Now there was one whofe name was Jephtha, who, both on account of his father's virtue, and on account of that army which he maintained at his own expenfes, was a potent man, the Ifraelites therefore sent to him, and entreated him to come to their affiftance, and promised him the dominion over them all his lifetime. But he did not admit of their entreaty; and accufed them, that they did not come to his affiftance when he was unjustly treated, and this in an open man-ner, by his brethren; for they caft him off as not having the fame mother with the reft, but born of a strange mother that was introduced among them by his father's fondness, and this they did out of a contempt of his inability to vindicate himself]. So he dwelt in the country of Gilead, as it is called, and received all that came to him, let them come from what place foever, and paid them wages. However, when they preffed him to accept the dominion, and fware that they would grant him the government over them all his life, he led them to the war. 9. And when Jephtha had taken immediate care of their affairs he placed his army at the city Mifpeh, and fent a meffage to the Ammonite [King] complaining of his unjuft poffeffion of their land. But that King fent a contrary meffage; and complained of the Exodus of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and defired him to go out of the land of the Amorites, and yield it up to him, as at firft his paternal inheritance. But Jephtha returned this anfwer, That he did not juftly complain of his ancestors about the land of the Amo rites, and ought rather to thank them that they left the land of the Ammonites to them, fince Mofes could have taken it also ; and that neither would he recede from that land of their own, which God had obtained for them, and they had now inhabited [above] three hundred years, but would fight with them about it." 10. And when he had given them this answer, he fent the ambassadors away. And when he had prayed for victory, and had * vowed to perform facred offices; and *Jofephus juftly condemns Jephtha, as do the Apoftolical Conftitutions, B. VII. ch. 37. for his rafh vow, whether it were for facrificing his daughter, as Jofephus thought, or for dedicating her, who was his only child, to perpetual virginity, at the tabernacle, or elsewhere, and if he came home in fafety, to offer in facrifice what living creature foever fhould first meet him, he joined battle with the enemy, and gained a great victory, and in his pursuit flew the enemies all along as far as the city Minnith. He then paffed over to the land of the Ammonites, and overthrew many of their cities, and took their prey, and freed his own people from that flavery which they had undergone for eighteen years. But as he came back, he fell into a calamity no way correfpondent to the great actions he had done; for it was his daughter that came to meet him; fhe was also an only child, and a virgin: Upon this Jephtha heavily lamented the greatness of his affliction, and blamed his daughter for being fo forward in meeting him, for he had vowed to facrifice her to God. How ever, this accident that was to befall her was not ungrateful to her, fince fhe fhould die upon occafion of her father's victory, and the liberty of her fellow citizens: She only defired her father to give her leave for two months to bewail her youth with her fellow citizens; and then she agreed, that at the forementioned time he might do with her according to his vow. Accordingly when that time was over, he facrificed his daughter as a burnt offering, offering such an oblation as was neither conformable to the law, nor acceptable to God, not weighing with himself what opinion the hearers would have of fuch a practice. 11. Now the tribe of Ephraim fought against him, because he did not take them along with him in his expedition against the Ammonites, but because he alone had the prey, and the glory of what was done to himself. As to which he said, first, that they were not ignorant how his kindred had fought against him, and that when they were invited, they did not come to his affiftance, whereas they ought to have come quickly even before they were invited. And in the next place, that they were going to act unjustly; for while they had not courage enough to fight their enemies they came haftily against their own kindred: And he threatened them, which I rather fuppofe. If he had vowed her for a facrifice fhe ought to have been redeemed, Levit. xxvii. 1—8. but of the fenfe of v. 28, 29. as relating not to things vowed to God, but devoted to deftruction, see the note on Antiq. B. V, ch. i. § 8, them, that, with God's affiftance, he would inflict a punishment upon them, unless they would grow wifer. But when he could not perfuade them, he fought with them with thofe forces which he fent for out of Gilead, and he made a great flaughter among them; and when they were beaten, he purfued them, and feized on the paffages of Jordan by a part of his army which he had fent before, and flew about forty two thousand of them. 12. So when Jephtha had ruled fix years he died, and was buried in his own country Sebee, which is a place in the land of Gilead. 