Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation ¹  would again ²  act more wickedly than the previous one. ³  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ⁴  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ⁵  their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 5:14

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, ⁶ 

they follow ⁷  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ⁸  the ones who march carrying ⁹  an officer’s staff.

Judges 7:19

7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp ¹⁰  at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. ¹¹ 

Judges 10:1

Stability Restored

10:1 After Abimelech’s death, ¹²  Tola son of Puah, grandson ¹³  of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, ¹⁴  rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country.

Judges 11:36

11:36 She said to him, “My father, since ¹⁵  you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. ¹⁶  After all, the Lord vindicated you before ¹⁷  your enemies, the Ammonites.”

Judges 11:39

11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. ¹⁸  Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. ¹⁹ 

Judges 13:21

13:21 The Lord’s messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the Lord’s messenger. ²⁰ 

Judges 19:23

19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing!

Judges 21:7

21:7 How can we find wives for those who are left? ²¹  After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.”

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¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to turn”) is sometimes translated “turn back” here, but it is probably used in an adverbial sense, indicating that the main action (“act wickedly”) is being repeated.

³ tn Heb “their fathers.”

sn The statement the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one must refer to the successive sinful generations after Joshua, not Joshua’s godly generation (cf. vv. 7, 17).

⁴ tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”

⁵ tn Or “drop.”

⁶ tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (’amaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).

⁷ tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn Or possibly “who carry.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”

¹¹ tn Heb “that were in their hands.”

¹² tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹³ tn Heb “son.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”

¹⁵ tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁶ tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”

¹⁷ tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.

¹⁹ tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”

²⁰ tn Heb “Then Manoah knew that he was the Lord’s messenger.”

²¹ tn Heb “What should we do for them, for the remaining ones, concerning wives?”