Judges 1:7

1:7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up¹ food scraps² under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.”³ They brought him to Jerusalem,⁴ where he died.

Judges 2:2

2:2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’⁵ But you have disobeyed me.⁶ Why would you do such a thing?⁷

Judges 3:28

3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!”⁸ They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River⁹ opposite Moab,¹⁰ and did not let anyone cross.

Judges 4:18-19

4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest,¹¹ my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera¹² stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again.

Judges 6:10

6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship¹³ the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’”¹⁴

Judges 6:24

6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”¹⁵ To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Judges 8:5

8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give¹⁶ some loaves of bread to the men¹⁷ who are following me,¹⁸ because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

Judges 8:18

8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me¹⁹ the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.”²⁰

Judges 8:24

8:24 Gideon continued,²¹ “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.”²² (The Midianites²³ had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

Judges 9:7

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news,²⁴ he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,²⁵ “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

Judges 9:15

9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose²⁶ me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches!²⁷ Otherwise²⁸ may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

Judges 9:54

9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,²⁹ “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say,³⁰ ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died.

Judges 11:31

11:31 then whoever is the first to come through³¹ the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he³² will belong to the Lord and³³ I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”

Judges 11:36

11:36 She said to him, “My father, since³⁴ you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised.³⁵ After all, the Lord vindicated you before³⁶ your enemies, the Ammonites.”

Judges 12:2

12:2 Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were entangled in controversy with the Ammonites.³⁷ I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me from their power.³⁸

Judges 12:5

12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River³⁹ opposite Ephraim.⁴⁰ Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive⁴¹ said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked⁴² him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Judges 16:7

16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh⁴³ bowstrings⁴⁴ that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Judges 16:11

16:11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used,⁴⁵ I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Judges 16:30

16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard⁴⁶ and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life.⁴⁷

Judges 18:24

18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’”⁴⁸

Judges 19:19

19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant,⁴⁹ and the young man who is with your servants.⁵⁰ We lack nothing.”

¹tn Elsewhere this verb usually carries the sense of “to gather; to pick up; to glean,” but “lick up” seems best here in light of the peculiar circumstances described by Adoni-Bezek.

²tn The words “food scraps” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

³tn Heb “Just as I did, so God has repaid me.” Note that the phrase “to them” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.

⁴map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵tn Heb “their altars.”

⁶tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”

⁷tn Heb “What is this you have done?”

⁸tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”

⁹tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

¹⁰tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.

¹¹tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).

¹²tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³tn Heb “Do not fear.”

¹⁴tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”

¹⁵tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.”

¹⁶tn Or perhaps, “sell.”

¹⁷tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.

¹⁸tn Heb “who are at my feet.”

¹⁹tn Heb “Where are?”

²⁰tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”

²¹tn Heb “said to them.”

²²tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”

²³tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁴tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

²⁵tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

²⁶tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”

²⁷tn Heb “in my shade.”

²⁸tn Heb “If not.”

²⁹tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³⁰tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³¹tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.

³²tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.

³³tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the Lord’s service, but if an animal comes through the doors, he will offer it up as a sacrifice. However, it is far more likely that the Hebrew construction (vav [ו] + perfect) specifies how the subject will become the Lord’s, that is, by being offered up as a sacrifice. For similar constructions, where the apodosis of a conditional sentence has at least two perfects (each with vav) in sequence, see Gen 34:15-16; Exod 18:16.

³⁴tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

³⁵tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”

³⁶tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”

³⁷tn Heb A man of great strife I was and my people and the Ammonites.”

³⁸tn Heb “hand.”

³⁹tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁴⁰tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

⁴¹tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

⁴²tn Heb “say to.”

⁴³tn Or “moist.”

⁴⁴tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.

⁴⁵tn Heb “with which no work has been done.”

⁴⁶tn Heb “he stretched out with strength.”

⁴⁷tn Heb “And the ones whom he killed in his death were many more than he killed in his life.”

⁴⁸tn Heb “What is this you say to me, ‘What to you?’”

⁴⁹tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.

⁵⁰tc Some Hebrew mss and ancient witnesses read the singular, “your servant,” which would refer to the Levite. If one retains the plural, then both the Levite and his wife are in view. In either case the pronominal suffix emphasizes their dependence on the old man for shelter.