Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation¹ would again² act more wickedly than the previous one.³ They would follow after other gods, worshiping them⁴ and bowing down to them. They did not give up⁵ their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 5:14

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

they follow⁷ after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came⁸ the ones who march carrying⁹ an officer’s staff.

Judges 7:20

7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right.¹⁰ Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

Judges 8:18

8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me¹¹ the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.”¹²

Judges 9:27

9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes,¹³ squeezed out the juice,¹⁴ and celebrated. They came to the temple¹⁵ of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech.

Judges 15:13-14

15:13 They said to him, “We promise!¹⁶ We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff. 15:14 When he arrived in Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they approached him. But the Lord’s spirit empowered¹⁷ him. The ropes around his arms were like flax dissolving in¹⁸ fire, and they¹⁹ melted away from his hands.

Judges 19:15

19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night²⁰ in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night.²¹

Judges 19:25

19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite²² grabbed his concubine and made her go outside.²³ They raped²⁴ her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn.

Judges 20:5

20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying.²⁵ They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died.

Judges 21:23

21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed.²⁶ They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives.²⁷ They went home²⁸ to their own territory,²⁹ rebuilt their cities, and settled down.³⁰

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

²tn 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.

³tn 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).

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

⁵tn Or “drop.”

⁶tn 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).

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

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

⁹tn Or possibly “who carry.”

¹⁰tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹¹tn Heb “Where are?”

¹²tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”

¹³tn Heb “vineyards.”

¹⁴tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.

¹⁵tn Heb “house.”

¹⁶tn Heb “No,” meaning that they will not harm him.

¹⁷tn Heb “rushed on.”

¹⁸tn Heb “burned with.”

¹⁹tn Heb “his bonds.”

²⁰tn Heb “they turned aside there to enter to spend the night.”

²¹tn Heb “and he entered and sat down, and there was no one receiving them into the house to spend the night.”

²²tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³tn Heb “and he caused [her] to go outside to them.”

²⁴tn Heb “knew,” in the sexual sense.

²⁵tn Heb “arose against me and surrounded against me the house at night.”

²⁶tn Heb “did so.”

²⁷tn Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”

²⁸tn Heb “went and returned.”

²⁹tn Heb “inheritance.”

³⁰tn Heb “and lived in them.”