שֹׁפְטִים

Nevi’im - נביאים

Shoftim - Chapter 1

And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying: ‘Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?’

And LORD said: ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.’

And Judah said unto Simeon his brother: ‘Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot.’ So Simeon went with him.

And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

And Adoni-bezek said: ‘Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered food under my table; as I have done, so God hath requited me.’ And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. {P}

And the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the Lowland.

And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron — now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba — and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir — now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiriath-sepher.

And Caleb said: ‘He that smiteth Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.’

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

And it came to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field; and she alighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her: ‘What wouldest thou?’

And she said unto him: ‘Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the Southland, give me therefore springs of water.’ And Caleb gave her the Upper Springs and the Nether Springs. {P}

And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people.

And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

Also Judah took Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the border thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof.

And the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses had spoken; and he drove out thence the three sons of Anak.

And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem, unto this day. {P}

And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el; and the LORD was with them.

And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el — now the name of the city beforetime was Luz.

And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him: ‘Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee.’

And he showed them the entrance into the city, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go and all his family.

And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof unto this day. {P}

And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites were resolved to dwell in that land.

And it came to pass, when Israel was waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to task-work, but did in no wise drive them out. {S}

And Ephraim drove not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. {S}

Zebulun drove not out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributary. {S}

Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob; but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. {S}

Naphtali drove not out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributary unto them.

And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill-country; for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley.

But the Amorites were resolved to dwell in Harheres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributary.

And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward. {P}

Shoftim - Chapter 2

And the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. {P} And he said: ‘… I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said: I will never break My covenant with you; and ye shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall break down their altars; but ye have not hearkened unto My voice; what is this ye have done?

Wherefore I also said: I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be unto you as snares, and their gods shall be a trap unto you.’

And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

And they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. {P}

Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD, that He had wrought for Israel.

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old.

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, that knew not the LORD, nor yet the work which He had wrought for Israel. {P}

And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baalim.

And they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and worshipped them; and they provoked the LORD.

And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He gave them over into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken, and as the LORD had sworn unto them; and they were sore distressed.

And the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

And yet they hearkened not unto their judges, for they went astray after other gods, and worshipped them; they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not so.

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented the LORD because of their groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them.