Israel’s Disobedience 2 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to j Bochim . And he said , “ I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers . I said , k ‘ I will never break my covenant with you , 2 l and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land ; m you shall break down their altars . ’ But you have not obeyed my voice . What is this you have done ? 3 So now I say , n I will not drive them out before you , but they shall become o thorns in your sides , and their gods shall be a snare to you . ” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel , the people lifted up their voices and wept . 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim . And they sacrificed there to the Lord . The Death of Joshua 6 When Joshua dismissed the people , the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land . 7 p And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua , and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua , who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel . 8 And Joshua the son of Nun , the servant of the Lord , died at the age of 110 years . 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of q his inheritance in Timnath-heres , r in the hill country of Ephraim , north of the mountain of Gaash . 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers . And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel . Israel’s Unfaithfulness 11 s And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals . 12 t And they abandoned the Lord , the God of their fathers , who had brought them out of the land of Egypt . u They went after other gods , from among the gods of the peoples who were around them , and v bowed down to them . w And they provoked the Lord to anger . 13 They abandoned the Lord x and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth . 14 y So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel , and he z gave them over to plunderers , who plundered them . a And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies , b so that they could no longer withstand their enemies . 15 Whenever they marched out , the hand of the Lord was against them for harm , as the Lord had warned , c and as the Lord had sworn to them . And they were in terrible distress . The Lord Raises Up Judges 16 d Then the Lord raised up judges , e who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them . 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges , for f they whored after other gods and bowed down to them . g They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked , who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord , and they did not do so . 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them , h the Lord was with the judge , and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge . i For the Lord was moved to pity by j their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them . 19 But k whenever the judge died , they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers , going after other gods , serving them and bowing down to them . They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways . 20 l So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel , and he said , “ Because this people m have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice , 21 n I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died , 22 in order o to test Israel by them , whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did , or not . ” 23 So the Lord left those nations , not driving them out quickly , and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua .

3 p Now these are the nations that the Lord left , to test Israel by them , that is , all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan . 2 It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war , to teach war to those who had not known it before . 3 These are the nations : q the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon , from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath . 4 They were for r the testing of Israel , to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses . 5 So the people of Israel lived s among the Canaanites , the Hittites , the Amorites , the Perizzites , the Hivites , and the Jebusites . 6 t And their daughters they took to themselves for wives , and their own daughters they gave to their sons , and they served their gods . Othniel 7 u And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord . They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and v the Asheroth . 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel , w and he sold them into the hand of x Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia . And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years . 9 But when the people of Israel y cried out to the Lord , the Lord raised up a z deliverer for the people of Israel , who saved them , a Othniel the son of Kenaz , Caleb’s younger brother . 10 b The Spirit of the Lord was upon him , and he judged Israel . He went out to war , and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand . And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim . 11 c So the land had rest forty years . Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died . Ehud 12 d And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord , and the Lord strengthened Eglon e the king of Moab against Israel , because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord . 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the f Amalekites , and went and defeated Israel . And they took possession of g the city of palms . 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years . 15 Then the people of Israel h cried out to the Lord , and the Lord raised up for them h a deliverer , Ehud , the son of Gera , the Benjaminite , i a left-handed man . The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab . 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges , a cubit in length , and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes . 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab . Now Eglon was a very fat man . 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute , he sent away the people who carried the tribute . 19 But he himself turned back j at the idols near Gilgal and said , “ I have a secret message for you , O king . ” And he commanded , “ Silence . ” And all his attendants went out from his presence . 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his k cool roof chamber . l And Ehud said , “ I have a message from God for you . ” And he arose from his seat . 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand , took the sword from his right thigh , and thrust it into his belly . 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade , and the fat closed over the blade , for he did not pull the sword out of his belly ; and the dung came out . 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him m and locked them . 24 When he had gone , the servants came , and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked , they thought , n “ Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber . ” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed . But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber , they took the key and opened them , and there lay their lord dead on the floor . 26 Ehud escaped while they delayed , and he passed beyond o the idols and escaped to Seirah . 27 When he arrived , p he sounded the trumpet in q the hill country of Ephraim . Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country , and he was their leader . 28 And he said to them , “ Follow after me , r for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand . ” So they went down after him and seized s the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over . 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites , all strong , able-bodied men ; not a man escaped . 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel . t And the land had rest for eighty years . Shamgar 31 After him was u Shamgar the son of Anath , who killed 600 of the Philistines v with an oxgoad , and he also w saved Israel .

Deborah and Barak 4 x And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died . 2 And the Lord y sold them into the hand of z Jabin king of Canaan , who reigned in z Hazor . The commander of his army was a Sisera , who lived in b Harosheth-hagoyim . 3 Then the people of Israel c cried out to the Lord for help , for he had d 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years . 4 Now Deborah , a prophetess , the wife of Lappidoth , was judging Israel at that time . 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in e the hill country of Ephraim , and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment . 6 She sent and summoned f Barak the son of Abinoam from g Kedesh-naphtali and said to him , “ Has not the Lord , the God of Israel , commanded you , ‘ Go , gather your men at Mount h Tabor , taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun . 7 And I will draw out Sisera , the general of Jabin’s army , to meet you by i the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops , j and I will give him into your hand ’ ? ” 8 Barak said to her , “ If you will go with me , I will go , but if you will not go with me , I will not go . ” 9 And she said , “ I will surely go with you . Nevertheless , the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory , for the Lord will k sell Sisera into the hand of a woman . ” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh . 10 And Barak called out l Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh . And 10,000 men went up at his heels , and Deborah went up with him . 11 Now Heber m the Kenite had separated from the Kenites , the descendants of n Hobab the father-in-law of Moses , and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in o Zaanannim , which is near Kedesh . 12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor , 13 Sisera called out all his chariots , p 900 chariots of iron , and all the men who were with him , from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon . 14 And Deborah said to Barak , “ Up ! For this is the day in which q the Lord has given Sisera into your hand . r Does not the Lord go out before you ? ” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him . 15 s And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword . And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot . 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim , and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword ; not a man was left . 17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael , the wife of Heber the Kenite , for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite . 18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him , “ Turn aside , my lord ; turn aside to me ; do not be afraid . ” So he turned aside to her into the tent , and she covered him with a rug . 19 And he said to her , “ Please give me a little water to drink , for I am thirsty . ” So she opened t a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him . 20 And he said to her , “ Stand at the opening of the tent , and if any man comes and asks you , ‘ Is anyone here ? ’ say , ‘ No . ’ ” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg , and took a hammer in her hand . Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness . So he died . 22 And behold , as Barak was pursuing Sisera , Jael went out to meet him and said to him , “ Come , and I will show you the man whom you are seeking . ” So he went in to her tent , and there lay Sisera dead , with the tent peg in his temple . 23 u So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel . 24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan , until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan .

The Song of Deborah and Barak 5 v Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day : 2 “ That the leaders took the lead in Israel , that w the people offered themselves willingly , bless the Lord ! 3 “ Hear , O kings ; give ear , O princes ; to the Lord I will sing ; I will make melody to the Lord , the God of Israel . 4 “ Lord , x when you went out from Seir , when you marched from the region of Edom , y the earth trembled and the heavens dropped , yes , the clouds dropped water . 5 The mountains z quaked before the Lord , a even Sinai before the Lord , the God of Israel . 6 “ In the days of b Shamgar , son of Anath , in the days of c Jael , d the highways were abandoned , and travelers kept to the byways . 7 The villagers ceased in Israel ; they ceased to be until I arose ; I , Deborah , arose as a mother in Israel . 8 e When new gods were chosen , then war was in the gates . f Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel ? 9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who g offered themselves willingly among the people . Bless the Lord . 10 “ Tell of it , h you who ride on white donkeys , you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way . 11 To the sound of musicians at the watering places , there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord , the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel . “ Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord . 12 i “ Awake , awake , Deborah ! Awake , awake , break out in a song ! Arise , Barak , j lead away your captives , O son of Abinoam . 13 Then down marched the remnant of the noble ; the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty . 14 From k Ephraim their root l they marched down into the valley , following you , Benjamin , with your kinsmen ; from m Machir marched down the commanders , and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s staff ; 15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah , and Issachar faithful to n Barak ; into the valley they rushed at his heels . Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart . 16 Why did you sit still o among the sheepfolds , to hear the whistling for the flocks ? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart . 17 p Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan ; q and Dan , why did he stay with the ships ? r Asher sat still s at the coast of the sea , staying by his landings . 18 t Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death ; t Naphtali , too , on the heights of the field . 19 “ The kings came , they fought ; then fought the kings of Canaan , at u Taanach , by the waters of v Megiddo ; w they got no spoils of silver . 20 x From heaven the stars fought , from their courses they fought against Sisera . 21 y The torrent Kishon swept them away , the ancient torrent , the torrent Kishon . March on , my soul , with might ! 22 “ Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs with the galloping , galloping of his steeds . 23 “ Curse Meroz , says the angel of the Lord , curse its inhabitants thoroughly , z because they did not come to the help of the Lord , to the help of the Lord against the mighty . 24 “ Most blessed of women be a Jael , the wife of Heber the Kenite , of tent-dwelling women most blessed . 25 b He asked for water and she gave him milk ; she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl . 26 c She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet ; she struck Sisera ; she crushed his head ; she shattered and pierced his temple . 27 Between her feet he sank , he fell , he lay still ; between her feet he sank , he fell ; where he sank , there he fell — dead . 28 d “ Out of the window she peered , the mother of Sisera wailed through e the lattice : ‘ Why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots ? ’ 29 Her wisest princesses answer , indeed , she answers herself , 30 ‘ Have they not found and f divided the spoil ? — A womb or two for every man ; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera , spoil of dyed materials embroidered , two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil ? ’ 31 g “ So may all your enemies perish , O Lord ! But your friends be h like the sun i as he rises in his might . ” j And the land had rest for forty years .