Bible in 90 Days

¹³ They said to him, “No, we will only bind you and give you into their hand; we will certainly not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes, and they brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ As he came up to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him; and the Spirit of Yahweh rushed on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that has burned with fire, and his bindings melted from his hands. ¹⁵ And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey; he reached down and took it and killed one thousand men with it. ¹⁶ And Samson said,

¹⁷ And it happened, when he finished speaking he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he called that place Ramath Lehi.^[a]

¹⁸ And he was very thirsty, and he called to Yahweh and said, “You gave this great victory into the hand of your servant, but now I must die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” ¹⁹ So God split the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it; and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he was revived. Thus he called its name The Spring of Ha-Qore,^[b] which is at Lehi to this day. ²⁰ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Samson and Delilah

16 Samson went down to Gaza; there he saw a prostitute and had sex with her.^{[c] 2} The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here,” so they surrounded the place and lay in ambush for him all night at the city gate. They kept silent all night, saying, “We will wait until the morning light, and then we will kill him.” ³ But Samson lay until the middle of the night; he got up in the middle of the night and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two door posts, tore them loose with the bar, put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill that is in front of^[d] Hebron.

⁴ After this he fell in love with a woman in the wadi^[e] of Sorek, and her name was Delilah. ⁵ And the rulers of the Philistines came up to her and said, “Entice him and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we can overpower him, so that we may bind him up in order to subdue him; each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver. ⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes your strength so great, and with what can you be tied up to subdue you?” ⁷ Samson said to her, “If you tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that are not dried up, I will become weak like everyone else.” ⁸ So the rulers of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that were not dried up, and she tied him up with them. ⁹ The ambush was sitting in wait for her in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you Samson!” And he snapped the bowstrings just as flax fiber snaps when it comes close to fire. And the secret of his strength remained unknown. ¹⁰ Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you can be bound.” ¹¹ He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with new ropes that have not been used, I will become weak and be like everyone else.” ¹² So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” (The ambush was sitting in an inner room.) But he snapped them from his arms like thread.

¹³ And Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told lies to me. Tell me how you can be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave seven locks of my head with warp-threads.”^{[f] 14} She fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And Samson woke up from his sleep and tore loose the loom pin of the web and the warp-threads.^[g]

¹⁵ And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me how your strength is so great.” ¹⁶ And because she nagged him day after day with her words, and pestered him, his soul grew impatient to the point of death.^{[h] 17} So he confided everything to her,^[i] and he said to her, “A razor has never touched^[j] my head, for I am a Nazirite of God^[k] from birth.^[l] If I am shaved my strength will leave me, and I will become weak, like everyone else.

¹⁸ Delilah realized that he had confided in her,^[m] so she sent and called the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up one more time, for he has confided in me.”^[n] And the rulers of the Philistines came up, and they brought the money with them.^{[o] 19} And she put him to sleep on her lap; then she called the men^[p] and shaved off seven locks of his head. Then she began to subdue him,^[q] and his strength went away from him. ²⁰ And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he woke up from his sleep and said, “I will go out just like every other time and shake myself free,” but he did not know that Yahweh had left him. ²¹ And the Philistines seized him, gouged his eyes, and brought him to Gaza. They tied him up with bronze shackles, and he became a grinder in the prison.^{[r] 22} But the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved off.

²³ The rulers of the Philistines had gathered to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice. And they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” ²⁴ And the people saw him, and they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has given into our hand those who hate us, devastate our land, and have killed many of us.”^{[s] 25} After awhile, when their hearts^[t] were merry, they said, “Call Samson and let him entertain us.” And they called Samson from the prison,^[u] and he entertained them.^[v] And they made him stand between the pillars. ²⁶ Then Samson said to the servant who was holding him by his hand, “Position me so that I can touch the pillars on which the house^[w] rests, so I can lean on them.” ²⁷ And the house^[x] was full of men and women, and all of the rulers of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching the performance of Samson.

Samson’s Revenge

²⁸ And Samson called to Yahweh and said, “My Lord Yahweh, remember me! Please give me strength this one time, O God, so that I can repay with one act of revenge to the Philistines for my eyes.” ²⁹ And Samson reached out and held two of the middle pillars on which the house^[y] was resting, and he leaned on them, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁰ And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And he pushed^[z] with all his strength, and the house^[aa] fell on the rulers and all of the people who were with him. And the dead whom he killed in his death were more than those he killed in his life.

