Bible in one year 5/18/2022 Judges 4-9
By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling
Judge 4 Canaanite Oppression
and Deliverance by Deborah and Barak
This Jabin ruled about a century
later than the one mentioned in Josh. 11. Hazor, the most important stronghold
in northern Canaan, was four miles SW. of Lake Huleh on a principal trade
route. The Kishon River.(v.7). A stream that flows through the valley of
Jezreel. Aparenthetical note introducing the family of Jael(v.17; 1:16). Verse
15, according to 5:21 the Lord sent rain that flooded the stream and valley,
neutralizing the chariots. A similar thing happened when Napolean defeated the
Turks in the same place in A.D. 1799. Verse 21 Cf.5:26 for more details. The
mallet and tent peg were easily accessible, since pitching a tent was the
woman’s job.
Judge Chapter 5 Deborah’s song
This chapter contains the postic
version of the prose account of chapter 4. Shamgar.(v.6)(3:31). Because the
Canaanites controlled the roads, the Israelites had to use other routes. Israel
turned to idolatry and was unarmed.(v.8). Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher
refused to join in the battle against Sisera.(vv.15-17). A reference to the
cloudburst God sent. Verse22 Apparently the hooves of the horses stamped the
ground in their effort to escape the flood of water. Verse 23 the town of Meroz
did not help the Israelites and was cursed for it. The scene shifts to Sisera’s
home. His mother’s concern is abated by the assurance that the delay in
Sisera’s return was caused by the dividing of the spoils. (vv.28-30)
Judge Chapter 6 Midianite Oppression
and Gideon’s Deliverance
The Midianites. (v.1) refer to
Ex.2:15 and Num.31:2. Amalekites(v.3). The other eastern peoples included other
nomads from the Syrian desert region. The use of camels made long distance
raids possible.(v.5). the angel of the
Lord(v.11). Another theophany(2:1; Gen.16:9) Abiezer was a son of Manasseh(Josh.17:2)
Gideon’s threshing wheat in a wine press was an act of desperation, lest the
Midianites discover and seize even the small amount that could be threshed that
way. Fire(v.21). The sign of divine
acceptance of Gideon’s offering(Lev.9:24). The
wood of the Asherah pole.(v.26). So deep was their commitment to idolatry
that these men were eager to kill the one who destroyed Baal’s altar (v.30). Joash’s logic is irrefutable: a god who
can’t save himself is not worth worshiping. (v.31). Jerub-Baal (v.32) The meaning is let Baal contend”. Jezreel (v.33) is the eastern part of
the plain of Megiddo, an historic battleground in the heart of Palestine. Here
it is said that the Spirit literally clothed Gideon. (3:10). Gideon evidently
realized that the previous sign may not have been a sign at all (v.38), since
the ground would naturally have dried before the fleece. (v.39).Fleece.Shorn wool.
Judge 7 Gideon’s conquests
The well-know Mount
Gilead is E. of the Jordan. This may be another one, otherwise unmentioned; or
perhaps leave should be translated “go toward.” (v.3). Like a dog (v.5)
Evidently the three hundred used their hands to bring the water to their
mouths, while standing upright, just as a dog uses his tongue to bring the
water to his mouth. This proved them to be watchful and alert in contrast to
those who knelt. Trumpets(v.16). Ram’s horns. Jars. Earthenware vessels in
which the provisions mentioned in verse 8 were possibly carried. The beginning
of the middle watch(v.19). About 10 p.m the smashing of the jars not only made
noise but allowed the lights to be seen suddenly.
Judge 8 The Ephraimites
complained that they had not been in on the initial rout of the Midianites.
The Ephraimites complained that they had not been in one the initial
rout of the Midianites. Gideon’s soft answer, reminding them that they had
captured two Midianite chiefs(7:24-25) calmed them. Succoth was E. of the
Jordan and N.of the Jabbok River (vv.5-6). The residents did not wish to take a
chance helping Gideon until they were certain that he had captured the
Midianite chiefs. Peniel(v.8) was four miles E. of Succoth. These people also
tried to remain neutral. (Gen.32:30). Gideon had the leaders of Succoth dragged
over thorns, which probably resulted in their deaths.(v.16). For Jether to have
performed the execution would have been an honor for the boy and greater
humiliation for those to be slain. (v.20). The ornaments were worn as amulets
(Isa.3:18) (v.21). Ishmaelites.(v.24).A term for nomadic traders, which the
Midianites were (Gen.37:25). This was at least 350 ounces of gold, more if the
reference is to the “heavy” shekel.(v.26). The form of the ephod is not known,
but clearly it became an object of idolatrous worship.(v.27).
