Jephthah performeth his vow.

JUDGES. with a very great flaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were fubdued before the chil. dren of Ifrael.

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his houfe, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and the was his only child: befide her he had neither fon nor daughter.

35 And it came to pafs, when he faw her, that he rent his clothes, and faid, Alas, my daughter! thou hatt brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

36 And the faid unto him, My father, if thou haft opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; torafmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37 And the faid unto her father, Let this thing be done for me; Let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

38 And he faid, Go. And he fent her away for two months: and the went with her

companions, and bewailed her virginity

upon the mountains.

39 And it came to pafs at the end of two months, that the returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and the knew no man. And it was a cuftom in Ifrael,

40 That the daughters of Ifrael went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

CHA P. XII.

1 The Ephraimites difcerned by Shibboleth, are flain by the Gileadites. 7 Fephthah's death.

An angel appeareth to Manoab, 7 And Jephthah judged Ifrael fix years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the Cities of Gilead."

8 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Ifrael.

9 And he had thirty fons and thirty daughters, whom he fent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his fons: and he judged Ifrael feven years.

10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem:

11 And after him Elon a Zebulonite judged Ifrael; and he judged Ifrael ten years. 12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon, in the country of Zebulun. 13 And after him Abdon the fon of Hillel, a Pírathonite, judged Ifracl.

14 And he had forty fons, and thirty nephews, that rode on threef ore and ten asscolts: and he judged ifrael eight years.

15 And Abdon the fon of Hillel the Pi. rathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. CHAP. XIII.

Ifrael is in the hands of the Philiftines. An angel appeareth to Manoab's wife; 8 and to Manoah. 15 Mansak's facrifice, &c.. AND the children of Ifrael did evil again

in the fight or the LORD; and the LORD. delivered them into the hand of the Philiftines torty years.

2 And there was a certain man of Zo.. rah, of the family of the Danites, whofe name was Manoah: and his wife was barren, and bare not.

3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and faid unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and beareft not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a fon.

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and any unclean thing:

AND the men of Ephraim gathered them, drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not

felves together, and went northward, and faid unto Jephthah, Wherefore paifedit thou over to fight against the chilaren of Ammon, and didft not call us to go with thee? We will burn thine houfe upon thee with fire.

2 And Jephthah faid unto them, I and my people were at great trife with the children of Ammon; and, when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

3 And when I faw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and paffed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: Wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day to fight against me?

4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead fmote Fphraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manatlites.

5 And the Gileadites took the paffages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was Jo, that when thofe Ephraimites which were efcaped faid, Let me go over, that the men of Gilead faid unto him, art thouan Ephraimite! If he faid, Nay;

6 Then faid they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he faid Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and flew him at the paffages of Jordan: and there tell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

5 For, lo, thou fhalt conceive, and bear a fon; and no razor thall come on his head: for the child thall be a Nazarite unto God. from the womb; and he thall begin to deliver Ifrael out of the hand of the Philistines.

6 Then the woman came, and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name.

7 But he faid unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a fon; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and faid, O my LORD, let the man of God which thou didst fend come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that fhall be born.

9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as the fat in the field: but Manoah her huiband was not with her.

Io And the woman made hatte, and ran. * and fhewed her husband, and (aid unto him. Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11 And Manoah arofe, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and faid unto

Samfon's birth:

Chap. xiv, xv. him, Art thou the man that spakeft unto the woman? And he fard, IN.

12 And Manoah fail, Now let thy words come to pafs: How fhall we order the child? and how thall we do unto him?

13 And the angel of the LORD faid unto Manoah, Of all that I faid unto the woman, let her beware.

14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or ftrong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her obferve.

15 And Manoah faid unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, lers detain thee un. til we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16 And the angel of the LORD faid unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, thoa muft offer it unto the LORD: for Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

17 And Manoah faid unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that, when thy fayings come to pafs, we may do thee honour! 18 And the angel of the LORD faid unto him, Why afkeft thou has after my name, feeing it is fecret?

19 So Manoah took a kid, with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 For it came to país, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD afcended in the flame of the altar and Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

21 (But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife.) Then Ma. noah knew that he was an angel of the LORD

22 And Manoah faid unto his wife, We thall furely die, because we have seen God.

23 But his wife faid unto him, If the LORD were pleafed to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands; neither would he have thewed us all these things, nor would, as at this time, have told us fuch things as thefe. 24¶ And the woman bare a fon, and called his name Samfon; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

CHAP. XIV.

1 Samfon defireth a wife of the Philifines:
10 his marriage-feaft, 12 and riddle.
ND Samfon went down to Timnath, and

His marriage-feap.