³¹ His brothers and his whole family^[ab] came down and picked him up; and they brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father; he judged Israel twenty years.

Micah’s Idolatry

17 There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim; his name was Micah. ² And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, and about which you also pronounced a curse in my hearing,^[ac] are with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by Yahweh.” ³ He returned the eleven hundred pieces^[ad] of silver to his mother, and his mother thought, “I will certainly consecrate to Yahweh the pieces^[ae] of silver from my hand for my son to make an idol of cast metal; now then, I will return them^[af] to you.” ⁴ When he returned the pieces^[ag] of silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces^[ah] of silver, and she gave it to the smith, and he made it into an idol of cast metal; and it was in the house of Micah. ⁵ The man Micah had for himself a shrine,^[ai] and he made an ephod and teraphim, and he appointed one of his sons^[aj] who became a priest for him. ⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel, and each one did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷ There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah; he was a Levite and was dwelling as a foreigner^[ak] there. ⁸ And the man went from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to live as a foreigner^[al] wherever he could find a place. And he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to continue his journey. ⁹ And Micah said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah; I am going to dwell as a foreigner^[am] wherever I can find a place.” ¹⁰ And Micah said to him, “Stay with me and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give to you ten pieces^[an] of silver a year, a set of clothes, and your food.” So the Levite went with him. ¹¹ The Levite agreed to stay with the man; and the young man became as one of his sons. ¹² So Micah appointed the Levite,^[ao] and the young man became a priest for him; and he was in the house of Micah. ¹³ And Micah said, “Now I know Yahweh will make me prosperous, because the Levite has become my priest.”

The Tribe of Dan Seeks Territory

18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking territory for itself to live in, because until that day it had not been allotted territory among the tribes of Israel. ² The descendants^[ap] of Dan sent from the whole number of their clan five capable men^[aq] from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” And they went to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they spent the night there.^{[ar] 3} While they were with the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite, and they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place, and what is your business here?”^{[as] 4} And he said to them, “Micah did such and such for me and hired me, and I became his priest.” ⁵ And they said to him, “Please inquire of God that we may know whether our journey that we are going on will be successful.” ⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. Yahweh is in front of you on the journey you want to go on.”

⁷ And the five men went and came to Laish, and they observed the people who were living according to the customs of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, and lacking nothing in the land, and possessing restraint.^[at] And they were far from the Sidonians and had no word with anyone. ⁸ They came to their relatives^[au] at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their relatives^[av] said to them, “What do you report?” ⁹ And they said to them, “Come, let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, to enter, to possess the land. ¹⁰ When you go you will come to an unsuspecting people, and the land is spread out on all sides;^[aw] God has given a place into your hands where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

¹¹ Six hundred men from the clan of the Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war, set out from there. ¹² They went up and encamped at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they called this place Camp of Dan^[ax] to this day; it is west of Kiriath Jearim. ¹³ From there they crossed over to the hill country of Ephraim, and they came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴ And the five men that went out to spy out the land (that is, Laish) responded and said to their relatives,^[ay] “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? So then, consider what you must do.” ¹⁵ So they turned to that direction, and they came to the house of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and they greeted him.^{[az] 16} And six hundred men from the descendants^[ba] of Dan, armed with their weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and they entered there and took the carved divine image, ephod, teraphim, and the molten image. The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with the weapons of war. ¹⁸ When these went to Micah’s house, they took the divine carved image, ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, and the priest asked them, “What are you doing?” ¹⁹ And they said to him, “Keep quiet! Put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be for us a father and a priest. Is it better being a priest for a house of one man or being a priest for a tribe and clan in Israel?” ²⁰ The priest accepted the offer,^[bb] and he took the ephod, teraphim, and molten image and went along with the people.