Judges chapter 9
Abimelech’s Tyranny
Though
Gideon declined to start a dynasty, Abimelech (his son by a concubine from
Sheshem) had other ideas. He appealed to his family ties in Shechem, received
silver from the idol temple treasury, killed all but one of Gideon’s other
sons, and was made king. On one stone(v.5) implies that the execution was
public. By his standing on a lower slope of Mt. Gerizim overlooking Shechem,
Jotham’s parable could be heard by the people of Shechem.(v.7). The point of
Jotham’s warning is simply that Abimelech, like a bramble, could offer no real
security to the people of Shechem, instead, he would be both the cause and the
means of their destruction (vv.42-49,57). Beer
means “well” (v.21). An evil spirit
(v.23). A demon, as also in 1 Sam.16:14 and 2 Cor.12:7)(v.23). Gaal appealed to
the people to restore the ancient Shechemite aristocracy ( regarding Hamore,
(Gen.34:25-29),hinting that he himself would be a good man to lead
them.(vv.28-29). Scattered salt over it.(v.45). A symbolic ritual, with obvious
direct effects that condemned the land to desolation. Later, Shechem was
rebuilt by Jeroboam(1Kings 12:25). The tower(v.46), apparently a stronghold
outside the city. The nearby temple of Baal, to which the men of the tower
fled, was burned down by Abimelech and his men(v.49). A woman dropped an upper
millstone on Abimelech’s head and bracked his skull, Abimelech wanted to avoid
the disgrace of dying at the hands of a woman(v.54). so he called his
armor-bearer to draw the sword and killed him. Thus God repaid the wickedness that
Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. (v.56).
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Old
Testament (NIV) Judges Chapter 4 -9
Chapter 4 Deborah
4:1 After Ehud died,
the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.
4:2 So the LORD sold
them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The
commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.
4:3 Because he had
nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty
years, they cried to the LORD for help.
4:4 Deborah, a
prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.
4:5 She held court
under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of
Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.
4:6 She sent for Barak
son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God
of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and
Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor.
4:7 I will lure
Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the
Kishon River and give him into your hands.'"
4:8 Barak said to her,
"If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't
go."
4:9 "Very
well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you
are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand
Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh,
4:10 where he summoned
Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with
him.
4:11 Now Heber the
Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses'
brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near
Kedesh.
4:12 When they told
Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
4:13 Sisera gathered
together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from
Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
4:14 Then Deborah said
to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands.
Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor,
followed by ten thousand men.
4:15 At Barak's
advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and
Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
4:16 But Barak pursued
the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera
fell by the sword; not a man was left.
4:17 Sisera, however,
fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there
were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the
Kenite.
4:18 Jael went out to
meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be
afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.
4:19 "I'm
thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a
skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.
4:20 "Stand in
the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks
you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'"
4:21 But Jael, Heber's
wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay
fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground,
and he died.
4:22 Barak came by in
pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said,
"I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her,
and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple--dead.
4:23 On that day God
subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites.
4:24 And the hand of
the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king,
until they destroyed him.
Chapter 5 The Song of Deborah
5:1 On that day
Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
5:2 "When the
princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer
themselves--praise the LORD!
5:3 "Hear this,
you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will
make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.
5:4 "O LORD, when
you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth
shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.
5:5 The mountains
quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
5:6 "In the days
of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
5:7 Village life in
Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.
5:8 When they chose
new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among
forty thousand in Israel.
5:9 My heart is with
Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the
LORD!
5:10 "You who
ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along
the road, consider
5:11 the voice of the
singers at the watering places. They recite the righteous acts of the LORD, the
righteous acts of his warriors in Israel. "Then the people of the LORD
went down to the city gates.
5:12 'Wake up, wake
up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive
your captives, O son of Abinoam.'
5:13 "Then the
men who were left came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came to me
with the mighty.
5:14 Some came from
Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed
you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander's
staff.
5:15 The princes of
Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, rushing after him
into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
5:16 Why did you stay
among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of
Reuben there was much searching of heart.
5:17 Gilead stayed
beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on
the coast and stayed in his coves.
5:18 The people of
Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.
5:19 "Kings came,
they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but they carried off no silver, no plunder.
5:20 From the heavens
the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.
5:21 The river Kishon
swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be
strong!
5:22 Then thundered
the horses' hoofs--galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
5:23 'Curse Meroz,'
said the angel of the LORD. 'Curse its people bitterly, because they did not
come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.'
5:24 "Most
blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of
tent-dwelling women.
5:25 He asked for
water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled
milk.
5:26 Her hand reached
for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera,
she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.
5:27 At her feet he
sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there
he fell--dead.
