24 "We were worried because of the situation we're in. We thought sometime in the future your children might say to our children, 'What relationship do you have with Yahweh Elohim of Israel? 25 Yahweh has made the Jordan River a dividing line between us and you, the descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no connection with Yahweh!' So your descendants would stop our descendants from worshiping Yahweh. 26 Then we said, 'Let's build an altar for ourselves. It will not be for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 27 but it will stand as a witness between us for generations to come. It will stand as a witness that we may worship in the presence of Yahweh with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings.' Then your descendants cannot say to our descendants, 'You have no connection with Yahweh!' 28 So we thought, if this statement is made to us or to our descendants in the future, we will answer, 'Look at the model of Yahweh's altar our ancestors made. They didn't make it for burnt offerings or sacrifices but to stand as a witness between us.' 29 It would be unthinkable for us to rebel against Yahweh or to turn back today from following Yahweh by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices in addition to the altar of Yahweh our Elohim that is in front of his tent."

30 When the priest Phinehas, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the divisions of Israel heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were satisfied. 31 Then Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know Yahweh is among us, because you did not commit an unfaithful act against Yahweh. Now you have rescued the people of Israel from Yahweh's punishment."

32 Then Phinehas (son of the priest Eleazar) and the leaders returned from Reuben and Gad in Gilead to Israel in Canaan and gave them the report. 33 The people of Israel were satisfied with the report. So they praised Elohim and didn't talk anymore about going to war against Reuben and Gad and destroying the land where they were living.

34 The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave the altar a name: Witness Between Us That Yahweh Is the Only True Elohim .

A Reminder to Follow Moses' Teachings 23 1 A long time afterward, Yahweh gave the Israelites peace with all their enemies around them. Joshua was old, near the end of his life. 2 So he called all the leaders, chiefs, judges, and officers of Israel together. He said to them, "I am old, near the end of my life. 3 You have seen for yourselves everything Yahweh your Elohim did to all those nations. Yahweh your Elohim fought for you! 4 I have given you the territory of the nations that still remain as an inheritance for your tribes. This includes the territory of all the nations I have already destroyed from the Jordan River westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 Yahweh your Elohim will expel them right in front of your eyes and force them out of your way. You will take their land as Yahweh your Elohim told you. 6 Now you must be very strong to keep and to do everything written in the Book of Moses' Teachings. Don't turn away from them. 7 Don't get mixed up with the nations left in your territory. Don't ever mention the names of their gods or swear an oath to them. Don't ever serve their gods or bow down to them. 8 But you must be loyal to Yahweh your Elohim, as you have been until now. 9 Yahweh has forced important and powerful nations out of your way. Not one person has ever been able to stand up to you. 10 One of you used to chase a thousand. That was because Yahweh your Elohim was fighting for you, as he had promised you. 11 Be very careful to love Yahweh your Elohim.

12 "But if you turn away and go along with the other nations within your borders, if you intermarry with them or associate with them, 13 then you should know that Yahweh your Elohim will never again force these people out of your way. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip laid to your sides, and thorns in your eyes until none of you are left in this good land that Yahweh your Elohim has given you.

14 "Pay attention, because I will soon die like everyone else. You know with all your heart and soul that not one single promise which Yahweh your Elohim has given you has ever failed to come true. Every single word has come true.

15 "Every good word Yahweh your Elohim has promised you has come true for you. In the same way Yahweh will bring about every evil curse until he has destroyed you from this good land that he has given you. 16 When you ignore the conditionsa placed on you by Yahweh your Elohim and follow other gods, serve them and bow down to them, Yahweh will be angry with you. Then you will quickly disappear from the good land he has given you."

Joshua Adds an Agreement to the Book of God's Teachings 24 1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called together Israel's leaders, chiefs, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves to Elohim.

2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: Long ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and served other gods. 3 But I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River. I led him through all of Canaan and gave him many descendants. I also gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the mountains in Seir as his own. However, Jacob and his sons went to Egypt.