²¹ And they turned^[bc] and went and put the little children, the livestock, and the valuable property in front of them. ²² When they were at a distance from the house, Micah and the men who were in the houses that were near the house of Micah cried out, and they overtook the descendants^[bd] of Dan. ²³ And they called to the descendants^[be] of Dan, who turned around to face them, and they said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you assembled together?” ²⁴ He said, “You took away my gods that I had made, and the priest, and then you go away. What is now left for me? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter?’” ²⁵ And the descendants^[bf] of Dan said to him, “You should not let your voice be heard among us, so that ill-tempered men^[bg] will not attack you,^[bh] and take your life^[bi] and the lives of your household.” ²⁶ And the descendants^[bj] of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were stronger than him, he turned to return to his house.

²⁷ And they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and they came to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they put them to the sword^[bk] and burned the city with fire. ²⁸ There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had had no dealings with anyone.^[bl] It was in the valley that belonged to Beth-rehob, and they rebuilt^[bm] the city and lived in it. ²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after Dan their ancestor,^[bn] who was born to Israel; but the former name of the city was Laish. ³⁰ And the descendants^[bo] of Dan set up for themselves the carved divine image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh,^[bp] he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the time of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up for themselves the carved divine image that Micah had made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.

The Concubine and the Levite

19 In those days there was no king in Israel; there was a man, a Levite, who dwelled as a foreigner^[bq] in the remote areas of the hill country of Ephraim. And he took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. ² But his concubine felt repugnance toward him,^[br] and she left him and went to her father’s house, to Bethlehem in Judah; she was there some four months. ³ So her husband set out, and he went after her to speak tenderly to her,^[bs] to bring her back. He took with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him to her father’s house, and the father of the young woman saw him and was glad to meet him. ⁴ His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, urged him to stay with him three days; and they ate and drank, and they spent the night there. ⁵ On the fourth day, they rose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself^[bt] with a bit of food, and afterward you may go.” ⁶ So the two of them sat and ate and drank together, and the father of the young woman said to the man, “Please, agree to spend the night and enjoy yourself.”^{[bu] 7} The man got up to go, but his father-in-law urged him, and he returned and spent the night there. ⁸ On the fifth day he rose early in the morning to go, and the father of the young woman said, “Please, enjoy yourself,”^[bv] and they lingered until the day declined, and the two of them ate. ⁹ And the man got up to go—he, his concubine, and his servant—but his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, said to him, “Please, the day has worn on to evening; please, spend the night, the day has drawn to a close. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself.^[bw] You can rise early tomorrow for your journey and go to your home.”^[bx]

¹⁰ But the man was not willing to spend the night, and he got up and went; and he arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. ¹¹ They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent,^[by] and the servant said to his master, “Please, come, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites,^[bz] and let us spend the night in it.” ¹² But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners,^[ca] who are not from the Israelites;^[cb] we will cross over up to Gibeah.” ¹³ And he said to his servant, “Come, let us approach one of these places; we will spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.” ¹⁴ So they crossed over and went their way, and the sun went down on them beside Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵ And they turned aside there to enter and to spend the night at Gibeah. And they went and sat in the open square of the city, but no one took them in to spend the night.^[cc]

¹⁶ Then behold, an old man was coming from his work from the field in the evening, and the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was dwelling as a foreigner^[cd] in Gibeah. (The people of the place were descendants^[ce] of Benjamin.) ¹⁷ And the old man raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city, and he said, “Where are you going, and from where do you come?” ¹⁸ And he said to him, “We are crossing over from Bethlehem in Judah up to the remote areas of the hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but now I am going to Yahweh’s house,^[cf] but no one took me in to spend the night.^{[cg] 19} There is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, for your servant,^[ch] and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.” ²⁰ And the old man said, “Peace to you. I will take care of your needs; however, you must not spend the night in the open square.” ²¹ So he brought him to his house, and he fed the donkeys; they washed their feet, ate, and drank.

