there again.

⁸ And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, and the damsel’s father said, Strengthen now thy heart. And after having eaten together, they tarried until afternoon.

⁹ And when the man rose up to depart, he and his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draws toward evening, I pray you tarry all night; behold, the day comes to an end; lodge here that thy heart may be merry, and tomorrow ye shall get up early and be on your way that thou may come unto thy tent.

¹⁰ But the man would not remain there that night, but he rose up and departed and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with his two asses saddled and with his concubine.

¹¹ And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come now and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.

¹² And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside here into a city of strangers that is not of the sons of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.

¹³ And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places to pass the night, in Gibeah or in Ramah.

¹⁴ And they passed on and walked; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belonged to Benjamin.

¹⁵ And they turned in there, to enter and to lodge in Gibeah; and entering in, they sat down in the plaza of the city, for no one took them into their house to pass the night.

¹⁶ ¶ And, behold, an old man, who in the evening came from working in the field, who was also of Mount Ephraim, sojourned in Gibeah, but the men of the place were sons of Jemini. {Benjamin}

¹⁷ And the old man lifted up his eyes and saw the traveller in the plaza of the city and said unto him, Where dost thou go and where hast thou come from?

¹⁸ And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehem of Judah toward the side of Mount Ephraim, where I am from, and I went to Bethlehem of Judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD, and no one has received me in their house

¹⁹ even though we have straw and fodder for our asses, and there is bread and wine also for me and for thy handmaid and for the young man who is with thy slave; we have no lack of any thing.

²⁰ And the old man said, Peace be with thee; let all thy needs be upon me; only do not pass the night in the plaza.

²¹ So he brought him into his house and gave fodder unto the asses, and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

²² ¶ Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, that men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about and beat at the doors and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house that we may know him.

²³ And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them and said unto them, No, my brethren, I pray you, do not do this evil, seeing that this man has entered into my house; do not commit this folly.

²⁴ Behold, here is my virgin daughter and his concubine; I will bring them out now, humble them, and do with them what seems good unto you, but unto this man do not commit this vile folly.

²⁵ But the men would not hearken unto him, so the man took his concubine and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her and abused her all night until the morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

²⁶ Then the woman came, in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was until it was light.

²⁷ And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, and behold, the woman, his concubine, was fallen down at the door of the house with her hands upon the threshold.

²⁸ And he said unto her, Rise up, and let us be going. But she did not answer. Then the man rose up and took her upon his ass and went unto his place.

²⁹ And when he was come into his house, he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her, together with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent them into all the borders of Israel.

³⁰ And everyone that saw it said, No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day. Consider this, give advice, and speak.

20 ¶ Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba and the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

² And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, were present in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

³ (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then the sons of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

⁴ And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah of Benjamin with my concubine to pass the night there.

⁵ And the men of Gibeah rose up against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me, and they have forced my concubine in such a manner that she is dead.

⁶ Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the possession of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

⁷ Behold, all ye sons of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

⁸ Then all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house

⁹ until we do this upon Gibeah that we cast lots against it;

¹⁰ and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people that shall go against Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

¹¹ So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

¹² ¶ And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

¹³ Now therefore deliver us those men, the sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away the evil from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel;

¹⁴ but the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities in Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

¹⁵ And the sons of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty-six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

¹⁶ Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men with their right hands impeded (they were lefthanded); each one could sling stones at a hairs breadth, and not miss. {Heb. sin}

¹⁷ And the men of Israel, not counting Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war.

¹⁸ ¶ Then the sons of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the sons of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

¹⁹ And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in order to fight against them at Gibeah.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites that day.

²² And the people encouraged themselves, and the men of Israel set their battle again in order in the place where they put themselves in order the first day.

²³ (And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

²⁴ And the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

²⁵ And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day and again destroyed down to the ground eighteen thousand of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.

²⁶ ¶ Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came unto the house of God and wept and sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

²⁷ And the sons of Israel enquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

²⁸ and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand.

²⁹ And Israel set ambushes round about Gibeah.

³⁰ And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and put themselves in order against Gibeah as at the other times.

³¹ And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to smite of the people and kill as at the other times in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God and the other to Gibeah by the field, and they killed about thirty men of Israel.

