JUDGES

CHAPTER 1: ISRAEL FIGHTS REMAINING CANAANITES

• After Joshua dies the Israelites asks the Lord who will lead the fight against the rest of the Canaanites. The Lord instructs them that Judah will lead them.
• Initially the Israelites have more success defeating and conquering Canaanite cities, but eventually began to fail to completely drive the Canaanites out. Many of the Canaanites assimilate and live among the Israelites.

CHAPTER 2: ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE

• The Israelites forget the Lord and serve other Gods, losing the Lord’s favor.
• The Israelites are defeated in battle and are plundered.
• The Lord begins to select judges from amongst the Israelites in order to help lead them. These judges help save the Israelites from their conquerors.
• Whenever the Lord chose a judge, the judge would lead the Israelites righteously. But whenever the judge died the Israelites would turn away from the Lord and serve other Gods.
• Out of anger the Lord did not allow the Israelites to defeat the remaining Canaanites, and left several nations in order to test the Israelites and see whether they would live faithfully.

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CHAPTER 3: ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE CONTINUED

• The Israelites do evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord allows them to become subjects of Cushan-Risha-Thaim king of Aram Naharaim for 8 years.
• The Israelites eventually cry out to the Lord so the Lord selects Othniel to be a judge and lead the Israelites into war against Cushan-Risha-Thaim. The Israelites prevailed and Othniel ruled for 40 years until he died.
• The Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord so the Lord allows the to become subjects Eglon King of Moab for 18 years.
• The Israelites eventually cry out to the Lord, so the selects Ehud to deliver them. Ehud assassinates Eglon, and then leads the Israelites in a campaign against the Moabites and conquers them.
• After Ehud the Lord selects Shamgar who defeats many Phillistines.

CHAPTER 4: DEBORAH DELIVERS ISRAEL

• After Ehud dies the Israelites do evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord makes them subjects to Jabin a king of Canaan. The commander of Jabin’s army Sisera is cruel to the Israelites for 20 years, so the Israelites cry to the Lord for help.
• The leader of the Israelites at the time was prophetess named Deborah. She devises a plan to send an army to Mt. Tabor in order to lure out Sisera. Sisera leads an army to Mt. Tabor but the Israelites defeats them.
• Sisera flees and eventually takes refuge with Heber who is a descendent of Moses. Heber however has some allegiances to Jabin, so Sisera believes he is safe at his estate. Heber’s wife Jael then kills Sisera in his sleep.
• The Israelites eventually conquer Jabin.

CHAPTER 5: DEBORAH’S SONG

• Deborah sings a song.

CHAPTER 6: THE LORD CALLS ON GIDEON

• The Israelites do evil in the eyes of the Lord again, so the Lord makes them subjects to the Midianites. The Israelites cry out the Lord so the Lord selects the Gideon to be a prophet.
• The Lord sends an angel to speak to Gideon and tells him the Lord is with him. Gideon questions the angel and is skeptical the Lord is with him after all the Israelites have been through.
• Gideon demands a sign and tells the angel to wait as he makes a offering to the Lord. The angel instructs Gideon on how to prepare the offering, then the Angel makes the offering vanish into fire and Gideon begins to believe.
• The Lord instructs Gideon to tear down the altars his father built for the false Gods. This angers the Midianites who assemble an army against Gideon. Gideon assembles and army as well.
• Gideon calls on the Lord to give him a sign that he is with Gideon. Gideon tells the Lord that he will leave a fleece out and fleece has dew on it but the floor is dry, he will know the Lord is with him. And that is what happened.

�CHAPTER 7: GIDEON DEFEATS MIDIANITES

• The Lord tells Gideon his army is to large, and that some of the soldiers need to be sent home. Some soldiers are sent home.
• The Lord then instructs Gideon to go to the Midianites camp at night and spy. Gideon does and hears some the Midianites soldiers prophesizing of Gideons victory. Gideon now believes he will win.
• Gideon leads his army to the Midianite camp and surround it. They then blow their trumpets and the Lord causes the Midianites to turn against each other. The Midianites then flee, and the Israelites pursue them.