²² While they were enjoying themselves,^[ci] behold, the men of the city, the perverse lot,^[cj] surrounded the house, pounding on the door. And they said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we may have sex with him.”^{[ck] 23} So the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this disgraceful thing. ²⁴ Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please, let me bring them out; do violence to them,^[cl] and do to them whatever you please.^[cm] Do not do this disgraceful thing to this man.” ²⁵ But the men were not willing to listen to him, and the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them; and they had intercourse with her, and they abused her all night until the morning; they let her go at the approach of dawn. ²⁶ And the woman came as the morning appeared, and she fell at the entrance of the man’s house where her master was, until daylight.^[cn]

²⁷ In the morning her master got up, and he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his journey, and behold, his concubine was falling^[co] at the entrance of the house, with her hand on the threshold. ²⁸ And he said to her, “Get up, let us go,” but there was no answer. So he put her on the donkey, and the man got up and went to his place. ²⁹ When he entered his house he took a knife, and he grasped his concubine and cut her into twelve pieces; and he sent her throughout the whole territory of Israel. ³⁰ All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever been since the Israelites^[cp] went up from the land of Egypt until this day. Take note of it, consider it, and speak up.”

The Punishment of Benjamin

20 All the Israelites^[cq] went out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and they gathered as one body^[cr] to Yahweh at Mizpah. ² And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand sword-bearing infantry. ³ (The descendants^[cs] of Benjamin heard that the Israelites^[ct] had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites^[cu] said, “Tell us, how did this evil act occur?” ⁴ The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. ⁵ The lords of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine, and she died. ⁶ Then I grabbed my concubine and cut her into pieces, and I sent her throughout all the territory of Israel’s inheritance; for they committed a shameful and disgraceful thing in Israel. ⁷ Look, all you Israelites!^[cv] Make your decision^[cw] and advice here.”

⁸ All the people got up as one body,^[cx] saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, or will any of us return to his house. ⁹ So then, this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against her by lot. ¹⁰ We will take ten men of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions to the troops, to repay them when they come to Gibeah^[cy] of Benjamin for all the disgraceful things^[cz] they did in Israel.” ¹¹ And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one body^[da] united.

¹² Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that happened among you? ¹³ So then, hand over the men, the perverse lot,^[db] who are in Gibeah, so that we may kill them and purge this wickedness from Israel.” But the descendants^[dc] of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their relatives,^[dd] the Israelites.^{[de] 14} And the descendants^[df] of Benjamin were gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out for battle against the Israelites.^{[dg] 15} From the cities the descendants^[dh] of Benjamin were counted on that day twenty-six thousand sword-wielding men,^[di] besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred well-trained^[dj] men. ¹⁶ From all these troops were seven hundred well-trained^[dk] men who were left-handed;^[dl] each one could sling with a stone at a hair and not miss. ¹⁷ And the men of Israel besides Benjamin were counted four hundred thousand sword-wielding men;^[dm] all were warriors.^[dn]

¹⁸ Then the Israelites^[do] got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, “Who will go up first for the battle against the descendants^[dp] of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said, “Judah will go first.” ¹⁹ And the Israelites^[dq] got up in the morning, and they encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰ Then the men of Israel marched out for the battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel took up positions against them for battle at Gibeah. ²¹ The descendants^[dr] of Benjamin went out from Gibeah, and they struck down on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground. ²² But the troops, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves,^[ds] and again they arranged their battle lines in the place where they had arranged themselves the first day. ²³ The Israelites^[dt] went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendants^[du] of Benjamin, our relatives?”^[dv] And Yahweh said, “Go up against them.”^[dw]

²⁴ And the Israelites^[dx] drew near to the descendants^[dy] of Benjamin on the second day. ²⁵ And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the Israelites^[dz] again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these were sword-wielding.^{[ea] 26} And all the Israelites^[eb] and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. ²⁷ And the Israelites^[ec] inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it^[ed] to minister in those days), saying, “Should we go out once more to battle against the descendants^[ee] of Benjamin our relatives,^[ef] or should we stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up tomorrow; I will give them^[eg] into your hand.”

²⁹ So Israel stationed an ambush all around Gibeah. ³⁰ And the Israelites^[eh] went up against the descendants^[ei] of Benjamin on the third day, and they took up positions against Gibeah as before. ³¹ The descendants^[ej] of Benjamin went out to meet the troops, and they lured them away from the city and began to inflict casualties on the troops as before, on the main road, one of which goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah; and in the field there were about thirty men of Israel. ³² And the descendants^[ek] of Benjamin thought,^[el] “They are being defeated before us as previously,”^[em] and the Israelites^[en] said, “Let us flee and lure them^[eo] away from the city to the main roads.” ³³ And all the men of Israel got up from their places^[ep] and took up positions in Baal Tamar; and the ambush of Israel charged from their places,^[eq] from the vicinity of Gibeah.^{[er] 34} Then ten thousand well-trained^[es] men from all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the battle became fierce;^[et] they did not know that disaster was about to close in^[eu] on them. ³⁵ And Yahweh defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and the Israelites^[ev] destroyed on that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them sword-wielding.^[ew]