13. Now when Jephtha was dead, Ibzan took the ' government, being of the tribe of Judah, and of the city Bethlehem. He had fixty children, thirty of them fons, and the reft daughters; all of which he left alive behind him, giving the daughters in marriage to husbands, and taking wives for his fons. He did nothing in the feven years of his administration that was worth recording, or deferved a memorial. So he died an old man, and was buried in his own country. 14. When Ibzan was dead after this manner, neither did Helon who fucceeded him in the government, and kept it ten years, do any thing remarkable; he was of the tribe of Zebulon. 15. Abdon also the son of Hillel, of the tribe of Ephraim, and born at the city Pyrathon, was ordained their fupreme governor after Helon. He is only recorded to have been happy in his children; for the publick affairs were then fo peaceable, and in such sccurity, that neither did he perform any glorious action. He had forty fons, and by them left thirty grandchildren; and he marched in ftate with these seventy, who were all very skilful in riding horfes, and he left them all alive after him. He died an old man and obtained a magnificent burial in Pirathon. Concerning the Fortitude of Sampfon, and what Mischiefs he Brought upon the Philiftines. 1. AFTER Abdon was dead the Philiftines overs came the Ifraelites, and received tribute of them for forty years; from which distress they were delivered after this manner. 2. There was one Manoah, a person of such great virtue, that he had few men his equals, and without difpute the principal perfon of his country. He had a wife celebrated for her beauty, and excelling her contemporaries. He had no children; and being uneafy at his want of pofterity, he entreated God to give them feed of their own bodies to fucceed them; and with that intent he came constantly into the * fuburbs, together with his wife, which suburbs were in the great plain. Now he was fond of his wife to the degree of madnefs, and on that account was unmeasurably jealous of her. Now when his wife was once alone an apparition was seen by her; it was an angel of God, and refembled a young man, beautiful and tall, and brought her the good news, that the fhould have a fon, born by God's providence, that should be a goodly child, of great ftrength, by whom, when he was grown up to man's eftate, the Philiftines fhould be afflicted. He exhorted her alfo not to poll his hair, and that he fhould avoid all other kinds of drink, (for fo had God commanded) and be entirely contented with water. So the angel, when he had delivered that message, went his way, his coming having been by the will of God. 3. Now the wife informed her husband, when he came home, of what the angel had faid, who fhewed fo great an admiration of the beauty and tallness of the young man that had appeared to her, that her husband was aftonished, and out of himself for jealousy, and fuch fufpicions as are excited by that passion: But the was defirous to have her husband's unreasonable forrow taken away; accordingly fhe entreated God to fend * I can difcover no reason why Manoah and his wife came fo conftantly into thefe fuburbs to pray for children, but because there was a Synagogue or place of devotion in these suburbs. fend the angel again, that he might be feen by her hufband. So the angel came again, by the favour of God, while they were in the fuburbs, and appeared to her when she was alone, without her husband. She defired the angel to stay fo long till fhe might bring her hufband; and that request being granted, he goes to call Manoah. When he faw the angel he was not yet free from fufpicion, and he defired him to inform him of all that he had told his wife: But when he said, it was fufficient that fhe alone knew what he had faid, he then requested of him to tell him who he was, that when the child was born they might return him thanks, and give him a prefent. He replied, that he did not want any prefent, for that he did not bring them the good news of the birth of a fon out of the want of any thing. And when Manoah had entreated him to stay, and partake of his hofpitality, he did not give his confent. However, he was perfuaded, at the earneft request of Manoah, to stay fo long as while he brought him one mark of his hofpitality: So he flew a kid of the goats, and bade his wife boil it. When all was ready, the angel enjoined him to fet the loaves and the flesh, but without the veffels, upon the rock i which when they had done, he touched the flesh with the rod which he had in his hand, which, upon the breaking out of a flame, was confumed, together with the loaves. And the angel afcended openly, in their fight, up to heaven, by means of the fmoke, as by a vehicle. Now Manoah was afraid that fome danger would come to them from this fight of God, but his wife bade him be of good courage; for that God appeared to them for their benefit. 4. So the woman proved with child, and was careful to obferve the injunctions that were given her; and they called the child, when he was born, Sampfon, which name fignifies one that is ftrong. So the child grew apace, and it appeared evidently that he would be a prophet, both by the moderation of his diet, and the permillion of his hair to grow. 5. Now *Here by a prophet Jofephus feems only to mean one that was born bya particular providence, lived after the manner of a Nazarite devoted to God, and was to have an extraordinary commiffion and ftrength from |