Hakim-hakim 3:20

3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated ¹  upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God ²  for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, ³ 

Hakim-hakim 4:9

4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame ⁴  on the expedition you are undertaking, ⁵  for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” ⁶  Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Hakim-hakim 4:15

4:15 The Lord routed ⁷  Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. ⁸  Sisera jumped out of ⁹  his chariot and ran away on foot.

Hakim-hakim 6:2

6:2 The Midianites ¹⁰  overwhelmed Israel. ¹¹  Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters ¹²  for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.

Hakim-hakim 6:22

6:22 When Gideon realized ¹³  that it was the Lord’s messenger, he ¹⁴  said, “Oh no! ¹⁵  Master, Lord! ¹⁶  I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!”

Hakim-hakim 6:25-26

Gideon Destroys the Altar

6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. ¹⁷  Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. ¹⁸  Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.”

Hakim-hakim 6:30-31

6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! ¹⁹  He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, ²⁰  “Must you fight Baal’s battles? ²¹  Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause ²²  will die by morning! ²³  If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! ²⁴  After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” ²⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 6:39

6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. ²⁶  Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” ²⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 7:1-2

Gideon Reduces the Ranks

7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men ²⁸  got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. ²⁹  The Midianites ³⁰  were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. ³¹  Israel might brag, ³²  ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ ³³ 

Hakim-hakim 7:5

7:5 So he brought the men ³⁴  down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” ³⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 7:22

7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords ³⁶  throughout ³⁷  the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went ³⁸  to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

Hakim-hakim 8:3

8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” ³⁹  When he said this, they calmed down. ⁴⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 8:26

8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. ⁴¹  This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, ⁴²  purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. ⁴³ 

Hakim-hakim 9:3

9:3 His mother’s relatives ⁴⁴  spoke on his behalf to ⁴⁵  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ⁴⁶  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ⁴⁷  they said, “He is our close relative.” ⁴⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 9:5

9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, ⁴⁹  the seventy legitimate ⁵⁰  sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, ⁵¹  because he hid.

Hakim-hakim 9:15

9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose ⁵²  me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! ⁵³  Otherwise ⁵⁴  may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

Hakim-hakim 9:33

9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” ⁵⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 9:51

9:51 There was a fortified ⁵⁶  tower ⁵⁷  in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower.

Hakim-hakim 10:4

10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair ⁵⁸  – they are in the land of Gilead. ⁵⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 11:11

11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement ⁶⁰  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 11:26

11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time?

Hakim-hakim 11:29

A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter

11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁶¹  Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went ⁶²  to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. ⁶³ 

Hakim-hakim 12:1

Civil Strife Mars the Victory

12:1 The Ephraimites assembled ⁶⁴  and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight ⁶⁵  with the Ammonites without asking ⁶⁶  us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over you!” ⁶⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 13:5

13:5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. ⁶⁸  You must never cut his hair, ⁶⁹  for the child will be dedicated to God ⁷⁰  from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power ⁷¹  of the Philistines.”

Hakim-hakim 14:16-17

14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ⁷²  and said, “You must ⁷³  hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ⁷⁴  a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” ⁷⁵  14:17 She cried on his shoulder ⁷⁶  until the party was almost over. ⁷⁷  Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. ⁷⁸  Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ⁷⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 14:19

14:19 The Lord’s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes ⁸⁰  and gave them ⁸¹  to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. ⁸² 

Hakim-hakim 15:19

15:19 So God split open the basin ⁸³  at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he took a drink, his strength ⁸⁴  was restored and he revived. For this reason he named the spring ⁸⁵  En Hakkore. ⁸⁶  It remains in Lehi to this very day.

Hakim-hakim 16:9

16:9 They hid ⁸⁷  in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, ⁸⁸  Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. ⁸⁹  The secret of his strength was not discovered. ⁹⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 16:17

16:17 Finally he told her his secret. ⁹¹  He said to her, “My hair has never been cut, ⁹²  for I have been dedicated to God ⁹³  from the time I was conceived. ⁹⁴  If my head ⁹⁵  were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all other men.”

Hakim-hakim 18:9

18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, ⁹⁶  for ⁹⁷  we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, ⁹⁸  but don’t hesitate ⁹⁹  to invade and conquer ¹⁰⁰  the land.

Hakim-hakim 18:12

18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. ¹⁰¹  It is west ¹⁰²  of Kiriath Jearim.)

Hakim-hakim 18:19

18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser ¹⁰³  and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” ¹⁰⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 19:3

19:3 her husband came ¹⁰⁵  after her, hoping he could convince her to return. ¹⁰⁶  He brought with him his servant ¹⁰⁷  and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly. ¹⁰⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 19:30

19:30 Everyone who saw the sight ¹⁰⁹  said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since ¹¹⁰  the Israelites left the land of Egypt! ¹¹¹  Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”

[3:20]  ¹ tn Or “cool.” This probably refers to a room with latticed windows which allowed the breeze to pass through. See B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 144.

[3:20]  ² tn Heb “word of [i.e., from] God.”

[3:20]  ³ tn Or “throne.”

[4:9]  ⁴ tn Or “honor.”

