Judges - Revised Standard Version (1966)

The Book of Judges derives its title from the twelve heroes of Israel whose deeds it records. They were not magistrates, but military leaders sent by God to aid and to relieve his people in time of external danger. They exercised their activities in the interval of time between the death of Joshua and the institution of the monarchy in Israel. Six of them-Othniel, Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson-are treated in some detail and have accordingly been styled the Major Judges. The other six, of whose activities this book preserves but a summary record, are called the Minor Judges. There were two other judges, whose judgeships are described in 1 Samuel-Eli and Samuel, who seem to have ruled the entire nation of Israel just before the institution of the monarchy. The twelve judges of the present book, however, very probably exercised their authority, sometimes simultaneously, over one or another tribe of Israel, never over the entire nation. The purpose of the book is to show that the fortunes of Israel depended upon the obedience or disobedience of the people to God's law. Whenever they rebelled against him, they were oppressed by pagan nations; when they repented, he raised up judges to deliver them (cf Judges 2:10-23). The accounts of various events, whether written shortly after their occurrence or orally transmitted, were later skillfully unified according to the moral purpose of the redactor some time during the Israelite monarchy. - The book is divided as follows: I. Palestine after the Death of Joshua (Judges 1:1-3:6) II. Stories of the Judges (Judges 3:7-16:31) III. The Tribes of Dan and Benjamin in the Days of the Judges (Judges 17:1-21:25) - (NAB)

Headings

Book of JUDGES 1 Israel's Failure to Complete the Conquest of Canaan 2 Israel's Disobedience Death of Joshua Israel's Unfaithfulness 3 Nations Remaining in the Land Othniel Ehud Shamgar 4 Deborah and Barak 5 The Song of Deborah 6 The Midianite Oppression The Call of Gideon Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal The Sign of the Fleece 7 Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites 8 Gideon's Triumph and Vengeance Gideon's Idolatry Death of Gideon 9 Abimelech Attempts to Establish a Monarchy The Parable of the Trees The Downfall of Abimelech 10 Tola and Jair Oppression by the Ammonites 11 Jephthah Jephthah's Vow Jephthah's Daughter 12 Intertribal Dissension Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon 13 The Birth of Samson 14 Samson's Marriage 15 Samson Defeats the Philistines 16 Samson and Delilah Samson's Death 17 Micah and the Levite 18 The Migration of Dan The Danites Settle in Laish 19 The Levite's Concubine Gibeah's Crime 20 The Other Tribes Attack Benjamin 21 The Benjaminites Saved from Extinction

Version

Nova Vulgata - Latin Biblia del Pueblo di Dio (BPD) - Spanish Vulgata - Stuttgart 1969 - Latin Bíblia Sagrada Ave-Maria (1957) - Portuguese La Sainte Bible (Crampon 1904) - French CEI (1974) - Italian EinheitsÜbersetzung der Heiligen Sc - German