together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.

And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hillcountry of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Bethbarah, even the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

XLVIII

JOTHAM'S FABLE OF THE TREES SEEKING A KING

(Judges viii: 32-ix: 21)

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age,1 and was buried in the sepulcher of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

1. Gideon judged Israel for forty years. His rule was eminently successful and he repressed Baal-worship vigorously.

"Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, 'Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you?' remember also that I am your bone and your flesh." And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, "He is our brother." And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, “Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive-tree, 'Reign thou over us.' But the olive-tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' And the trees said to the fig-tree, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' But the fig-tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' And the trees said unto the vine, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the vine said unto them, 'Should I leave my new wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' Then said all the trees

unto the bramble, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the bramble said unto the trees, 'If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.' Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands (for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian and ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech." And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

[After judging Israel for three years, Abimelech was slain in battle. His successors were Tola and Jair, who ruled Israel well for twenty-three and twenty-two years, respectively. After the death of Jair the Israelites once more began to worship false gods. Because of this, Jehovah permitted them to be overcome by their enemies who oppressed them for eighteen years. In their despair the Israelites prayed to Jehovah for aid. He promised to help them on the condition that they would renounce the false gods they had been worshipping. As on former occasions, the man needed as a deliverer appeared.]

XLIX

JEPHTHAH'S DAUGHTER

(Judges xi: 1-3; 29-40)

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, "Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman." Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.

Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, "If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be, that whatsover cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering." So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand. And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim,1 with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her 1. "Meadow of vineyards."

he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back." And she said unto him, "My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon." And she said unto her father, "Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions." And he said, "Go." And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. And it was a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate1 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

[After Jephthah had won a number of battles for the Israelites he became a judge, which office he retained until his death. During the twenty-five years following the rule of Jephthah the Israelites worshipped Jehovah and were at peace with the neighboring heathen tribes. At length, however, they again lapsed into idolatry. As a punishment, Jehovah inflicted upon them the rule of the Philistines for forty years. Again they prayed to Jehovah in their distress and he once more promised them a deliverer. In the course of time Samson was born to Manoah and his wife, who were of the family of the Danites.]

1. Commemorate.