³⁶ The descendants^[ex] of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, and the men of Israel gave ground^[ey] to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷ And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it put the whole city to the sword.^{[ez] 38} Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city. ³⁹ And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought,^[fa] “They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle.” ⁴⁰ And the cloud of smoke began to go up from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned backward, and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke!^{[fb] 41} And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed because they saw that disaster was closing in^[fc] on them. ⁴² And they retreated from before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle caught up to them, and those who came from the cities^[fd] destroyed them in the midst of them. ⁴³ They surrounded Benjamin; they pursued them^[fe] without rest^[ff] and trod them^[fg] down opposite Gibeah to the east. ⁴⁴ And eighteen thousand men from Benjamin fell, all of them able men.^{[fh] 45} And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, but they cut down on the main roads five thousand men; and they pursued after them up to Gidom, and they struck down two thousand men. ⁴⁶ So all of Benjamin who fell on that day were twenty-five thousand sword-wielding men;^[fi] all of these were able men.^{[fj] 47} But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel returned to the descendants^[fk] of Benjamin, and they put them to the edge of the sword,^[fl] both the inhabitants of city and the animals that were found; they also set on fire all the cities that they found.

A Decision Is Made About the Tribe of Benjamin

21 The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” ² And the people of Bethel came and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted their voices and wept bitterly.^{[fm] 3} And they said, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has it happened today in Israel that one tribe is lacking from Israel?” ⁴ On the next day the people rose early, and they built there an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. ⁵ And the Israelites^[fn] said, “Who in the assembly has not come up from all the tribes of Israel to Yahweh?” For a solemn oath was taken concerning whoever did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah, saying, “He will certainly be put to death.” ⁶ But the Israelites^[fo] had compassion for Benjamin, their relatives,^[fp] and they said, “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel. ⁷ What will we do for them—for the ones being left over—for wives? For we have sworn by Yahweh not to give to them our daughters as wives.”

⁸ They asked, “Which one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” And behold, no one came from Jabesh-gilead to the camp, to the assembly. ⁹ The people were counted, and no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. ¹⁰ And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men from the troops, and they commanded them, saying, “Go, strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword,^[fq] and the women and children. ¹¹ This is the thing you will do: you will destroy^[fr] every man and every woman who had sex with a man.”^{[fs] 12} And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins^[ft] who had not had sex with a man,^[fu] and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹³ Then the congregation sent and spoke all this to the descendants^[fv] of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they assured them they would not be hurt.^{[fw] 14} And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave to them the women whom they kept alive from Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.

¹⁵ And the people felt sorry for Benjamin because Yahweh weakened the tribes of Israel.^{[fx] 16} So the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do for the remaining ones for wives, since the women from Benjamin have been destroyed?” ¹⁷ And they said, “There must be a remnant for Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. ¹⁸ But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” (For the Israelites^[fy] swore, saying, “Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.”) ¹⁹ And they said, “Look, the annual feast of Yahweh is in Shiloh, which is to the north of Bethel, east^[fz] of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah. ²⁰ They instructed the descendants^[ga] of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in ambush in the vineyards, ²¹ and watch and look; when the daughters of Shiloh dance in the dances, come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. ²² And if their fathers or their brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Allow us to have them, because we did not capture a wife for each man in the battle, and because you did not give them to them, or else^[gb] you would have been guilty.’” ²³ The descendants^[gc] of Benjamin did likewise, and they took wives for each of them from the dancers whom they seized, and they went and returned to their territory, and they rebuilt the cities and they lived in them. ²⁴ So the Israelites^[gd] dispersed from there at that time according to tribe and family; and they went out from there, each one to their own territory. ²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did what was right in his own eyes.

Elimelech Takes His Family to Live in Moab

1 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled,^[ge] there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem of Judah went to reside^[gf] in the countryside 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 was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephraimites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the countryside of Moab and remained there.