5:28 "Through the
window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his
chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?'
5:29 The wisest of her
ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
5:30 'Are they not
finding and dividing the spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments
as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered
garments for my neck--all this as plunder?'
5:31 "So may all
your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it
rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years.
Chapter
6 Gideon
6:1 Again the
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them
into the hands of the Midianites.
6:2 Because the power
of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in
mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
6:3 Whenever the
Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern
peoples invaded the country.
6:4 They camped on the
land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing
for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
6:5 They came up with
their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to
count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.
6:6 Midian so
impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
6:7 When the
Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian,
6:8 he sent them a
prophet, who said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I
brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
6:9 I snatched you
from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them
from before you and gave you their land.
6:10 I said to you, 'I
am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
you live.' But you have not listened to me."
6:11 The angel of the
LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the
Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it
from the Midianites.
6:12 When the angel of
the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty
warrior."
6:13 "But
sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this
happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when
they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has
abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."
6:14 The LORD turned
to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of
Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"
6:15 "But
Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest
in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
6:16 The LORD
answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites
together."
6:17 Gideon replied,
"If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really
you talking to me.
6:18 Please do not go
away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And
the LORD said, "I will wait until you return."
6:19 Gideon went in,
prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast.
Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and
offered them to him under the oak.
6:20 The angel of God
said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this
rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so.
6:21 With the tip of
the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the
unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread.
And the angel of the LORD disappeared.
6:22 When Gideon
realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign
LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
6:23 But the LORD said
to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."
6:24 So Gideon built
an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it
stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 That same night
the LORD said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the
one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the
Asherah pole beside it.
6:26 Then build a
proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the
wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt
offering."
6:27 So Gideon took
ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of
his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the
daytime.
6:28 In the morning
when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah
pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built
altar!
6:29 They asked each
other, "Who did this?" When they carefully investigated, they were
told, "Gideon son of Joash did it."
6:30 The men of the
town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has
broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."
6:31 But Joash replied
to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are
you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by
morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks
down his altar."
6:32 So that day they
called Gideon "Jerub-Baal," saying, "Let Baal contend with
him," because he broke down Baal's altar.
6:33 Now all the
Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over
the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
6:34 Then the Spirit
of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites
to follow him.
6:35 He sent
messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,
Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.
6:36 Gideon said to
God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised--
6:37 look, I will
place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece
and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my
hand, as you said."
6:38 And that is what
happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out
the dew--a bowlful of water.
6:39 Then Gideon said
to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow
me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground
covered with dew."
6:40 That night God
did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Chapter 7 Gideon
Defeats the Midianites
7:1 Early in the
morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of
Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of
Moreh.
7:2 The LORD said to
Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands.
In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved
her,
7:3 announce now to
the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount
Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
7:4 But the LORD said
to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and
I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he
shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not
go."
7:5 So Gideon took the
men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap
the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to
drink."
7:6 Three hundred men
lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees
to drink.
7:7 The LORD said to
Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give
the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own
place."
7:8 So Gideon sent the
rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over
the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him
in the valley.
7:9 During that night
the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am
going to give it into your hands.
7:10 If you are afraid
to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah
7:11 and listen to
what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the
camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.
7:12 The Midianites,
the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley,
thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the
seashore.
7:13 Gideon arrived
just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was
saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite
camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and
collapsed."
7:14 His friend
responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of
Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his
hands."
7:15 When Gideon heard
the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of
Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into
your hands."
7:16 Dividing the
three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in
the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
7:17 "Watch
me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the
camp, do exactly as I do.
7:18 When I and all
who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and
shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'"
7:19 Gideon and the
hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the
middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets
and broke the jars that were in their hands.
7:20 The three
companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their
left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow,
they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"
7:21 While each man
held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they
fled.
7:22 When the three
hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn
on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah
as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
7:23 Israelites from
Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the
Midianites.
7:24 Gideon sent
messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down
against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far
as Beth Barah." So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took
the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah.
7:25 They also
captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the
rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites
and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.
Chapter 8 Zebah
and Zalmunna
8:1 Now the
Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't
you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him
sharply.
8:2 But he answered
them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of
Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?
8:3 God gave Oreb and
Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to
you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.
8:4 Gideon and his
three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and
crossed it.
8:5 He said to the men
of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still
pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
8:6 But the officials
of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in
your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"
8:7 Then Gideon
replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into
my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."
8:8 From there he went
up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of
Succoth had.
8:9 So he said to the
men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this
tower."
8:10 Now Zebah and
Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that
were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand
swordsmen had fallen.