CHAPTER 8: GIDEON PURSUES MIDIANITES

• Gideon pursues the Kings of the Midian Zebah and Zalmunna. During the pursuit Gideon asks the local towns of Succoth and Peniel for bread to feed his men. They reply they will not give him any bread until he has caught Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon replies he will come back and punish them.
• After Gideon captures Zebah and Zelmunna he returns to Succoth and Peniel and punishes them. Then he orders the execution of Zebah and Zalmunna.
• The Israelites then request that Gideon should rule over them. Gideon replies only Lord will rule over you. But he does request a tribute of gold. He turn the gold into an ephod which the Israelites begin to worship.
• After Gideon dies the Israelites begin to worship other Gods again.

CHAPTER 9: ABIMELECH

• After Gideon dies his nephew Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal who is born of a concubine, conspires to take power. He recruits the citizens of Shechem where his concubine mother was from to help him kill his brothers who were not born of the same mother and has all his brothers killed, except one brother Jotham who escapes. Abimelech then becomes king of the Israelites.
• Jotham then confronts the citizens of Shechem and warns them they will be cursed if they have treated Jerub-Baals family wrong. He then leaves town out of fear of Abimelech.
• God eventually curses Abimelech and turns the citizens of Scechem against him. Gaal son of Ebed becomes their leader. Zebul the governor of the city informs Abimelech of the treachery.
• Abimelech then gathers an army and attacks Gaal and the citizens of Shechem. He defeats them in several battles. Eventually some of them are hiding and a strong tower and as Abimelech a woman drops a mill stone on his head and Abimelech then tell his servants to quickly kill him in order so know one will be able to say a woman killed him.
• His servants kill him, and then all the Israelites return home.

CHAPTER 10: ISRAEL FORSAKES THE LORD AGAIN

• Several leaders come to power and rule Israel including Tola and Jair.
• After Jair dies the Israelites again forsake the Lord and begin to worship other Gods.
• The Israelites then become subjects of the Philistines as well as the Ammonites.
• The Israelites eventually call out to the Lord, but the Lord ignores them. The Israelites then get rid of their false idols and the Lord has mercy on them.
• As the armies of the Ammonites assemble to attack the Israelites, the leaders of Gilead look for a leader.

CHAPTER 11: JEPHTHAH

• Jephthah was mighty warrior and son of Gilead, but born of a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also bore sons. When they were grown they drove Jephthah away.
• Now that the Ammonites are attacking, the leaders of Gilead seek him out to be their commander and promise he will be their King if they defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah questions their sincerity, but eventually agrees.
• Jephthah then sends messengers to question the King of the Ammonites about why they are attacking the Israelites, and attempts to avoid a conflict. This fails and they go to war.
• Jephthah promises the Lord that if he is victorious in battle he will make a burnt sacrifice of whatever comes out of the door of his house to meet him when he gets home.
• Jephthah is victorious and when he gets home his daughter who is a only child comes out of the door of his house to greet him. He is sad because he must sacrifice her.

CHAPTER 12: JEPHTHAH AND EPHRAIM

• The men of Ephraim confront Jephthah asking him why he did not ask them to fight with him against the Ammonites. Jephthah claims he did ask them but they refused.
• Jephthah then called on the Gileadites and fought against the men of Ephraim, and defeated them.
• Jephthah led the Israelites for 6 years and then died. Several others leaders came after him and ruled.

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CHAPTER 13: THE BIRTH OF SAMSON

• The Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and God made them subjects to the Philistines for 40 years.
• A man named Manoah had a wife who was sterile. An angel appeared to the wife and told her she would conceive a Son and he will deliver Israel from the Philistines.
• The woman went to her Husband Manoah and told her of the news. Manoah wanted to meet the angel. The next time the Angel came Manoah’s wife brought Manaoh to the angel.
• The Angel instructed Manaoh and his Wife on what they need to do to prepare for their child. Manaoh then makes a sacrifice to the Angel, who ascends to heaven within the flame of the sacrifice.
• Manaoh and his wife then have a child and name him Samson.

CHAPTER 14: SAMSON’S MARRIAGE

• Samson falls in love with a Philistine and decides and they decide to get married.
• Samson kills a Lion with his bare hands and a few days later finds honey inside the lions dead carcass.
• Samson has a feast to celebrate the marriage and at the feast challenges some of the guests who are Philistines to a riddle, and says if they solve the riddle he will give them 30 sets of clothes but if they cannot solve the riddle they must give him 30 sets of clothes.
• The guest convince Samson’s wife to obtain the answer to the riddle from Samson. Samson tells her and then she tells the guests, who then solve the riddle.
• Samson now owes the Philistines 30 sets of clothes. In order to repay his debt he goes and kills 30 Philistines and takes their clothes and gives it to the guests.