³² And the sons of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them from the city unto the highways.

³³ Then all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in order at Baaltamar, and also those of the ambushes of Israel came forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Gibeah.

³⁴ And ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was sore; but they did not know that evil was near them.

³⁵ And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men; all these drew the sword.

³⁶ So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, for the men of Israel had given place to the Benjamites because they trusted those of the ambushes which they had set behind Gibeah.

³⁷ Then the men of the ambushes rushed upon Gibeah and spread out and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

³⁸ Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men of the ambushes that they should make a great signal by causing much smoke to rise up out of the city.

³⁹ Then when the men of Israel turned their backs in the battle and those of Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons, for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us as in the first battle.

⁴⁰ But when the signal began to arise up out of the city, a pillar of smoke, those of Benjamin looked behind them, and, behold, the whole consumption of the city ascended up to heaven.

⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned again, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that evil was come upon them.

⁴² Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

⁴³ Thus they inclosed those of Benjamin round about and chased them and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

⁴⁴ And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

⁴⁵ And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

⁴⁶ So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

⁴⁷ But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

⁴⁸ And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin and smote them with the edge of the sword, men and beasts in every city and all that was found; they also set on fire all the cities that they came to.

21 ¶ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give his daughter unto those of Benjamin to wife.

² And the people came to the house of God and abode there until the evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept sore

³ and said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?

⁴ And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

⁵ And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning the one that would not come up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

⁶ And the sons of Israel repented because of Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

⁷ What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?

⁸ And they said, Is there anyone of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And they found that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the camp nor to the assembly.

⁹ For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

¹⁰ Then the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword with the women and the children.

¹¹ And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male and every woman that has lain with a man.

¹² And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹³ Then the whole congregation sent some to speak to the sons of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon and to call peaceably unto them.

¹⁴ And those of Benjamin had returned at that time; and they gave them as wives those whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead, and even so they were not enough.

¹⁵ And the people repented over Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain? For the female sex had been destroyed out of Benjamin.

¹⁷ And they said, Let the inheritance of Benjamin be saved that a tribe not be destroyed out of Israel.

¹⁸ However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that gives a wife to anyone of Benjamin.

¹⁹ Then they said, Behold, there is a solemn feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is towards the Aquilon from Bethel and towards the rising of the sun from the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and towards the Negev from Lebonah.

²⁰ Therefore, they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards

²¹ and watch with care, and when you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each one of you shall rapture a wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

²² And when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto us for their sakes because in the war we did not take enough women for all of them; and you could not have given them to them, or ye should be guilty now.

²³ And the sons of Benjamin did so and took themselves wives, according to their number, rapturing them from among those that danced; and they went and returned unto their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

²⁴ Then the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, each one going from there to his inheritance.

²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did that which seemed right in his own eyes.

1 ¶ Now it came to pass in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

² And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah. And they came into the fields of Moab and continued there.

³ And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons,

⁴ who took wives for themselves of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years.

⁵ And Mahlon and Chilion both died also; and the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

⁶ ¶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, to return from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in the field of Moab how the LORD had visited his people to give them bread.

⁷ Therefore she went forth out of the place where she had been and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

⁸ And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to thy mother’s house; the LORD deal with you in mercy as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.

⁹ The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept.

¹⁰ And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

¹¹ And Naomi replied, Go back, my daughters; why must ye go with me? Do I have more sons in my womb that they may be your husbands?

¹² Turn, my daughters, and go back, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

¹³ should ye tarry for them until they are grown? Should ye stay without husbands because of them? No, my daughters, for I have greater bitterness than you because the hand of the LORD has come out against me.

¹⁴ And they lifted up their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth cleaved unto her.

¹⁵ And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law.

¹⁶ And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee or to return from following after thee, for wherever thou goest, I will go; and wherever thou shalt lodge, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.

¹⁷ Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried; let the LORD do so unto me and let him give unto me that only death shall part thee and me.

¹⁸ When she saw that she was courageous to go with her, then she left off speaking to her.

¹⁹ ¶ So the two walked until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, entering into Bethlehem, that all the city was moved because of them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

²⁰ And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

²¹ I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the fields of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

2 ¶ And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of strength, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

² And Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

³ And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and it came to pass that her lot was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

⁴ ¶ And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

⁵ Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

⁶ And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the damsel of Moab that came back with Naomi out of the fields of Moab;

⁷ and she has said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves; so she came and has continued from the morning until now except a short while that she was in the house.

⁸ Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hear, my daughter, do not glean in another field, nor leave here; thou shalt cleave to my maidens.

⁹ Look carefully upon the field that they reap and go after them, for I have charged the young men not to touch thee. And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

¹⁰ Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou should acknowledge me, seeing I am a stranger?

¹¹ And Boaz answered and said unto her, It has fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother and the land of thy nativity and art come three days ago unto a people whom thou didst not know before.

¹² Let the LORD recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to cover thyself.

¹³ Then she said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, for thou hast comforted me and hast spoken unto the heart of thy handmaid though I am not like unto one of thy handmaidens.

¹⁴ And Boaz said unto her at mealtime, Come here and eat of the bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he gave her of the pottage, and she ate and was satisfied, and some was left over.

¹⁵ And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her

¹⁶ and let fall also some of the handfuls on purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and do not reprehend her.

¹⁷ ¶ So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

¹⁸ And she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought forth that which had been left over after she had been satisfied and gave it to her.

¹⁹ And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today? Where hast thou worked? Blessed be he that acknowledged thee. And she declared unto her mother-in-law all that had happened to her with him and said, The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.

²⁰ And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Let him be blessed of the LORD, who has not left off his mercy unto the living nor unto the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, and one of whom one has the right to redeem us.

²¹ And Ruth, the Moabitess, said, He also said unto me, Thou shalt cleave to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.

²² And Naomi replied unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens that they not meet thee in any other field.

²³ So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law.

3 ¶ Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?

² And now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.

³ Therefore, thou shalt wash thyself and anoint thyself and put thy raiment upon thee and go down to the threshingfloor, but do not make thyself known unto the man until he shall have finished eating and drinking.

⁴ And it shall be when he lies down that thou shalt perceive the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lie down there, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.

⁵ And she said unto her, All that thou dost command me I will do.

⁶ ¶ And she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

⁷ And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

⁸ And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and took hold, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

⁹ Then he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thy handmaid; spread therefore the edge of thy mantle over thy handmaid; for thou art a redeemer.

¹⁰ And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter, for thou hast shown more mercy in the end than at the first, not going after the young men, whether poor or rich.

¹¹ And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do unto thee all that thou hast said, for all the city of my people know that thou art a valiant woman.

¹² And now it is true that I am thy redeemer; however, there is another redeemer nearer than I (in kinship).

¹³ Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem thee, but if he does not wish to redeem, then I will redeem thee, as the LORD lives; lie down until the morning.

¹⁴ ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that the woman has come to the threshing floor.

¹⁵ Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her, and she went into the city.

¹⁶ And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, What now, my daughter? And she told her all that had happened to her with the man.

¹⁷ And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, Do not go empty unto thy mother-in-law.

¹⁸ Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou shall know how the matter will fall, for that man will not rest until he has concluded the thing today.

4 ¶ And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and, behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke came by unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Come here and sit down. And he came and sat down.

² Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit down here. And they sat down.

³ And he said unto the redeemer, Naomi, that is come again out of the field of Moab, sold a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s,

⁴ and I decided to cause thee to know this and tell thee to take it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it, but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides thee, and I after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

⁵ Then Boaz replied, The day that thou dost receive the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also receive Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

⁶ And the redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I ruin my own inheritance; redeem thou; I cede my right to you, for I shall not be able to redeem it.

⁷ Now for a long time in Israel there had been this custom concerning redemption or contracts, that for the confirmation of all matters: one plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour, and this was a testimony in Israel.

⁸ Therefore, the former owner of the right of redemption said unto Boaz, Buy it thyself. So he drew off his shoe.

⁹ ¶ And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.

¹⁰ Moreover, I also take Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye shall be witnesses of this today.

¹¹ And all the people that were in the gate and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, who built the house of Israel; and be thou a man of valour in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem;

¹² let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

¹³ ¶ So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

¹⁴ And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, who has not left thee this day without a redeemer, whose name shall be famous in Israel.

¹⁵ And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy soul and a sustainer in thy old age, for thy daughter-in-law, whom thou doth love, who is better to thee than seven sons, has given birth.

¹⁶ And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom and was his nurse.

¹⁷ And the women, her neighbours, named him, saying, There is a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Obed. This is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,

¹⁹ and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,

²⁰ and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,

²¹ and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

²² and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

1 ¶ Now there was a certain man of Ramath of Zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

² And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of the hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

⁴ And when the day would come, Elkanah would sacrifice, and he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

⁵ But unto Hannah he would give a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, even though the LORD had shut up her womb.

⁶ And her rival provoked her to anger and sorrow because the LORD had shut up her womb.

⁷ And this would happen year by year when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she would provoke her; therefore, she would weep and not eat.

⁸ Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why dost thou weep? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee than ten sons?

⁹ ¶ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

¹⁰ And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the LORD and wept sore;

¹¹ and she vowed a vow and said, O LORD of the hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid and remember me and not forget thy handmaid but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

¹² And it came to pass as she continued praying before the LORD that Eli was observing her mouth.

¹³ Now Hannah spoke in her heart and only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she was drunk.

¹⁴ And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.

¹⁵ And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

¹⁶ Do not count thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have waited until now to speak.

¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

¹⁸ And she said, Let thy handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.

¹⁹ ¶ And they rose up in the morning early and worshipped before the LORD and returned and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.

²⁰ Therefore, it came to pass when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, she bore a son and called his name Samuel, {Heb. heard of God} saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

²¹ And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the LORD the accustomed sacrifice and his vow.

²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him that he may be presented before the LORD and abide there for ever.

²³ And Elkanah, her husband, said unto her, Do what seems good unto thee; tarry until thou hast weaned him; only let the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

²⁴ And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh; and the child was young.

²⁵ And they slew a bullock and brought the child to Eli.

²⁶ And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.

²⁷ For this child I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him.

²⁸ Therefore, I also have given him back to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall belong to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

2 ¶ And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I have rejoiced in thy saving health.

² There is none holy as the LORD, for there is none beside thee; neither is there any strong One like our God.

³ Do not multiply thyself speaking great and lofty things; let arrogant words cease from your mouth, for the LORD is the all-knowing God, and the magnificent works are his.

⁴ The bows of the mighty men have been broken, and the weak are girded with strength.

⁵ Those that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and those that were hungry ceased so that the barren has given birth to seven, and she that has many children is waxed feeble.

⁶ The LORD kills, and he gives life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

⁷ The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and lifts up.

⁸ He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he has set the world upon them.

⁹ He keeps the feet of his saints, and the wicked perish in darkness, for no man shall prevail by their own strength.

¹⁰ LORD, thine adversaries shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven he shall thunder upon them. The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn of his anointed. {Heb. Messiah}

¹¹ ¶ And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

¹² But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they did not know the LORD.

¹³ It was the priests’ custom with the people that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the flesh was being boiled, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

¹⁴ and he would strike it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and all that the fleshhook brought up, the priest took for himself. Thus would they do in Shiloh to all the Israelites that went there.

¹⁵ Likewise, before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not take cooked flesh of thee, but raw.

¹⁶ And if the man would say unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat today and then take as much as thy soul desires, then he would answer him, No, but thou shalt give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.

¹⁷ Therefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men despised the present of the LORD.

¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

¹⁹ Moreover his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer the accustomed sacrifice.

²⁰ And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

²¹ And the LORD visited Hannah so that she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

²² Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel and how they lay with the women that served at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.

²³ And he said unto them, Why do ye do such things? For I hear from all the people of your evil dealings.

²⁴ No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear that ye cause the people of the LORD to transgress.

²⁵ If one man sins against another, the judges shall judge him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they did not hearken unto the voice of their father because the LORD had already decided to kill them.

²⁶ And the child Samuel kept on growing and was in favour both with the LORD and also with men.

²⁷ ¶ And a man of God came unto Eli and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I not plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?

²⁸ And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me, and I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings on fire of the sons of Israel.

²⁹ Why do ye trample my sacrifices and my offerings which I have commanded to be offered in my tabernacle and honor thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?