5 Then went Samfon down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and the pleafed sanfon well.

8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned afide to fee the carcafe of the lion: and behold, there was a (warm of bees and honey in the carcafe of the lion.

9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcafe or the lion.

10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samfon made there a featt; for fo used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they faw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him."

12 And Samfon faid unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you; if ye can cer tainly declare it me within the feven days of the feaft, and find it out, then I will give you thirty theets and thirty change of garments:

13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then thall ye give me thirty fheets and thirty change of garments. And they faid unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14 And he faid unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the ftrong came forth fweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

15 And it came to pafs on the feventh day, that they faid unto Sanfon's wife, Entice thy hu band, that he may declare unto us the riddle, left we burn thee and thy father's houfe with fire: Have ye called us to take that we have? Is it not fo?

16 And Samfon's wife wept before him, and fail, Thou doft but hate me, and loveft me not thou haft put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and haft not told it me. And he faid unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and fhall I tell it thee?

17 And the wept before him the feven days, while their teaft lafted: and it came to pass on the feventh day, that he told her, becaufe the lay fore upon him; and the told the riddle to the children of her people.

18 And the men of the city faid unto him

A law a woman in Timnath of the daugh- on the feventh day before the fun went down,

ters of the Philiftines.

2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and faid, I have feen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife.

3 Then his father and his mother faid unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goeft to take a wife of the uncircumcifed Philiftines? And Samfon faid anto his father, Get her for me; for the pleafeth me well.

4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he fought an occafion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Ifrael.

What is fweeter than honey? and what is ftronger than a lion! And he faid unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Afhkelon, and flew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle: and his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's houfe.

20 But Samfon's wife was given to his corapanion, whom he had ufcd as his friend. CHAP. XV.

1 Samfon is denied his wife: 3 he burneth the Philifines corn: 9 be is bound by the men of Judah, and delivered to the Philifines.

BUT

Samfon killeth the Philiftines;

JUDGES.

UT it came to pafs within a while after,

in

the

He is betrayed by Delilab. great deliverance into the hand of thy fer into the hand of the uncircumcifed?

of harvest, now die for chirit,

fon vifited his wife with a kid; and he faid, I will go in to my wife into the chamber: but her father would not fuffer him to go in.

2 And her father faid, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger fifter fairer than the? Take her, I pray thee, inftead of her.

3 And Samfon faid concerning them, Now thall I be more blameless than the Philiftines, though I do them a difpleasure.

4 And Samfon went and caught three hunsred foxes, and took fire-brands, and turned tail to tail, and put a fire-brand in the mift between two aris.

Ath when he dich fet the brands nofthe he let them go into the flanding-corn of the Philiftines, and burnt up both the thocks and alfo the flanding-corn, with the vineyards and olives.

6Then the Philiftines faid, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samfon, the fon-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his com panion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

7. And Samfon faid unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will ceafe.

8 And he fmote them hip and thigh with a great flaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

10 And the men of Judah faid, Why are ye come up againt us? And they answered, To bind Samfon are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and faid to Samfon, Knoweft thou not that the Philiftines are rulers over us? What is this that thou haft done unto us? And he faid unto them, As they did unto me, fo have I done unto

them.

12 And they faid unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samfon faid unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me your felves

13 And they spake unto him, faying, No; but we will bind thee faft, and deliver thee into their hand: but furely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philiftines shouted againft him and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loofed from off his hands.

15 And he found a new jaw-bone of an afs, and put forth his hand and took it, and flew a, thousand men therewith.

16 And Samfon faid, With the jaw-bone of an afs, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an afs have 1 flain a thousand men.

17 And it came to pafs, when he had made an end of fpeaking, that he caft away the jaw-bone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.

18 And he was fore athirst, and called on the LORD, and faid, Thou haft given this

19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his fpirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

20 And he judged Ifrael in the days of the Philiftines twenty years.

CHAP. XVI.

1 Samfon carrieth away the gates of Gaza: 4 Delilah corrupted by the Philiflines, enticeth him, 15ʻand overcometh him: ai the Philifines put out his eyes: 22 the manner of his death.

TN went Samfon to Gaza, and faw there

an harlot, and went in unto her.'

2 And it was told the Gazives, faying, Samfon is come hither. And hey compaffed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, Taying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

3 And Samfon lay till midnight, and arofe at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two pofts, and went away with them, bar an fall, and put them upon his fhoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

4. And it came to pafs afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whofe name was Delilah.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and faid unto her, Entice him, and fee wherein his great ftrength lieth, and by what means we may prevai. against him, that we may bind him to afflict him and we will give thee, every one of us, eleven hundred pieces of filver.

