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.’ 1 But you have disobeyed me. 2 Why would you do such a thing? 3
Judges 2:22
2:22 Joshua left those nations 4 to test 5 Israel. I wanted to see 6 whether or not the people 7 would carefully walk in the path 8 marked out by 9 the Lord, as their ancestors 10 were careful to do.”
Judges 3:10
3:10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him 11 and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. 12
Judges 5:16
5:16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, 13
listening to the shepherds playing their pipes 14 for their flocks? 15
As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.
Judges 6:10
6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship 16 the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’” 17
Judges 11:7
11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 18 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?”
Judges 11:36
11:36 She said to him, “My father, since 19 you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. 20 After all, the Lord vindicated you before 21 your enemies, the Ammonites.”
Judges 13:14
13:14 She should not drink 22 anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. 23 She should obey everything I commanded her to do.”
Judges 15:10
15:10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking 24 us?” The Philistines 25 said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.”
Judges 16:20
16:20 She said, “The Philistines are here, 26 Samson!” He woke up 27 and thought, 28 “I will do as I did before 29 and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.
Judges 21:11
21:11 Do this: 30 exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. 31 But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed. 32
1 tn Heb “their altars.”
2 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
3 tn Heb “What is this you have done?”
4 tn The words “Joshua left those nations” are interpretive. The Hebrew text of v. 22 simply begins with “to test.” Some subordinate this phrase to “I will no longer remove” (v. 21). In this case the Lord announces that he has now decided to leave these nations as a test for Israel. Another possibility is to subordinate “to test” to “He said” (v. 20; see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 111). In this case the statement recorded in vv. 20b-21 is the test in that it forces Israel to respond either positively (through repentance) or negatively to the Lord’s declaration. A third possibility (the one reflected in the present translation) is to subordinate “to test” to “left unconquered” (v. 21). In this case the Lord recalls that Joshua left these nations as a test. Israel has failed the test (v. 20), so the Lord announces that the punishment threatened earlier (Josh 23:12-13; see also Judg 2:3) will now be implemented. As B. G. Webb (Judges [JSOTSup], 115) observes, “The nations which were originally left as a test are now left as a punishment.” This view best harmonizes v. 23, which explains that the Lord did not give all the nations to Joshua, with v. 22. (For a grammatical parallel, where the infinitive construct of נָסָה [nasah] is subordinated to the perfect of עָזַב [’azav], see 2 Chr 32:31.)
5 tn The Hebrew text includes the phrase “by them,” but this is somewhat redundant in English and has been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 tn The words “I [i.e., the Lord] wanted to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Or “way [of life].”
9 tn “The words “marked out by” are interpretive.
10 tn Or “fathers.”
11 tn Heb “was on him.”
12 tn Heb “his hand was strong against Cushan-Rishathaim.”
13 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishpÿtayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”
14 tn Or “whistling.”
15 tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”
16 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
17 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
18 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
19 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
20 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”
21 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
22 tn Heb “eat.”
23 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
24 tn Or “come up against.”
25 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Heb “are upon you.”
27 tn The Hebrew adds, “from his sleep.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
28 tn Heb “and said.”
29 tn Heb “I will go out as before.”
30 tn Heb “And this is the thing that you will do.”
31 tn Heb “every woman who is familiar with the bed of a male.”
32 tc Some Greek witnesses (notably Codex Vaticanus [B]) add the words, “‘But the virgins you should keep alive.’ And they did so.” These additional words, which probably represent the original Hebrew text, can be retroverted: וְאֶת־הַבְּתוּלוֹת תְּחַיּוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן (ve’et-habbÿtulot tÿkhayyu vayya’asu khen). It is likely that a scribe’s eye jumped from the vav (ו) on וְאֶת (vÿ’et) to the initial vav of v. 11, accidentally leaving out the intervening letters. The present translation is based on this reconstruction.