5 "Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with plagues. Later I led you out. 6 When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea. The Egyptians with their chariots and horsemen chased your ancestors to the Red Sea. 7 When your ancestors cried out to Yahweh, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He made the sea flow back and cover them. You saw for yourselves what I did to Egypt. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

8 "After that I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the east side of the Jordan River. They fought you. However, I handed them over to you. So you took their land, and I destroyed them in front of you. 9 Then Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, fought Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you. 10 But I refused to listen to Balaam. All he could do was bless you. So I saved you from his power.

11 "Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought you. But I handed them over to you. 12 I sent hornets ahead of you to force out the two kings of the Amorites ahead of you. These things didn't happen because of your battle skills or fighting ability. 13 So I gave you a land that you hadn't farmed, cities to live in that you hadn't built, vineyards and olive groves that you hadn't planted. So you ate all you wanted!

14 "Fear Yahweh, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only Yahweh. 15 But if you don't want to serve Yahweh, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve Yahweh."

16 The people responded, "It would be unthinkable for us to abandon Yahweh to serve other gods. 17 Yahweh our Elohim brought us and our ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. He did these spectacular signs right before our eyes. He guarded us wherever we went, especially as we passed through other nations. 18 Yahweh forced out all the people ahead of us, including the Amorites who lived in this land. We, too, will serve Yahweh, because he is our Elohim."

19 But Joshua answered the people, "Since Yahweh is a holy Elohim, you can't possibly serve him. He is El Kanna . He will not forgive your rebellious acts and sins. 20 If you abandon Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you. He will destroy you, although he has been so good to you."

21 The people answered Joshua, "No! We will only serve Yahweh!"

22 Joshua said to the people, "You have testified that you have chosen to serve Yahweh."

They answered, "Yes, we have!"

23 "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Turn yourselves entirely over to Yahweh Elohim of Israel."

24 The people replied to Joshua, "We will serve Yahweh our Elohim and obey him."

25 That day Joshua made an agreement for the people and set up laws and rules for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these things in the Book of Elohim's Teachings. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree at Yahweh's holy place. 27 Joshua told all the people, "This stone will stand as a witness for us. It has heard all the words which Yahweh spoke to us. It will stand as a witness for you. You cannot deceive your Elohim ." 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own property.

The Deaths of Joshua and Eleazar 29 After these events, Yahweh's servant Joshua, son of Nun, died. He was 110 years old. 30 He was buried on his own land at Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served Yahweh as long as Joshua and the older leaders, who outlived him and who knew everything Yahweh had done for Israel, were alive.

32 Joseph's bones, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, were buried at Shechem. They were placed in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. The plot was inherited by Joseph's descendants.

33 Aaron's son Eleazar also died. He was buried on the hill that had been given to his son Phinehas in the mountains of Ephraim.

a 3:15 This sentence has been moved from verse 16 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph structure more clearly in English.

a 5:3 Or "Hill of Foreskins."

a 5:9 There is a play on words here between Hebrew gilgal (rolled) and gallothi (roll away/remove).

a 7:11 Or "covenant."

a 8:28 Ai means "ruins."

b 9:2 Part of verse 1 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 2 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph structure more clearly in English.

a 12:18 Or "Lasharon."

a 12:23 Or "Galilee."

a 15:59 Greek adds, "They also gave them 11 cities with their villages: Tekoa, Ephrathah (now called Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Dulon, Tatam, Sores, Carem, Gallim, Bether, and Manach."

a 17:11 Hebrew meaning uncertain.

a 19:28 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Joshua 21:30, 1 Chronicles 6:59; other Hebrew manuscripts "Ebron."

a 22:19 "Unclean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is not presentable to God.

a 23:16 Or "covenant."

Introduction to JUDGES.

Israel's great leader Joshua is dead, along with all the other venerable leaders who brought Israel through the desert. The new generation has "no personal experience with Yahweh or with what he had done for Israel" (2:10). They pay no attention to the tradition of their fathers: the Canaanite fertility gods Baal and Astarte are much more enticing. The result is just as Moses and Joshua had predicted (Deuteronomy 31:29; Joshua 24:20)-disaster!

This book is a collection of some of the most violent stories in the Bible. The judges are not wise old magistrates, but fierce warlords who ruled small territories before Israel became a united nation. Here are tales of treachery, assassination, gang rape, human sacrifice, and civil war. Joshua had made a beginning of settling the land, but many potential enemies remain and, sensing the weakness of the Israelite tribes, move in for the kill. But-and this is the one ray of hope in the book of Judges-God does not abandon his people, even though they pay little attention to him. Time and again, the people cry out for help, and God sends yet another judge to deliver them from their enemies and from one another.

And then the cycle starts all over again.

Among the twelve judges profiled here is a woman, Deborah, who is described as not only a judge but also a prophet. She is apparently also a warrior: her general, Barak, won't go to war unless she goes with him. It is also a woman, Jael, who kills the enemy king by driving a tent peg through his head while he sleeps.

Other important judges include Gideon, who wipes out an enemy army by using only three hundred troops, rams' horns, and jars with torches inside; and Jephthah, who accidentally promises to kill his daughter (and does, with her consent). And we can't forget the mighty Samson, a rampaging barbarian able to kill a lion with his bare hands, to walk off with the city gates, and to pull down a building by pushing on its central columns, but unable to resist a woman's tears.

The book ends with this terse explanation: "In those days Israel didn't have a king. Everyone did whatever he considered right" (21:25). Anarchy and chaos resulted. After a few hundred years of constant guerilla warfare, Israel was ready for a new form of government.

Key Names of God in Judges Yahweh LORD Elohim God Ruach Yahweh the LORD'S Spirit Adonay Lord, Master Yahweh Shalom the LORD Is Peace Shopet Judge JUDGES.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10.

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20.

21.

Israel Fails to Force Out the Canaanites 1 1 After Joshua's death the Israelites asked Yahweh, "Who will go first to fight the Canaanites for us?"

2 Yahweh answered, "Judah's troops will go first. I am about to hand the Canaanites over to you."

3 The tribe of Judah said to the tribe of Simeon, "Come with us into the territory given to us when we drew lots, and together we will fight the people of Canaan. Then we'll go with you into your territory." So the tribe of Simeon went along with Judah.

Judah Attempts to Force Out the Canaanites 4 Judah's troops went into battle, and Yahweh handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They defeated 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 At Bezek they also caught up with Adoni Bezek. They fought him and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni Bezek fled. Judah's troops chased him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni Bezek said, "Seventy kings who had their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up food under my table. Elohim has paid me back for what I did to them." Judah's troops brought Adoni Bezek to Jerusalem, where he died.

8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They killed everyone there and set the city on fire. 9 After that, the men of Judah went to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, the Negev, and the foothills. 10 Then they went to fight the Canaanites who lived at Hebron. (In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba.) There they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 From there Judah's troops went to fight the people living at Debir. (In the past Debir was called Kiriath Sepher.) 12 Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to whoever defeats Kiriath Sepher and captures it." 13 Then Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, captured it. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife. 14 When she came to Othniel, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"

15 She answered, "Give me a blessing. Since you've given me some dry land, also give me some springs." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went with the people of Judah from the City of Palms into the desert of Judah. There they lived with the people of Judah in the Negev near Arad.

17 The tribe of Judah went to fight along with the tribe of Simeon, their close relatives. They defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath and claimed it for the LORD by destroying it. So the city was called Hormah [Claimed for Destruction]. 18 Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron with their territories. 19 Yahweh was with the men of Judah so that they were able to take possession of the mountains. But they could not force out the people living in the valley who had chariots made of iron. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who forced out the three sons of Anak.

21 The men of Benjamin did not force out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites still live with the tribe of Benjamin in Jerusalem today.

22 The descendants of Joseph also went into battle against Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. 23 They sent men to spy on Bethel. (In the past the city was called Luz.) 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city. They told him, "Show us how we can get into the city, and we'll treat you kindly." 25 He showed them. So they got into the city and killed everyone there. But they let that man and his whole family go free. 26 The man went to the land of the Hittites. There he built a city and called it Luz. The city still has that name today.

27 Now, the tribe of Manasseh did not force out the people of Beth Shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo or their villages. The Canaanites were determined to live in this land. 28 When the Israelites were strong enough, they made the Canaanites do forced labor. But they did not force all of them out.

29 The tribe of Ephraim did not force out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live with them in Gezer.

30 The tribe of Zebulun did not force out those who lived at Kitron or Nahalol. So the Canaanites continued to live with them and were made to do forced labor.

31 The tribe of Asher did not force out those who lived at Acco or Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 32 So the tribe of Asher continued to live with the Canaanites because they did not force them out.

33 The tribe of Naphtali did not force out those who lived at Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. So they continued to live with the Canaanites. But the people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were made to do forced labor.

34 The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan into the mountains and would not let them come down into the valley.

35 The Amorites were determined to live at Har Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the tribes of Joseph became stronger, they made the Amorites do forced labor. 36 The territory of the Amorites extended from the Akrabbim Pass-from Selah northward.

The Messenger of the LORD Reacts to Israel's Failure 2 1 The Messenger of Yahweh went from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, "I brought you out of Egypt into the land that I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my promisea to you. 2 You must never make a treaty with the people who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.' But you didn't obey me. What do you think you're doing? 3 So I have this to say, 'I will not force them out of your way. They will be like thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a trap for you.'"

4 While the Messenger of Yahweh was saying this to all the people of Israel, they began to cry loudly. 5 So they called that place Bochim [Those Who Cry]. They offered sacrifices there to Yahweh.

The Death of Joshua 6 Now, Joshua sent the people of Israel home. So each family went to take possession of the territory they had inherited. 7 The people served Yahweh throughout Joshua's lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who had outlived him and who had seen all the spectacular works Yahweh had done for Israel. 8 Yahweh's servant Joshua, son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 9 He was buried at Timnath Heres within the territory he had inherited. This was in the mountains of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation had joined their ancestors in death. So another generation grew up after them. They had no personal experience with Yahweh or with what he had done for Israel.

The Sin of the Next Generation 11 The people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. They began to serve other gods-the Baals. 12 The Israelites abandoned Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors, the Elohim who brought them out of Egypt. They followed the other gods of the people around them. They worshiped these gods, and that made Yahweh angry. 13 They abandoned Yahweh to serve the god Baal and the goddess Astarte. 14 So Yahweh became angry with the people of Israel. He handed them over to people who robbed them. He also used their enemies around them to defeat them. They could no longer stand up against their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went to war, the power of Yahweh brought disaster on them. This was what Yahweh said he would do in an oath. So he made them suffer a great deal.

16 Then Yahweh would send judgesa to rescue them from those who robbed them. 17 But the people wouldn't listen to the judges. The Israelites chased after other gods as though they were prostitutes and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors who had obeyed Yahweh's commands. They refused to be like their ancestors. 18 But when Yahweh appointed judges for the Israelites, he was with each judge. Yahweh rescued them from their enemies as long as that judge was alive. Yahweh was moved by the groaning of those who were tormented and oppressed. 19 But after each judge died, the people went back to their old ways and acted more corruptly than their parents. They followed, served, and worshiped other gods. They never gave up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

The LORD Allows the Nations to Stay in Order to Test His People 20 Yahweh became angry with Israel. He said, "Because the people of this nation have rejected the promise I gave their ancestors and have not obeyed me, 21 I will no longer force out the nations Joshua left behind when he died. 22 I will test the people of Israel with these nations to see whether or not they will carefully follow Yahweh's ways as their ancestors did." 23 So Yahweh let these nations stay. He had not handed them over to Joshua or forced them out quickly.

3 1 These are the nations Yahweh left behind to test all the Israelites who had not experienced any war in Canaan. 2 The LORD left them to teach Israel's descendants about war, at least those who had known nothing about it in the past. 3 He left the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to the border of Hamath. 4 These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out if they would obey the commands Yahweh had given their ancestors through Moses.

The People Fail the Test 5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 The Israelites allowed their sons and daughters to marry these people. Israel also served their gods.

Othniel Defeats Cushan Rishathaim 7 The people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. They forgot Yahweh their Elohim and served other gods and goddesses-the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 Yahweh became angry with the people of Israel. He used King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaimto defeat them. So Israel served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.

9 Then the people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. Yahweh sent a savior to rescue them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 10 When the Ruach Yahweh came over him, he became the judge of Israel. He went out to war. Yahweh handed King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim over to him, and Othniel overpowered him. 11 So there was finally peace in the land for 40 years. Then Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.

Ehud Defeats Moab 12 Once again, the people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. So Yahweh made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel, because Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. 13 Eglon got the Ammonites and the Amalekites to help him, and they defeated the Israelites and occupied the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites served King Eglon of Moab for 18 years.

15 Then the people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. Yahweh sent a savior to rescue them. It was Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. (Ehud was the son of Gera.) The people sent him with their tax payment to King Eglon of Moab. 16 Ehud made a two-edged dagger for himself. He fastened it to his right side under his clothes. 17 Then he brought the tax payment to King Eglon. (Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 When Ehud had finished delivering the payment, he sent back the men who had carried it. 19 However, Ehud turned around at the stone idols near Gilgal and returned to Eglon. He said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you."

The king replied, "Keep quiet!" Then all his advisers left the room.

20 Ehud came up to him as he sat alone in his room on the roof. He said to the king, "I have a message from Elohim for you." As the king rose from his throne, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right side, and plunged it into Eglon's belly. 22 Even the handle went in after the blade. Eglon's fat covered the blade because Ehud didn't pull the dagger out. The blade stuck out in back.a 23 Ehud left the room.b (He had closed and locked the doors of the room before he left.) 24 After Ehud went out, Eglon's advisers came in. They were surprised that the doors were locked. "He must be using the toilet," they said. 25 They waited and waited, but Eglon didn't open the doors. So they took the key and opened the door. They were shocked to see their ruler lying on the floor, dead.

26 While they had been waiting, Ehud escaped. He went past the stone idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a ram's horn in the mountains of Ephraim to summon the troop. So the troops of Israel came down from the mountains with him, and he led them. 28 He told them, "Follow me! Yahweh will hand your enemy Moab over to you."

They followed him and captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River that led to Moab and refused to let anyone cross. 29 At that time they killed about ten thousand of Moab's best fighting men. Not one of them escaped. 30 The power of Moab was crushed by Israel that day. So there was finally peace in the land for 80 years.

Shamgar Defeats the Philistines 31 After Ehud came Shamgar, son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with a sharp stick used for herding oxen. So he, too, rescued Israel.

The LORD Calls Barak Through Deborah 4 1 After Ehud died, the people of Israel again did what Yahweh considered evil. 2 So Yahweh used King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled at Hazor, to defeat them. The commander of King Jabin's army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 The people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. King Jabin had 900 chariots made of iron and had cruelly oppressed Israel for 20 years.

4 Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet. She was the judge in Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. The people of Israel would come to her for legal decisions.

6 Deborah summoned Barak, son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in Naphtali. She told him, "Yahweh Elohim of Israel has given you this order: 'Gather troops on Mount Tabor. Take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun with you. 7 I will lead Sisera (the commander of Jabin's army), his chariots, and troops to you at the Kishon River. I will hand him over to you.'"

8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I'll go. But if you don't go with me, I won't go."

9 Deborah replied, "Certainly, I'll go with you. But you won't win any honors for the way you're going about this, because Yahweh will use a woman to defeat Sisera."

Barak Defeats Jabin So Deborah started out for Kedesh with Barak. 10 Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together at Kedesh. Ten thousand men went to fight under his command. Deborah also went along with him.

11 Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites (the descendants of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law). Heber went as far away as the oak tree at Zaanannim near Kedesh and set up his tent.