³ But Elimelech the husband of Naomi died and she was left behind with her two sons.^{[gg] 4} And they took^[gh] for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. ⁵ But both^[gi] Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

⁶ And she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the countryside of Moab, because she had heard in the countryside of Moab that Yahweh had come to the aid of^[gj] his people to give food to them. ⁷ So she set out from the place where she was^[gk] and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

⁸ But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, each of you return to her mother’s house. May Yahweh show kindness to you^[gl] just as you did with the dead and with me. ⁹ May Yahweh grant that you^[gm] find a resting place, each in the house of her husband.” And she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and cried.

¹⁰ And they said to her, “No, we want to return with you to your people.” ¹¹ And Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why do you still want to go with me?^[gn] Are there sons in my womb^[go] that may be husbands for you? ¹² Turn back, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband.^[gp] If I should think there is hope for me, even if I should have a husband this night, and even if I should bear sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?^[gq] No, my daughters, for it is far more bitter to me than to you. For the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.” ¹⁴ And they lifted up their voices and cried again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law too.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said, “Do not urge^[gr] me to leave you or to return from following you!^[gs] For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. So may Yahweh do to me, and even more, unless^[gt] death separates you and me!”^{[gu] 18} When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.^[gv]

¹⁹ So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came^[gw] to Bethlehem, all of the town was stirred because of them. And they said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ And she said to them, “You should not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for Shaddai^[gx] has caused me to be very bitter.^{[gy] 21} I went away full, but Yahweh brought me back empty-handed! Why call me Naomi when Yahweh has testified against me^[gz] and Shaddai^[ha] has brought calamity upon me?” ²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, returning from the countryside of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest of barley.

Ruth Meets Boaz

2 Now^[hb] Naomi had a relative of her husband,^[hc] a prominent rich man^[hd] from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. ² And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after someone in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³ So she went and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. And she happened by chance upon the tract of field belonging to^[he] Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. ⁴ And look, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” And they said to him, “May Yahweh bless you.” ⁵ And Boaz said to his servant in charge of the reapers,^[hf] “To whom does this young woman belong?” ⁶ And the servant in charge of the reapers^[hg] said, “She is a Moabite girl returning with Naomi from the countryside of Moab. ⁷ And she said, ‘Please let me glean and let me gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came and remained from the morning up to now. She is sitting for a little while in the house.”^[hh]

⁸ And Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully,^[hi] my daughter, go no longer to glean in another field. Moreover, do not leave from this one, but stay close^[hj] with my young women. ⁹ Keep your eyes on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not ordered the servants not to bother you? And if you get thirsty, you shall go to the containers and drink from where the servants have drawn.” ¹⁰ And she fell on her face and bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes by recognizing me—for I am a foreigner?” ¹¹ And Boaz answered and said to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband was fully told to me. How you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know before.^{[hk] 12} May Yahweh reward your work and may a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you came to take refuge.” ¹³ And she said, “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your servant,^[hl] and I am not one of your servants.”

¹⁴ And Boaz said to her at mealtime,^[hm] “Come here and eat from the bread and dip your morsel in the wine vinegar.” So she sat beside the gleaners, and he offered to her roasted grain. And she ate and was satisfied, and she had some left over. ¹⁵ And she got up to glean, and Boaz instructed his servants saying, “Let her also glean between the sheaves and do not reproach her. ¹⁶ And also pull out for her from your bundles and leave it so that she may glean—and do not rebuke her.”

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until the evening and she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ And she picked it up and went to the town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. And she took it out and gave to her what she had left over after being satisfied.^{[hn] 19} And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today^[ho] and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked^[hp] and said, “The name of the man who I worked with today is Boaz.” ²⁰ And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, whose loyal love has not forsaken the living or the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative for us, he is one of our redeemers.” ²¹ And Ruth the Moabite said, “Also, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close with the servants which are mine until they have finished all of the harvest which is mine.’” ²² And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidservants so that you will not be bothered^[hq] in another field.” ²³ So she stayed close with the maidservants of Boaz to glean until the end of the barley harvest and wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth Meets Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3 Now Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek for you security that things may be good for you? ² So then, is not Boaz our kinsman whose maidservants you were with? Look, he is winnowing the barley at the threshing floor tonight. ³ Wash, anoint yourself, put your clothing on, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking. ⁴ And when he lies, take notice of the place where he lies. And you shall go and uncover^[hr] his feet and lie down, and he shall tell you what to do.” ⁵ And she said to her, “I will do all that you say.”