8:11 Gideon went up by
the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the
unsuspecting army.
8:12 Zebah and
Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them,
routing their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of
Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.
8:14 He caught a young
man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the
names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town.
8:15 Then Gideon came
and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom
you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna
in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'"
8:16 He took the
elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them
with desert thorns and briers.
8:17 He also pulled
down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
8:18 Then he asked
Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?"
"Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a
prince."
8:19 Gideon replied,
"Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD
lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you."
8:20 Turning to
Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw
his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.
8:21 Zebah and
Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his
strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the
ornaments off their camels' necks.
Gideon’s Ephod
8:22 The Israelites
said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son and your grandson--because
you have saved us out of the hand of Midian."
8:23 But Gideon told
them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD
will rule over you."
8:24 And he said,
"I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your
share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold
earrings.)
8:25 They answered,
"We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each
man threw a ring from his plunder onto it.
8:26 The weight of the
gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the
ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or
the chains that were on their camels' necks.
8:27 Gideon made the
gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted
themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his
family.
Gideon’s Death
8:28 Thus Midian was
subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's
lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years.
8:29 Jerub-Baal son of
Joash went back home to live.
8:30 He had seventy
sons of his own, for he had many wives.
8:31 His concubine,
who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech.
8:32 Gideon son of
Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in
Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 No sooner had
Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They
set up Baal-Berith as their god and
8:34 did not remember
the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on
every side.
8:35 They also failed
to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good
things he had done for them.
Chapter 9 Abimelek
9:1 Abimelech son of
Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all
his mother's clan,
9:2 "Ask all the
citizens of Shechem, 'Which is better for you: to have all seventy of
Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh
and blood."
9:3 When the brothers
repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow
Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."
9:4 They gave him
seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it
to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers.
9:5 He went to his
father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the
sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by
hiding.
9:6 Then all the
citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar
in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
9:7 When Jotham was
told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them,
"Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
9:8 One day the trees
went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our
king.'
9:9 "But the
olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are
honored, to hold sway over the trees?'
9:10 "Next, the
trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'
9:11 "But the fig
tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over
the trees?'
9:12 "Then the
trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'
9:13 "But the
vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to
hold sway over the trees?'
9:14 "Finally all
the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'
9:15 "The
thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you,
come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the
thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'
9:16 "Now if you
have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you
have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he
deserves--
9:17 and to think that
my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian
9:18 (but today you
have revolted against my father's family, murdered his seventy sons on a single
stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of
Shechem because he is your brother)--
9:19 if then you have
acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may
Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!
9:20 But if you have
not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and
Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo,
and consume Abimelech!"
9:21 Then Jotham fled,
escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother
Abimelech.
9:22 After Abimelech
had governed Israel three years,
9:23 God sent an evil
spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously
against Abimelech.
9:24 God did this in
order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their
blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of
Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
9:25 In opposition to
him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob
everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.
9:26 Now Gaal son of
Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their
confidence in him.
9:27 After they had
gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a
festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they
cursed Abimelech.
9:28 Then Gaal son of
Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be
subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve
the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech?
9:29 If only this
people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to
Abimelech, 'Call out your whole army!'"
9:30 When Zebul the
governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry.
9:31 Under cover he
sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers
have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
9:32 Now then, during
the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields.
9:33 In the morning at
sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you,
do whatever your hand finds to do."
9:34 So Abimelech and
all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in
four companies.
9:35 Now Gaal son of
Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as
Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place.
9:36 When Gaal saw
them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the
mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains
for men."
9:37 But Gaal spoke up
again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a
company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree."
9:38 Then Zebul said
to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that
we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and
fight them!"
9:39 So Gaal led out
the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech.
9:40 Abimelech chased
him, and many fell wounded in the flight--all the way to the entrance to the
gate.
9:41 Abimelech stayed
in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
9:42 The next day the
people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech.
9:43 So he took his
men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he
saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them.
9:44 Abimelech and the
companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city
gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down.
9:45 All that day
Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and
killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.
9:46 On hearing this,
the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of
El-Berith.
9:47 When Abimelech
heard that they had assembled there,
9:48 he and all his
men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he
lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you
have seen me do!"
9:49 So all the men
cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and
set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of
Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
9:50 Next Abimelech
went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.
9:51 Inside the city,
however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women--all the people of
the city--fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
9:52 Abimelech went to
the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set
it on fire,
9:53 a woman dropped
an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
9:54 Hurriedly he
called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they
can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he
died.
9:55 When the
Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
9:56 Thus God repaid
the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy
brothers.
9:57 God also made the
men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of
Jerub-Baal came on them.
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie
study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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