6 And Delilah faid to Samfon, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great ftrength lieth, and wherewith thou mighteft be bound to af flict thee.

7 And Samfon faid unto her, If they bind me with feven green withs that were never dried, then thall I be weak, and be as another man.

8 Then the lords of the Philiftines brought up to her feven green withs which had not been dried, and the bound him with them.

9 (Now there were men lying in wait abiding with her in the chamber.) And the faid unto him, The Philiftines be upon thee, Samfon. And he brake the withs as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire: fo his ftrength was not known.

10 And Delilah faid unto Samfon, Behold, thou haft mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11 And he faid unto her, If they bind me faft with new ropes that never were occupied, then thall I be weak, and be as another

His eyes are put out;

Chap. xvii, xviii. And he faid unto her, If thou weaveft the feven locks of my head with the web.

14 And the faftened it with the pin, and faid unto him, The Philiftines be upon thee, Samfon. And he awaked out of his fleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15¶ And the faid unto him, How canft thou fay, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou haft mocked me these three times, and haft not told me wherein thy great ftrength lieth.

16 And it came to pafs, when the preffed him daily with her words, and urged him, fo that his foul was vexed unto death,

17 That he told her all his heart, and faid unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine heat; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be thaven,

The manner of his deatd.. on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 And Samfon faid, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all bis might; and the houfe fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein fo the dead which he flew at his death were more than they which he flew in his life.

31 Then his brethren, and all the house of his father, came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eihtaol, in the burying-place of Manoah his father: and he judged Ifrael twenty years.

CHAP. XVII.

1 Micah reftoring the fiolen money to his mother, fhe maketh images: 7 he hireth a Levite to be bis prieft.

then my ftrength will go from me, and I fhall A whole name was Micah.

ND there was a man of mount Ephraim,

become weak, and be like any other man.

18 And when Delilah faw that he had told her all his heart, the fent and called for the lords of the Philiftines, faying, Come up this once: for he hath thewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philiftines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.

19 And the made him fleep upon her knees: and the called for a man, and the caufed nim to fhave of the feven locks of his head; and the began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20 And the faid, The Philiftines be upon thee, Samfon. And he awoke out of his fleep, and faid, I will go out, as at other times be fore, and thake myself. And he wift not that the LORD was departed from him.

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brafs; and he did grind in the prifon-house.

22 Howbeit, the hair of his head began to grow again after he was fhaven.

23 Then the lords of the Philiftines gathered them together for to offer a great facrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they faid, Our god hath delivered Samfon our enemy into our hand.

24 And when the people faw him, they praifed their god; for they faid, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which flew many of

25 And it came to pafs when their hearts were merry, that they faid, Call for Samfon, that he may make us fport. And they called for Samfon out of the prifon-houfe; and he made them fport: and they fet him between the pillars.

26 And Samfon faid unto the lad that held him by the hands, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars, whereupon the houfe ftandeth, that I may lean upon them.

27 Now the houfe was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philiftines were there and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samfon made fport.

28 And Samfon called unto the LORD, and faid, O Lord GOD! remember me, I pray thee, and firengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once aven ged of the Philiftines for my two eyes.

29 And Samfon took hold of the two middie pillars upon which the house food, and

2 And he faid unto his mother, The eleven hundred bekels of filver, that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedft, and spakest of alfo in mine ears; behold, the filver is with me; I took it. And his mother faid, Bieffed be thou of the LORD, my fon.

3 And when he had reftored the eleven hun. dred bekels of filver to his mother, his mother faid, I had wholly dedicated the filver unto the LORD from my hand for my fon, to make a graven image, and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

4 Yet he reftored the money unto his mo ther; and his mother took two hundred be kels of filver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image, and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

And the man Micah had an house of gods, asd made an ephod, and teraphim, and confecrated one of his fons, who became his prieft.

6 In thofe days there was no king in Ifrael, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he fojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah, to fojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 And Micah faid unto him, Whence comeft thou? And he faid unto him, I am a Le. vite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to fo journ where I may find a place.

10 And Micah faid unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten bekels of filver by the year, and a fuit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his fons.

12 And Micah confecrated the Levite: and the young man became his pricft, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then faid Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, feeing I have a Levite to my priest.

CHAP. XVIII.

1 The Danites fend five men to feek out an inberitance: 27 they win Laifb.

JUDGES. Micah's images carried away. 18 And these went into Micah's

I and in thole days the tribe in the Danites fetched the car ver image, the ephod, and the