⁶ And she went down to the threshing floor and did all that her mother-in-law had instructed her. ⁷ And Boaz ate and drank until his heart was merry^[hs] and then he came to lie at the end of the grain heap. And she came in quietly and uncovered^[ht] his feet and lay down. ⁸ And it happened in the middle of the night the man was startled and he reached out and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. ⁹ And he said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your garment^[hu] over your servant because you are a redeemer.” ¹⁰ And he said, “You are blessed by Yahweh my daughter. You did better in this last kindness than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ And so then my daughter, do not be afraid. All that you ask I will do for you, for the entire assembly of my people knows that you are a worthy woman. ¹² Now truly I am a redeemer, but there is also a redeemer of a closer relationship than me. ¹³ Stay tonight,^[hv] and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good; but if he is not willing to redeem, then as Yahweh lives,^[hw] I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning and got up before anyone could recognize each other.^[hx] And he said, “It must not be known that you^[hy] came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵ And he said, “Bring the cloak that is on you and hold it out.”^[hz] And she held it out and he measured six measures of barley and put it on her cloak. Then she went into the city. ¹⁶ And she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, “How did it go for you,^[ia] my daughter?” And she told her all that the man did for her. ¹⁷ And she said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘You shall not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” ¹⁸ And she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4 And Boaz had gone up to the city gate and sat there. And look, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken was passing by. And he said, “Come over here to sit, friend.”^[ib] And he came over and sat. ² And he took ten men from the elders of the city and said, “Sit here.” And they sat. ³ And he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who returned from the countryside of Moab, is selling the tract of land which was for our brother Elimelech. ⁴ And I thought I would tell you^[ic] and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of^[id] those sitting and before the elders of my people,’ if you want to redeem it, redeem it. But if you do not want to redeem, tell me so that I may know, for there is no one except you to redeem it, and I am after you.” And he said, “I want to redeem it.” ⁵ And Boaz said, “On the day of your acquiring the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the wife of the dead man, in order to raise up for the name of the dead his inheritance.” ⁶ And the redeemer said, “I am not able to redeem for myself, lest I ruin my inheritance. You redeem for yourself my kinsman-redemption, for I am not able to redeem it.”

⁷ (Now this was the custom in former times^[ie] in Israel concerning the kinsman-redemption and transfer of property: to confirm the matter, a man removed his sandal and gave it to his fellow countryman. This was the manner of attesting in Israel.) ⁸ So the redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire it for yourself,” and he removed his sandal. ⁹ And Boaz said to the elders and all of the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that was for Elimelech and that was for Kilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ And also Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired as a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his relatives and from the gate of his birth place. You are witnesses today.” ¹¹ And all of the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman coming into your house as Rachel and as Leah, who together^[if] built the house of Israel. May you have strength in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem. ¹² And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah from the offspring that Yahweh will give to you from this young woman.”

The Lineage of King David

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and Yahweh enabled her to conceive,^[ig] and she bore a son. ¹⁴ And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Yahweh who today did not leave you without a redeemer!^[ih] And may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵ He shall be for you a restorer of life and a sustainer in your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, has borne him.” ¹⁶ And Naomi took the child and she put him on her bosom and became his nurse. ¹⁷ And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, ¹⁹ and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab, ²⁰ and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, ²¹ and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed, ²² and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

