Israel oppressed.

B. C. about 1206.

a ver. 24. Job 31. 3. Ps. 94. 23. Prov. 5. 22.

⚫ ver. 20.

a ch. 2. 16.

Or, deliver. Heb. save.

about 1183.

bch. 5. 10. & 12. 14.

man thrust him through, and he died.

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren :

57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

CHAPTER X.

Tola judgeth Israel; 3 Jair also, whose thirty sons had thirty cities. 6 The Philistines and Ammon ites oppress Israel. 10 In their misery God sendeth them to their false gods. 15 Upon their repentance he pitieth them.

AND after Abimelech there arose

ND after Abimelech there arose

of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

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

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

4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called "HaJair, Num. voth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

e Deut. 3. 14. Or, The villages of

32. 41.

about 1161.

d ch. 2. 11. & 3. 7. & 4. 1. & 6. 1. & 13. 1. e ch. 2. 13.

í ch. 2. 12.

1 Kings 11. 33. Ps. 106. $6.

h ch. 2. 14. 1 Sam. 12. 9.

ed.

5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

6 ¶ And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and 'the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. 7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Am

mon.

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

Their repentance.

B. C.

k Ex. 14. 30. 1 Num. 21. 21, 24, 25.

11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you about 1161. from the Egyptians, and 'from the Amorites, "from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, Pand the mch. 3. 12, 13. Amalekites, and the Maonites, 9 did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and p ch. 6. 3. I delivered you out of their hand.

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15 T And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: 'do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

16 "And they put away the † strange gods from among them, and served the LORD and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

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

4 And it came to pass tin process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we

1 Sam. 22. 2.

+ Heb. after days.

Jephthah's messages unto

B. C. about 1161.

d Gen. 26. 27.

e ch. 10. 18. f Luke 17. 4.

g ch. 10. 18.

h Jer. 42. 5. + Heb. be the hearer be

tween us.

i ver. 8.

may fight with the children of Am

mon.

7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD t be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words ch. 10. 17. & before the LORD in Mizpeh. 12

20. 1. 1 Sam. 10. 17. & 11. 15.

And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Amabout 1143. mon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

the king of the Ammonites.

within the border of Moab for Arnon was the border of Moab.

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

a

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

B. C. about 1143.

y Num. 21. 21. Deut. 2. 26.

z Num. 21. 22. Deut. 2. 27.

a Num. 21. 28. Deut. 2. 32.

See Josh. 24.

25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, Num. 22. 2 king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD thei Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

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

9.

Num. 21. 25. h Deut. 2. 56.

Gen. 18. 25. Gen. 16. 5. &

31. 53. 1 Sam. 24. 12, 15.

29 Then 'the Spirit of the LORD ch. 3. 10. came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

30 And Jephthah "vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31 Then it shall be, that whatso-t ever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon,

in Gen. 28. 20. 1 Sam. 1. 11.

Heb. that forth, which

which cometh

shall come forth.

2, 3, &c.

1 Sam. 1. 11,
28. & 2. 13.

o Ps. 66. 13. See Lev. 27. 11, 12.

I Or, Abel.

P Ez. 27. 17.

4 ch. 10. 17. & ver. 11.

r Ex. 15. 20.

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

34 ¶ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, 'his 1 Sam. 18. 6. daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

Ps. 68. 25.

Jer. 31. 4. Or, he had not of his own either son or daughter. Heb. of himself.

• Gen. 37. 29, 34.

t Eec. 5. 2. Num. 30. 2. Ps. 15. 4. Ecc. 5. 4, 5.

x Num. 30. 2.

y 2 Sam. 18. 19, 31.

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

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

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

go down.

The Ephraimites slain.

mon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

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

B. C. about 1143.

& 28. 21. Job 13. 14. Ps. 119. 109.

3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, b1 Sam. 19. 5. and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of See 1 Sam. Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

25. 10.

Ps. 78. 9.

ch. 3. 28. & 7. 24.

5 And the Gileadites took the pas-d Josh. 22. 11. sages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over, that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

nifieth a stream, or, flood,

6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sib- Which sigboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

Ps. 69. 2, 15. Is. 27. 12.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gil- about 1137. eadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

8 ¶ And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel.

9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.

11 ¶ And after him Elon, a Zebu- about 1130. lonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

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

13 T And after him Abdon the son about 1120. of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore Heb. sons' and ten ass colts: and he judged Is

sons.

e ch. 5. 10. & 10. 4.

15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in about 1112. Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, 'inf ch. 3. 13, 27. the mount of the Amalekites.

& 5. 14.

Israel delivered into the hand of the Philistines. 2 An angel appeareth to Manoah's wife, 8 and again to her and to Manoah. 15 Manoah's sacrifice, during which the angel is discovered. 24 Samson is born.

A

a

ND the children of Israel + did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty

d ch. 6. 12. Luke 1. 11, 13, 23, 31.

e ver. 14.

Num. 6. 2, 3.
Luke 1. 15.

f Num. 6. 5. 1 Sam. 1. 11. g Num. 6. 2.

h See 1 Sam. 7. 13.

2 Sam. 8. 1. 1 Chr. 18. 1. i Deut. 33. 1. 1 Sam. 2. 27. & 9. 6.

1 Kings 17.24. k Matt. 28. 3. Luke 9. 29. Acts 6. 15. 1 ver. 17, 18.

3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no 'razor shall come on his head for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

k

6¶ Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

8 T Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man +Heb. What that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

shall be the manner of the, &c.

I Or, what

shall he do? Heb. what shall be his work?

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. † How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

The birth of Samson.

B. C.

13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto about 1161. the woman let her beware.

m

14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, "let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, Pand offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

m ver. 4.

n Gen. 18.5 ch. 6. 18.

+ Heb. before thee.

• Gen. 32. 29. Or, wonderful. Is. 9. 6.

P ch. 6. 19, 20.

21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that her ch. 6. 22. was an angel of the LORD.

22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

24 T And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

Samson's marriage feast.

B. C. about 1141.

a Gen. 38. 13. Josh, 15. 10. b Gen. 34. 2.

* Gen. 21. 21. & 34. 4.

AND Samson went down to Tim

nath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman 4 Gen. 24.3, 4. among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for Heb, she is me; for she pleaseth me well.

• Gen. 34. 14. Ex. 34. 16. Deut. 7. 3.

right in mine

eyes.

f Josh. 11. 20. 1 Kings 12. 15. 2 Kings 6.33. 2 Chr. 10. 15. & 22. 7. & 25. 20. 8 ch. 13. 1. Deut. 28. 48.

↑ Heb. in meeting him. h cb. 3. 10. &

11. 6.

4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was 'of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came 13. 25. 1 Sam. mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

Ez. 17. 2. Luke 14. 7. k Gen. 29. 27.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

8 ¶ And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion.

9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. 10 So his father went down unto the woman and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they

His riddle is made known.

14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

m

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, "lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, "Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

B. C. about 1141.

m ch. 16. 5.

n ch. 15. 6.

Heb. to pos

sess us, or, to

impoverish us?

a ch. 16, 15.

Or, the rest

of the seven days, &c.

13. 25.

19 ¶ And the Spirit of the LORD p ch. 3. 10. & came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their "spoil, and gave | Or, apparel. change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

q ch. 15. 2.

r John 3. 29.

companions to be with him.

12 And Samson said unto them, 1 Kings 10.1. I will now put forth a riddle unto you if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty 'change of garments:

Or, shirts, I Gen. 45, 22. 2 Kings 5. 22.

13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.