[4:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.

[4:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the Lord will sell Sisera.”

[4:15]  ⁷ tn Or “caused to panic.”

[4:15]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “got down from.”

[6:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”

[6:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”

[6:2]  ¹² tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.

[6:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “saw.”

[6:22]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:22]  ¹⁵ tn Or “Ah!”

[6:22]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).

[6:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.

[6:26]  ¹⁸ tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.

[6:30]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.

[6:31]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”

[6:31]  ²¹ tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”

[6:31]  ²² tn Heb “fights for him.”

[6:31]  ²³ sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.

[6:31]  ²⁴ tn Heb “fight for himself.”

[6:31]  ²⁵ tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).

[6:39]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”

[6:39]  ²⁷ tn Heb “let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”

[7:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”

[7:1]  ²⁹ sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”

[7:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).

[7:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”

[7:2]  ³² tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”

[7:2]  ³³ tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”

[7:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the people.”

[7:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”

[7:22]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”

[7:22]  ³⁷ tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.

[7:22]  ³⁸ tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”

[8:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”

[8:26]  ⁴¹ sn Seventeen hundred gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.

[8:26]  ⁴² tn Or “pendants.”

[8:26]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and all these words.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “our brother.”

[9:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[9:5]  ⁵⁰ tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:5]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “remained.”

[9:15]  ⁵² tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”

[9:15]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in my shade.”

[9:15]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “If not.”

[9:33]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”

[9:51]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “strong.”

[9:51]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.

[10:4]  ⁵⁸ sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.

[10:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”

[11:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.

[11:29]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “was on.”

[11:29]  ⁶² tn Heb “passed through.”

[11:29]  ⁶³ tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”

[12:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “the men of Ephraim were summoned [or “were mustered”].”

[12:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “cross over to fight.”

[12:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “calling”; or “summoning.”

[12:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Your house we will burn over you with fire.”

[13:5]  ⁶⁸ tn Another option is to translate, “you are already pregnant and will have a son.” The earlier reference to her being infertile (v. 3) suggests that her conception is still future, but it is possible that the earlier statement only reflects her perspective (as far as she is concerned, she is infertile). According to this interpretation, in v. 5 the angel reveals the truth to her – actually she has recently conceived and is now pregnant (see the translation in R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 217). Usage favors this interpretation. The predicate adjective הָרָה (harah, “[be/become] pregnant”) elsewhere has a past (1 Sam 4:19) or present (Gen 16:11; 38:25; 2 Sam 11:5) translation value. (The usage in Isa 7:14 is debated, but a present translation is definitely possible there.) A final, but less likely possibility, is that she miraculously conceived during the angel’s speech, sometime between his statements recorded in vv. 3 and 5.

[13:5]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “a razor should not go up on his head.”

[13:5]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).

[13:5]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “hand.”

[14:16]  ⁷² tn Heb “on him.”

[14:16]  ⁷³ tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”

[14:16]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the sons of my people.”

[14:16]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Should I tell you?”

[14:17]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “on him.”

[14:17]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the seven days [during] which they held the party.” This does not mean she cried for the entire seven days; v. 15 indicates otherwise. She cried for the remainder of the seven day period, beginning on the fourth day.

[14:17]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “because she forced him.”

[14:17]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “she told the riddle to the sons of her people.”

[14:19]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”

[14:19]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”

[14:19]  ⁸² tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”

[15:19]  ⁸³ tn The word translated “basin” refers to a circular-shaped depression in the land’s surface.

[15:19]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “spirit.”

[15:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “named it”; the referent (the spring) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:19]  ⁸⁶ sn The name En Hakkore means “Spring of the one who cries out.”

[16:9]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting for her.” The grammatically singular form וְהָאֹרֵב (vÿha’orev) is collective here, referring to the rulers as a group (so also in v. 16).

[16:9]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:9]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “when it smells fire.”

[16:9]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “His strength was not known.”

[16:17]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[16:17]  ⁹² tn Heb “a razor has not come upon my head.”

[16:17]  ⁹³ tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).

[16:17]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “from the womb of my mother.”

[16:17]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “I.” The referent has been made more specific in the translation (“my head”).

[18:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Arise, and let us go up against them.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁷ tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX adds “we entered and walked around in the land as far as Laish and.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “But you are inactive.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “be lazy.”

[18:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “to go”; “to enter”; “to possess.”

[18:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “Mahaneh Dan”; the Hebrew term “Mahaneh” means “camp [of].” Many English versions retain the transliterated Hebrew expression, but cf. CEV “Dan’s Camp.”

[18:12]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “behind.”

[18:19]  ¹⁰³ tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.

[18:19]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man or for you to be priest for a tribe, for a clan in Israel?”

[19:3]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “arose and came.”

[19:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.”

[19:3]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “young man.”

[19:3]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.”

[19:30]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The words “the sight” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[19:30]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “from the day.”

[19:30]  ¹¹¹ tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the following additional words: “And he instructed the men whom he sent out, ‘Thus you will say to every male Israelite: “There has never been anything like this from the day the Israelites left Egypt till the present day.”’”