The Family of Elkanah

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.^{[ii] 2} He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ Now this man used to go up from his town year by year^[ij] to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh, where^[ik] the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh. ⁴ On^[il] the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he would give a double portion,^[im] because he loved Hannah, though Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁶ (Now her rival wife would provoke her severely in order to upset her because Yahweh had closed her womb.) ⁷ And so he used to do^[in] year after year; whenever^[io] she went up to the house of Yahweh, she^[ip] would provoke her so that she^[iq] would weep and would not eat. ⁸ So Elkanah her husband would say to her: “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat? And why are you heartsick?^[ir] Am I not better to you than ten sons?” ⁹ Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking at Shiloh. (Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the temple^[is] of Yahweh.) ¹⁰ She was deeply troubled,^[it] so she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. ¹¹ She made a vow^[iu] and said: “O Yahweh of hosts, if you will look with compassion on the misery of your female servant, and will remember me, and not forget your female servant, and will give to your female servant a male child^[iv] then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor will never pass over his head.”^{[iw] 12} While^[ix] she continued to pray before Yahweh, Eli was observing her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah had been speaking in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard, so Eli considered her to be drunk. ¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, “How long will you behave like someone who is drunk? Put away your wine!” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord. I am a woman deeply distressed,^[iy] but I have not drunk wine or strong drink. Rather, I have poured out my soul before Yahweh. ¹⁶ Do not regard your female servant as worthless,^[iz] but because of the extent of my worries and my provocation I have spoken all of this.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have asked of him.” ¹⁸ And she said, “May your female slave find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went on her way and ate something, and her face did not look sad any longer.^[ja]

The Birth of Samuel

¹⁹ Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and returned^[jb] to their house at Ramah. Then Elkanah had sexual relations with^[jc] Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. ²⁰ In due time,^[jd] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, for she said, “I requested him from Yahweh.”

²¹ So the man Elkanah went up with all his household to make the annual sacrifice^[je] to Yahweh and to pay his vow. ²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Once the boy is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear before Yahweh; and he will remain there forever.” ²³ So her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems right to you;^[jf] stay until you wean him. Only may Yahweh fulfill his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ Then she brought him up with her when she had weaned him, along with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin^[jg] of wine. She brought him to the house of Yahweh at Shiloh while the boy was still young. ²⁵ They slaughtered the bull, and they brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ She said, “Excuse me, my lord. As you live,^[jh] my lord, I am the woman who stood with you in this place to pray to Yahweh. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and Yahweh has given me my request that I asked from him. ²⁸ I in turn have lent him to Yahweh. As long as he lives^[ji] he is lent to Yahweh.” Then they worshiped Yahweh there.

2 Then Hannah prayed and said,

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. Now the boy was serving Yahweh in the presence of^[jr] Eli the priest.

The Family of Eli the Priest

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless scoundrels;^[js] they did not know^[jt] Yahweh. ¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people was this: When any man brought a sacrifice,^[ju] as the meat was boiling, the servant of the priest would take a three-pronged meat fork in his hand ¹⁴ and would thrust it into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the cooking pot. All that the meat fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all of the Israelites who came there at Shiloh. ¹⁵ Also, before they offered up^[jv] the fat as a burnt offering, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”^{[jw] 16} And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat completely first,^[jx] then take for yourself as you^[jy] desire,” then he would say to him, “No!^[jz] Give it now! If not, I will take it by force!” ¹⁷ So the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, because the men treated the offering of Yahweh with contempt.

Samuel’s Life in the Tabernacle

¹⁸ Now Samuel was serving before Yahweh, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ His mother used to make for him a small robe and take it to him year by year^[ka] whenever she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.^{[kb] 20} And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and he said, “May Yahweh give you an offspring from this woman in place of the petitioned one that she requested from Yahweh.” Then they went to their home. ²¹ Yahweh took note of Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters, while the young man Samuel grew up with Yahweh.

Eli Rebukes His Evil Sons

²² Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they were having sexual relations with the women who were serving at the entrance of the tent of assembly.^{[kc] 23} And he asked them, “Why are you doing all these things that I am hearing, namely, your evil dealings with all these people? ²⁴ No, my sons, the report is not good that I am hearing the people of Yahweh spreading. ²⁵ If a man sins against a man, then God can intercede for him. But if a man sins against Yahweh, who can intercede for him?” But they did not obey^[kd] their father, because Yahweh wanted to kill them. ²⁶ But the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor^[ke] with Yahweh and with the people.

Yahweh Rebukes Eli

²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him: “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your ancestor^[kf] when they were in Egypt under the house of Pharaoh? ²⁸ And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be a priest to me, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to bear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor^[kg] all the offerings made by fire by the Israelites.^{[kh] 29} Why do you despise my sacrifice and my offering which I commanded for my dwelling place, while you honored your sons more than me by making yourselves fat from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel?