Judges 1:1

Judah Takes the Lead

1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked ¹  the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” ² 

Judges 2:4

2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ³ 

Judges 6:3

6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, ⁴  the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. ⁵ 

Judges 6:6

6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

Judges 8:33

Israel Returns to Baal-Worship

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ⁶  their god.

Judges 10:11

10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

Judges 20:27

20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days;

Judges 20:30

20:30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; ⁷  they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before.

Judges 20:35

20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. ⁸ 

Judges 20:41

20:41 When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked ⁹  because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. ¹⁰ 

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¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the Lord through a prophetic oracle; cf. NAB “consulted.”

² tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”

³ tn Heb “lifted their voices and wept.”

⁴ tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”

⁵ tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (vÿ’alu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ’alayv).

⁶ sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.

⁷ tn Heb “the third day.”

⁸ tn Heb “And the sons of Israel struck down in Benjamin that day 25,100 men, all of these wielding the sword.”

⁹ tn Or “were terrified.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “disaster touched against them.”