CHAPTER 15: SAMSON’S VENGEANCE

• While Samson is away his wife is married to someone else. When Samson finds out he sets fire to the Philistine’s fields.
• The Philistines retaliate by killing his wife and her father. Samson then retaliates by killing a large amount Philistines. Samson then goes and hides out in a cave.
• The Philistines then travel to Judah to arrest him. Men from Judah come to the cave in order to turn Samson over the Philistines. Samson complies and is tied up and led to the Philistines.
• Once he reaches the Philistines he breaks free from his bonds and kills them.

CHAPTER 16: SAMSON AND DELILAH

• Samson eventually fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to and bribed her into finding out the key to Samsons strength.
• Delilah asked samson what the key to his strength was, and he made up a lie saying and said if he was tied with seven fresh throngs he could be subdued. Delilah told the Philistines what Samson had told her, and they attempted to subdue him and failed.
• This sequence of events occurred multiple more times where Delilah attempted to persuade Samson to confide in her.
• Eventually Samson does confide in her and reveals that the key to his strength is hair. At night the Philistines sneak into his home and cut off his hair and then tie him up, blind him and take him away.
• The Philistines threw a celebration for their success in capturing Samson. At the celebration they bring Samson out to display him and chain him to the pillars. Samson then prays to the Lord to give him strength one more time.

CHAPTER 17: MICAH

• A man named Micah lived in Ephraim, and had robbed his mother. He returned the silver he had stole and his mother made an Idol out of it and gave it to Micah.
• Micah then allowed two Levites to move in and live with him, an old and a young one. They became like father and son. The young one became a priest in Micahs house.

CHAPTER 18: DANITES CONQUER LAISH

• At this time the Israelites had no King. The tribe of Danites were seeking a place to live and decided to send out spies ahead to explore the land.
• The spies came to Ephraim, and found that Micah had idols as well as a priest in his home. They asked the priest to pray for them and bless them, and the priest did.
• They then went to Laish and found it was good land.
• The spies then went back to the Danites and told them they should conquer Laish, so this is what the Danites did.
• On the way to Laish the Danites deicide to kidnap the priest that lives in Micah’s house and make him their own. Once they do this Micah pursues them with the intent to attack them, but they threaten him and Micah realizes they are too strong so retreats.
• The Danites then conquer Laish.

CHAPTER 19: THE LEVITE AND HIS WIFE

• There was a Levite from Ephraim who married a concubine, but the concubine was unfaithful and returned to her fathers house in Bethlehem.
• After four months the Levite went there to persuade her to return. When he reached Bethlehem his Wife’s father welcomed him into his home. He stayed there for several nights but eventually left with his wife.
• On the way back home they needed to find a place to stay. After refusing to stay in city that was not Israelite the Levite and his wife eventually reached Gibeah. When they reached Gibeah it was late so they could not initially find a place to stay.
• After settling in the town square for the night, an old man came upon them and said they could stay the night at his house. While staying the night at the old man’s housee a group of men from Gibeah surrounded the house and demanded the old man turned over the Levite so they could sexually abuse him. The old man refused but offered his daughter and the Levite wife to them. The men from Gibeah raped the Levites wife to death.
• When the Levite found her the next morning he took her back to Ephraim and then cut her up into twelve pieces and sent them to the twelve tribes of Israel.

CHAPTER 20: ISRAEL FIGHTS THE BENJAMITES

• After hearing of what happened to the Levites wife the tribes of Israel unite to discuss what happened.
• The tribe of Benjamin defends the men of Gibeah, because Gibeah was part of their land.
• The Israelites then go to war against the Benjamites. Initially the Benjamites have several victories, but are eventually over taken by the Israelites.

CHAPTER 21: WIVES FOR THE BENJAMITES

• The Israelites make an oath that none of their daughters shall marry a Benjamite.
• The Israelites have a ceremony and make sacrifices, and decide that anyone who does not show must be killed. The Israelites have a roll call and realize that the Israelites from Jabesh Gilead were not present, so they went off to kill them.
• After Killing the men and the women who were not virgins from Jabesh Gilead they decided to have the virgins marry the Benjamites.
• In those days Israel had no King and did as he saw fit.